Group Break Results: Jumbo 2013 Topps Update

I finally got the last box in.  I anticipate being able to send stuff out early next week.  I need to get shipping supplies together.  For some reason I did not anticipate the sheer number of cards heading out in the mail.

PACK 1
Eric Chavez-Diamondbacks
Erasmo Ramirez-Mariners
David Phelps-Yankees
Russell Martin-Pirates
Erik Bedard-Astros
Jason Giambi-Indians
Ryan Kalish-Red Sox
Didi Gregorius RC-Diamondbacks
Jurickson Profar RC-Rangers
Kyle McClellan-Rangers
Zack Wheeler RC-Mets
Mike Zunino RC-Mariners
Randall Delgado-Diamondbacks
Luke Putkonen RC-Tigers
Chris Sale AS-White Sox
Yu Darvish AS-Rangers
Troy Tulowitzki AS-Rockies
Clay Buchholz AS-Red Sox
Pedro Alvarez AS-Pirates
Edwin Encarnacion AS-Blue Jays
Junior Lake RC-Cubs
Shawn Kelley-Yankees
Yoervis Medina RC-Mariners
Jeff Francouer Gold 0707/2013-Giants
Kyle Gibson Making Their Mark-Twins
Troy Tulowitzki Chasing History-Rockies
Endy Chaves Emerald-Mariners
Shelby Miller 1971 Mini-Cardinals
Matt Harvey/David Wright Franchise Forerunners-Mets
Willie Bloomquist-Diamondbacks
Derek Dietrich RC-Marlins
Andrew Bailey-Red Sox
James Russell-Cubs
Aaron Harang-Mariners
Danny Duffy-Royals
Kevin Correia-Twins
Travis Hafner-Yankees
Jose Fernandez AS-Marlins
Bryce Harper HR-Nationals
Marlon Byrd-Mets
Brett Marshall RC-Yankees
Darren O'Day-Orioles
Michael Young-Phillies
Joakim Soria-Rangers
Matt Albers-Indians
Jeff Francouer-Giants
Ross Ohlendorf-Nationals
Brad Miller RC-Mariners
Evan Gattis RC-Braves
Bryce Harper AS-Nationals

An okay start.  Nothing to write home about.  Amy gets the Rockies insert.

PACK 2
Ryan Raburn-Indians
Jeff Keppinger-White Sox
Chris Tillman-Orioles
Jordan Schafer-Braves
Nick Tepesch RC-Rangers
Kevin Youkilis-Yankees
Endy Chavez-Mariners
Luke Scott-Rays
Jose Fernandez RC-Marlins
Wil Myers RC-Rays
Joel Peralta-Rays
Anthony Rendon RC-Nationals
Matt Adams-Cardinals
Oliver Perez-Mariners
Mark DeRosa-Blue Jays
Scott Hairston-Nationals
Jose Alvarez RC -Tigers
Jose Dominguez RC-Dodgers
Junichi Tazawa-Red Sox
Justin Grimm RC-Cubs
Henry Urrutia RC-Orioles
Shelby Miller RC-Cardinals
Jayson Nix Gold 1641/2013-Yankees
Jean Segura Making Their Mark-Brewers
Bo Jackson Chasing History-Royals
Kevin Youkis Emerald-Yankees
Torii Hunter Variation-Tigers
Babe Ruth 1971 Mini-Yankees
Derek Jeter Postseason Heroes-Yankees
Bryan Petersen-Marlins
Yasiel Puig RC-Dodgers
Vance Worley-Twins
Miguel Tejada-Royals
Greg Holland-Royals
Al Alburquerque-Tigers
Scott Feldman-Cubs
Blake Parker RC-Cubs
Jonathan Villar-Astros
Salvador Perez AS-Royals
Matt Moore AS-Rays
Jake Peavy-Red Sox
Steve Delabar-Blue Jays
Matt Tuisasopo-Tigers
Matt Harvey AS-Mets
Zack Wheeler RC-Mets
Drake Britton RC-Red Sox
Mike Olt RC-Rangers
Adam Wainwright AS-Cardinals
Carlos Gomez AS-Brewers
Tim Lincecum-Giants

Yankee heavy on the inserts.  The Hunter variation will make I Don't Know happy.  

PACK 3
Scott Van Slyke RC-Dodgers
Don Kelly-Tigers
Shin-Soo Choo-Reds
Stephen Drew-Red Sox
Chris Johnson-Braves
Derrick Robinson-Reds
Christian Friedrich-Rockies
Laynce Nix-Phillies
Adam Jones AS-Orioles
Cody Asche RC-Phillies
Jose Bautista AS-Blue Jays
David Wright HR-Mets
Matt Thornton-Red Sox
Dayan Viciedo-White Sox
Christian Yelich RC-Marlins
Joe Mauer AS-Twins
Matt Carpenter AS-Cardinals
Yoennis Cespedes CL-Athletics
Jesse Chavez-Athletics
Chad Gaudin-Giants
Brayan Pena-Tigers
Xavier Paul-Reds
Eric Young Jr.-Mets
Craig Stammen Gold 1732/2013-Nationals
Starling Marte Making Their Mark-Pirates
Jurickson Profar Chasign History-Rangers
Eric Chavez Emerald-Diamondbacks
Yasmani Grandal Blue 11/25-Padres
Roberto Clemente 1971 Mini-Pirates
Yoennis Cespedes/Rickey Henderson Franchise Forerunners-Athletics
Daisuke Matsuzaka-Indians
Wade Davis-Royals
Casey Kotchman-Marlins
A.J. Pierzynski-Rangers
Charlie Morton-Pirates
Chris Getz-Royals
Boone Logan-Yankees
Mike Calhoun-Angels
Kevin Gausman RC-Orioles
Reed Johnson-Braves
Kyle Lohse-Brewers
Max Scherzer AS-Tigers
Scott Kazmir-Indians
Joe Saunders-Mariners
Zoilo Almonte RC-Yankees
Juan Francisco-Brewers
Jake Elmore-Astros
Brandon Inge-Pirates
Craig Stammen-Nationals
Jayson Nix-Yankees

The blue parallel is really neat and numbered to just 25.  I Don't Know gets that one too.

PACK 4
Pat Neshek-Athletics
Joba Chamberlain-Yankees
Rafael Soriano-Nationals
Alexi Amarista-Padres
Brandon Morrow-Blue Jays
Martin Perez-Rangers
Robinson Cano AS-Yankees
Carlos Villanueva-Cubs
Roy Oswalt-Rockies
Mike Trout AS-Angels
Jason Kipnis AS-Indians
Mike Carp-Red Sox
Cody Allen RC-Indians
Rocky Nolasco-Dodgers
Matt Garza-Rangers
Kyuji Fujikawa RC-Cubs
Alex Wood RC-Braves
Alex Gordon AS-Royals
David Wright AS-Mets
Marco Scutaro AS-Giants
Zack Wheeler Making Their Mark-Mets
Ozzie Smith Chasing History-Cardinals
Luke Scott Emerald-Rays
Babe Ruth 1971 Mini-Yankees
Evan Longoria Postseason Heroes-Rays
Felix Hernandez League Leaders Pin-Mariners
Michael Morse-Mariners
Kevin Gregg-Cubs
Randy Choate-Cardinals
Nate Freiman-Athletics
Luke Gregerson-Padres
Daniel Bard-Red Sox
Cliff Pennington-Diamondbacks
Yadier Molina AS-Cardinals
Gerrit Cole RC-Pirates
Joe Smith-Indians
Kyle Blanks-Padres
Dewayne Wise-White Sox
Manny Machado AS-Orioles
Buster Posey AS-Giants
Chris Davis HR-Orioles
Mariano Rivera CL-Yankees
Michael Wacha RC-Cardinals
Jose Iglesias-Tigers
Francisco Rodriguez-Orioles

The King Felix is probably the hit of the box I would guess.  The Junior Junkie does well here.  A couple of Rays inserts for Dean as well.

PACK 5
David Phelps-Yankees
Russell Martin-Pirates
Erik Bedard-Astros
Jason Giambi-Indians
Ryan Kalish-Red Sox
Didi Gregorius RC-Diamondbacks
Pat Neshek-Athletics
Mike Zunino RC-Mariners
Randall Delgado-Diamondbacks
Luke Putkonen RC-Tigers
Chris Sale AS-White Sox
Yu Darvish AS-Rangers
Robinson Cano AS-Yankees
Carlos Villanueva-Cubs
Roy Oswalt-Rockies
Pedro Alvarez AS-Pirates
Edwin Encarnacion AS-Blue Jays
Junior Lake RC-Cubs
Shawn Kelley-Yankees
Yoervis Medina RC-Mariners
Ricky Nolasco-Dodgers
Matt Garza-Rangers
Kyuji Fujikawa RC-Cubs
Danny Salazar RC Gold 0036/2013-Indians
Craig Kimbrel Making Their Mark-Braves
Edwin Encarnacion Chasing History-Blue Jays
Ryan Kalish Emerald-Red Sox
Adam Jones 1971 Mini-Orioles
Shelby Miller/Bob Gibson Franchise Forerunners-Cardinals
Felix Hernandez All Star Stitches Jersey-Mariners
Andrew Bailey-Red Sox
James Russell-Cubs
Aaron Harang-Mariners
Danny Duffy-Royals
Kevin Correia-Twins
Michael Morse-Mariners
Marlon Byrd-Mets
Brett Marshall RC-Yankees
Darren O'Day-Orioles
Michael Young-Phillies
Cliff Pennington-Diamondbacks
Yadier Molina AS-Cardinals
Jeff Francouer-Giants
Ross Ohlendorf-Giants
Brad Miller RC-Mariners
Evan Gattis RC-Braves
Bryce Harper AS-Nationals
Buster Posey AS-Giants

Another King Felix?  That will really make The Junior Junkie happy.  I get a nice Red Sox parallel and Baseball Dad checks in with a gold card.

PACK 6
Edwin Jackson-Cubs
Wilson Betemit-Orioles
Bryan Shaw-Indians
Jose Veras-Astros
Alex Sanabia-Marlins
Robert Andino-Mariners
Maicer Izturis-Blue Jays
Stephen Pryor-Mariners
Josh Collmenter-Diamondbacks
Adam Ottavino-Rockies
Chris Colabello RC-Twins
Hisashi Iwakuma AS-Mariners
Marwin Gonzalez-Astros
Dioner Navarro-Cubs
Felix Hernandez AS-Mariners
Jeff Bianchi RC-Brewers
Jeanmar Gomez-Pirates
Juan Lagares RC-Mets
Michael Pineda-Yankees
Chris Archer-Rays
Sonny Gray RC-Athletics
Logan Schafer-Brewers
Danny Salazar RC-Indians
Ben Zobrist AS-Rays
Logan Schafer Gold 0889/2013 Brewers
Jose Fernadez Making Their Mark-Marlins
Roberto Clemente Chasing History-Pirates
Russell Martin Emerald-Pirates
Roberto Clemente 1971 Mini-Pirates
Justin Verlander Postseason Heroes-Tigers
Rafael Dolis Chasing History Autographs-Cubs
J.B. Shuck-Angels
Donald Lutz RC-Reds
J.P. Howell-Dodgers
Justin Upton-Braves
Trevor Bauer-Indians
Tim Collins-Royals
Delmon Young-Phillies
Yan Gomes-Indians
Alfonso Soriano-Yankees
Clayton Kershaw AS-Dodgers
Yoennis Cespedes HR-Athletics
Dustin Pedroia AS-Red Sox
Nick Franklin RC-Mariners
Prince Fielder HR-Tigers
Andrew McCutchen AS-Pirates
Allen Craig AS-Cardinals
Brock Peterson RC-Cardinals
Mark Melancon-Pirates
Kevin Frandsen-Phillies

Pirate heavy on the inserts this time.  The Cubs autograph is mine since I drew them in the randomizer.

PACK 7
Matt Adams-Cardinals
Sean Burnett-Angels
Chris Narveson-Brewers
Pete Kozma-Cardinals
Jonathan Pettibone RC-Phillies
Juan Uribe-Dodgers
Kelvin Herrera-Royals
Ryan Raburn-Indians
Reid Brignac-Rockies
Pedro Strop-Cubs
Luis Avilan-Braves
Grant Green RC-Angels
Mariano Rivera AS-Yankees
Anthony Swarzak-Twins
Kyle Gibson RC-Twins
Jose Fernandez RC-Marlins
Jason Grilli AS-Pirates
Cliff Lee AS-Phillies
Domonic Brown AS-Phillies
Justin Masterson AS-Indians
Yasiel Puig CL-Dodgers
Bud Norris-Orioles
Mark DeRosa-Blue Jays
Scott Hairston-Nationals
Michael Pineda Gold 1942/2013-Yankees
Aaron Hicks Making Their Mark-Twins
Reggie Jackson Chasing History-Athletics
Erik Bedard Emerald-Astros
Zach Britton Black 32/62-Orioles
Hyun-Jin Ryu 1971 Mini-Dodgers
Wil Myers/Evan Longoria Franchise Forerunners-Rays
Vernon Wells-Yankees
Kendrys Morales-Mariners
Anthony Rendon RC-Nationals
Eric Hinske-Diamondbacks
Bryan Petersen-Marlins
Yasiel Puig RC-Dodgers
Vance Worley-Twins
Carlos Martinez RC-Cardinals
A.J. Pollock-Diamondbacks
Blake Parker RC-Cubs
Jonathan Villar RC-Astros
Salvador Perez AS-Royals
Matt Moore AS-Rays
Nate Jones-White Sox
Ty Wigginton-Cardinals
Brian Wilson-Dodgers
Paul Goldschmidt AS-Diamondbacks
Matt Harvey AS-Mets
Zack Wheeler RC-Mets

Dean will be happy with the Rays insert and I Don't Know gets a nice parallel, again.

PACK 8
Denard Span-Nationals
Mike Adams-Phillies
Ezequiel Carrera-Indians
Austin Romine-Yankees
Jason Vargas-Angels
Zach Britton-Orioles
Eric Sogard-Athletics
Ryan Roberts-Rays
Wil Myers RC-Rays
Miguel Cabrera AS-Tigers
Glen Perkins AS-Twins
Lyle Overbay-Yankees
Daniel Nava-Red Sox
Casper Wells-White Sox
Mike Pelfrey-Twins
Chris Davis AS-Orioles
Jose Mijares-Giants
Mike Kickham RC-Giants
Torii Hunter AS-Tigers
Madison Bumgarner AS-Giants
David Ortiz CL-Red Sox
Robinson Cano HR-Yankees
Matt Lindstrom-White Sox
D.J. LeMahieu-Rockies
Chris Archer Gold 0843/2013 Rays
Tony Cingrani Making Their Mark-Reds
Joey Votto Chasing History-Reds
Erasmo Ramirez Emerald-Mariners
Carlos Gonzalez 1971 Mini-Rockies
Deion Sanders Postseason Heroes-Braves
Luis Valbuena-Cubs
Chris Carter-Astros
Drew Stubbs-Indians
Dylan Axelrod-White Sox
Joe Blanton-Angels
Travis Blackley-Astros
Gerrit Cole RC-Pirates
Rafael Betancourt-Rockies
J.J. Hardy AS-Orioles
Michael Cuddyer HR-Rockies
Jose Valverde-Tigers
Corey Kluber-Indians
Preston Claiborne RC-Yankees
John Lannan-Phillies
Tom Gorzelanny-Brewers
Josh Phegley RC-White Sox
Yasiel Puig RC-Dodgers
Carlos Gonzalez AS-Rockies
Patrick Corbin AS-Diamondbacks
Michael Cuddyer AS-Rockies

Wow, Deion Sanders?!

PACK 9
Jeff Keppinger-White Sox
Chris Tillman-Orioles
Jordan Schafer-Braves
Nick Tepesch RC-Rangers
Kevin Youkilis-Yankees
Endy Chavez-Mariners
Luke Scott-Rays
Eric Chavez-Diamondbacks
Erasmo Ramirez-Mariners
Wil Myers RC-Rays
Joel Peralta-Rays
Anthony Rendon RC-Nationals
Matt Adams-Cardinals
Oliver Perez-Mariners
Jurickson Profar RC-Rangers
Kyle McClellan-Rangers
Zach Wheeler RC-Mets
Jose Alvarez RC-Tigers
Jose Dominguez RC-Dodgers
Junichi Tazawa-Red Sox
Justin Grimm RC-Cubs
Henry Urrutia RC-Orioles
Shelby Miller RC-Cardinals
Troy Tulowitzki AS-Rockies
Clay Buchholz AS-Red Sox
Sonny Gray RC Gold 1033/2013-Athletics
Matt Harvey Making Their Mark-Mets
Manny Machado Chasing History-Orioles
Jason Giambi Emerald-Indians
Joe Mauer 1971 Mini-Twins
Nolan Ryan Postseason Heroes-Mets
Miguel Tejada-Royals
Greg Holland-Royals
Al Alburquerque-Tigers
Scott Feldman-Cubs
Willie Bloomquist-Diamondbacks
Derek Dietrich RC-Marlins
Jake Peavy-Red Sox
Steve Delabar-Blue Jays
Matt Tuiasosopo-Tigers
Travis Hafner-Yankees
Jose Fernandez AS-Marlins
Bryce Harper HR-Nationals
Drake Britton RC-Red Sox
Mike Olt RC-Cubs
Adam Wainwright AS-Cardinals
Carlos Gomez AS-Brewers
Tim Lincecum CL-Giants
Joakim Soria-Rangers
Matt Albers-Indians

Again, nothing really exciting.

PACK 10
Marcell Ozuna RC-Marlins
Bruce Rondon RC-Tigers
Nick Punto-Dodgers
Francisco Liriano-Pirates
John Jaso-Athletics
Skip Schumaker-Dodgers
Elliot Johnson-Royals
Mark Reynolds-Indians
David Ortiz AS-Red Sox
Prince Fielder AS-Tigers
Garrett Richards-Angels
Conor Gillaspie-White Sox
Jason Frasor-Rangers
Brian Bogusevic-Cubs
Justin Verlander AS-Tigers
Bartolo Colon AS-Athletics
Joey Terdoslavich RC-Braves
Joey Votto AS-Reds
Craig Kimbrel AS-Braves
Carlos Beltran AS-Cardinals
Alberto Callaspo-Athletics
Johnny Hellweg RC-Brewers
Pedro Alvarez HR-Pirates
Ian Kennedy-Padres
Brandon Inge Gold 1829/2013-Pirates
Yasiel Puig Making Their Mark-Dodgers
Dustin Pedroia Chasing History-Red Sox
David Phelps Emerald-Yankees
Miguel Cabrera 1971 Mini-Tigers
Gerrit Cole/Andrew McCutchen Franchise Forerunners-Pirates
James Shields-Royals
Samuel Deduno-Twins
Nolan Arenado RC-Rockies
Jason Bay-Mariners
Jed Lowrie-Athletics
Adeiny Hechevarria RC-Marlins
Jim Henderson RC-Brewers
Jean Segura AS-Brewers
Brandon Phillips AS-Reds
Joe Nathan AS-Rangers
Chris Denorfia-Padres
Dan Haren-Nationals
Oswaldo Arcia RC-Twins
Shaun Marcum-Mets
Ronald Belisario-Dodgers
Josh Thole-Blue Jays
Chad Qualls-Marlins
Jarred Cosart RC-Astros
Hyun-Jim Ryu RC-Dodgers
Aroldis Chapman AS-Reds

Baseball Dad pulled a lot of Puig from this box.  And that's it.

I hope everyone is happy with their breaks.  I know I am pleased with my Red Sox haul and I got some nice tradebait.  My only disappointment is that I did not get one of the red foil Boston Strong parallels.  Hopefully I can trade for one from someone.  I will have a recap post this weekend, if I have time, and I will start getting packages together to go out some time next week.

World Series Game 1 Mailday With a Lot of Varitek

Okay, so only one of the players featured on the next ten cards is going to be playing in this World Series.  Though Dwight Evans and Jason Varitek each played in two World Series themselves, Dustin Pedroia is the only one still active.

I got this first card in a trade with one of my Group Break participants, I believe.

1.  2013 Topps Archives Dual Fan Favorites Dwight Evans/Dustin Pedroia.  Another card off of my Top Ten came in.  I moved recently and was beginning to think this would never make it.  Evans played in the 1975 and 1986 World Series.  Pedroia played in the 2007 World Series and is due to play in his second.

I bought a bunch of new Jason Varitek cards off of a former collector.  Can't believe I found this many that I needed.  He had more too, but money is tight since I bought a house.  Varitek of course played on the 2004 and 2007 World Championship teams.

2.  2010 Upper Deck Game Jersey Jason Varitek.  I like the camo catching gear and the nice red jersey swatch.

3.  2008 Bowman Chrome Jason Varitek.  This is the card that really blows my mind that I did not have.  I have the blue, gold, and regular refractors, the xfractor, and the 1/1 superfractor, but not the base?!  That's crazy.

4.  2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Red Jason Varitek.  Another surprise.

5.  2008 Upper Deck Documentary Gold Jason Varitek 1245.  This is less surprising.  I did not even know there were parallels until recently and Documentary is not one of my favorite sets.  I would like it a lot more if they used different pictures but that would be asking way too much.

6.  2008 Upper Deck Documentary Gold Jason Varitek 1545.

7.  2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Framed Red Jason Varitek.  I love this card.  The texture, the frame, the picture, it really is a beautiful card.

8.  2009 Topps Chrome Xfractor Jason Varitek.  Terrific action shot here.

9.  2009 Topps 206 Bronze Jason Varitek.  A simple card but it looks good.

10.  2011 Topps Gold Jason Varitek.  I was very disappointed Topps did not make any Varitek cards in 2012.  It means that this is the last card of Varitek from his active career.  I would guess one day he will start to show up in retired sets as a fan favorite, but who knows when that will occur.

The Red Sox are Headed to the World Series!

Boston defeated Detroit four games to two in the ALCS and will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.  These two teams have met four times now in the World Series.  In 1946 it was a matchup of Ted Williams and Stan Musial.  In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski met Bob Gibson.  And in 2004 Boston won their first World Series since 1918.  Yadier Molina and David Ortiz are the only two players left from that matchup.

ALCS Game 1: Tigers 1 Red Sox 0 (Det 1 Bos 0)
Anibal Sanchez left the game with a no-hitter going that continued until Daniel Nava lined a base hit with one out in the ninth.  It was a terrific pitching performance from the former Red Sox farmhand.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JON LESTER:  6.1 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, Loss.

ALCS Game 2: Red Sox 6 Tigers 5 (Det 1 Bos 1)
Max Scherzer pitched terrifically and had a no-hitter into the sixth.  He was removed with a 5-1 lead, but David Ortiz tied it up with a grand slam in the eighth and Boston won it on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia single in the ninth.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
DAVID ORTIZ:  1 for 3, game-tying grand slam, 4 RBIs.

ALCS Game 3: Red Sox 1 Tigers 0 (Bos 2 Det 1)
Mike Napoli homered off of Justin Verlander and John Lackey pitched the game of his life.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JOHN LACKEY:  6.2 innings, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts, Win.

ALCS Game 4: Tigers 7 Red Sox 3 (Bos 2 Det 2)
Jake Peavy imploded in the second and Doug Fister held the Red Sox bats quiet.  Austin Jackson had a good performance at the plate.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JACOBY ELLSBURY:  4 for 5, run, RBI, double, triple.

ALCS Game 5: Red Sox 4 Tigers 3 (Bos 3 Det 2)
Anibal Sanchez could not do it again, but Jon Lester did and the bullpen was amazing.  Detroit made it interesting late, but Boston held on.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
MIKE NAPOLI:  3 for 4, 2 runs, RBI, home run, double.

ALCS Game 6: Red Sox 5 Tigers 2 (Bos 4 Det 2)
Boston won the pennant on the help of Shane Victorino's go-ahead grand slam in the seventh.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
SHANE VICTORINO:  1 for 3, grand slam.

ALCS MVP

KOJI UEHARA:  5 games, 1-0, 3 saves, 6 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts.

Group Break Update

The last box was just shipped today.  Sigh.  It will be a few days before I can finish up the break.  Sorry guys.

A Big Thank You to Hot Corner Cards

Earlier I won a Supercollector contest over at Hot Corner Cards and I recently received the prize package in the mail:

1.  2013 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor Jackie Bradley Jr. RC.

2.  2013 Topps Chrome Xfractor Jon Lester.

Other than the rooting for the Tigers, this was an incredibly generous package.  I did not expect such a nice couple of cards for this and I am very grateful.  Thanks Pat!

Group Break Red Sox and More

Just showing off some of the recent pickups for my Red Sox collection.

Up first is the group break results for the 2013 Panini Golden Age box:

1.  2013 Panini Golden Age Playing Cards Joe Wood.  This was the one card I really wanted.  It was #10 on my Most Wanted list.  Wood was a terrific pitcher for several years, including 1912 when he went 34-5.  This is a terrific-looking card of an old-time player.  It even looks retro.

2.  2013 Panini Golden Age Mini Carolina Brights Joe Wood.  Another Wood card, this one a mini.

3.  2013 Panini Golden Age Tris Speaker.  I mentioned in the group break post that I was a little surprised that this was a Boston card.  Speaker after all entered the Hall of Fame with Cleveland.

4.  2013 Panini Golden Age Joe Wood.  Yet another Wood card.  I still need the Delong Gum card.

5.  2013 Panini Golden Age Jim Rice.  The only relatively recent Red Sox card I got in that box.

All in all this was a reasonably successful box for me.

Next is the results from the 2013 Topps Chrome box.

6.  2013 Topps Chrome Jon Lester.  One of three Red Sox cards in the same four-card pack.  That is awesome.  I did once pull two Red Sox out of a three-card pack.

7.  2013 Topps Chrome Allen Webster RC.  The second card out of the pack.

8.  2013 Topps Chrome Shane Victorino.  And the third card.

9.  2013 Topps Chrome David Ortiz.  He hit a dramatic grand slam against the Tigers to tie the game in Game 2 of the ALCS.

10.  2013 Topps Chrome Jacoby Ellsbury.  He had an impressive four hit night in Game 4.

11.  2013 Topps Chrome Refractor Dustin Pedroia.  The only non-base card of the Red Sox in this box.  Still a successful break due to pulling seven Red Sox out of 96 total cards.

12.  2013 Topps Chrome Dustin Pedroia.

Finally I bought a three-pack value pack of Panini Prizm.  Only 15 cards in the box, but one of them was this:

13.  2013 Panini Prizm David Ortiz.  So that worked out nicely.

Group Break Results: 2013 Topps Chrome

Still no Topps Update box but let's get into the Topps Chrome shall we?

Good luck everyone?

PACK 1:
Cole Hamels - Phillies
Wade Miley Refractor - Diamondbacks

Julio Teheran - Braves
Miguel Montero - Diamondbacks

This will be the only simple refractor I will scan.  There will be a lot of them.  The Diamondbacks are mine as I recall.  Amy gets her first card of the box, as does I Don't Know.

PACK 2:
Nick Franklin - Mariners
Mike Trout - Angels
Michael Wacha Refractor - Cardinals
Craig Kimbrel - Braves

Nice rookie refractor of a very good pitcher.  Good pull JediJeff.  The Junior Junkie checks in for the first time in the box.

PACK 3:
Felix Hernandez - Mariners
Yadier Molina - Cardinals
Jeremy Hellickson Refractor - Rays
Josh Johnson - Blue Jays

A refractor for Dean.

PACK 4:
Jon Lester - Red Sox
Hiroki Kuroda Refractor - Yankees
Allen Webster RC - Red Sox
Shane Victorino - Red Sox

This is an awesome pack for me.  Three out of four Red Sox, of course the other one had to be a Yankee and is the best card in the pack.

PACK 5:
R.A. Dickey - Blue Jays
Starlin Castro - Cubs
Andrew McCutchen 1972 - Pirates

Adam LaRoche - Nationals

Nice McCutchen.  The Pirates are mine as well.

PACK 6:
Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers
Adrian Gonzalez Chrome Connections - Dodgers

Desmond Jennings - Rays
Alex Rodriguez - Yankees

Baseball Dad gets his first two cards of the break, including one awesome die-cut card of A-Gon.

PACK 7:
Shelby Miller - Cardinals
Evan Longoria Chrome Connections - Rays

Eury Perez RC - Nationals
Alex Colome RC - Rays

Another nice Rays pull for Dean.

PACK 8:
Allen Craig - Cardinals
David Ortiz - Red Sox
Jurickson Profar 1972 - Rangers

Roy Halladay - Phillies

I Don't Know gets the Profar 1972 card.

PACK 9:
Jeurys Familia RC - Mets
Miguel Montero Sepia Refractor 07/75 - Diamondbacks

Kyuji Fujikawa RC -Cubs
Matt Magill RC - Dodgers

Sepia Refractor goes to me.

PACK 10:
Brad Ziegler - Diamondbacks
Jonathan Papelbon - Phillies
Dan Straily - Athletics
Rob Brantly - Marlins

Nothing exciting.

PACK 11:
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
Mat Latos - Reds
Chase Headley - Padres
Mark Trumbo - Angels

Nothing exciting.

PACK 12:
Neftali Feliz - Rangers
C.C. Sabathia Black Refractor 070/100 - Yankees

Matt Kemp - Dodgers
Jacoby Ellsbury - Red Sox

Yankees get a black refractor of Sabathia.

PACK 13:
Jason Heyward - Braves
Jesus Montero - Mariners
Alex Gordon Refractor - Royals
Tyler Skaggs RC - Diamondbacks

Royals refractor goes to me, apparently.

PACK 14:
Michael Bourn - Indians
Josh Rutledge - Rockies
Alex Rios Refractor - White Sox
Jered Weaver - Angels

JediJeff gets a nice White Sox refractor.  He should be happy with that.

PACK 15:
Kendrys Morales - Mariners
Carter Capps - Mariners
Jim Johnson Refractor - Orioles
Jose Bautista - Blue Jays

I Don't Know gets an O's Refractor.

PACK 16:
Sean Doolittle RC - Athletics
Nate Freiman RC - Athletics
Dustin Pedroia Refractor - Red Sox
Trevor Rosenthal RC - Cardinals

Great, a Red Sox refractor for me.

PACK 17:
Zack Greinke - Dodgers
Carlos Martinez RC Xfractor - Cardinals

Paco Rodriguez RC - Dodgers
Martin Prado - Diamondbacks

JediJeff gets another nice card, this one an Xfractor.

PACK 18:
Chris Johnson - Braves
Curtis Granderson Xfractor - Yankees

Adrian Gonzalez - Dodgers
Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox

A Yankees Xfractor.

PACK 19:
Robbie Grossman RC - Astros
Joey Votto Xfractor - Reds

Didi Gregorius RC - Diamondbacks
Melky Mesa RC - Yankees

Baseball Dad gets the Reds Xfractor.

PACK 20:
Jay Bruce - Reds
Alfredo Marte RC Xfractor - Diamondbacks

Manny Machado RC - Orioles
A.J. Pierzynski - Rangers

A Diamondbacks Xfractor.  I am starting to wonder about the autographs.  There should be two...

PACK 21:
Shin-Soo Choo - Reds
Alex Wood RC - Braves
Yu Darvish Dynamic Die Cut - Rangers

Nelson Cruz - Rangers

A great pull of Yu Darvish for I Don't Know.  Still no autos...

PACK 22:
Matt Holliday - Cardinals
Brandon Maurer RC - Mariners
Kyle Gibson Auto Rookie Redemption - Twins
Casey Kelly Autograph - Padres

Jim Johnson - Orioles

And just like that we have both autos in the same pack.  I Don't Know drew the Padres so he gets the Casey Kelly autograph.  I drew the Twins, so I get the lame redemption.

PACK 23:
Zack Wheeler RC - Mets
Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies
Paco Rodriguez Auto Rookie Variation Refractor - Dodgers

Giancarlo Stanton - Marlins

Huh.  Another auto?  This one goes to Baseball Dad who is having some good luck with the Dodgers in this break so far.  He got the bat card in the Panini box as well.

PACK 24:
Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies
Freddie Freeman - Braves
Max Scherzer - Tigers
B.J. Upton - Braves

And that's it.  Hopefully everyone is happy with their pulls so far.

Group Break Results: Panini Golden Age Box

I am still waiting on the Topps Update box but I decided to kick things off anyway.  This is the Panini Golden Age box.  I know that there will be quite a few non-baseball cards in this thing, but there should be some nice cards anyway.

Good luck everyone!

BOXTOPPER:
Joe Tinker - Chicago Cubs

Up first was a large Exhibit box-topper.  This one is for one of the famous Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance Cubs players.  Apparently, I have the Cubs.

PACK 1:
Henry Fonda - Actor
Joe Wood Playing Cards - Boston Red Sox

Tommy Smothers Mini Carolina Brights- Entertainer
Frank Chance - Chicago Cubs
Darrell Waltrip - Daytona 500 Winner
Bigfoot - Legend

The one card I really wanted was the Smoky Joe Wood Playing Card, and boom!  First pack.  Awesome.  This actually made it to my Top 10 Most Wanted list.  There are quite a few non-baseball cards in this set.

PACK 2:
Apollo 11 - NASA
Bo Derek Playing Cards - Actress
Big White Piece of Cardboard
Flight 19 Mini Carolina Brights - Mystery
Bobby Jones - Golf Champion
Lyman Bostock - Minnesota Twins
Jim Kiick - NFL Player

One baseball card.  Apparently I also have the Twins.  I will likely divide up the non-baseball cards among everyone.

PACK 3:
Fielding Yost - Football Coach
Sam McDowell - Cleveland Indians
Karen & Mickey Taylor, Seattle Slew Mini Caramels
Lyndon Johnson - President
Harry Houdini - Illusionist
John Belushi - Comedian

Baseball Dad gets his first card, a Sam McDowell.  I might give the horse-racing cards to my wife who loves that sort of thing.

PACK 4:
Jake Daubert - Brooklyn Dodgers
John F. Kennedy Playing Cards - President
Affirmed - Triple Crown Winner
Sea Biscuit - Legend
Mike Schmidt - Philadelphia Phillies
Bo Derek - Actress

Baseball Dad and Amy each get a card here.

PACK 5:
Mario Andretti - Indy 500 Winner
Joker Playing Card
Big White Piece of Cardboard
Barry Williams Mini Carolina Brights - Actor
Riva Ridge - Thoroughbred
Dale Murphy - Atlanta Braves
Steve Stone - Baltimore Orioles

The Braves go to I Don't Know...3rd Base, who gets two cards in this pack.  He also picked the Orioles.

PACK 6:
Jacob Ruppert - New York Yankees
Eve Plumb - Actress
Jake Daubert Museum Age Bat Card - Brooklyn Dodgers

Abe Attell Mini Caramels- Boxing Champ
Joe Morgan - Cincinnati Reds
Walter Hagen - U.S. Open Winner
Tommy John - Chicago White Sox

Wow, that Jake Daubert is a really nice card.  Baseball Dad with a huge pickup here.  That is going to be a hard card to top.  Daubert was active in the 1910's.  A real old bat piece.  Baseball Dad also picked up the Morgan and JediJeff got his first card, a Tommy John.  The Yankees also have a card here.

PACK 7:
Woodrow Wilson - President
Bob Denver - Actor
Jane Russell Museum Age Dress Relic (?) - Actress

Jimmy Carter Mini Caramels - President
Henry Ford - Industrialist
Yogi Berra - New York Yankees
Evel Knievel - Daredevil

Not entirely sure who Jane Russell is but this is another nice card.  The Yankees get another card.

PACK 8:
Jim Bottomley - St. Louis Cardinals
Red Grange Headlines - NFL
Big White Piece of Cardboard
Donna Douglas Mini Caramels - Actress
Rod Serling - Screenwriter
Gary Lee Cavagnaro - Bad News Bears
Ron Guidry - New York Yankees

Another Yankees card.

PACK 9:
Hack Wilson - Chicago Cubs
Steve Cauthen Historic Signatures - Jockey

Woodrow Wilson Mini Caramels - President
Flight 19 - Mystery
Johnny Evers - Chicago Cubs
Joe Frazier - Boxing Champ

The autograph from the box is a jockey.  I am not totally sure how to feel about that.  The Cubs add two more cards.

PACK 10:
Doak Walker - NFL
Billy Sunday - Evangelist
Evel Knievel Mini Caramels - Daredevil
Donna Douglas- Actress
Jimmy Carter - President
Affirmed - Triple Crown Winner

Ouch.  Not a singly baseball card.

PACK 11:
Wally Pipp - New York Yankees
Brooks Robinson Headlines - Baltimore Orioles

Big White Piece of Cardboard
Bobby Richardson Mini Caramels - New York Yankees
Abe Attell - Boxing Champ
Karen & Mickey Taylor, Seattle Slew
Jackie Earle Haley - The Bad News Bears

A nice Orioles card for I Don't Know and two more Yankees.

PACK 12:
Henry Winkler - Actor
Secretariat Playing Card - Triple Crown Winner
Joe Wood Mini Carolina Brights - Boston Red Sox
Al Simmons - Philadelphia Athletics
Bill Freehan - Detroit Tigers
Bob Griese - NFL

A Tiger for I Don't Know, a Red Sox mini for me of Joe Wood, a player without a lot of cards, and an Athletic for Dean.  His first card of the break.

PACK 13:
Ted Simmons - St. Louis Cardinals
The Three Stooges - A Pain in the Pullman

Don Maynard Mini Caramels - NFL
Walter Cronkite - News Anchor
George Brett - Kansas City Royals
Keith Hernandez - St. Louis Cardinals

JediJeff pulls a couple of Cardinals and I guess the Royals are mine.  I like the Three Stooges card.

PACK 14:
Mel Ott - New York Giants
Nap Lajoie Playing Card - Cleveland Indians

Rudolph Valentino Mini Carolina Brights - Actor
Rudolph Valentino - Actor
Penny Marshall - Actress
David Pollock - Bad News Bears

Nice Indian for Baseball Dad and a Giant for him as well.

PACK 15:
Lana Turner - Actress
Harry Truman Playing Card - President
Stanley Livingston Mini Carolina Brights - Actor
Jean Harlow - Actress
Tris Speaker - Boston Red Sox
Bobby Hull - Hockey

A cool Red Sox card of Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.  I am a little surprised this is not an Indians card.

PACK 16:
Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals
Joe Tinker Playing Cards - Chicago Cubs
Richie Ashburn Mini Carolina Brights - Philadelphia Phillies
Ron Swoboda - New York Mets
George "Spanky" McFarland - Actor
Curly Neal - Globetrotters

Amy pulls a mini Ashburn who is from a town just 20 miles west of where I am right now.  Gibson, another Nebraskan, goes to JediJeff, the Tinker and the Swoboda go to me.

PACK 17:
Brooks Robinson - Baltimore Orioles
The Three Stooges - Comedy Act
Big White Piece of Cardboard
Dale Murphy Mini Caramels - Atlanta Braves
Elizabeth Montgomery - Actress
Erin Blunt - Bad News Bears
Pete Rose - Cincinnati Reds

I Don't Know pulls a Robinson and a Murphy.  Baseball Dad gets the Rose.

PACK 18:
Richie Ashburn - Philadelphia Phillies
Pete Rose Top Bread- Cincinnati Reds

Norm Cash Mini Caramels - Detroit Tigers
Gerald Ford - President
Lou Brock - St. Louis Cardinals
Johnny Carson - TV Legend

I really like these Bread Label cards.  Baseball Dad gets the Rose card.  Amy gets another Nebraska Phillie, JediJeff gets the Brock, and the Norm Cash mini goes to I Don't Know.

PACK 19:
Rocky Marciano - Boxing Champ
Abraham Lincoln - President
Bobby Jones Mini Caramels - Golf Champ
Jane Russell - Actress
Stan Lee - Comic Artist
Bo Schembechler - Football Coach

Yikes.  Although I can appreciate the Lincoln and Lee cards.

PACK 20:
Joe Wood - Boston Red Sox
Grace Kelly - Actress
Big White Piece of Cardboard
Jane Russell Mini Caramels - Actress
Matthew "Stymie" Beard - Actor
Sparky Anderson - Cincinnati Reds
Jerry Lewis - Actor

Another Red for Baseball Dad and another Red Sox Joe Wood (that's three Joe Wood cards) for me.

PACK 21:
Arnld Rothstein - Gambler
Darrell Waltrip Delong Gum - NASCAR Legend

Rocky Marciano Mini Caramels - Boxing Legend
Tommy Davis - Los Angeles Dodgers
Bob Hope - Entertainer
Dick Smothers - Entertainer

I like these Delong Gum cards, but I really wish it would have been a baseball player.  Davis goes to Baseball Dad.

PACK 22:
Max Baer Jr. - Actor
Earl Campbell Delong Gum - NFL

Doak Walker Mini Caramels - NFL
Helen Wills - Tennis
Stan Musial - St. Louis Cardinals
Jim Rice - Boston Red Sox

Another non-baseball Delong Gum card, that's probably it for the box.  I get the Rice and JediJeff with a nice Musial.

PACK 23:
"Unsinkable" Molly Brown - Socialite
Hack Wilson Top Bread - Chicago Cubs

David Stambaugh Mini Red Caramels - Bad News Bears
William Howard Taft - President
Al Kaline - Detroit Tigers
Steve Cauthen - Jockey

Another Bread Label, this one a Cubs card.  I Don't Know pulls another Tiger.

PACK 24:
Knute Rockne - Coach
Jim Kiick Top Bread - NFL

Jim Thorpe Mini Carolina Brights Purple- Team USA
Fred Merkle - New York Giants
Ralph Terry - New York Yankees
Jan Stephenson - Golfer

Giants go to Baseball Dad.  And another Yankee of course.  The Kiick will be randomly sent to someone.

Group Break Additional Teams

That's it, no more entries.  I think it went well.  Since there were ten teams claimed, twenty teams will enter the Randomizer.  I will have 11 teams since there were five unclaimed spots and I don't really care which teams I end up with other than the Red Sox.  Here are the positions for the additional teams:
List Randomizer

There were 20 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. The Junior Junkie
2. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
3. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
4. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
5. Baseball Dad
6. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
7. Baseball Dad
8. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
9. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
10. Amy
11. I Don't Know...3rd Base
12. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
13. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
14. I Don't Know...3rd Base
15. Dean
16. JediJeff
17. I Don't Know...3rd Base
18. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
19. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska
20. Red Sox Fan in Nebraska

Timestamp: 2013-10-14 17:18:18 UTC

And now for the random teams for those spots:

List Randomizer

There were 20 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Toronto Blue Jays -
2. Houston Astros -
3. Washington Nationals -
4. Chicago Cubs -
5. Cincinnati Reds -
6. Milwaukee Brewers -
7. San Francisco Giants -
8. Arizona Diamondbacks -
9. Pittsburgh Pirates -
10. Colorado Rockies -
11. Los Angeles Angels -
12. Kansas City Royals -
13. Miami Marlins -
14. Atlanta Braves -
15. Oakland Athletics -
16. St. Louis Cardinals -
17. San Diego Padres -
18. New York Mets -
19. New York Yankees -
20. Minnesota Twins -

Timestamp: 2013-10-14 17:29:07 UTC

Damnit.  I got the Yankees.  I knew that would happen.

Another Nice Trade

I worked out a quick trade on the forums recently that nailed a few random wantlist needs:

1.  2012 Topps Chrome Dynamic Die Cut Jacoby Ellsbury.  A very nice die-cut insert.  I have really been after die-cuts recently.

2.  2012 Topps Chrome Xfractor Jacoby Ellsbury.  Nice action shot.

3.  2012 Topps Chrome Refractor Ryan Lavarnway.

4.  2012 Topps Chrome Xfractor Ryan Lavarnway.

5.  2012 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor Ryan Lavarnway.  The big question is what will happen to Jarrod Saltalamacchia?  Lavarnway was fairly impressive this year.

6.  2013 Topps Commemorative Patch Babe Ruth.  This is my favorite from the package.  Not many great Ruth Red Sox cards out there, but this one is definitely one.

Still 6 Spots to Go

I am making the deadline Monday at noon, central time.  I got two of the boxes in today and I am itching to open it up.  If 14 spots have not been claimed by Monday, then that means more for me.

Go here to sign up.

Here is the list of the remaining teams:

Arizona Diamondbacks -
Atlanta Braves -
Chicago Cubs -
Cincinnati Reds -
Colorado Rockies -
Houston Astros -
Kansas City Royals -
Los Angeles Angels -
Miami Marlins -
Milwaukee Brewers -
Minnesota Twins -
New York Mets -
New York Yankees -
Oakland Athletics -
Pittsburgh Pirates -
St. Louis Cardinals -
San Diego Padres -
San Francisco Giants -
Tampa Bay Rays -
Toronto Blue Jays -
Washington Nationals -

Red Sox Headed to ALCS

Boston took down the Tampa Bay Rays in four games and are now on their way to the ALCS.  It remains to be seen who they will face.

GAME 1:  Red Sox 12 Rays 2
This one started out well for the Rays as they were leading 2-0 with the Red Sox yet to get a hit until the 4th.  At that point the Rays seemingly forgot how to play defense and Boston did not relent.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JON LESTER:  7.2 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, Win.

GAME 2: Red Sox 7 Rays 4
The left-handed hitters surprisingly did the most damage against David Price and Boston held on.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
DAVID ORTIZ:  2 for 4, 2 home runs.

GAME 3: Rays 5 Red Sox 4
Jose Lobaton hit a walk-off home run off of Koji Uehara to win the game for the Rays.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
JACOBY ELLSBURY:  3 for 5, double, 2 runs.

GAME 4: Red Sox 3 Rays 1
A wild pitch by Joel Peralta scored the tying run in the form of Xander Bogaerts in the 7th and Boston stole this one away from the Rays pen.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
CRAIG BRESLOW:  Win, 1.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts.

A Zippy Zappy Package

Zippy Zappy sent me some random cards from Bowman Chrome and Topps Mini as a result of me sending him some Alex Rodriguez cards from A&G.  Always good to rid myself of A-Rods and even better when it results in Red Sox.

1.  2013 Bowman Chrome Prospects Deven Marrero.  Marrero was last year's 1st round draft pick.  He is a fine-fielding shortstop who can make contact.

2.  2013 Bowman Chrome Allen Webster.  One of the big pieces that Boston acquired in last year's Dodger trade.

3.  2013 Bowman Chrome David Ortiz.  Ortiz is one player who is thrilled to return to the postseason.

4.  2013 Bowman Chrome Jon Lester.  Lester will be the Game 1 starter in the ALCS.

5.  2013 Topps Mini Clay Buchholz.  A shame that he did not win Game 3 of the ALDS, but it is okay.

Thanks Kenny!

Just 6 Spots to Go

Go here to sign up.

Just six more spots remaining for the group break.  I expect the boxes to start trickling in soon.  The Update box may take another week or so since the release date is not until next week.  But there are some big teams still out there.  Here is the list of the remaining teams:

Arizona Diamondbacks -
Atlanta Braves -
Chicago Cubs -
Cincinnati Reds -
Colorado Rockies -
Houston Astros -
Kansas City Royals -
Los Angeles Angels -
Miami Marlins -
Milwaukee Brewers -
Minnesota Twins -
New York Mets -
New York Yankees -
Oakland Athletics -
Pittsburgh Pirates -
St. Louis Cardinals -
San Diego Padres -
San Francisco Giants -
Tampa Bay Rays -
Toronto Blue Jays -
Washington Nationals -

Group Break Update

I am coming into a little money with my finish in my fantasy baseball league so I went ahead and bought the boxes.  This thing is officially going to happen so I need the pending payments to come in.  There is still time to sign up for the break though for those of you out there waiting to see if it would happen.  I would still like 10 more slots filled.  But if they don't I suppose that's more for me.

Go here to sign up.

A Couple of Chrome Pack Hits

This will not effect the Group Break at all.  If you wish to sign up for that, go here.  Still need 10 more people.

Anyway, I picked up a value pack (three actually, but only one had Red Sox) just to get some orange refractors, which will not be available in the hobby box.

1.  2013 Topps Chrome Will Middlebrooks.  I still love this picture.  Here's hoping for a big postseason from Middlebrooks.

2.  2013 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor Dustin Pedroia.  Here it is, a nice orange refractor of Boston's best overall player.  A pretty good pull if I do say so myself.

Still 10 Spots to Go for the Group Break

Go here to sign up.

I need a lot of help.  If I can't sell enough spots, I may not be able to do this, so if you know anyone who is a fan of any of the remaining teams, please pass this along.

Lots of spots still available.  Once again, I am opening 1 jumbo box of 2013 Topps Update, 1 hobby box of 2013 Panini Golden Age, and 1 hobby box of Topps Chrome.  I need 10 more teams to be claimed.  Only the Red Sox, Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Tigers are off the table so far.

There will be a lot of nice stuff.  Come take a chance.

A Small Trade, But a Good One

Just a small trade, but it knocked two cards off of my wantlist, including one from the Top 10 Most Wanted:

1.  2013 Bowman Chrome Cream of the Crop Refractor Jackie Bradley Jr.:  This is the card from the Top 10.  Bradley looks like a good bet to get a starting job next year in Boston.  He has improved over the course of the year and there is nothing more for him to do in the minors.

2.  2013 Bowman Platinum Cutting Edge Stars Matt Barnes.  Another rising young player in Boston's system.  Barnes could make it to the Majors by the end of next year.

10 Spots to Go in the Group Break

Go here to sign up.

I need a lot of help.  If I can't sell enough spots, I may not be able to do this, so if you know anyone who is a fan of any of the remaining teams, please pass this along.

Lots of spots still available.  Once again, I am opening 1 jumbo box of 2013 Topps Update, 1 hobby box of 2013 Panini Golden Age, and 1 hobby box of Topps Chrome.  I need 10 more teams to be claimed.  Only the Red Sox, Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Tigers are off the table so far.

A Gallery of Nice New Cards

A couple new packages to add to the old Red Sox collection.

Up first is a card that I particularly like. 

1.  2013 Topps Archives Gallery of Heroes Ted Williams.  I liked the Gallery of Heroes inserts several years ago.  These cards look great and of course the fact that this is a Ted Williams car makes it that much better.

Next, I traded off a couple of hits that I pulled in packs for some Red Sox hits.

2.  2009 Upper Deck Icons Relics Josh Beckett.  No longer a Red Sox of course, but still nice to add a jersey of the 2007 ALCS MVP.

3.  2013 Topps Tier One On the Rise Autograph Brock Holt.  Holt was not terribly impressive this year but has a chance to stick as a utility infielder next year.

4.  2007 Upper Deck Game Materials Curt Schilling.  A big part of two World Champion Red Sox teams and a possible future Hall of Famer.