2023 Topps Now Card Of The Month - July

Greetings,

Hope everyone is doing well.  Yes, it's been a while since Ol' Jafronius made an appearance here on APTBNL.  

We had relatives from London come in for a visit at the beginning of August, which was very cool.  When they left, we had to diet and detox for a few days.  The boys started school too (High School Sophomore and Freshman, holy crap!).  One of The Wifey's bunnies unexpectedly died last week, so we are all bummed out about that.  Then her mom passed away a few days ago.  Cancer sucks folks.  Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary however, so it's kind of a silver lining for recent sucky events.

Anyway, this has been sitting in the Blogger Drafts for a while now, so let me just knock it out before life resumes.

Just like last year, I got the e-mail alerting me to the pending expiration of Topps points, and somehow, I had enough points to get July's Topps Now Card Of The Month.

Last year, I wound up with Julio Rodriguez.  Who would I get this time?

I looked up the players of the month for July as a default.  Ohtani was the AL Player of the Month, and who doesn't like Ohtani?  Cody Bellinger was the NL Player of the Month.  It would be cool to get a card commemorating Cody's comeback, since his spark jumpstarted the Cubs and had us fans talking playoffs all the way till the start of September.

I didn't worry about getting the rookies or pitchers of the month, so I was thinking either Ohtani, Bellinger, or someone from the All-Star Game or related festivities.

Just like last time, I received a padded envelope which contained the above Topps Now envelope.  The envelope was also covered in bubble wrap, and yes, I still popped those bubbles.  The card came in a small case, with a felt piece with the card for support.

Who did I get?

#M-JUL - Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

It's interesting that compared to last year, this year there's a write-up on the back instead of a second picture, and although I like that there's a date on the back, it's not the date of the Derby, but just the last day of the month.  Vladdy's also a bit too cropped; I would like liked to see the full trophy on the card.

In case you missed it, here's the highlight video.

Anyway, that's the Card of the Month.  Check in with us next year to see if I somehow have enough points for the 2024 July Card of the Month and if it winds up to be next year's Derby champ.

Rest in peace, Mom, and Happy Anniversary to my Beloved!