Happy Father's Day. Now, Who's Up For a 2-Pack Archives Break

Father's Day 2013 started with a quick breakfast in bed, some coffee, and a nice present from my wife and children. They bought these wooden letters D A D and each of them painted one of the letters in their own unique way. I really like these home-made crafts because it shows that they took time out of their busy days to make something nice for me. But what was more important was the gifts I received...the two kids that have been my world for the last 13 years.

We are right now sitting in the social hall next to the church. Mass ended a bit more than an hour ago, and while my wife back in the church practicing with the choir, the kids are re-discovering the joys of Nintendo DS. They haven't played with these devices since spring break, using their parents' smartphones for their gaming escape. Now that summer is here, hopefully they'll play their games as sparingly as they did during the school year. But I digress. While everyone is busy, what better time than now to do a pack break?

Yesterday, while my wife was with her dad, and my daughter was at a dance audition, my son and I went to our local big box store in hopes of just hanging out and finding any of the newest Lego Minifigures. On the minifig note, series 10 is out and so far we have the Roman Commander and Warrior Woman. Sure enough, we found the minifigs and selected five at random (I mean, what would the odds be of getting the same two figures, right)? Okay, not so random, we did feel for the prop. We picked five, and along with a Kreo Donkey Kong Mario Kart car, we now own the Trendsetter (with dog), the Skydiver, the Motorcycle Mechanic, the Paintballer, and Tomahawk Warrior (so many figures with weapons in these series...it's like watching that Deadliest Warrior show to see which would win in a one-on-one duel). I also bought two packs of the newest Topps sensation (at least before series 2), Topps Archives and one jumbo pack of 18-cards. Let's see what's in these packs.

Pack 1 (in order of appearance):

• #184 Kyle Seager, Mariners, 1990 design
• #041 Doug Fister, Tigers, 1972 design
• #057 Todd Frazier, Reds, 1982 design
• #69S-BBMP Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Joe Mauer, Buster Posey 4 in 1 mini stickers, 1969 design
• #004 Marco Scutaro, Giants, 1972 design
• #078 Johan Santana, Mets, 1982 design
• #141 Adam Jones, Orioles, 1985 design
• #151 Jason Motte, Cardinals, 1990 design

Comments: For those who do not like the 1990 Topps design, the cards in this pack make a great argument as to why this design is awesome. The Motte card uses the red design, reminding me of some of how the red color really worked when the subject was from the Cardinals. The stickers look nice. Glad that there was a theme to the subjects (all-star catchers). Otherwise, nothing much to write home about.

Pack 2 (in order of appearance):

• #110 Josh Hamilton, Angels, 1985 design
• #187 Alex Gordon, Royals, 1990 design
• #032 Wade Boggs, Red Sox, 1972 design
• #085 Tony Perez, Reds, 1982 design
• #214 Fred McGriff, Blue Jays, 1989 design (All Time Fan-Favorites subset SP found 1:4 packs)
• #175 Yogi Berra, Yankees, 1990 design
• #018 Jon Lester, Red Sox, 1972 design
• #062 Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, 1982 design.

Comments: Now we're talking. An SP card, and the card design is my favorite of all-time, 1989. Three Red Sox cards in the pack though...not that there is anything wrong with that but I didn't get any Cubs or *cough* White Sox cards in either pack.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in my life: Leslie Anama, Charles Mok, Anamite Anama, Richard Lee, Charles Mok Jr., Sam Bell. Happy Fathers Day to all Dads, Dads-to-Be, Grandfathers, Great Grandfathers, Foster Dad's, Stepdads, and Just-Like-Dads out there. Remember, anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be called "Daddy."

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama