Search for BoSox: 2011 So Far

I haven't been doing this much lately, even though I have been continuing to get cards once in awhile.

The big pulls of 2011 so far (inserts, parallels, SPs):
Topps Wal-Mart Black Border Jonathan Papelbon
Topps Toppstown Dustin Pedroia
Topps Toppstown Victor Martinez
Topps 60 Clay Buchholz
Topps 60 Jon Lester
Topps Lineage Cloth Sticker Carl Crawford
Topps Allen & Ginter Jon Lester SP

and the pull of the year so far...
2010 Bowman Chrome Green Xfractor Will Middlebrooks

Yes it's a 2010 card, but that doesn't really matter. Middlebrooks is having a huge year in the minors and this is a great card.

Search for BoSox Pt. 5: 2010 Topps Update

I recently bought a hobby box of 2010 Topps Update. Here's the Red Sox result:

Base Cards
Adrian Beltre
Adrian Beltre AS
Mike Cameron
Felix Doubront RC
Bill Hall
Ryan Kalish RC
John Lackey
Jon Lester AS
Victor Martinez w/ Cano AS
Darnell McDonald
Daniel Nava RC
David Ortiz AS
David Ortiz HR
Eric Patterson
Josh Reddick
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Marco Scutaro

Attax
Victor Martinez
Kevin Youkilis

Million Card Giveaway
Carl Yastrzemski

Peak Performance
John Lackey
Daniel Nava

The Cards Your Mom Threw Out
Wade Boggs
Nomar Garciaparra w/ Jeter and ARod
Carl Yastrzemski

Pretty good break from a Red Sox standpoint.

Search for BoSox Pt. 4: Topps Million Card Giveaway

Topps Million Card Giveaway is a promotion that has been going for on for this year in which the company inserts promo cards with a code to redeem for an original Topps card. I have not been buying too many packs this year, so I only had two of these redemption cards. Several months ago I redeemed them and these were the cards that I won:

As you can see, nothing terribly interesting.

Rod Gaspar was a Mets outfielder who played 118 games in 1969 at all three outfield positions. He was not a terribly good hitter and was mostly just a backup option. He never played close to as often again. I had never heard of Gaspar before.

Pete Rose Jr. is famous for being Pete Rose's son. He had 16 at bats in the Major Leagues with the Reds and was never heard from again. Despite this, he still managed to get into some legal trouble for steroid use.

Well, I was not terribly happy with these pickups and did not do much with them. I left the website alone for a long time.

Last week though, I decided to look closer at the site and I realized that I could trade my cards for something else. So, I went through the process and identified several cards I would have liked and offered trades. Most of them were fairly preposterous, and were rejected right away.

I turned down a trade offer for a 1988 Topps George Brett and I ended up trading the Gaspar for this:
Gerry Moses was a Red Sox catcher who played in the All Star Game in 1970. Expect a post about him, as this was definitely a questionable choice. Still, trading a Mets card of a player I have never heard of for a vintage Red Sox card is pretty good for me.

I ended up trading the Rose for this:
I honestly did not think I would get anything for this one, and just offered it up for virtually anything I could. Ripley only pitched in 31 games for the Red Sox in two years, going 5-6 with a 5.36 ERA, 60 strikeouts in 137.2 innings with one save. Not terribly impressive. But again, getting it for a Pete Rose Jr. card from 1998 made me pretty happy.

In hindsight, I was pretty lucky to get anything before 1987, when card production got pretty out of control. I was very lucky to trade the Rose for anything at all. I did have the cards shipped to me, so I could include them in my collection. I am looking forward to getting some more of these redemptions. I have some cards I would really like to try for.

Search for BoSox Pt. 3

Yesterday, I bought a box of 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter's. I pulled two Red Sox, one of which I already owned, Clay Buchholz. The other was a nifty insert: This Day in History Josh Beckett. Decent. I would have liked more cards, but I won't be too upset over pulling an insert. The hit of the box was an Ivan Rodriguez jersey card.

Search for BoSox Pt. 2

Tonight's pickups came from WalMart. We have the following:

2 2010 TOPPS T206 VALUE PACKS
1 2010 TOPPS HERITAGE RETAIL BLASTER

And here we go:
2010 TOPPS T206 VALUE PACK 1
PACK 1:
Edwin Jackson Diamondbacks
Andre Ethier Dodgers
Jeff Francouer Polar Bear Mini Mets
Carl Pavano Twins
Melvin Mora Rockies
Jeff Niemann Rays
Starlin Castro RC Cubs

No Red Sox.

PACK 2:
Jay Bruce Reds
Carlos Quentin Bronze White Sox
Austin Jackson RC Tigers
Chone Figgins Mariners
Michael Young Rangers

No Red Sox. Bust.

2010 TOPPS 206 VALUE PACK 2
PACK 1:
Reggis Jackson Yankees
Adam Dunn Nationals
Todd Helton Piedmont Mini Rockies
Conor Jackson Diamondbacks
Gavin Floyd White Sox
Chase Utley Phillies
Al Kaline Tigers

No Red Sox.

PACK 2:
Kyle Blanks Padres
Justin Upton Diamondbacks
Ichiro Mariners
Derek Holland Rangers
Hunter Pence Astros

No Red Sox again. I think this is it for Value Packs. I have opened five in the last few weeks with no luck.

2010 TOPPS HERITAGE RETAIL BLASTER:
PACK 1:
Jason Bartlett Rays
Neil Walker RC Pirates
Fausto Carmona Indians
Pirates Team Card
Joe Torre Dodgers
Yunel Escobar Braves
Scott Rolen Reds
Matt Garza Rays

PACK 2:
Dan Uggla Marlins
Gerald Laird Tigers
Marcus Thames Tigers
Cubs Team Card
Mark Buehrle White Sox
Derek Lowe Braves
Travis Snider Blue Jays
Neftali Feliz Rangers

PACK 3:
Placido Polanco Phillies
Michael Young Rangers
Twins Team Card
Yankees CL
J.A. Happ Phillies
Mickey Mantle Yankees
Howie Kendrick Angels
Chase Headley Padres

PACK 4:
Javier Vazquez Yankees
Gavin Floyd White Sox
George Sisler Browns/Orioles
Julio Borbon Rangers
Fernando Martinez Mets
Jim Leyland Tigers
James Shields Rays
Derek Jeter/Jason Bartlett Yankees/Rays

PACK 5:
Nate McLouth Braves
Orlando Cabrera Twins
Reds Team Card
Chase Utley WS Phillies
Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
Akinori Iwamura Pirates
Joe Mauer Twins
Willy Taveras Reds

PACK 6:
John Lannan Nationals
Hiroki Kuroda Dodgers
Jake Peavy White Sox
Brent Dlugach RC Tigers
Zach Duke Pirates
Warren Spahn Flashback Braves
Adam Jones Orioles
Nelson Cruz Rangers

PACK 7:
Hideki Matsui Angels
Mike Napoli Angels
Miguel Cabrera New Age Performers Tigers
Hanley Ramirez New Age Performers Marlins
Chris Carpenter Cardinals
Jason Bay Mets
Brian Roberts Orioles
John Russell Pirates

PACK 8:
Chris Carpenter Cardinals/Tim Lincecum Giants/Jair Jurrjens Braves/Adam Wainwright Cardinals LL
Lou Gehrig Yankees
Elvis Andrus Rangers
Brandon Phillips Reds
Drew Stubbs RC Reds
Jed Lowrie Red Sox (FINALLY!)
Skip Schumaker Cardinals
Franlin Gutierrez Mariners

One damn Red Sox card. Out of 88 cards. That's just pathetic. This is probably it for packs for awhile.

Searching for BoSox

I will do these once in awhile. I bought some stuff at the local Target. I only buy cards looking for Red Sox.

Here's what I bought:
2010 Topps Series 2 Jumbo Pack
2010 Topps Chrome Value Pack
2009 UD Icons Retail Blaster

Time for a live break:

2010 TOPPS SERIES 2 JUMBO PACK
PACK 1:
Wandy Rodriguez Astros
Texas Rangers TL w/ Kinsler and Hamilton (I'm rooting for Texas in the ALCS)
Brandon Wood Angels
Joel Pineiro Angels (former Red Sox don't count)
Andy Marte Indians (a Red Sox for about 5 seconds)
Dusty Hughes Royals RC
Jesse English Nationals RC
Nick Markakis Orioles
Alberto Callaspo Royals
Jim Bunning The Cards Your Mom Threw Out Phillies
Derek Jeter History of the World Series Yankees (blech)
Clayton Kershaw 2020 Dodgers (this is pretty cool actually)
Aaron Hill Peak Performance Blue Jays
Joe Morgan Turkey Red Reds (I miss firejoemorgan.com)
Mark Buehrle White Sox
Emilio Bonifacio Marlins
Carlos Guillen Tigers
Mike Napoli Angels

So that was a bust.

PACK 2:
Wade LeBlanc Padres
Brandon Webb Diamondbacks
Mike Pelfrey Mets
Travis Ishikawa Giants
Clete Thomas Tigers
Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig CL Yankees
Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
Trevor Crowe Indians
Kevin Kouzmanoff Athletics
Raul Ibanez Phillies
Red Sox Team Card w/ Youkilis, Francona, Ellsbury, Varitek, Bates (of course I already have this)
Phil Hughes Yankees
Reggie Jackson Vintage Legends Yankees
Bo Jackson Royals/Justin Upton Diamondbacks Legendary Lineage
Josh Johnson Attax Marlins
Chien Ming Wang Nationals
George Sherrill Dodgers
Michael Bourn Astros
Brendan Ryan Cardinals

Another bust. One Red Sox (that I already had), too many Yankees.

TOPPS CHROME VALUE PACK
PACK 1:
Vladimir Guerrero Rangers
Chase Utley Xfractor Phillies
Nick Markakis Orioles
Aramis Ramirez Cubs

Bust. Nice Utley though.

ORANGE REFRACTOR PACK:
A.J. Burnett Yankees
Vernon Wells Blue Jays
Jason Bay Mets (damn, former Red Sox again)

Yet another Yankee. No Red Sox cards

PACK 2:
Justin Upton Diamondbacks
Wilson Ramos RC Xfractor Twins
Howie Kendrick Angels
Tommy Hanson Braves

Beginning to rethink this whole thing.

PACK 3:
Miguel Tejada Orioles
Vernon Wells Refractor Blue Jays
Derek Jeter Yankees
Shin-Soo Choo Indians

Absolutely no Red Sox in this whole thing. I could have saved myself some money.

UD ICONS
PACK 1:
Ryan Dempster Cubs
Jose Reyes Mets
Jason Giambi Athletics
Chris Young Diamondbacks
Roy Halladay Blue Jays

PACK 2:
A.J. Burnett Yankees
Josh Beckett Red Sox (finally)
Randy Johnson 20th Anniversay Retrospective Diamondbacks
David Wright Mets
Stephen Drew Diamondbacks

PACK 3:
Ervin Santana Angels
Brian McCann Braves
Alfonso Soriano Foil Cubs
Derrek Lee Cubs
Albert Pujols Cardinals

PACK 4:
Magglio Ordonez Tigers
Corey Hart Icons Jersey Brewers (the "hit" of the box)
Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners

PACK 5:
Ichiro Mariners
Kosuke Fukudome Cubs
Johan Santana Mets
Garrett Atkins Rockies
Carlos Beltran Mets

PACK 6:
Akinori Iwamura Rays
Chad Billingsley Dodgers
Willie Stargell 20th Anniversy Pirates
Matt Holliday Athletics
Hanley Ramirez Marlins (I wish the Red Sox had not traded him, but he did bring two key components to the 2007 World Series Champs)

PACK 7:
Nick Markakis Orioles (seem to be pulling a lot of him today)
Joakim Soria Royals
Carlos Quentin White Sox
Michael Young Rangers
Jay Bruce Reds

PACK 8:
Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox (finally)
Ryan Howard Phillies
James McDonald RC Dodgers 885/999
Cliff Lee Indians
Russell Martin Dodgers

PACK 9:
Adam Dunn Nationals (could he be a Red Sox next year?)
Joe Mauer Twins
Jon Lester Red Sox (that's three new ones, four overall)
Tim Lincecum Giants
Alfonso Soriano Cubs

PACK 10:
Dan Uggla Marlins
Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
Rudolf Giuliani 20th Anniversary (what's this doing here?)
Ryan Ludwick Cardinals
Josh Hamilton Rangers

So that's it. I should have just bought the Icons box. Three Red Sox out of less than 50 cards is a pretty good ratio. The way I figure it, I should be pulling Red Sox once out of every 30 cards for an approximate percentage of 3% of the time.

Today's ratio: 4 Red Sox out of 98 total: about 4%. A little ahead of the game. But, I pulled 7 Yankees (and generally better cards too, a refractor and a couple of inserts). Ah well. I expect these posts to keep track of how I am doing with pulling Red Sox from packs and will also keep track of the Yankees. I have a theory that Yankees cards are easier to pull.