I just entered 96 cards that I needed to build my sets into my card database.  The cards came courtesy of Crinkly Wrappers.  Since they were all base cards, I won’t bore you with the details, but here’s the breakdown of the new cards in my collection:

7 of 1985 Topps

22 of 2008 Topps

1 of 2008 Topps Update

1 of 2009 Topps

3 of 2009 Topps Update

62 of 2010 Topps

That means I only need 24 more cards to complete my 2010 Topps Series 1 set.  For the record, I’ve never completed a set before, but with the new cards and the 2010 Topps Series 2 jumbo box I bought, 2010 Topps might be my first.  Thanks Crinkly Wrappers for helping me out!

In return, I sent him all 8 of my 2010 Topps Gold cards, a 1987 Topps card he needed to complete a set, and as many Blue Jays as I could muster.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH211 Brett Tomko
2. #UH235 Eddie Guardado
3. #UH260 Emil Brown
4. #UH45 Eric Hurley (Rookie)
5. #UH63 Eric Buntlett
6. #UH297 Cory Wade (Rookie)
7. #UH17 Russ Martin (All-Star)
8. #UH41 Joe Mauer (All-Star)
9. #UH53 Justin Duchscherer (All-Star)
10. Gold Foil #UH65 Alex Rodriguez (All-Star)

“In 2008, Rodriguez was picked to play in the All-Star Game for the 12th time in the past 13 summers.  The game at Yankee Stadium was his fifth representing New York, his fifth start at third base and the first time he’s “starred” in front of his home fans.”

Last year, for the first time in a decade, A-Rod was not selected to the All-Star Game.  The reason was probably the revelation that he took steroids.

2008 Topps Series 2:

1. #496 Brad Lidge
2. #348 Craig Monroe
3. #463 John McLaren (Manager)
4. #403 Nate Robertson
5. #481 Manny Parra
6. #332 Grady Sizemore/Jhonny Peralta (Classic Combos)
7. Gold Foil #336 Jhonny Peralta
8. #507 Mark DeRosa
9. #339 Troy Percival
10. #378 Ozzie Guillen (Manager)

“In 2008, Jhonny turned back the clock a couple of years.  After a disappointing ’06 campaign, he returned to form as a 20-HR/70-RBI shortstop — one of only two of that ilk in the AL.  He’d spent the offseason doing extra conditioning and acclimating to vision correction surgery.  ”He’s worked so hard in every area of his game,” said manager Eric Wedge.”

Jhonny has spent all 7 seasons of his Major League career with the Cleveland Indians.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #100 Ryan Howard
2. #295 Tim Wakefield
3. #61 Alex Rodriguez/Carlos Pena/David Ortiz (League Leaders)
4. #32 Howie Kendrick
5. #164 Nate Schierholtz
6. #238 Shane Victorino
7. Year in Review #YR18 Mark Buehrle
8. Gold Foil #151 Adam Loewen
9. #147 Marlon Anderson
10. #189 Esteban German

“When Ryan was just three years old, he reached up and pulled a soap dish out of the wall in a bathroom in his home.  Later, hitting baseballs indoors, he put holes in his living room wall.  These days, Howard has used his strength to power balls over, instead of through, walls to amass 16 more home runs than anyone in the game the past two seasons.”

Ryan Howard has hit at least 45 homers in each of the past four seasons.  So far this season, his power numbers are down but his batting average is up with fewer strikeouts, perhaps thanks to some hitting tips from Barry Bonds.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH130 Mike Cameron
2. #UH163 Miguel Cairo
3. #UH205 Octavio Dotel
4. #UH57 Ramon Castro
5. #UH201 Travis Denker (Rookie)
6. #UH15 Kevin Cash
7. #UH89 Joakim Soria (All-Star)
8. #UH59 Cliff Lee (All-Star)
9. #UH263 Eric Patterson
10. Gold Foil #UH238 Dan Uggla (All-Star)

“Uggla’s father, John, grew up as a Yankees fan in Schenectady, N.Y., so it was a special thrill for Dan to make his All-Star Game debut at Yankee Stadium in 2008 after hitting 23 home runs for the Marlins before the break.  Also selected to the National League team as a rookie in ’06, Dan did not see action in that year’s game in Pittsburgh.”

Dan Uggla is a very patient hitter, drawing on average at least 4 pitches per at-bat.  He is currently 12th in the National League for total pitches thrown to him (Derrek Lee currently leads the league in that department).

2008 Topps Series 2:

1. #626 Mike Redmond
2. #409 Jason Giambi
3. #570 Homer Bailey
4. #594 Mike Morse
5. #431 Delwyn Young
6. #623 Trey Hillman (Manager)
7. Gold Foil #606 Jason Bergmann
8. #659 Vicente Padilla
9. #513 Rick Vandenhurk
10. #480 Matt Cain

Jay Bergmann is one of the most loyal Nationals players, probably because the Nats are the only team that will let him pitch at the Major League level year after year.  Other clubs would probably make him a career AAA player.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH121 Jacque Jones
2. #UH90 Dan Haren
3. #UH325 Clay Hensley
4. #UH207 Alberto Gonzalez (Rookie)
5. #UH321 Jeff Niemann (Rookie)
6. #UH87 Ryan Langerhans
7. #UH34 Nate McLouth (All-Star)
8. #UH64 Joe Nathan (All-Star)
9. #UH95 Ichiro (All-Star)
10. Year in Review #YR162 David Ortiz

“A couple of pops by Big Papi lifted the Red Sox over the Rays, 5-4, on September 12.  He drove in all of Boston’s runs with a three-run shot in the third inning and a two-run game-ender (his 10th since moving to Beantown in 2003) in the ninth.  The last was a misjudged fly that barely cleared a low wall.”

After a disappointing 2009 season where he batted .238, Big Papi is off to an even more disappointing start in 2010.  He’s batting only .171 so far this season.  Did you know he also has a public website and Facebook page?

And the excellent defensive player Ryan Langerhans, who can’t seem to hit above the Mendoza line offensively.  He’s going into my Nationals binder.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #54 Victor Martinez
2. #227 Alfredo Amezaga
3. #181 Joe Borowski/Bobby Jenks/J.J. Putz (League Leaders)
4. #82 So Taguchi
5. #296 Paul Konerko
6. #201 Matt Capps
7. Campaign 2008 #C08-FT Fred Thompson
8. #200 Manny Ramirez
9. #241 Ervin Santana
10. #316 Scott Hatteberg

“Thompson, Alabama-born and a Vanderbilt University-educated lawyer, served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1994 to ’03.  Though no stranger to politics, he might be better-known to many Americans as the man who acted in many movies and as a star of the popular TV series, “Law and Order.”  Thompson also has served as a lobbyist and lawyer on several high-profile cases (Watergate among them), and is a popular and charismatic speaker.”

Looks like he really cranked up his acting career since Obama took office.  You can find Fred Thompson in the new movies Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Ironmen, Secretariat, The Genesis Code, and Alleged.  He also made an appearance on the TV show Life on Mars last year.

Manny recently recorded his 2,500th career hit and also recently tied Mike Schmidt with 548 career home runs, putting him at 14th on the all-time list.