The Cold...Kinda Bothered Me Anyway...

(It's Wednesday, February 2, 2026. Guess what day it is???)

(Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" plays as the radio alarm clock turns on at 6:00 AM).

D.J. #1: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
D.J. #2: It's coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
D.J. #1: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
D.J. #2: [mockingly] That blizzard - thing. That blizzard - thing. Oh, well, here's the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a "big blizzard thing!"
D.J. #1: Yessss, they are. But you know, there's another reason why today is especially exciting.
D.J. #2: Especially cold!
D.J. #1: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody's lips...
D.J. #2: - On their chapped lips...
D.J. #1: - On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
D.J. #2: Punxsutawney Phil!
D.J. #1: That's right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's...
D.J. #1, D.J. #2: [in unison] GROUNDHOG DAY!

Okay Phil...Lay It On Me...

Some time today, this little guy is going to tell us if there will be six more weeks of winter or if we're getting an early spring. I think it's if the groundhog sees its shadow, that means we're still getting winter. And after the biting cold and snow we've gotten here in Chicago, I am hoping that our friend here doesn't see it's shadow.

But there is good news coming.

As soon as the Super Bowl ends, we can all turn our attention to more important matters. Like, you know...

Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Arizona and Florida to start Spring Training!!!

More importantly, on February 11...

Baseball Card Opening Day!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Philippines...in Topps A & G Mini Cards

Long time readers of the blog know that I am from The Philippines. I've written about the Philippines trying to get to the World Baseball Classic back in 2012. As of 2026, they still haven't done it, but it doesn't mean the country can't represent on the diamond. While they haven't competed in the WBC, the baseball team has won the Southeast Asian Games three years straight, and five titles overall. 

So, let's crank out some celebratory music...

Okay, back to the point...

One of the goals of this blog is to show off my collection. Today, I thought I'd show off my collection of mini Allen & Ginter cards that feature the The Pearl of the Orient Seas. 

Starting with my favorite A&G Mini Card of All-Time, from the 2007 Flag of All Nations set...

2007 Topps A&G Philippines Flag #39

The card isn't actually numbered per se, but the card is #39 alphabetically (Algeria-United States). Love this design. The sun in the background, the volcano (there's smoke coming from the top), coconut trees along the coast. It really is reminiscent of the original 1887 N9 Allen & Ginter's Flag of All Nations set. I just love the colors of this card, and how the flag is presented.

2008 Topps A&G Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo #WL35

The following year, Topps included a mini insert set featuring 50 of the (at the time) current world leaders. The Philippines was represented with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who became the 14th President of the country. Sworn to the post after the previous president was impeached, she was the leader of the country from 2001 through 2010. She did get into her own issues, but I'm not going to get into that...I am no expert in the story. She is currently a member of the House of Representatives, serving the constituents of the 2nd district of Pampanga. The card itself features a headshot of GMA and an outline of the islands. At least Topps used the right photo for her card, compared to the little mistake done for the card representing Ireland.

2009 Topps A&G Jose Rizal #NH26

The year after that saw Topps honoring National Heroes. This time, Topps selected our national hero, Jose Rizal, as a subject for it's 2009 insert set. The reverse of his card gives a really brief summary of who he was and what he did while the Philippines was under Spanish rule in the late 1800's. He was a writer and member of the Philippine Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms while the Philippines was a colony of Spain. He was executed during the Philippine Revolution, and the day of his death (December 30) is a National Holiday. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Filipino history. The card features Rizal along with the Philippines Coat of Arms.

On to lighter fare...

2010 Topps A&G Carabao #NA42

National Animals was one of the mini insert sets that appeared in the 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter product. And our national animal, the Carabao, was among the 50 subjects. The carabao is a water buffalo species that is commonly used by farmers for plowing. There were also used to pull carts, whether those contained people or valuable supplies. (There's a picture somewhere of yours truly on one...can't remember where it is. I think the name of the one I was on was Gigolo...or was it Macho...) 

2011 Topps A&G Philippine Eagle #AP15

Carrying the animal theme over into 2011, Topps featured endangered species in a set called Animals in Peril. The Philippine Eagle, or what is more commonly known as the Monkey Eating Eagle, was among the 30 subjects in this set. It has a six-foot wingspan, and is the largest of all eagles. It's the national bird of the country, with logging taking much of it's territory away. Current estimates say that there are maybe 400 pairs left in the wild.

2012 Topps A&G Balut #CC9

And then...there's the Culinary Curiosities set from 2012. This set featured 10 local delicacies that...let's say are unique. Between the Rocky Mountain Oysters and Haggis is this Filipino delight...Balut!!! Yes, balut. You may have seen the videos of people trying to eat it. And what is it exactly? Fertilized duck embryos boiled or steamed, and eaten in the shell. It's a street food that's sold in many countries in Southeast Asia, but it's more commonly connected to the Philippines. Now, I am more of a Penoy person myself (incubated duck egg that didn't fully develop an embryo), but I've eaten this once. And for a Filipino, once was enough.

It would be a few years before an exclusively-Filipino related card would appear in Allen & Ginter. Sure, the 2021 Mini World Leaders didn't include the President of the time, and the 2022 Mini Bearing Fruit cards had a handful of fruits that are found throughout the region, but there was nothing specifically tying the Philippines to any of them. 

2024 Topps A&G The Philippines #FOTW-16

While the 2024 Topps Allen & Ginter set featured a Manila/Dubai Sister Cities full-sized card (and I have that one), the Flags of the World mini set returned after 17 years. This time, as a horizontally-oriented set, with a picture of Manila to the right of the flag. The card is nice, and again, as an extremely amateur vexillologist (definitely not Sheldon Cooper level), I like the set, I like the card. 

But nothing compares to the 2007 version. 

On a related note, my mom is flying to Manila to visit friends and family back home this week. I wish her safe travels. Maybe bring back the Philippines baseball team cap if you can find one. A jersey would be nice too, but that may be asking for too much. It looks like this...I think...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

New Year Pack Break: 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter's

Work has been crazy busy as we headed into the New Year. I may have been with the food broker for a year, but I am still figuring things out and realizing that I still have a lot to learn about this side of the specialty foods industry. Now, this does not mean that I am having a hard time. Not in the least. But as head into year two of this journey, there will be more responsibility given to me, and I am looking forward to the challenge.

With that said, the focus on doing a pack break during my lunch break is going to be a bit of a challenge as it turns out that I didn't have one (or yesterday, depending on where in the world you're in). But in between shifts, which means upon returning home, changing into my pharmacy scrubs, and heading to the part-time gig, I did have a bit of time to do a quick pack break. And what better way to spend 5 minutes than to open one of the three packs of 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter's that I bought at a Target a while back.

Need to make this quick. What was in this pack you ask?

• #296 Taijuan Walker, P, Diamondbacks
• #176 Claire Smith, Sportswriter
• #268 Jose Berrios, P, Twins
• #303 Hyun-Jin Ryu, P, Dodgers
• #FLN-25 Corsica Flags of Lost Nations
• #WGB-2 Bora Bora, Tahiti, World's Greatest Beaches

Quick thoughts:

Again, no Cubs cards, and only three player cards (all pitchers). But to have a card of the first woman to win the Spink Award for journalism in Claire Smith is nice. Also, as a big fan of flags (go away Sheldon), the Corsica Flag is a nice one to have. The 25-card set is nice, and the tidbit of information about what was the country of Corsica, an island that was "won by France in 1769," offers a brief snippet of it's brief history.

There is a three-card bonus pack of parallel mini cards that came with the 3-pack of A&G. I'll probably open that later. I can already see what's in the pack, so that's not going to be a surprise. But at least I'll have something to open when I'm fresh out of packs.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

RIP Stan Lee 1922-2018

I swear, I am not going to turn this blog into an obituary column, although by my recent posts, it sure seems that way. I guess that's because I am getting older, and the people I looked up to and followed when I was younger are starting to leave us in the physical plane, and their legacies go on to immortality in our hearts and minds.

Today, many who collect comics, watch movies, or are even remotely familiar with his name, mourn his passing. Stan Lee, the creator of many of the comic book characters that graced the pages of Marvel Comics, passed away today, at the age of 95. Many of the heroes he created at Marvel Comics were a total contrast to those from DC. All of them had their personal flaws, demons, angst, and readers really related to them. Maybe that's why Spider Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the rest, struck a chord with America, and the rest of the world.

I'm not sure which of my parents was the comic book geek. They had quite a collection of both Marvel and DC comics when I was growing up. While my brother was a fan of DC, I was a fan of Marvel. In the Philippines, I remember playing the Marvel Super-Heroes card game, which was basically Old Maid with Marvel heroes and Doctor Doom as the "Old Maid."

Courtesy of Greg Turner of Back to the Past. I do have these cards. 

I also remember collecting bottlecaps that featured both Marvel heroes AND villains, that you could collect and play, of all things, checkers. I had a complete set of these bottle caps, but I can't remember if there were 24 or 36 caps for the set. No, most likely, you won't find them on eBay. But I remember opening a lot of bottles of pop (can't remember if it was a Pepsi, Coke, or other bottle company that had these either).

His bio is well known, and I am not going to copy what has already been said about the man on many other websites. My kids mostly recognize him as the guy who shows up in every Marvel movie, although he has been known to show up in a couple of DC properties (Teen Titans Go! to the Movies comes to mind). But for me, Stan will always, be THE MAN!

Thank you for entertaining us, comic book fans, for decades. Your legacy will forever live on screen, whether it be in the cartoons, on TV, or in the movies. But more importantly, they will forever live in the pages of Marvel Comics.

Excelsior!!!

Now, Mr. Lee was also a veteran, serving with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II from 1942 to 1945. (something that I didn't know about the man until today). And although Veteran's Day was yesterday, today, it is observed.

I post this every year (or almost every year). And although I missed doing it yesterday, I think I will post it again tonight.

This was written eight years ago, but the sentiments remain the same.


November 11, 1919: President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public meetings.

On June 1, 1954, President Eisenhower signs legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran's Day. (from The History of Veterans Day)

To the Men and Women who serve in the US Armed Forces:

I will not pretend I know the infinite different reasons why you made the decision to join the US Military.

I can only imagine what your basic training was like (I'm not even sure the movies do any justice).

I will not pretend to know the feeling of being away from family, friends and all of the comforts of home, having been assigned to a foreign land, serving the interests of our country.

I will not say that I necessarily agree with ALL of the reasons why our country has gone to war.

I will not pretend to know what it is like out in the battlefields, not knowing if I was going to live to see another day.

But I will say this.

Thank you.

Thank you all for your service to our country.

Thank you for the sacrifices you made so that we can continue to live with the freedoms that we enjoy.

Your courage is nothing if not inspiring. Your stories become tales of legend that deserve to be told again and again.

For these, and countless other reasons, I give you my respect.

And I give you thanks.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Review of the Chicago Spring Spectacular. Éirinn go brách! Celebrating on the Road This Time!

After three years of spending St. Patrick's Day at home, enjoying corned beef with all of the fixings, and a nice glass of Irish Cream (or two...or more...), we're hitting the road, celebrating with family. But first, it's off to work I go, slinging prescriptions at the pharmacy.

Speaking of...

Yesterday, I went to the Chicago Sports Spectacular (that's what they're calling what used to be the Chicago Sun-Times Spring Sports Card Show). It's the first time ever that I would go on a Friday. If you followed me on Twitter (and if you aren't, feel free to do so, I am @bdj610), you may have read some of my experiences at the show.

If you haven't, here is the summary:

Fridays are a bit quieter, it seems. The place was not extremely crowded, but there were a lot of people (and kids...KIDS...for those who don't believe KIDS don't collect anymore). Most of the vendors were there, greeting customers and each other. For some, this is the first time they've seen each other since the National (or at least the Fall Chicago Sports Spectacular...or whatever it was called).

Lots of vintage, as always, at this show. The big names were there selling modern stuff. And, of course, the same guy that sold me a Gypsy Queen set a couple of years back had what I was mainly looking for, a 2018 Topps Series 1 Master Set. After asking to see if he could knock the price down on the set (which he did), I bought the main set plus 5 Hobby inserts. I offered one of the four 2017 Hank Aaron Award Winner cards I had in my possession to thank him for the discount, and he picked one (Mike Trout...I still have the Harper, Bryant, and Cabrera cards).

I also bought myself a box of plastic sheets (need to put the cards in a binder somehow).

But the highlight of the night, and what got most people's attention on Twitter was this:

A 1989 Topps Hobby Box. 36 packs of cards and gum.

They were offering $5.00 for this box...or were they offering to give me $5.00 for the box...I don't know exactly what the guy said. And after mulling it over (I had to sit down to think about it), I decided to pass. As much as I would have loved to do it (and many people on Twitter said I should buy it), I couldn't think of a single thing to do with the cards once I opened them. I might regret this decision later, but you know what? I'm okay with it, and maybe at another show I'll bite.

After paying for my ticket, the seller handed me an envelope, containing a ticket for a free autograph from one of the signers at this evening's show. Based on the schedule, choices included Tom Browning (he of the perfect game in 1988), Ron Jaworski (QB from the Eagles/ESPN analyst), or someone else who had nothing to do on a Friday night. Now, I'm not an autograph guy, but I thought, why not? My ticket was for:

My first thought was, "Who's this guy??!

So Stan Bahnsen was a pitcher, played in the majors from 1966 through 1982, played for six teams, including the White Sox for four seasons, and was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team in 1968. Now, I had nothing for him to sign, so I thought, "Should I buy a baseball or look for a card? Maybe I should just have him sign the ticket."

But I never heard his name called the entire night I was at the show. I wondered why?

Oh, that's why. He rescheduled. But the policy was no returns, no exchanges. So now I have a dead ticket. So I have one request

Mr. Bahnsen (or someone who can pass this along to him), I'm sorry you couldn't make it out last night to the show. Have a great time today. I'll be at the Walgreens up the road from where you're going to be this today. After you're done signing, would you be able to make the trip north to my store? I'd like to meet you, and possibly redeem that autograph ticket.

On to other topics:

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.



Finally, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May the Maury Show always be on your television (sorry, saw that this morning).
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year.
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter's. 2017 Stadium Club, and 2017 Topps Series 2

Since I bought two packs each of 2017 Allen & Ginter's and 2017 Stadium Club, along with a pack of 2017 Topps Archives and five packs of 2017 Topps Series 2 last weekend during the National Baseball Card Day festivities, I thought I would try and post the result of the pack breaks here. Because I missed out on doing it last year, I am going to save one pack each of A&G, Stadium Club, and the one pack of Archives for Pack Break Week in November (I need something to open, right???) and will open the rest now.

Here are the results.

Let's start with one pack of 2017 Topps Series 2.

• #354 Nick Tropeano, P, Angels
• #628 Domingo Santana, OF, Brewers
• #360 Jon Lester, P, Cubs
• #565 J. D. Martinez, OF, Tigers
• #581 Brock Holt, OF, Red Sox
• #87-193 Addison Russell, SS, Cubs 1987 Tribute All-Star Card
• #541 Dennis Lamp, P, White Sox Rediscovering Topps 1984 Original Topps Card
• #364 Koda Glover, P, Nationals RC
• #421 Santiago Casilla, P, Athletics
• #602 Alex Dickerson, OF, Padres

Hey, I got two Cubs cards in this pack (Lester base and Russell insert) and an original 1984 Topps card of a White Sox player. Not bad. It's my third "Rediscover Topps" card. I'm not sure if I'm honestly liking the idea of putting a foil stamp on an old card, but I guess now it's worth more than the original.

I normally don't buy packs of this product, but in the spirit of the day, I thought, "Why not?" So this is what came out of that pack of 2017 Topps Stadium Club, Topps' ode to great photography:

• #247 Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees
• #285 Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers RC
• #160 Julio Urias, P, Dodgers
• #189 Justin Upton, OF, Tigers
• #238 Sonny Gray, P, Athletics
• #CS-DM Daniel Murphy, 2B, Nationals Contact Sheet
• #56 Ian Kinsler, 2B, Tigers
• #10 Danny Santana, OF, Twins

Thoughts? Pretty soon, the question would be, "What's the point of this set?" With Topps going with borderless cards in its eponymous product, and the pictures already up-close-and-personal, I honestly don't see the reason to bring this back another year. But I do like the photo choices, especially of Gray in a throwback Athletics' jersey.

Finally, to the 2017 Allen & Ginter's pack. I have complete sets of every A&G set since they first came out in 2006, and as soon as I have money, I will invest in a set on the Bay. But to see what the cards look like, I decided to get two packs. Here is what was inside the pack I opened:

• #265 Kevin Kiermaier, Rays
• #205 Alex Bregman, Astros RC
• #WF-19 Worlds Fair Habitat '67 Motreál
• #72 Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox Mini Card
• #RIP-48 Noah Syndergaard, Mets Rip Card 14/60 (umm...WHAT??!)
• #166 Manny Margot, Padres

Wait...go back a sec. Did I just say RIP CARD??!

Yes...Yes I Did!!!

In all my years of collecting, I've never opened a pack with a RIP card inside it.

Now I'm torn (pun intended). Do I rip it open? Or do I keep it as is?

The back says:

This is a Genuine Allen & Ginter's RIP Card. If you dare...rip this card open...to discover a collectible exclusive mini-card embedded inside!

Inside this card will be:

• A Red Mini Autograph Card, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Parallel, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Wood Parallel, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Metal Parallel, or...
• A One-of-a-Kind Sketch Card.

Rip It or Keep It

What am I going to do? What should I do? I've already posited this question on Twitter (follow me @bdj610) and I've gotten two responses:

• Tony L. (@OffHiatusBBC said: "Rip It. Rip it good."
• Mark Aubrey (@mdaubrey) said: "Wait. Rip it later."

So now what??! Either way, I'm told to rip the card. But should I? Are there people that hold on and have not ripped the RIP cards, opting to keep what's inside and then collecting cards from them later on the Bay? I think I'll put a poll up. Tell me what I should do with it:

• Keep it sealed
• Rip it
• Sell it on eBay unripped
• Sell whatever is inside on eBay

Post in the comments, and vote for the poll at the top. I'll leave it up for a week. Whatever the decision is...I'll take it into consideration before making a decision.

Unless, of course, somebody wants it so badly that they're willing to buy it or trade for it...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Éirinn go brách! Celebrating at Home...Again.

For those wondering what happened to me, I'm still here. Work has been extremely busy, and that's a good thing.

Some quick Hobby Notes:

I have completed my 2016 Topps Master set. With all of the Heritage hub bub lately, I take comfort knowing that the Gypsy Queen (the 2016 edition anyway) will set sail soon.

There is a big card show this weekend down the street from my house. Do I plan on buying stuff? Maybe. I'm hoping to get a lot of free stuff. But more importantly, I'm there to feel the environment. I love these big card shows. I love watching the people. I might not go for the autographs, but to see fathers (and mothers) with their sons (and daughters) sharing the Hobby we all love, makes me appreciate all that is good about it.

But I digress.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.

My family will be enjoying boiled corned beef brisket with all the veggies (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) tonight. I would like to apologize to my sister...AGAIN...because we will not be able to join her and the rest of the family for dinner (it's a school night, there are still dance classes happening). Meanwhile, I've been playing Irish music on the computer all afternoon, just to get into the mood.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.



Now for the baseball portion of the program. If you're wondering, while there are many baseball players of Irish descent, 47 native-born Irish men made at least one appearance in the majors.
The last native born Irish player was Joe Cleary. Born in County Cork, Cleary only appeared in one game (08/04/1945) in 0.1 inning of work for the Washington Senators. But in that eventful inning, he struck out one batter (the good news), but allowed five hits, three walks, and seven earned runs to score. Saving time for the math, but seven runs in 1/3 innings equals an ERA of 189.

So now, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year (just have a decent season...please).
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break Week 4: 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter's

Whoops!

It looks like Pack Break Week #4 will have to be extended to this week as it has been one whirlwind weekend.

But now that the festivities are over and everyone is back at work and school (almost...), it's time to get back in gear and kick off 2016 with a bang by opening up the pack I was supposed to open on Friday, 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter's.

In it's 10th successful campaign, Topps Allen & Ginter's World Champions continues combining the world of sports with, well, everything else. Non baseball card subjects included the four guys who try to out-do each other on Impractical Jokers, the Appomattox Court House, the Magna Carta, and the four "characters" from the Rocky movies (not the actors who portrayed them). Unique insert sets, whether they are the standard 2½ x 3½ inch or the mini cards which were the size of the original cards that would have been inserted in tobacco products, round out this incredible product.

Now, there are collectors out there who even after 10 years of exposure to A&G still don't get the concept and complain about all of these extra subjects in their baseball cards. They're missing the point of the set. This is not just a baseball card product, but it pays homage to all the unique and crazy subjects that the original Allen & Ginter's produced in the 19th century.

So what cards did I manage to get in my six-card pack of A&G? On the 10th Anniversary, this was what was inside:

• #47 Lance Lynn, Cardinals
• #19 Charlie Blackmon, Rockies
• #AA-5 Chu Ko Nu, Ancient Armory insert
• #262 Alex Cobb, Rays, Mini card
• #323 Joaquin Benoit, Padres
• #99 Edwin Escobar, Red Sox

Other than the nice insert card, this one joins the Stadium Club pack as a downer. Don't get me wrong, the base design is nice, and yes, there are a couple of All-Stars in the pack. But for this Cubs fan, it's nothing to write home about.

Here's hoping that the 2015 Topps Update Series pack that I plan on opening tomorrow comes up with something nice. And while we're at it, I might as well open the final pack from the dollar store, 2014 Topps Update Series. Should be interesting to say the least.

Have a great day everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Did You Miss Me???

Well, this is new.

All the news about 2016 Topps came in August, and short of one post that featured the design, I have been silent.

I can explain.

This is the busy time of year for the Food Distribution industry. Many companies, mine included, are getting ready for the holidays and the biggest event for the year, a Food Show. I'm not going to it, but I have been getting ready. My goal these last seven to eight weeks is to clear my calendar so I can focus on ensuring that our customers get the proper discounts when they make their orders at the big food show. It's always a busy time of the year, something I'm accustomed to, but something new always gets added that makes the work interesting.

That's the life of a Contracts and Pricing Coordinator.

Anyway, I have had a month to digest the upcoming 2016 eponymous product, as well as looking forward to this year's Update Series. I realize that I never posted the sell sheet images on this humble, little blog, so I will make sure to do that when I get a bit more free time.

Summer is now over and everyone in the family has been settling back into their back-to-school routines. This gives me a bit more time to focus on work, and probably a bit more time to focus on adding cards to the collection. While nothing has been grabbing my attention, I am kind of surprised that the prices of master sets of this year's Allen and Ginter's product are set so low compared to the master sets of Gypsy Queen. I have yet to find a master set lately of GQ that goes for under $200, while full sets of A&G are going for just about $70. I'm not complaining, but I either have had no time, nor no money to take the plunge yet. Maybe with the next paycheck...we'll see.

But in the mean time, I was able to get a pack of 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter's at the local big box store a couple of weeks ago. I thought to myself, "How better to announce my triumphant (yeah, right) return to the blog than by posting what is in this 14-card pack?"

Let's see what's in here:

• #42 Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
• #74 Casey McGehee, San Francisco Giants
• #143 Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
• #282 Adeiny Hechavarria, Miami Marlins
• #139 Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
• #61 Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
• #SP-98 Starting Point Max Scherzer, Arizona Diamondback
• #WOULD-3 What Once Would Be Robot Housekeepers
• #267 Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Mini
• #294 Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals Mini Black Border
• #344 Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals
• #212 Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
• #104 Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees
• #272 Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins

Once again, Topps has provided more of the weird and wacky when it comes to their insert sets. While I didn't get a mini, the Robot card is pretty cool, and I look forward to what else is in this set (when I get my master set, of course). All players, save for the robot insert, no "World Champions" outside of baseball to speak of in this pack. I did manage a short-printed card in Zimmermann, so that's a nice bonus.

September may be a busy time for me personally, but it's also an important month for this blog. As the MLB season winds down, articles for the annual MLB Debut comparison (this year between 1995 and 2015), "Who will make the 2015 Topps All-Star Rookie Team?" and End-of-the-Year All-Star Teams are being written as we speak. The annual "Guess the ASRT" rookie contest is coming back. And other things may be coming back (like "Pack Break Week") as well as thoughts and those earlier-promised images of the sell sheets for 2015 Topps Update Series and previews/opinions about 2016 Topps based on the sell sheets (as long as you're willing to read one more person's opinion about 2016 Topps).

If I can pull myself away from the real world and come back to the Hobby Blogging Universe for a bit.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Ichiro is Back on Topps!!!

It looks like whatever deal Ichiro Suzuki had with that rogue card company is now over.

In 2013, many collectors (myself included) noticed that a certain recently traded Yankees player was not in any of the Topps products the company brought to the masses. He didn't appear on any checklists, he didn't appear in the eponymous set, the team set, not even those Topps Chipz. Unusual enough that Topps was excluding a Yankee player, but it was Ichiro.

Ichiro!!!

The last time we saw this guy on a Topps card (not including the SP, or the Heritage High Numbers) was in 2012 Topps Update Series.

2012 Topps Update Series Ichiro #US272A

And that was it.

Okay, I'm wrong. He showed up in those Topps Qubi things in 2013)

If you wanted your Ichiro fix, you'd have to buy cards from those other card companies (shudder). But if you're a die-hard Topps fan, there was nothing for you.  You were out.

Until now.

I saw this on Facebook yesterday, and thought, "This has to be a mock-up. No way is this real!"

It's a picture of an autograph card for 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter's. It includes an image of Ichiro, and an autograph (is that really his auto???).

There were some red flags raised, which made me question its authenticity:

• It's of Ichiro in a Mariners' jersey. Isn't he with the Marlins now?
• It's an autograph. I didn't see (at the time) any news of Ichiro signing an autograph deal with Topps
• I knew that Ichiro was in a long-term deal with Leaf, which was probably why he vanished from Topps products these last two-plus years.

But then today, I'm reading the Twitter feed and see this (and if you can't see the images, the actual line is below):

Topps Company @toppscards: Topps to issue its first autographed cards of Ichiro!

Topps Company @toppscards: Ichiro will also have autographed card of him featured with the *Yankees and @Marlins in 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter.

Well, it's official.

It looks like Ichiro has finally come back to Topps. Along with Allen & Ginter's, will we see a Marlins card of Mr. Suzuki any time soon? Will he be in Series 2? Update Series? Archives?

Better question: Will Topps be making "retro" cards of Ichiro from his Yankees days (2013, 2014)?

Regardless of when he makes his return to a Topps base card, It's about time.

Now, about that Matt Wieters guy...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Éirinn go brách! Celebrating at Home.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.

My family will be enjoying boiled corned beef brisket with all the veggies (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) tonight. I would like to apologize to my sister for once again we will not be able to join her for dinner (it's a school night, there are still dance classes happening). Meanwhile, I've been playing Irish music on the computer all afternoon, just to get into the mood.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.



Now for the baseball portion of the program. If you're wondering, while there are many baseball players of Irish descent, 47 native-born Irish men made at least one appearance in the majors.
The last native born Irish player was Joe Cleary. Born in County Cork, Cleary only appeared in one game (08/04/1945) in 0.1 inning of work for the Washington Senators. But in that eventful inning, he struck out one batter (the good news), but allowed five hits, three walks, and seven earned runs to score. Saving time for the math, but seven runs in 1/3 innings equals an ERA of 189.

SBS Baseball created a team of All-Irish baseball players as part of their Foreign League. Imagine the World Baseball Classic without the US. Teams included as part of this league include teams from Asia/Australia/Africa, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eastern Europe, England, Germany, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Western Europe (14 total teams). I'll try and run a season during my lunch break and will post results later to see how the Irish do against the rest of the world.

So now, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year (just have a decent season...please).
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

My Wallet Card for 2015 #WalletCard @breakdowncards

On January 2, defgav, the guy who runs the Baseball Card Breakdown blog brought up a, well, not so necessarily new concept for collectors to do in 2015, but it's something that has gotten many of the Hobby Blogging Community together on their sites and on Twitter (I'm at @bdj610 if you want to follow) abuzz.

The concept: Wallet Cards.

This isn't something new. Bob Costas has been known for carrying a Mickey Mantle card in his wallet wherever he goes. By now, unless he's replaced it over the years (and I've heard people have been giving him copies of that card) it has to be damaged to smithereens.

For the life of me, I can't remember for the life of me who did this, but somebody took a stack of cards, and carried them with him in his pocket for a full year, and then compared what they looked like at the beginning of the experiment to the end (the results weren't pretty).

UPDATE: Thank you to J. Meeks, the guy who runs My Cardboard Habit. It looks like Mark Aubrey, the guy who ran Mark's Ephemera (he's on a break right now...) was the one who pondered,

"What if I took 20 sports cards and treated them like I might have when I was in elementary school for the summer?"

The results are here. Viewer's discretion is advised (if looking at this stuff will make you wince).

Now, this is what the guy at BCB proposed:

"The idea is to pick a junk dupe of a card you like (but are willing to "sacrifice") and carry it around in your wallet for a full year, occasionally taking pictures of it on your travels or wherever, and share them on your blog. Sort of like the Cards in Odd Places feature I've done a couple times.

"It should be a card that makes you smile every time you see it, since you'll probably be seeing a lot of it. If size/weight is a concern, consider choosing a mini."

Now when I worked for my previous employers, I was given a badge and a lanyard with one of those electronic key things to hang around my neck. Now, because the badge would always twirl, I thought it would be a good idea to put a baseball card behind my badge. Just for fun. I learned that I couldn't fit a regular 2½ by 3½ card in the plastic pocket that held the badge and key, so I picked a mini card from Allen & Ginter's...specifically:



Okay, imagine the mini version of this card in a mini card penny sleeve and top-loader, and you get the idea.

After one year or so of that, I had this card behind my badge until they closed the place:

Now, while both cards were protected from being folded, wear, or Dinged Corners (I miss Patricia and Lucy), the holder did collect a lot of dust, crumbs (I worked for a food company), and other foreign objects. The cards did get hit and if one were to look closely at the cards themselves (not the pictures above), you could see tiny divots where the some of these things stuck. Eww.

So back to the point. What card can I put in my wallet for an entire year, and then occasionally take a picture of it to share on this humble, little blog?

It is supposed to make me smile when I see it (because supposedly, I'd be seeing it a lot). Should I use an older card from the junk wax era? Should it be a more modern card with the new card stock? Decisions, decisions.

If I could, I'd try and find that Sparky Anderson card from 1988 Topps that's so worn out it looks like it was placed in a wallet for decades.

Sorry Sparky. (Note that this is not the actual card...the real card is buried...I think, in a box in the basement).

Should it be a mini card like the Lincoln or the Philippines flag? I don't know, unless I have the top loader, I'd rather not.

Should I even use, gasp, a card from another company?

I know that the card I'm going to stick in my wallet will have to be of a Cub. But which one? Should I go with "childhood" (Sandberg, Grace, Dawson), or "adult" (Lee, Ramirez, Wood), or current (Castro, Rizzo)?

I got it. Let me find it.

Perfect.

While I didn't find the card of the player I wanted, I did find a good one here.

I'll have the "Hawk" hang out in my wallet in 2015. The 1992 Topps Andre Dawson #460 card will do just fine. This is the actual card.

So what I'll do is at least once a month, I will take a scan of the card, and compare it to the image above and see how it survives being carried around in my wallet. Hey, it looks nice. Now. At the end of the year? We'll see.

Count me in for the Wallet Card game in 2015.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's Checklist is Live. So Who Else is in This Set?

Since 2006, Topps Allen & Ginter's World Champions sets featured not only baseball players, but in tribute to the original 1886 product, it included historical subjects, world champions from various sports and events, actors/actresses, broadcasters, even inventions (like the revolving door) and places (Area 51).

After the first couple of years, when Topps included champions like the guy with the air guitar champion (really), to the world record card stacker, to the guys who conquered Donkey Kong and Pac Man, as well as Hobby Bloggers who cracked the Ginter Code (no one's cracked the last one...maybe everyone stopped caring about that poor guy floating through time). But I felt that in recent years, that they were really stretching for champions to include in the set.

This year's edition is coming out this week. As usual, it is a 350-card set, 50 cards are going to be short-printed. But after going through the checklist, there are 47-non baseball subjects amongst the current and retired players scattered within the set? They range from businessmen to actors, from comedians to broadcasters. Yes there are some sports champions too. But check out the list of people who are in this set, and ask yourself...

HOW DO I GET IN ON THIS ACTION??!

I swear, for some of these people, I had to look them up to see what they've done. Shows that I don't pay much as much attention to pop culture as I used to:

• 287 Chuck Zito, Actor (Carlito's Way, Sons of Anarchy)
• 119 Felicia Day, Actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Red: Werewolf Hunter)
• 70 Dr. James Andrews, Surgeon (helped to continue the careers of many injured athletes)
• 259 Jim Calhoun, Basketball Coach (former coach of the UConn men's basketball team)
• 283 Gar Ryness, Batting Stance Guy (Internet sensation who's major talent is copying the stances of baseball players)
• 241 Dave Portnoy, Blogger (Barstool Sports)
• 267 Kevin Clancy, Blogger (Barstool Sports)
• 211 Mark Roth, Bowler (PBA Hall of Famer)
• 118 Adam Schefter, Broadcaster (ESPN-NFL)
• 164 Jenny Dell, Broadcaster (CBS Sports-NFL)
• 262 Mike Pereira, Broadcaster (former VP of Officiating-NFL)
• 81 Larry King, Broadcaster (legendary interviewer at CNN, now with RT America News)
• 89 Chuck Todd, Broadcaster (NBC Chief White House Correspondent)
• 28 Bill Rancic, Businessman (winner of the first "The Apprentice," works with the Trump Organization)
• 22 Michael Eisner, Businessman (former CEO of Disney, now runs the Tornante Group. Along with Madison Dearborn Partners, purchased The Topps Company in 2007).
• 265 Sam Calagione, Businessman (founder of Dogfish Head Brewery)
• 210 Anthony Bourdain, Chef, Author, and World Traveler (No Reservations, Off Limits, Layover)
• 216 Matt Besser, Comedian/Actor (Upright Citizens Brigade)
• 238 Bert Kreischer, Comedian/Actor (Travel Channel's Bert The Conqueror, and host of Flip Trip)
• 30 Judah Friedlander, Comedian/Actor (30 Rock)
• 276 Samantha Briggs, Fitness Champion (CrossFit Champ, "Fittest Woman on Earth")
• 273 Danielle Kang, Golfer (2-time US Women's Amateur Champion, LGPA Tour)
• 254 Maria Gabriela Isler, Miss Universe (Venezuela, won 2013 Miss Universe)
• 112 Erin Brady, Miss USA (Connecticut, won 2013 Miss USA, represented country in 2013 Miss Universe)
• 23 Snoop Lion, Musician (aka Snoop Dogg)
• 180 Ryan Riess, Poker Champion (won the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event)
• 224 Tanner Foust, Racecar Driver (X-Games racing champion, hosts American version of BBC hit Top Gear)
• 125 Glen Waggoner, Rotisserie Baseball Co-Creator (for you fantasy baseball guys, thank him and others for creating this segment of the baseball fandom)
• 160 Daniel Okrent, Rotisserie Baseball Co-Creator (ditto for this guy...and about six other guys as well)
• 153 The Iron Sheik, Pro Wrestler (WWE)
• 214 Carli Lloyd, Soccer Player (two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, plays for the Western New York Flash in the NWSL...not to be confused with the volleyball player of the same name)
• 213 Allyson Felix, Sprinter (won the 2012 gold medal in 200 Meters at the London Olympics, medaled in 100 meters and 400 meters, as well as various women's relay teams)
• 6 Laura Phelps Sweatt, Powerlifter (record breaking powerlifter, can bench press over 700 lbs)
• 62 Diana Nyad, Long-distance swimmer (recently swam from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64)
• 95 Austin Wierschke, Texting Champion (17-year-old "Fastest Texter in the World")
• 176 Anthony Robles, Wrestler (2010-11 NCAA Wrestling champ 125-lbs)
• 188 Jordan Oliver, Wrestler (Schalles Award winer 2012, Oklahoma State University)
• 191 Jordan Burroughs, Wrestler (Olympic and World champion in freestyle wrestling)
• 271 Chuck Klosterman, Writer (columnist for Esquire Magazine and ESPN.com)
• 152 Vince Gilligan, Writer/Director (credits include Breaking Bad and The X-Files)
• 52 Kevin Smith, Writer/Director (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob, Dogma)
• 88 Buffalo Bill Cody (Wild West Legend)
• 46 John L. Sullivan (bare-knuckle boxing champion)
• 100 Queen Victoria (Queen of England from 1837-1901)243 Hellen Keller (blind and deaf since birth, became a renowned writer, and inspiration for The Miracle Worker)
• 302 Polar Vortex (if you survived this past winter, you know exactly what this is)
• 341 Barbed Wire (invented and patented in 1864)

Couple of liner notes:

• Mr. Eisner finally has his Topps card (unlike that other company's sour grapes attempt in 2007)
• Bert the Conqueror and Anthony Bourdain join Adam Richman as reps for the Travel Channel. Hopefully next year, they'll have the Ghost Adventures Crew.
• Nothing against the "Bloggers," but until today, I've never heard of Barstool Sports. Hey Topps, how about putting some of the Hobby Bloggers on future sets, and I don't just mean the Ginter Code Champs?
• I get the athletic/competitive champions, but I think they're really stretching on the broadcasters and actors. None of the broadcasters cover MLB (maybe Dell when she was with NESN). And Chuck Todd??!

Looking forward to the Hellen Keller card though when my master set comes in next week (or so).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Quick St. Patrick's Day Toast

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.

My family will be enjoying a slow-cooked corned beef brisket with all the veggies (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) tonight. I would like to apologize publicly to my sister because she is hosting St. Patrick's night dinner as well and I only found out about it three hours after I put the meat in the slow cooker. I have already sent a text saying that we will not make it tonight. Meanwhile, I've been playing Irish music on the computer all afternoon, just to get into the mood.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.




Now for the baseball portion of the program. If you're wondering, while there are many players of Irish descent in both the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues, the last native born Irish player was Joe Cleary. Born in County Cork, Cleary only appeared in one game (08/04/1945) in 0.1 inning of work for the Washington Senators. But in that eventful inning, he struck out one batter (the good news), but allowed five hits, three walks, and seven earned runs to score. Saving time for the math, but seven runs in 1/3 innings equals an ERA of 189.

So now, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year (just have a decent season...please).
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama