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Must. Rip. Pack.


It has been 19 days since I bought a pack of cards or even a single card. This may not seem like a long time to some collectors. And I'll bet it definitely seems like an insignificant time to any noncollector who is now pointing and laughing at the previous sentence.

But I know there are some sympathizers out there who ... um, sympathize.

Trust me, it's not something I enjoy going through. I'll admit the first week or so is nothing. But after two weeks, you start noticing that there are no new cards around and that you haven't felt the sensation of wrappers crinkling for many, many, many,  minutes. Then comes the longing, the sense of entitlement, the whining and moaning. I'm generally just an overgrown teenager right now. It's tragic.

So when Robert of $30 a Week Habit sent me a rack pack of Allen & Ginter, I shoved aside all the other cards and packages that people had sent me long before this rack pack arrived -- screw THEM, I said in my best teenager voice -- and prepared to open it up right here on this blog.

I know you've all seen Allen & Ginter until your eyes have bled. I know Gint-a-Cuffs is still torturing someone somewhere. I don't care. I HAVEN'T RIPPED A PACK OF CARDS IN 19 DAYS!!!!!!!

Let's see what's in this baby.


#103 - Bronson Arroyo, Reds

Weee. Horizontal. Not the way to start.


#206 - Tony Perez, Reds

Ah, you catch on quick. Yes, this will be a Reds-centric pack. I'd have more respect for Topps if they put Perez in an Expos uniform.


#81 - Al Kaline, Tigers

Please, please, please tell me Kaline's hands aren't in his pants. His hands aren't in his pants. His hands aren't in his pants.


#102 - Ian Kinsler, Rangers

This is an odd little card because the white part of the bat blends in with Kinsler's uniform so that you have no idea what he's doing.


#236 - Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays

I got nothing.


#59 - Joey Votto, Reds, regular-back mini

More Reds. I like Votto and I hope he makes it into my frankenset binder. But a horizontal card is a disservice to this fine player.


ATY-DW - David Wright, Across the Years insert

Eeesh. I hate it when inserts I don't collect take the place of a short-printed base card.


#90 - Jon Lester, Red Sox

More horizontal. I don't even see them anymore.


#186 - Andy Pettitte, Yankees

I swear I looked at this card and wondered if Pettitte was still pitching. That's how much I've paid attention to the Yankees this year. It also looks like Pettitte is tired and wants to go home.


#247 - Ryan Howard, Phillies

What? Did I just get a card? I didn't see anything. Nope, I guess there wasn't a card.



#26 - Elvis Andrus, Rangers

I hope you're noticing something that I'm noticing. Besides all the crankiness about horizontal cards, I mean.



#310 - Brandon Phillips, Reds, SP

Yup. That is Red #4. One base card. One legend. One mini. One SP.



#42 - Jackie Robinson, Dodgers, regular-back mini

Joy, joy, joy! (enjoy it before it's blocked).



MM-GD - Gladiators, Martial Mastery insert

After pulling that Robinson mini, I most certainly feel as if I stepped on the neck of this particular rack pack!

Now, onto the thing you may have noticed:

Except for the Gladiators card, that was an ENTIRE ALLEN & GINTER RACK PACK OF BASEBALL PLAYERS ONLY! It's too bad gladiator had to spoil it. I was going to send it to Ripley.

Robert sent me a couple other A&G items, including this Koufax card encased in a very nifty red-bordered top loader:

I need to get some more of those color-bordered top loaders

But I'm going to save the other cards for some other time.

For now, I just thank him for quieting the pack-ripping demons for a couple of days.

At least THOSE voices in my head will be quiet.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Forget Perez - I'd have a lot more respect for Topps if they just went ahead and put Pete Rose in an Expos uniform!

That Votto card is horrible. Maybe the regular card isn't quite so bad with how it cuts of the photo, but you're right, horizontal Ginter cards are usually pretty bad.
19 days!? How the hell do you do that? I've gone 48 hours and it's killing me. I need your zen and self control.
Nachos Grande said…
I'm convinced you open packs meant for me and vice-versa.
--David said…
Speaking from experience, ripping a pack or three every. single. day. can have the opposite effect at times... BWAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, I almost made it through that comment with a straight face... Sorry, man. You can rip wax vicariously through me.
BaseSetCalling said…
I bought a single 6 card retail pack. I got one baseball player.
BaseSet - How many dupes of Henry Rollins and Bill Walton since they both have two identical cards in the set?
BaseSetCalling said…
I actually would have been happy with either of them. In fact I hope to pick up a Bill Walton. Nothing quite like actually wanting a double-print card then, don't think I've ever been in that spot before.

Instead I got the actor that played Al Bundy. Wooo.

Talk about a pack ripping itch not scratched though.
I noticed you got two Rangers so that was a winning pack for sure.
Dawgbones said…
The voices in my head are arguing, they told me to butt out!!
Hackenbush said…
It's fucking Al Kaline. Show some respect. ;)
Robert said…
You just never know how much joy you're going to spread by sending somebody one rack pack of cards.

August austerity....take that!!
night owl said…
Topps should show Kaline some respect. Holy crop job.
GCA said…
Since when does a JUMBO rack pack have 14 frikkin cards in it? Should by 52 or something.