Souvenirs From the National Baseball Card Day Journey

Once again, thank you very much for following my journey on Saturday. I don't have much free time for myself now that I work two jobs and my weekends are spent at the pharmacy. Not complaining. The money is pretty good, just that the hours mean that I don't have much opportunities to do regular weekend things. So I really enjoyed myself, not just because of the trip, but because it allowed me time to see what goes on outside during the course of the day.

So you're probably wondering (if you're wondering), what cards did I get from National Trading Card Day. From each of the three stores that I went to that did the promotion, I received one 5-card pack and the bonus. You already know that I have two Aaron Judge and one Rhys Hoskins bonus card. What was inside each of the packs? Results are below.

Let's start with the pack from Chicagoland Sports in Buffalo Grove:

• #21 Cody Bellinger, 1B, Dodgers
• #18 Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Cubs
• #14 Joey Gallo, 1B, Rangers
• #7 Salvador Perez, C, Royals
• #27 Hunter Renfroe, OF, Padres

Thoughts: For a second there, I thought all of the players on the checklist were going to be first basemen. Nothing wrong with that. I have the Cubs card (Rizzo), so I am extremely happy for that (did you see last night's game??!) The backs of each card provide a nice bio for each player.

The next pack was picked up at AU Sports in Niles:

• #5 Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
• #19 Billy Hamilton, OF, Reds
• #21 Cody Bellinger, 1B, Dodgers
• #18 Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Cubs
• #14 Joey Gallo, 1B, Rangers

Thoughts: This pack had even more first basemen in it, and three of the cards I already have. Remember the days you'd open enough packs of cards that you'd be able to determine patterns and based on what cards were in there you knew you were guaranteed a specific card behind it? Yes, as soon as I saw Cody Bellinger in the middle of the pack, I knew Rizzo and Gallo weren't far behind.

Now the final pack, from Bleachers Sports Cards in Winnetka:

• #26 Josh Harrison, OF, Pirates
• #10 Didi Gregorius, SS, Yankees
• #3 Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox
• #8 Shohei Ohtani, P/DH, Angels
• #15 Marcus Stroman, P, Blue Jays

Thoughts: It's Showtime!!! My pack had Shohei Ohtani in it. My day is complete. Okay, so it's not autographed, but I never expect those with my luck. But he's the biggest name in the Hobby for the moment, so I'll call this a win.

Each pack also included a promo card advertising the Silver Pack promotion that will be launched on October 17 when Topps Update Series goes live (or at least around that time). A free pack of Chrome cards will be provided with a purchase of Update. The back of the card has an ad for the 2018 holiday season where on November 16, with a $10.00 purchase, collectors will get a free pack of Holiday cards (possibly with snowflakes?)

So of the 30 cards that comprise the set, I have a grand total of 12. Not a bad haul considering, and I haven't even opened any of the packs that I bought throughout the day.

This site is now in its 10th year of existence. I know that I haven't been as active as I used to be. And I know I keep on promising to be more active, only to find that I'm not writing anything for months. I feel bad. This should have been a celebration, but I'm lucky if I have any readers left after multiple hiatuses. So I won't make any promises that I'll come back on a regular basis. I won't make promises that I have a lot to write about, but just haven't had the time (that's no excuse, I should be MAKING time).

All I know is that this blog is not going to go away. It remains what I've always wanted it to be: a journal about my collection and my journey within the Hobby. If I have something worth writing about, I'll make sure to do so.

Again, thank you for the comments on Twitter about my journey. And if you're still reading this humble, little blog, thank you for sticking around.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama