Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster packs 13 & 14

So with 8 packs left to open, I’m hoping for a 2 card a pack hit in order to get my wantlist under 100. I have no reason to expect this to happen.

Let’s see if I can at least me teased.

My pack:

• 649 Brain Barden
• 442 Paul Maholm
• 590 Lance Berkman
• 467 Hanley Ramirez
• 488 Vernon Wells
• 581 Mike Sweeney
• I could’ve won a trip to the All Star game, but all I got was this flimsy expired filler card

Bupkiss for the wantlist.

Hers:

• 645 Angel Sanchez
• 560 Randy Johnson
• 411 Jason Bay
• 524 Ty Wigginton
• 499 Aaron Boone
• GN228 Ryan Zimmerman hit a 2B off Lance Carter
• Could’ve been a winner
• Checklist

Nothing there, either. *sigh* I’ll almost be glad when this is done.

2007 Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster Box packs 11 & 12

So I really thought I’d get more cards that I needed out of this thing, and I was hoping to be under 100 by the end of the box, if not now. That hasn’t happened at all. Maybe tonight will be better. Here goes:

Me:

• 660 Yadier Molina (need)
• 516 Bartolo Colon
• 621 Alexi Casilla
• 601 The entire Colorado Rockie team
• 455 Dan Johnson
• 522 Anthony Reyes
• Topps of the Class filler

Sweet mother of mercy, another need! Here’s hoping for 15 in the remaining nine. On to hers:

• 640 Kei Igawa
• 508 Ryan Langerhans
• 404 Corey Hart
• MHR389 Mickey Mantle hit a home run
• 419 Jorge Cantu
• 382 Kevin Millwood

Crap. Nothing. Still, Corey Hart’s pretty good. And Alex Rodriguez thinks that Kei Igawa “has it in him to win 15 games or more.” Maybe he meant over his career. In AAA. Only 5 more wins to go, then!

2007 Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster Box Packs 9 & 10

Or as I like to call it, Duel of the Hit Parades.

Let’s start with hers:

• 444 Josh Beckett
• 646 Devern Hansack
• 593 Washington Nationals team card
• 557 Scott Olsen
• 481 Jim Thome
• HP7 Gary Sheffield Hit Parade
• Could’ve won and stay in school, in one pack!

Mine:

• 393 Milton Bradley
• 552 Chris Woodward
• 501 Mike O’connor
• 360 David Ortiz
• 529 Chris Snelling
• HP6 Alex Rodriguez Hit Parade
• I could’ve won…

Even needing my entire pack could not have saved me from the merciless drubbing I took tonight. Even worse, I needed none of ’em.

Only five more days of this. Hopefully by then my series 2 wax will have arrived.

2007 Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster packs 7 & 8

I’ve returned. More on the absence later, probably tomorrow. For tonight, you get the battle of the blaster packs.

Me:

• 375 Miguel Olivo
• 384 Alex Gonzalez (the injured Red)
• 512 Jason Kubel
• 564 Nelson Cruz
• 639 Joe Smith
• GN344 Hanley Smith once stole 2nd base

Her:

• 407 Nick “the Stick” Johnson (need!)
• 423 Mike Lamb
• 514 Mark Grudzielanek
• 528 Paul Byrd
• 553 Ramon Martinez
• 574 Brandon McCarthy

Mark one off the list, and it’s the only saving grace of her pack. I’m not sure I got much better, even with the insert. Folks, I’ll let you decide who got the best pack tonight.

2007 Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster packs 5 & 6

The third night reveals:

• 355 Oliver Perez
• 359 Jon Garland
• 443 Mike Cameron
• 490 Andruw Jones (looking thin)
• 498 Jarrod Washburn
• DS25 Ted Williams fought in the war

Mrs. Handcollated:

• 345 Joe Borowski
• 348 Rodrigo Lopez
• 534 Terrmel Sledge (I remember fighting over him in Fantasy baseball)
• 549 Horacio Ramirez
• 551 Ronnie Belliard
• OD3 RFK Stadium Marlins vs Nationals
• One of those Topps of the Class inserts

A big strikeout in the need department in both packs. It’s not going as well as I thought it would, but hopefully luck will change in the last 14 packs.

As to tonight’s winner, I gotta go with me for the second night in a row. There’s a real lack of star power in either pack, and even though I got Andruw, I also pulled an insert of one of the greatest hitters of all time and his contribution to the greatest generation.

Feel free to vote below.

The box break returns Wednesday night.

2007 Topps Baseball Series 2 Target Blaster packs 3 & 4

My pack:

• 358 Jason Tyner
• 451 Bobby Jenks (need)
• 486 Wandy Rodriguez (need)
• 536 Tom Gorzelanny
• 637 Justin Hampson
• MMS 18 Mickey Mantle looks across the room
• I could have won a trip to the 2008 all star game

The missus:

• 340 Roger Clemens
• 387 Nate Robertson
• 445 Pablo Ozuna
• 468 Kerry Wood
• 604 San Diego Padres team card (what is it about the Pads again?   The Reds better pull tonight out)
• GN270 This one time in Florida, Delmon Young hit 2 singles in a game!
• Checklist 3 of 3

I’m claiming the win based on the 2 cards needed, even if that checklist card is pretty sweet.

2007 Topps Series 2 Blaster box Pack 1 and 2

I realize that I could get a hobby box for a little more money and probably get a lot closer to completing my set with one, too. But I haven’t bought a blaster since 1998/99 Upper Deck hockey, and there’s something to be said about taking a box home with you rather than just waiting for it in the mail.

I’m going to post this two packs a night, with a break upcoming (more on that later). My wife and I each open a pack. Feel free to judge who gets the best one.

Here’s mine:

• 368 Mark Prior (need!)
• 415 Aaron Cook (need!)
• 427 Randy Wolf (uh oh. The Reds are facing him tonight. Hope it’s not bad luck) (need!)
• 600 Ryan Zimmerman
• 615 Lou Pinella (he looks so cold, someone get him a sweater)
• JD17 – Joe Dimaggio hits a single!

Hers:

• 403 Casey Blake (with a dinged corner, since I need it)
• 436 Ricky Nolasco
• 503 Jeff Cirillo
• 554 Elizardo Ramirez
• 622 Matt Chico
• 436 Ricky Nolasco Gold 1868/2000 (#’ed Ricky’s favorite year!)
• plus we could have won a trip to the all star game and a reminder to work hard to get cards

No argument from me. She’s the winner tonight, even with the three cards I picked up for the set.

And Ricky’s on a tear, which makes me start to regret trading him for Felipe Lopez in my keeper league. But I needed a SS, and have an abundance of pitching. I’ll just keep chanting that to myself.

(Whoops.  I should have posted this last night, but hit the save button by mistake.  Enjoy!)