Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2008 Topps Baltimore Orioles

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

• Team: 2008 Baltimore Orioles
• Record: 68-93, fifth place, AL East Division.
• Manager: Dave Trembley
• Card on the Top: Nick Markakis

The checklist consists of the following players:

• BAL1 Nick Markakis
• BAL2 Brian Roberts
• BAL3 Ramon Hernandez
• BAL4 Kevin Millar
• BAL5 Aubrey Huff
• BAL6 Jeremy Guthrie
• BAL7 Jay Payton
• BAL8 Chris Ray
• BAL9 Melvin Mora
• BAL10 Adam Loewen
• BAL11 Daniel Cabrera
• BAL12 Brian Burres
• BAL13 Luke Scott
• BAL14 Erik Bedard

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

Key differences between the team set and 2008 Topps eponymous set:

• Brian Roberts' card in the base set shows more of the picture used in the retail set:
  
  

• Jay Payton's eponymous card shows him in action, so his posed card in the retail set is unique:
  
  

• Luke Scott plied his craft for the Astros in 2007, so his 2008 Topps card shows him in a Houston uniform. However, he was traded to Baltimore on December 12, 2007. While it was too late to photoshop an O's uni on Scott's card, he was included in the Updates and Highlights set that came out after the season:
  
  

So of the 14 players included in this set, there are three cards that feature different pictures in the retail set that was used in 2008 Topps, of which one card was the "same picture, wider shot" situation with Roberts' card. The other 11 cards use the same pictures.

Next week's featured set will be the 2006 Minnesota Twins. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Updates and Highlights.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama