Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2006 Topps Oakland Athletics

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

• Team: 2006 Oakland Athletics
• Record: 93-69, first place, AL West Division.
• Manager: Ken Macha
• Card on the Top: Eric Chavez

The checklist consists of the following players:

• OAK1 Eric Chavez
• OAK2 Bobby Crosby
• OAK3 Mark Kotsay
• OAK4 Jay Payton
• OAK5 Rich Harden
• OAK6 Barry Zito
• OAK7 Huston Street
• OAK8 Joe Blanton
• OAK9 Jason Kendall
• OAK10 Mark Ellis
• OAK11 Nick Swisher
• OAK12 Dan Johnson
• OAK13 Esteban Loaiza
• OAK14 Dan Haren

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 2006 Topps eponymous set:

• Catcher Jason Kendall was traded to the Athletics from the Pirates in 2004. He spent the 2005 season with the Athletics, appearing in 150 games, hitting for a .271 average with 53 rbi's and 8 stolen bases. He appeared in 143 games for the A's, hitting .295, one home run, and 50 rbi's. He even stole 11 bases, not bad for a catcher. But he does not have a 2006 regular Topps card, nor does he appear in the Updates and Highlights set. So if you want a 2006 card of the A's regular catcher that season? You'll only find it in the retail set.

• Yes, the retail card of Huston Street is the same as the base card, but while the retail card has the All-Star Rookie Team trophy on the left, look where it appears on the base card:
  
  

• Joe Blanton has a different picture used on his base card:
  
  

So of the 14 players included in this set, there is one card that features a different picture in the retail set that was used in 2006 Topps set, and one the same picture from the base set, but technically is different thanks to the trophy placement, and one card of a player that is unique only to this retail set.

Next week's featured set will be the 2012 Washington Nationals. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Update Series.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama