Mega fun opening a Mega Box

The term Mega Box confuses me a little bit.

The box tends to be larger than a traditional blaster, so I guess “mega” works. But then I open it and there are 7 packs, and a lot of empty space. Not so mega.

Anyhow, I recently made a Target run and was happy to find a bunch of these so-called Mega Boxes from 2017 Topps Chrome Update.

But first, I had to navigate through the carts of people’s unwanted crap. Always fun.

There were a probably 10-12 of the Chrome Update Mega Boxes, which was a nice site. I only chose one, knowing how my luck in retail usually goes.

Overall, I think I did fairly well. No SiCk HiTz, but the very first card in the first pack was this:

Nice. I also got the other rookie people tend to like.

And my best insert seeded 1:56 happened to be a Yankee #’d to 99, which doesn’t happen often.

And a Sanchez and Domingo German, so that was cool too.

The Rookie Cup inserts are seeded 1:2, and I ended up with four, so I slightly beat the odds. I was obviously most pleased with the Jeter, but the Bench and Seaver are pretty sweet too.

So while Mega Box might be a little confusing, the cards look great and they were fun to open. So I guess this qualifies as a mega success.

2 Generous Bloggers, 1 Card

Yesterday I received an unexpected PWE from an address I didn't recognize. Upon opening it, I found this card inside:

Along with a note. You see, the card was a giveaway from Jason of Hoarding Cardboard. He's been holding a bunch of giveaways all month.

Kin of I Feel Like A Collector Again actually was the winner of this card, and he arranged to have it sent directly to me.

That sort of gesture shows what a great, generous community we have. I thank both of these guys for the card, and helping to spread plenty of holiday cheer. Thanks, guys!

Stanton cards are trickling in

Scott Crawford of I Need New Hobbies is the first blogger to send me some Giancarlo Stanton cards. I've had a few cards set aside for Scott forever, so we made a simple little PWE flip.

Scott and I go way back to the beginning of this blog, so it's always good to trade cards with an old friend.

I wouldn't say I'm actively chasing down Stanton Marlins cards, but I won't say no either if you've got a few laying around.

I especially like the older "Mike" Stanton cards. On the back of the Opening Day card, it says he has 40-homer potential. Uh, ya think?

Thanks, Scott!

A Grande box of cards

I believe Chris at Nachos Grande was the first blogger I ever traded with. I think we swapped cards before I had a blog up and running.

While we don’t swap nearly as much (maybe every year or two), Chris was kind enough to shoot me a big box of Yankees he was ridding himself of. I look forward to returning the favor and sending him some Reds in return.

This box was particularly fun due to the amount of 90s and early 00s cards in it. While I do appreciate the newer stuff, seeing cards of El Duque and Scott Brosius that I didn’t have really makes my day.

Sandwiched in between was this cool Bernie Williams figure from 2004 MLB SportClix game. I hadn’t heard of this game, but looks like it would be pretty cool, although games like this tend to not do very well. Damn kids and their damn video games.

 Of course, there are usually a few Tino cards in boxes like this. I always liked this Pinnacle Swing for the Fences promo card. The royal blue back always appealed to me.

This is a sweet Jeter I didn’t have from Topps Total. I know many of us wish Total would make a comeback at some point. It seems we’ve seen most Topps sets from the past 15-20 years make a comeback at some point, so hopefully Total isn’t far off. Side note – I totally forgot about those Blue Jays uniforms. I’m glad they didn’t last for too long.

There were a couple of Jeters total. An upcoming project of mine is to finally sort, count, and catalogue my Jeter cards.

Speaking of not lasting too long, Travis Lee was a Yankee for a short time in 2004. I actually remember being thrilled when the Yankees signed him, but he got hurt after just 7 games. Interestingly, he went to Tampa Bay the next year and Tino came back to NY, so they were sort of (but not) traded for each other.

Topps Stars! 1997 Topps Stars is – to me – an all-time classic set. I never quite found any of the follow-ups to be as appealing, but I still enjoy seeing all years of the brand. What a great Alfonso Soriano prospect card from spring training. This one is from 2000 Topps Stars.

A truly classic Bowman’s Best design. I might have to send this to Tartabull for a TTM signature.

Ty! I really hope he makes it back to the mound this year.

Chris included an unopened Upper Deck fan pack of Yankees – 25 cards from a few different Upper Deck sets. I wasn’t collecting at this time, but I’ve seen these a few different times. Still, does anyone know the story behind them? Where were they offered?

Lastly, a Topps RC of a 23-year-old who just finished 3^rd in the Cy Young voting. People seem to think the Yankees don’t have much starting pitching, but between Severino, Sonny Gray, and Tanaka, that’s a pretty formidable front three.

Chris, thanks so much for the very generous box of cards. I’ll be sure to send Reds your war soon.

TTM Success: Derek Lowe

In a weird way, these are my favorite types of TTM successes. While I of course love the big stars and prospects successes, I also really enjoy the ones of guys who made short stops with the Yankees. Guys like Darnell McDonald and Mark Whiten and now...Derek Lowe!

Lowe spent a few games with the Yankees at the end of 2012. His most memorable occurred in his Yankee debut on August 13, 2012, when he pitched four scoreless inninngs in relief to earn a save. In his final Yankees game on October 2, he pitched two innings against the Red Sox and earned the win.

Lowe returned this card signed in just 9 days. Thanks, Mr. Lowe!

Ninja Cash strikes again - Giancarlo Stanton

Friday was an interesting night.

It went from "Yanks starting to have discussions on Stanton" to "things are definitely heating up" to "this deal is going to get done" all in a matter of a few hours. Like a teenager checking his phone every ten seconds, I efreshed Twitter at a nauseating rate looking for the latest post by Jack Curry or Joel Sherman or Jon Heyman. Actual updates in between fan saltiness made for enjoyable scrolling.

It was actually sort of fun. It was a quiet night at home. I had just spent the last hour quickly removing the last of the leaves from my patio - there were six bags full that I just hadn;t gotten around to clearing during the week - and I was doing it in the dark in anticipation of the morning snow. Once showered, I settled onto the couch with a Christmas movie, and refresh, refresh, refresh I did.

Side note: I do not understand the Twitter algorithm and how frequently I see Tweets out of order. It's maddening to see a new Tweet followed by one from 7 hours ago.

Anyhow, it looks like reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton will be a Yankee, at least for the next three years, pending his physical. I guess it will become official today or tomorrow.

I know many fans, myself included, who are excited. I know several who aren't. Some feel it was an unnecessary move. Some feel it might upset the team's chemistry. Who knows at this point?

I think the deal was too good to pass up. It fell on to Brian Cashman's lap, and it was almost impossible to say no. I do wish somehow Jacoby Ellsbury was involved in the deal, but getting Stanton for Starlin Castro (who didn't fit into the team's long-term plans) and two low level prospects, is a deal you have to make ten times out of ten. And as many have pointed out, it might end up looking like a bargain compared to what Bryce Harper and Manny Machado end up receiving next off-season.

How it all works out between positions and batting order is going to be a challenge, but I'm sure Aaron Boone is up to the task of where to slot in a 59-HR power threat into the lineup.

I don't expect Stanton and Judge to both hit 50 again - at least not in the same season. But if they are perennial 40-HR guys, that's still a lot of power and offensive production. Add that with a hopefully healthy Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, and the #1 prospect in baseball...and it's an exciting time.

Quick shoutout to Starlin Castro. He had a very solid two years in NY and is still just 27 himself. I hope he finds some long-term success somewhere.

Card-wise, I look forward to adding some Stanton Yankees cards to my collection. As I mentioned on Twitter, there aren't many Marlins fans out there, so I have a decent start on owning a few Stanton cards. I believe I have 13 total, and I think Joey has another in his binder. I'm sure a Topps NOW is on the way this week as well.