9th Annual GAC has begun-but wait what is this?

OK, I have been waiting patiently to bust my A&G box for this year's GAC. So, it is done, I have busted my box, and boy oh boy was it fun. However, before I get posting my packs I am waiting for a couple of scoring clarifications from the Comish. Why do you ask? If you do ask, as I busted one pack and then another, then another it confirmed that I indeed had a foil hot box!!!!! Yep, every full size base card is a foil parallel (I grabbed this image from the Bay). This is what these look like. I am hopeful there is a bonus for this. I am sure the Comish in his wisdom we provide a generous allowance for these.

Even my wife beat the odds

Been a long few days with work as we prepare for accreditation next week. So to pick me up my thoughtful wife picked up a fat pack and one of the three pack Allen & Ginter rack packs. My wife doesn't usually buy me cards because the card aisle can be a little overwhelming and confusing. I will spare all of the cards that she was able to beat the odds with because GAC 9 is here. But other than pulling this Luke Weaver card-and the only Redbird pulled the "value pack" pack provided me with the only Reds player I like and a full size game used/relic at that! She beat the odds at 1 in 61 packs! Great job honey!

On a side note-I have not said much about the Redbirds or should I say the Baby Birds who have been making a climb in the standings. I started to watch them again when Paul De Jong was brought up. He is exciting and I think with the other younger players-they are fun to watch-will they go all the way? Doubtful, but the young guys aren't too intimidated. Good news is the Giants suck so Redbird tickets for their Labor Day weekend will be cheaper.

A little Blast of Cards from the Red Circle store

After dropping my wife off at the airport for her trip to see her folks in San Diego I hit the Red Circle store to pick ups couple of things. His location never seems to have much in the way of Blasters-and I  usually don't buy any for the most part any who. However, I grabbed a rack pack of 2017 Donruss, a blaster of 2017 Stadium Club, and one of those value boxes of repacked packs. Will my winning streak continue?

For the rack pack I was able to add Stephen Piscotty's base and a Rizzo variation-not sure what the odds are on the Rizzo card-but I have only pulled a couple over a number of rack pack.

The repack box had a pack of 2015 Topps Series 1 and Series 2, a 2016 A&G, and a 2016 Bowman pack, plus a few loose cards-I was able to pull this auto 2015 Topps Series 2  James McCann Career High auto which are 1 in 600 packs, nice pull and he looks to be having a year much like last season.

Next the Stadium Club Blaster-pulled two Gold parallels which are 1 every 5 packs (odds beat)-Billy Wagner and Michael Lorenzen. Black foil Tommy Joseph and Sepia Warren Spahn-each 1 in every 8 packs (odds met).

Then there were the standard inserts-but then there was this-Carson Fulmer auto. This White Sox thrower doesn't look to be going much of anywhere-he is now with AAA Charlotte and when he was up with the Sox in 2016 he went 0-2 with an ERA of 8.49. However the odds  of pulling this are 1 in 118 packs (Odds Beat). 

Lastly, I picked up a box 2009 UD OPC Baseball because I love this retro set-and am slowing building. I have picked up a number of these with only a Game Used of some guy I already forgot about. However, this box yielded this 1 in every 216 packs (odds beat) OPC Signature Auto of Chase Headley.

Marco Polo

A day before the start of a busy weekend (July 21) the Cardinals swapped Minor League prospects -- Tyler O'Neill of the Mariners for Marco Gonzales.

I am kind of bummed for two reasons; one I missed this but also because I know there were high hopes for the kid from Colorado until he had Tommy John surgery April 2016 and missed the rest of the season.

Whom is Tyler O'Neill? He is a 22 year-old Canadian outfielder. Looks like he raked in the minors in 2016. Not sure how this will all end up. I enjoyed Marco when he was a Redbird.

Better than a Blaster Best Blaster Ever-well almost the Best

My parents are safely home after a wonderful visit-now we are trying to get them on a cruise in January. Now for those not living along the coast of California it is hella cold here-I mean 50-60s. While I work in San Jose where it is in the high 80s and 90s. My parents were so cold coming from 100 plus weather, that we even lit a fire! On my 50th birthday I visited my 500th brewery and on for my father's birthday we had a wonderful meal filled with prime rib.

I digress, a week or two before their arrival I visited Target and picked up a couple of discount blasters-one of which seemed to have beaten the odds pretty well-or should I say was a "wife beater" of a blaster. First up a 2016 Gypsy Queen Blaster.

Green Framed Johnny "Kung Fu" Cuetto Green Framed parallel #48/99. (Image borrowed) with odds of 1 out of 120 packs!

Mini Foil Bill Mazeroski and a  framed mini Gold short print Wade Boggs #21/50 1 in 17 packs? I think it is higher for the SP.

, and mini MVP 1:16 packs Chipper Jones.

But a couple of packs in to the blaster and a see a card that looks a little odd to me.

Then I notice it is a Red Framed auto Numbered 3 out of 5! The auto is of Hector Olivera. The odds of pulling the card were 1 in 9,168 packs, yes the odds were one in over 9,000 packs! SO I think to myself I scored a great hit, but alas I Google Hector and find out he is a repeat wife beater! And is likely going to prison this year. So freaking bummer for me, but more of a bummer that he is a DV perp and hurts women. Asshole.

I also picked up a discount blaster of 2016 Stadium Club which yielded a Isometrics Nolan Arenado 1 in 16 packs and a Beam Team of my favorite Giant Busted Posey which is 1 in 256 packs!

So all in all I beat the odds and did pretty well-wish I didn't pull an abusive ass hat.

Family and Gint-A-Cuffs 9

I have been a little incog recently because my parents are out-pops is 80 today and I hit the big 50 this past Saturday (bought a couple of vintage cards which I will blog later). I will blog when they head home but I want to pimp the Gint-A-Cuffs 9! Click Here. Good luck!!

Group Break Goodies

Happy 4th Everyone-have a safe day with family and friends.

While I was incognito Chris over at Nachos Grande held one of his fantastic group breaks. I bought the Redbirds and the Dodgers-and was awarded the Giants as another team. I hoped I would score one the hot young Dodgers' player's  auto, or even another Kershaw. But alas no, and I assumed the Redbirds wouldn't payoff because I have noticed the Birds are slowly loosing their high profile in cardboard-and who could blame the card companies as the Birds don't have a superstar. Here are the highlights-now there were a number of Bunt cards that were pretty cool but Archives and DK really came through for me. I borrowed the images from Chris.

First the image variations from the DK box.

Then Score of Scores Alex Reyes Dual Auto/Relic numbered #49 out of 299! 

A really cool Waino Bunt card

A sweet Archives variation from the Dodgers' break 

Then the big guns came from the boxes. First, a player I loved to watch-and I was scoping this out on the Bay before going incog. Jimmy Ballgame auto-Sky Blue Fan Favorite #64/75!!!

Then the real fantastic pull-according to Chris the Odds of pulling this soft red card were 1:3,315 packs!

Thank you Chris!