2011 Topps Update Series Sell Sheets are Live!!!

When the sell sheets for 2010 Topps Update Series came out last July, they were highly anticipated. Today, the sell sheets for 2011 Topps Update Series are out. This time I'm asking, "Why put these out now??!"

Once again, there will be 330 cards in the set, and they will be numbered #US1 to #US330 like last year. The thing that bothers me a bit is that this set is going to have tons of parallels.

TONS!!!

Put it this way. You know how in series 1 and 2 there were platinum diamond parallels (the silver borders), and canary diamond parallels (the yellow borders that are 1 of 1)? With this year's Update Series, we will be introduced to Hope diamond parallels (blue borders that are numbered to 60 copies per card) and "Cognac" diamond parallels (orange/brown borders that are "limited"...whatever that means). And to top it all of, they say that "Hope and Cognac Diamond parallels of all 709 cards in series 1 and 2, including variations, will be inserted in this product. So if you thought you captured the rainbow of your favorite player, guess again??!

The official breakdown of the 330 card set includes:

• 192 veterans (still a number of TBD's on the initial checklist, and you just know that it's subject to change)
• 55 rookies
• 10 "Rookie Debut" cards (featuring ten rookies and what they did in his major league debut. Hey, it's not the MLB Debut set I've been hoping for, but it's a start.)
• 8 Home Run Derby participants (if these sell sheets were out at the same time last year, we'd at least know who'd be included here)
• 5 Record Breakers/Checklists

That's 270 cards. What's missing??? Oh yeah:

• 60 All-Stars (the sell sheet says "All the players from the 2011 MLB All-Star Game)

Theproblem here is that unless MLB plans on increasing or decreasing the number of players on each roster,there will be68 All-Stars on both rosters. Eight guys, possibly more, will be missing in this subset. That's misleading and not "All" the players.

There is no checklist on which legends will appear as variations to the regular set. The sheets do depict a card of recently signed Topps exclusive Henry Aaron (albeit in Hope Diamond form). If his card shows up n series 2, then the Update Series variations remain a mystery.

Kimball's Champions, Topps 60, and Diamond Duos, the three continuity inserts in 2011, conclude here. No mention of any reprint card in the checklist or the sell sheet. Which is good, because as much as I like reprints from Topps' catalog of cards, they have been over done. The 2011 set will also feature autos and relics from the All-Star Game, ad possibly the World Series.

I did not find a site with Product information (if I do find it,I will include it here on the blog).A preliminary checklist can be found here, but remember, it is always subject to change.

Bring on November!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Updating the Sports Card Blogroll Before Its Third Anniversary

Just as this dog-and-pony-show turned three earlier this month, pretty soon, the Sports Card Blogroll will turn three as well.  Three years since the Blogroll was first created, and it turns out that it has been a very useful site for collectors who share a common interest.  And more and more blogs are being added every month. 

One of the best things about finding new blogs to add to the SCBR is that there is an chance that they will have blogs on their site's blogroll that have yet to be added themselves.  In fact, one such site that was added this month yielded four such sites, one of which was removed due to inactivity but has now been added back to the active rolls.  One of these days, I must find a way to get all the blogs that were removed from the blogroll together and maintain it in such a way so that in the event that the blog becomes active and relevant again, I can return it to the main roster.  Until then...let's review the activity for the month, shall we?

When last we left the blogroll, we rebounded from a dreadful month with 311 blogs.  Since the last post, 7 blogs were added to the active roster, raising the tally to 318 blogs on the big blogroll. 

But as we all know, although I'd much rather add blogs, I also have to remove them if the blogs reach six months of inactivity.  With that, the Sports Card Blogroll says goodbye to the following blogs:

• Georgia Mindset
• The Pessimist Card Collector
• Roll out the Barrel 
• Trade Bait - The Great Chase!
• Achiever Card Blog
• 1971 Football Cards

With six blogs being removed this time around, we are down to 312 blogs, for a net gain of +1 (hey, a gain is a gain). 

As always, if you, or someone you know, is writing a Hobby blog that is not on the Sports Card Blogroll, please e-mail me at bdj610@hotmail.com so it can be added.  And if your blog is being removed, but you plan on becoming active again in the Hobby Blogging Community, drop me a line.  Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Surprise from Seattle...Enumclaw to be Exact!

I came home today and checked the mail.  No bills (thankfully), the usual fliers, junk mail, and a bubble envelope from friend of the blog and writer of Emerald City Diamond Gems Larry Littman.

Wait.  I don't remember sending him anything recently.  What's in the package???  A note that read:

Hey JayBee

Hope this will help you complete the 2011 Team Sets.

Larry
ECDG

And this:

Pardon the blurriness.  You can still make it out though.


The 2011 Topps Mariners Set!  With the free collector's case.  Awesome.

Larry, I sent a note on FB (we're friends on Facebook, you can be too by clicking the link and sending a friend request) to thank you.  Don't know how often you check there, but I thought this would get your attention sooner.  Thank you so much for the Mariners set.  I've mentioned it here before that the Mariners were the first team set I acquired in 2006 that began this crazy trip of collecting all 30 sets.  And now I am nine sets away from finishing off 2011.  I'll have to check your want lists to see if I can send something in return.

So I can scratch the Mariners off the want list.  It seems that the only difference between the sets with the free case and those without them is that not only are the packages larger, but the checklist (which I normally cut out for inclusion in the album) has three columns instead of two (more room on the back).  How in the heck am I going to fit this in the sheet?  Minor technicalities.  It's one less set I have to buy. 

Is there anybody in the Phoenix, Miami, Houston, Kansas City, LA/Anaheim, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Diego, or Toronto areas that can find a team set for me?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Unique 40th Birthday Present For Any Baseball Card Collector

Here is another post that should have been written sooner, but due to headaches and work related issues, was put on the back burner until now.

On May 2, I received an e-mail from one Alex Towbin.  He writes:

JayBee,


I was wondering if you had any high quality color pictures of the Topps 40th anniversary logo from 1991.

My Friend is turning 40 Wednesday (I know I am asking last minute). I bought him every #40 card from the flagship set (1951-2011). I wanted to put the 40th anniversary logo on the cover of the binder but can't get a good reproduction of it. I would appreciate any help.

I would be happy to send a picture of the completed gift.

Thanks,

Alex

Now I thought, "What an awesome idea for a birthday present."  He actually purchased every #40 card in Topps 60 Year History (including the 1951 Red AND Blue Backs) and put them in a binder to present this friend.  How could I NOT want to help.  I started to look around and did find a Topps 40th Anniversary Logo for him (good thing I kept those Topps Magazines).

I mentioned what an awesome idea this was, and that with his permission, I'd love to write about it on the blog.  I'd definitely like a picture of the gift once it's given.



He sent an e-mail back, thanked me for the logo and said that he was able to edit the image to make the background white:

Nice job.  His last email came with pictures of all 62 cards, all #40.  Now keep in mind that many of these cards, because the number ends in "0", features a number of stars, and HOF's.  So this was not necessarily a cheap undertaking.  Take a gander below to see the fruits of this man's labor:

Yes, I had to show all 16 pictures.  And yes, his #40 collection includes both versions of the infamous Derek Jeter #40 card from 2007.  This is an incredible achievement.  And, I can't say this enough, what an awesome birthday present.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Very Very Late Post about...2011 Topps 17-Card Team Sets.

For the record, this post should have been written around the end of March, early April. However, because the source I was using didn't have all the pictures I wanted, I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Meanwhile, everybody and their relatives are finding these sets everywhere and wondering why I haven't written anything yet.

Did I decide to stop collecting them this year? Of course not. In fact, as of now, I have 20 of the 30 teams as well as the 2 new All-Star Team sets. Even though I didn't post anything about them doesn't mean that I wasn't talking about them.  Want to know how popular these sets are becoming??? Sports Collectors Daily did a story on them as an underrated product. And this humble, little blog has featured cards from these team sets many times in its three-year history.

So let me first say that I am sorry for being late to the party.

Better late than never, though.

Since 2006, as a way to bring kids back to the Hobby, Topps began issuing Team Sets for each of the 30 MLB teams. And they could be found EVERYWHERE!!! From big box stores like Target and WalMart, to your local Supermarket, these blister packed sets contained at least 14 cards of your local team's heroes. No leafing through pack after pack to get cards of the team you root for, it's all here in easy-to-carry-to-the-register-package.

While many cards had pictures similar to those found in the 2006 base set, there were a number of cards of players who were pictured in different uniforms, had different pictures than what was used in the base set (photoshop was used in more than one instance), or players who were left of the base set included, meaning that they were only found in these retail only sets. These must have sold very well because in 2007 and 2008, these 14-card packages returned to store shelves. In 2009, a bonus 15th card was added to each of the sets. These bonus cards could have been of the stadium, the manager, the team mascot, a bonus player, or even a President or two. In 2010, two more cards were added to the blister packs, so each set contained an astounding 17 cards.

For the record, I have been insane enough to buy not just one set, or even two. I have bought ALL 30 TEAM SETS for the last FIVE YEARS!!! That's 150 team sets, roughly 2220 cards total, that I have added to my collection. What can I say, I wanted to collect them all...

In 2011, each team set comes once again with 17 cards. There is a catch though. Of the 30 teams, 29 include the home stadium of the team (for some reason, Progressive Field, home of the Indians, is not part of the team set).So each set (except the Indians) includes 16 players and the stadium (the Tribe gets a bonus player). Some teams don't get 16 players in the base set nowadays. But this year, each set will include 16 players from your favorite team. Meaning that a couple of bench guys and maybe one reliever OUTSIDE of the main set-up guy, might actually show up in these blister packs.

So who's in? Last year, I took the time to include all the players found in the initial checklist. After quick debate, I thought why not do it again? It makes for one of the longest posts on the blog, but it's well worth it. So here they are again, the checklists for all 30 teams. Please remember though that these checklists, like all other previews, are subject to change.

Arizona Diamondbacks
ARI1 Justin Upton
ARI2 Stephen Drew
ARI3 Barry Enright
ARI4 Daniel Hudson
ARI5 Kelly Johnson
ARI6 Ian Kennedy
ARI7 Melvin Mora
ARI8 Miguel Montero
ARI9 Gerardo Parra
ARI10 Joe Saunders
ARI11 Chris Young
ARI12 Juan Miranda
ARI13 Xavier Nady
ARI14 Juan Gutierrez
ARI15 J.J. Putz
ARI16 Zach Duke
ARI17 Chase Field

Atlanta Braves
ATL1 Jason Heyward
ATL2 Chipper Jones
ATL3 Jair Jurrjens
ATL4 Brian McCann
ATL5 Mike Minor
ATL6 Martin Prado
ATL7 Kris Medlen
ATL8 Nate McLouth
ATL9 Eric Hinske
ATL10 Derek Lowe
ATL11 Freddie Freeman
ATL12 Jonny Venters
ATL13 Alex Gonzalez
ATL14 Tommy Hanson
ATL15 Tim Hudson
ATL16 Dan Uggla
ATL17 Turner Field

Baltimore Orioles
BAL1 Nick Markakis
BAL2 Adam Jones
BAL3 Brian Matusz
BAL4 Chris Tillman
BAL5 Felix Pie
BAL6 Nolan Reimold
BAL7 Brian Roberts
BAL8 Luke Scott
BAL9 Koji Uehara
BAL10 Derrek Lee
BAL11 Jake Arrieta
BAL12 Josh Bell
BAL13 Kevin Gregg
BAL14 Jeremy Guthrie
BAL15 J.J. Hardy
BAL16 Mark Reynolds
BAL17 Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Boston Red Sox
BOS1 Carl Crawford
BOS2 David Ortiz
BOS3 Jonathan Papelbon
BOS4 Kevin Youkilis
BOS5 Marco Scutaro
BOS6 J.D. Drew
BOS7 Jacoby Ellsbury
BOS8 John Lackey
BOS9 Jed Lowrie
BOS10 Tim Wakefield
BOS11 Jon Lester
BOS12 Dustin Pedroia
BOS13 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
BOS14 Adrian Gonzalez
BOS15 Clay Buchholz
BOS16 Josh Beckett
BOS17 Fenway Park

Chicago Cubs
CHC1 Starlin Castro
CHC2 Marlon Byrd
CHC3 Aramis Ramirez
CHC4 Tyler Colvin
CHC5 Kerry Wood
CHC6 Ryan Dempster
CHC7 Carlos Pena
CHC8 Carlos Marmol
CHC9 Andrew Cashner
CHC10 Carlos Silva
CHC11 Blake DeWitt
CHC12 Kosuke Fukudome
CHC13 Alfonso Soriano
CHC14 Geovany Soto
CHC15 Matt Garza
CHC16 Carlos Zambrano
CHC17 Wrigley Field

Chicago White Sox
CWS1 Adam Dunn
CWS2 Gavin Floyd
CWS3 Chris Sale
CWS4 Carlos Quentin
CWS5 Juan Pierre
CWS6 Jake Peavy
CWS7 John Danks
CWS8 Matt Thornton
CWS9 Dayan Viciedo
CWS10 Edwin Jackson
CWS11 Omar Vizquel
CWS12 Gordon Beckham
CSW13 Alexei Ramirez
CWS14 Alex Rios
CWS15 A.J. Pierzynski
CWS16 Paul Konerko
CWS17 U.S. Cellular Field

Cincinnati Reds
CIN1 Joey Votto
CIN2 Jay Bruce
CIN3 Edinson Volquez
CIN4 Johnny Cueto
CIN5 Bronson Arroyo
CIN6 Scott Rolen
CIN7 Francisco Cordero
CIN8 Homer Bailey
CIN9 Edgar Renteria
CIN10 Aroldis Chapman
CIN11 Ramon Hernandez
CIN12 Jonny Gomes
CIN13 Mike Leake
CIN14 Brandon Phillips
CIN15 Drew Stubbs
CIN16 Travis Wood
CIN17 Home of the Reds

Cleveland Indians
CLE1 Carlos Santana
CLE2 Shin-Soo Choo
CLE3 Travis Hafner
CLE4 Michael Brantley
CLE5 Fausto Carmona
CLE6 Mitch Talbot
CLE7 Carlos Carrasco
CLE8 Matt LaPorta
CLE9 Justin Masterson
CLE10 Chris Perez
CLE11 Asdrubal Cabrera
CLE12 Trevor Crowe
CLE13 Jayson Nix
CLE14 Jason Donald
CLE15 Grady Sizemore
CLE16 Tony Sipp
CLE17 Joe Smith (unless they changed the name of the Stadium, this is the bonus 17th player)

Colorado Rockies
COL1 Carlos Gonzalez
COL2 Todd Helton
COL3 Ian Stewart
COL4 Seth Smith
COL5 Ubaldo Jimenez
COL6 Aaron Cook
COL7 Jhoulys Chacin
COL8 Eric Young Jr.
COL9 Jorge De La Rosa
COL10 Dexter Fowler
COL11 Ty Wigginton
COL12 Chris Iannetta
COL13 Ryan Spilborghs
COL14 Huston Street
COL15 Troy Tulowitzki
COL16 Jason Hammel
COL17 Coors Field

Detroit Tigers
DET1 Miguel Cabrera
DET2 Magglio Ordonez
DET3 Brandon Inge
DET4 Max Scherzer
DET5 Brad Penny
DET6 Ryan Raburn
DET7 Carlos Guillen
DET8 Austin Jackson
DET9 Jhonny Peralta
DET10 Rick Porcello
DET11 Brennan Boesch
DET12 Joaquin Benoit
DET13 Justin Verlander
DET14 Jose Valverde
DET15 Alex Avila
DET16 Victor Martinez
DET17 Comerica Park

Florida Marlins
FLA1 Hanley Ramirez
FLA2 Chris Coghlan
FLA3 Josh Johnson
FLA4 Chris Volstad
FLA5 Gaby Sanchez
FLA6 Mike Stanton
FLA7 John Baker
FLA8 John Buck
FLA9 Logan Morrison
FLA10 Ricky Nolasco
FLA11 Leo Nunez
FLA12 Anibal Sanchez
FLA13 Omar Infante
FLA14 Emilio Bonifacio
FLA15 Javier Vazquez
FLA16 Wes Helms
FLA17 Sun Life Stadium

Houston Astros
HOU1 Hunter Pence
HOU2 Jason Castro
HOU3 J.A. Happ
HOU4 Chris Johnson
HOU5 Carlos Lee
HOU6 Brett Myers
HOU7 Wandy Rodriguez
HOU8 Bud Norris
HOU9 Brett Wallace
HOU10 Jeff Keppinger
HOU11 Michael Bourn
HOU12 Jason Michaels
HOU13 Brandon Lyon
HOU14 Bill Hall
HOU15 Clint Barmes
HOU16 Nelson Figueroa
HOU17 Minute Maid Park

Kansas City Royals
KCR1 Billy Butler
KCR2 Mike Aviles
KCR3 Alcides Escobar
KCR4 Chris Getz
KCR5 Kyle Davies
KCR6 Vin Mazzaro
KCR7 Alex Gordon
KCR8 Luke Hochevar
KCR9 Kila Ka'aihue
KCR10 Jason Kendall
KCR11 Sean O‘Sullivan
KCR12 Joakim Soria
KCR13 Wilson Betemit
KCR14 Melky Cabrera
KCR15 Jeremy Jeffress
KCR16 Jeff Francoeur
KCR17 Kauffman Stadium

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
ANG1 Kendry Morales
ANG2 Dan Haren
ANG3 Tori Hunter
ANG4 Maicer Izturis
ANG5 Jeff Mathis
ANG6 Joel Pineiro
ANG7 Vernon Wells
ANG8 Fernando Rodney
ANG9 Howie Kendrick
ANG10 Ervin Santana
ANG11 Jered Weaver
ANG12 Bobby Abreu
ANG13 Erick Aybar
ANG14 Peter Bourjos
ANG15 Hank Conger
ANG16 Scott Kazmir
ANG17 Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Los Angeles Dodgers
LAD1 Andre Ethier
LAD2 Chad Billingsley
LAD3 Clayton Kershaw
LAD4 Rafael Furcal
LAD5 Matt Kemp
LAD6 Hiroki Kuroda
LAD7 Ted Lilly
LAD8 Rod Barajas
LAD9 Vicente Padilla
LAD10 Jay Gibbons
LAD11 Jon Garland
LAD12 James Loney
LAD13 Hong-Chih Kuo
LAD14 Casey Blake
LAD15 Juan Uribe
LAD16 Jonathan Broxton
LAD17 Dodger Stadium

Milwaukee Brewers
MIL1 Zack Greinke
MIL2 Ryan Braun
MIL3 Yuniesky Betancourt
MIL4 Prince Fielder
MIL5 Yovani Gallardo
MIL6 Carlos Gomez
MIL7 Corey Hart
MIL8 Mark Rogers
MIL9 Jonathan Lucroy
MIL10 Casey McGehee
MIL11 Chris Narveson
MIL12 John Axford
MIL13 Rickie Weeks
MIL14 Randy Wolf
MIL15 Craig Counsell
MIL16 Shaun Marcum
MIl17 Miller Park

Minnesota Twins
MIN1 Joe Mauer
MIN2 Justin Morneau
MIN3 Michael Cuddyer
MIN4 Brian Duensing
MIN5 Tsuyoshi Nishioka
MIN6 Scott Baker
MIN7 Jason Kubel
MIN8 Francisco Liriano
MIN9 Joe Nathan
MIN10 Kevin Slowey
MIN11 Carl Pavano
MIN12 Delmon Young
MIN13 Trevor Plouffe
MIN14 Danny Valencia
MIN15 Denard Span
MIN16 Jim Thome
MIN17 Target Field

New York Mets
NYM1 David Wright
NYM2 Josh Thole
NYM3 Ruben Tejada
NYM4 Johan Santana
NYM5 Jose Reyes
NYM6 Dillon Gee
NYM7 Mike Pelfrey
NYM8 Angel Pagan
NYM9 Jon Niese
NYM10 R.A. Dickey
NYM11 Ike Davis
NYM12 Jason Bay
NYM13 Jenrry Mejia
NYM14 Fernando Martinez
NYM15 Carlos Beltran
NYM16 Chris Young
NYM17 Citi Field

New York Yankees
NYY1 Derek Jeter
NNY2 Mariano Rivera
NYY3 Alex Rodriguez
NNY4 CC Sabathia
NNY5 Nick Swisher
NNY6 Mark Teixeira
NNY7 Mickey Mantle
NNY8 Jorge Posada
NNY9 Russell Martin
NNY10 Ivan Nova
NNY11 Phil Hughes
NNY12 Curtis Granderson
NNY13 Brett Gardner
NNY14 Joba Chamberlain
NNY15 A.J. Burnett
NNY16 Robinson Cano
NNY17 Yankee Stadium

Oakland Athletics
OAK1 Brett Anderson
OAK2 Andrew Bailey
OAK3 Daric Barton
OAK4 Dallas Braden
OAK5 Trevor Cahill
OAK6 Chris Carter
OAK7 Coco Crisp
OAK8 Kurt Suzuki
OAK9 Cliff Pennington
OAK10 Mark Ellis
OAK11 Gio Gonzalez
OAK12 Ryan Sweeney
OAK13 Josh Willingham
OAK14 David DeJesus
OAK15 Kevin Kouzmanoff
OAK16 Rich Harden
OAK17 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Philadelphia Phillies
PHI1 Cliff Lee
PHI2 Roy Halladay
PHI3 Ryan Howard
PHI4 Cole Hamels
PHI5 Chase Utley
PHI6 Domonic Brown
PHI7 Roy Oswalt
PHI8 Raul Ibanez
PHI9 Jimmy Rollins
PHI10 Shane Victorino
PHI11 Wilson Valdez
PHI12 Ben Francisco
PHI13 Carlos Ruiz
PHI14 Ryan Madson
PHI15 Brad Lidge
PHI16 Placido Polanco
PHI17 Citizens Bank Park

Pittsburgh Pirates
PIT1 Pedro Alvarez
PIT2 Andrew McCutchen
PIT3 Matt Diaz
PIT3 Chris Snyder
PIT5 Jose Tabata
PIT6 Neil Walker
PIT7 James McDonald
PIT8 Joel Hanrahan
PIT9 Evan Meek
PIT10 Lyle Overbay
PIT11 Ross Ohlendorf
PIT12 Jason Jaramillo
PIT13 Daniel McCutchen
PIT14 Garrett Jones
PIT15 Kevin Correia
PIT16 Paul Maholm
PIT17 PNC Park

St. Louis Cardinals
STL1 Albert Pujols
STL2 Chris Carpenter
STL3 Allen Craig
STL4 Ryan Franklin
STL5 David Freese
STL6 Jaime Garcia
STL7 Matt Holliday
STL8 Jon Jay
STL9 Yadier Molina
STL10 Colby Rasmus
STL11 Skip Schumaker
STL12 Adam Wainwright
STL13 Jake Westbrook
STL14 Pedro Feliz
STL15 Lance Berkman
STL16 Ryan Theriot
STL17 Busch Stadium

San Diego Padres
SDP1 Mat Latos
SDP2 Chase Headley
SDP3 Wade LeBlanc
SDP4 Ryan Ludwick
SDP5 Everth Cabrera
SDP6 Heath Bell
SDP7 Orlando Hudson
SDP8 Cameron Maybin
SDP9 Brad Hawpe
SDP10 Jason Bartlett
SDP11 Clayton Richard
SDP12 Nick Hundley
SDP13 Aaron Harang
SDP14 Will Venable
SDP15 Cory Luebke
SDP16 Kyle Blanks
SDP17 PETCO Park

San Francisco Giants
SFG1 Buster Posey
SFG2 Tim Lincecum
SFG3 Aubrey Huff
SFG4 Matt Cain
SFG5 Pat Burrell
SFG6 Madison Bumgarner
SFG7 Miguel Tejada
SFG8 Cody Ross
SFG9 Aaron Rowand
SFG10 Freddy Sanchez
SFG11 Jonathan Sanchez
SFG12 Pablo Sandoval
SFG13 Barry Zito
SFG14 Andres Torres
SFG15 Mark DeRosa
SFG16 Brian Wilson
SFG17 AT&T Park

Seattle Mariners
SEA1 Ichiro Suzuki
SEA2 Felix Hernandez
SEA3 Franklin Gutierrez
SEA4 Doug Fister
SEA5 Chone Figgins
SEA6 Jack Cust
SEA7 Milton Bradley
SEA8 Erik Bedard
SEA9 Brendan Ryan
SEA10 Rob Johnson
SEA11 Josh Wilson
SEA12 Michael Saunders
SEA13 Miguel Olivo
SEA14 Adam Moore
SEA15 Jason Vargas
SEA16 Jack Wilson
SEA17 Safeco Field

Tampa Bay Rays
TBR1 Evan Longoria
TBR2 David Price
TBR3 Sean Rodriguez
TBR4 James Shields
TBR5 Jeff Niemann
TBR6 Desmond Jennings
TBR7 John Jaso
TBR8 Jeremy Hellickson
TBR9 J.P. Howell
TBR10 Wade Davis
TBR11 Ben Zobrist
TBR12 Reid Brignac
TBR13 Johnny Damon
TBR14 Manny Ramirez
TBR15 B.J. Upton
TBR16 Matt Joyce
TBR17 Tropicana Field

Texas Rangers
TEX1 Josh Hamilton
TEX2 Julio Borbon
TEX3 Ian Kinsler
TEX4 Colby Lewis
TEX5 Yorvit Torrealba
TEX6 David Murphy
TEX7 Mitch Moreland
TEX8 C.J. Wilson
TEX9 Michael Young
TEX10 Tommy Hunter
TEX11 Derek Holland
TEX12 Nelson Cruz
TEX13 Brandon Webb
TEX14 Adrian Beltre
TEX15 Elvis Andrus
TEX16 Neftali Feliz
TEX17 Rangers Ballpark

Toronto Blue Jays
TOR1 Jose Bautista
TOR2 J. P. Arencibia
TOR3 Rajai Davis
TOR4 Brett Cecil
TOR5 Kyle Drabek
TOR6 Edwin Encarnacion
TOR7 Yunel Escobar
TOR8 Aaron Hill
TOR9 Jason Frasor
TOR10 Adam Lind
TOR11 Jose Molina
TOR12 Brandon Morrow
TOR13 Octavio Dotel
TOR14 Travis Snider
TOR15 Juan Rivera
TOR16 Ricky Romero
TOR17 Rogers Centre

Washington Nationals
WAS1 Jayson Werth
WAS2 Ryan Zimmerman
WAS3 Jordan Zimmermann
WAS4 Ivan Rodriguez
WAS5 John Lannon
WAS6 Tlyer Clippard
WAS7 Roger Bernadina
WAS8 Ian Desmond
WAS9 Livan Hernandez
WAS10 Stephen Strasburg
WAS11 Danny Espinosa
WAS12 Jason Marquis
WAS13 Adam Laroche
WAS14 Nyjer Morgan
WAS15 Mike Morse
WAS16 Drew Storen
WAS17 Nationals Park

Wow, that was a lot. Unlike in past years, where I would purchase all 30 sets from one store for under $100.00, I have 20 of the above sets because one store that I stumbled upon had them. I would have been thrilled if they had all 30, but I took whatever I could. But I'm still missing some teams. Which ones:

Arizona
Florida
Houston
Kansas City
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Seattle
Toronto

I do know now that since the site finally has the one set I've been waiting months for one lousy scan, I will order the above sets there (unless someone is kind enough to buy any of the above sets and send them my way). Where? I'm not saying. That's my secret. But as soon as I get the funds together, I'm making a phone call. Can't wait to see what they look like (I don't plan on opening ANY of the sets until I have all 30 in my possession).
I hope putting these checklists online helps you decide to go out and get a team set, or two, or thirty.

Happy Hunting!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Q: Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio? A: Topps!!!



Joltin' Joe DiMaggio...What's Topps Marquee???



The Number One Source in the Hobby has reported that the estate of Joe DiMaggio, timed to the 70th anniversary of the Yankee Clipper's record setting 56 game hitting streak, has awarded a license to Topps to produce trading cards with his likeness.

Joltin' Joe, who was previously an exclusive with that other card company (remember card #0???), now joins Mantle, Ruth, and the other CMG's, and will be included in future card products...

Including something that appears to be a brand new product.  Check out the name of the brand on the card. 

Topps Marquee.

Hmmmm...

Now, Mr. DiMaggio is no stranger to Topps cards.  Remember in 2001, he was included in the ten card insert set "Before There Was Topps", and in 2007 (the year that featured Generation Now, and the continuation of Mantle, Bonds, and A-Rod Home Run History sets), he was featured in not one, but TWO insert sets:  the Streak, a 56 card set highlighting every game during his historic hitting streak; and "The Streak BEFORE The Streak, a 61-card masterpiece honoring his minor league hitting streak with the San Francisco Seals.

Unless they make him a SSP card within Topps 2, expect a variation card of the Clipper in Topps' Update Series.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

RIP: My Use of Beckett's "My Organize"

If you're still one of the few that visit the website of the Number One Source in the Hobby, you probably know that they have decided to charge people for using one of their greatest tools, "My Organize."

For those who don't know what that tool is, basically it is a database that you populate using the lists provided by the staff at Beckett so you can get a running list of cards you have, cards you want, cards you want to trade for, and so forth.  And, if you pay for the online price guide (I don't), you can even see how much your collection is worth.  I've used My Organize since 2005 to list the cards I have in my collection. With it, I can determine how many cards I have of a certain player (those who actually read my Random Card of the Day posts knows I include that information in my articles).

But starting on Tuesday, May 10, the service is no longer free.  For $20.00 a year, you can continue to use "My Organize" as you have been without interruption.  That's if you want to pay for the service.  If you pay or the online price guide, the service is free.  And if you're willing to pay for the service, that's fine. 

Just don't count me in on paying.

I have no problems with them charging for the service.  It's their website, they're well within their rights to do as they please.  They pay people to enter the information for each card, and I can only imagine it being very time consuming process to enter all of the information about thousands of cards that are produced during the year.  And it's not like they didn't give their users ample warning about the switch.

But I already pay for the Baseball Magazine, I don't want to pay for My Organize.  I didn't even need to see the prices on each card (for a while, even my 1988 Topps set was "worth" more than $300, only because they added up the value of EVERY CARD in the folder).  I just want to be able to see what cards I have within the set and which cards and how many cards I have of a certain player.  I can understand charging for the price guide, but not for My Organize.

For now, my information will be held by Beckett.  They promise not to remove the information. In a way, it's like they're holding my information hostage, but at the same time, it's their information.  I was just using it for my needs.  I wish that there was a way to export my collections to a spreadsheet so that I can continue to maintain my databases.  But alas, there is none.

So for now, I will have to start from scratch.  The unfortunate thing is that there are no other sites that have more reliable checklists than Beckett.  Other sites are claiming that they will pick up the slack.  Good luck.  But for now, I won't be using My Organize for the foreseeable future. 

Unless, of course, they make it free again to access on the website.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Happy 3rd Anniversary to bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog!!!

On May 8, 2008, I started this humble, little blog. That means this past Sunday, the blog turned three years old.

So...

Happy Anniversary to Me!!! (Note, I ran this last year...feel free to enjoy once again now!!!)

(the words to the song for those who either can't access the video, or for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)

(Gioacchino Rossini; arr. William Hanna / Joseph Barbera)
Practically a restaurant standard, most people don't realize that these lyrics, to the tune of "The William Tell Overture", were written by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for the episode titled "The Hot Piano".

Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

Pour a cheerful toast and fill it
Happy Anniversary
But be careful you don't spill it
Happy Anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Happy she and happy he
They're both as happy as can be
Celebrating merrily
their happy anniversary

(Fred and Wilma Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

(Fred Talking)

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy (slow)
Happy (slow)
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy (fast) Anniversary!!!

Since I kept track of this last year, I think I'll do it again. Since May 8, 2010, I:

• added 2,485 cards to my official collection
• wrote 446 posts (not all necessarily about baseball cards)
• had more than 43,000 people find their way here, and 64,000 plus hits to show for it
• been added to at least 30 blogs on their blogrolls (this is a liberal estimate)
• gained 37 followers
• added 150 plus blogs to the Sports Card Blogroll, and most importantly
• earned acceptance into this wonderful world called the Hobby Blogging Community

I want to thank everyone who's ever found their way here and decided to come back. Thank you very much for joining me on my journey as I continue building onto my collection. It is the hope for year 3 of bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog that I not only show off more of my growing collection or give my opinions about the Hobby topic of the day, but also to inform, possibly to entertain, to show more cards that might have never seen the light of day, and to become a stronger voice in the hobby (this last one will take some time...).

To celebrate the third anniversary of this dog and pony show, I'm bringing back a number of segments that have not been featured in a while, including:

• the ever popular "Topps Cards that Make You Go...What??! of the Week"
• the return of the "2011 Topps Archives Project" (I swear, I'll get this going again)
• more "Cards that Will Never See the Light of Day...EVER!!!", and
• everybody's favorite guessing game, "If This is His Topps Card, Then What Card is This???"

Future topics for the upcoming year will also include:

• A tournament of my past All-Star Teams to determine the best of All-Time
• As you probably know, one of the coolest things Topps included on the backs of each card in Series 1 was a mention of a card from the past 60 years that shared the same card number. Before Series 2 arrives in June, we will list the cards mentioned.
• Coming in July, the return of the Random Card of the Day.

Thank you for reading. Continue to enjoy the journey.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Sets That Make You Go...WHAT??! of the Week: 2011 Topps NL and AL All-Stars Team Set

2011 Topps All-Star Team Sets...Really??!

I realize that this humble little blog is almost careening towards it's third anniversary.  What better time to bring back one of the original themes of the blog, the Cards That Make You Go...What??! of the Week.  The "What??!" is short for "What Were You (Topps) Thinking When This Card Was Developed/Designed/Created/Conceived??!"

When I first posted that I finally got my hands on many of the 2011 Topps Team Sets (those 17-card sets that they sell in retail, and at your local stadium), a comment from TonyGillen got my attention:

Not sure if you have seen them yet, but Topps has also made 17-card "American League All-Stars" and "National League All-Stars" sets in the same style of blisters as the team sets. (They were with the team sets at my local Target.) Similar to the cards in the team sets, except with the AL and NL foil logos.

Now, I don't recall ever seeing similar sets in the past (went on the Bay to look, didn't see any), so this is the first year that Topps issued an All-Star Team set to go with their 30 regular team sets.  What a great supplement to retail exclusive sets right???

Well, not exactly.

First of all, the cards, as has been the case with many of the team set cards, are similar to the 2011 Topps set.  Not necessarily a problem.  You also get players in their new uniforms here, just like in the retail sets, that won't appear in the regular set.  Again, not a bad thing.  These cards also come with an exclusive foil logo of their respective league.  A nice touch.

So what do I find wrong with them? 

Well, other than the fact that each set consists of 17 cards, you're not necessarily getting a "team" set per se.  And while I'm not going to get started on how they should have had at least "one rep per team, (come on with 17 cards and 16 on the NL, it wouldn't be fair), the player selection, albeit really good, could have been better.  This isn't the kind of product for the team collector anyway.

To wit, here are the checklists for both sets, in what would have been a two-column format, but blogger for some reason, won't let me code in tables:

2011 American League All-Stars Team Set:

• AL1 Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees
• AL2 Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox
• AL3 Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers
• AL4 Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
• AL5 Joe Mauer, C, Twins
• AL6 Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins
• AL7 Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees
• AL8 CC Sabathia, P, Yankees
• AL9 Mark Teixeira,1B, Yankees
• AL10 Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners
• AL11 Felix Hernandez, P, Mariners
• AL12 Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays
• AL13 Jose Bautista, OF, Blue Jays
• AL14 Adam Dunn, DH, White Sox
• AL15 Carl Crawford, OF, Red Sox
• AL16 Jon Lester, P, Red Sox
• AL17 Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers

2011 National League All-Stars Team Set:

• NL1 Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
• NL2 Roy Halladay, P, Phillies
• NL3 Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies
• NL4 Cliff Lee, P, Phillies
• NL5 Tim Lincecum, P, Giants
• NL6 Matt Holliday, OF, Cardinals
• NL7 David Wright, 3B, Mets
• NL8 Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Rockies
• NL9 Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies
• NL10 Zack Greinke, P, Brewers
• NL11 Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers
• NL12 Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs
• NL13 Buster Posey, C, Giants
• NL14 Joey Votto, 1B, Reds
• NL15 Stephen Strasburg, P, Nationals
• NL16 Jason Heyward, OF, Braves
• NL17 Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals

Okay, some problems I have is that the AL team isn't even a complete team.  Forget the fact that neither team has a closer represented, but the AL team doesn't even have a second baseman.  They have four first basemen, one who had not even played in the AL yet.  They could have included 2B like Dustin Pedroia, or even 2011 Topps Series 1 cover boy Robinson Cano (yeesh, more Yankees) or even Howie Kendrick of the Angels (who made MY 2010 AL team). 

On the NL side, there is a bit more balance.  Four outfielders, seven infielders (all positions covered), one catcher, and five pitchers.  But of the five, two were in the AL the year before, and one of them was wunderkind, All-Star on potential alone, Stephen Strasburg.  Did Topps really have to include the guy in this set?  He's not even scheduled to play in 2011.  You might as well have included his future HOF teammate Bryce Harper in this set.  After all, this kind of product isn't subject to MLB Properties' RC rule.  Nothing against the future multi-time Cy Young winner, but he doesn't belong in a set like this.  Not yet.  The Nationals team set is one thing, an All-Star team set is a different animal entirely.

Overall, I still like the concept of All-Star retail sets.  Yes, they're limited to 17 cards per product (I'm guessing the 18th card is the checklist that people have to cut out from the package...you don't do that???), but the player selection could have been better.

Now, I feel better.  Too bad about the column formatting though.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Headaches are Gone. Back to the Blog I Go.

So you're probably wondering where I've been since April 28. And you're probably wondering why I haven't even left a post in so long. Okay, maybe (most likely) you haven't, but I apologize for my absence.

The real reason why I've been out is that I've been having very bad headaches since last Saturday. And while they haven't been bad enough for me to miss work, they were excrucuating enough for me to work through. By the time I'd get home, I'd be too spent to do anything related to the blog. For that, I apologize.

Rest assured, I still have things to write about for May. I'm re-doing my 2010 All-Star Game simulations because it turns out that I forgot to switch a couple of players around, so all game info is now invalid and needs to be re-done.

Also, I now have the Indians, Orioles, and Dodgers 2011 Topps team sets, as well as both 17-card team sets for the NL and AL All-Star teams. I will have something to say about those too. So now, I am down to 10 tean sets, five from each league, to complete my quest.

And with 2011 Topps Attax now out, I did purchase one starter kit, three 30-card packs (each pack is enough for one team deck to play the game under the new Major League rules), and four 12-card packs (each pack has enough cards to play under the traditional Home Run Derby/Attax rules). There will be a post on them too.

I will get my want list updated as I've been getting e-mails from readers with their wantlists. I'll be more than happy to go through them to see what I can find.

The Gypsy Queens have arrived as well.I haven't seen much of the product, but master sets are reasonable on the Bay. Still thinking about it though.

I am still looking for one of the posters with the Scavenger Hunt information and 6-15 pocket pages for the Kimball's Champion mini cards. Does anybody have these, as well as some extra team sets I need?

That's all for now. To all Moms, Grandmothers, Mothers-in-Law, Mothers-to-be, godmothers, stepmothers, and every woman who has ever played the role, Happy Mother's Day to you.

To my wife and the mother of our two kids, I Love You, Always, Forever. You have done a wonderful job raising the kids and I appreciate all you do. I truly wouldn't know what I would do without you. You deserve to have a good Mother's Day.

And to my mom, thank you very much for those first packs of 1987 Topps card so many years ago. In all seriousness, thanks for all the advice, support and caring you've given, first to the five kids who you raised into fine adults, and now to your five "apos" who love spending time with you. On behalf of all of us, thank you and we love you.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama