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.

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH18 John Grabow
2. #UH39 Jake Fox
3. #UH273 Mark Lowe
4. #UH282 Victor Martinez
5. #UH252 Justin Verlander (All-Star)
6. Turkey Red #TR149 Johnny Cueto
7. Topps Town #TTT52 Torii Hunter
8. #UH9 Jonathan Broxton
9. #UH324 Nolan Reimold (Rookie)
10. #UH212 Ian Kinsler (Season Highlights)

“Johnny came to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2005, and took the Reds organization by storm.  He went 29-15 in three seasons and twice was chosen as Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Year.  Earning a spot in the ’08 Cincinnati rotation in Spring Training, he fanned 10 Diamondbacks batters while allowing one hit in seven innings in winning his debut on April 3.  Cueto went on to post eight more victories in ’08, then started ’09 by winning a game for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.  For the Reds, he started the season afire with an ERA below 3.00 at the end of June.”

Going into his 3rd Major League season in 2010, Johnny might finally be showing his potential as a starting pitcher.  So far this season, he is 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA.

2009 Topps Series 2:

1. #397 Carlos Ruiz
2. #353 Derek Jeter
3. #527 Jason Isringhausen
4. #504 Felix Pie
5. #441 Andrew Bailey (Rookie)
6. #471 Kerry Wood
7. #628 Justin Upton/Chris Young (Classic Combos)
8. Gold Border #571 Noah Lowry (Serial #1608/2009)
9. Topps Town #TTT27 David Ortiz
10. #528 Nick Swisher
11. #491 Paul Bako
12. #524 Andy LaRoche

““Big Papi” says his most supportive — and plentiful — fans are kids, and it’s easy to see why.  The Red Sox star brings a childlike joy to the game, smiling all the way to two World Series championships.”

David Ortiz set up the David Ortiz Children’s Fund in 2007  to help kids in need.

2009 Topps Series 1:

1. #303 Zach Duke
2. #244 Sean Rodriguez
3. #111 Troy Percival
4. #221 Cliff Lee/Roy Halladay/Daisuke Matsuzaka (League Leaders)
5. #246 B.J. Upton/Carl Crawford/Evan Longoria (Postseason Highlights)
6. #259 Tim Lincecum/Johan Santana/Dan Haren (League Leaders)
7. Topps Town #TTT6 Johan Santana
8. #248 Scott Lewis (Rookie)
9. #185 Randy Johnson
10. #269 Hunter Pence

“The Rays, in their first postseason, captured the AL pennant thanks to their booming bats.  B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria accounted for half of the team’s 16 ALCS homers (each slugging .780-plus) while Carl Crawford tied the series lead in hits.”

If the Rays keep doing what they have been doing this season, they’ll be headed to the World Series again this Fall.  Upton, Crawford, and Longoria are all still with the team.

Another one for my Randy Johnson collection:

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH191 Ben Zobrist
2. #UH152 Barbaro Canizares (Rookie)
3. #UH323 Ramon Ramirez
4. #UH260 Ryan Howard (All-Star)
5. #UH293 Aaron Hill (All-Star)
6. Propaganda #PP21 Mark Teixeira
7. Topps Town #TTT61 Zack Greinke
8. #UH276 Brad Penny
9. #UH211 Brad Bergesen (Rookie)
10. #UH268 Chris Getz

“Four teams have enlisted the services of Teixeira in just the last three seasons, and he’s delivered power-packed production to each.  It took him mere months to crack the record books of his latest squad in 2009, ranking among the five-fastest Yankees players ever, by games played, to reach 20 home runs (61 games) or 100 RBI (126 games) for the club.”

Did you know that on May 8, 2010 Mark Teixeira became the first Yankee to hit 3 home runs against the Boston Red Sox since Lou Gehrig?…

I didn’t know they even kept records for performance against rival teams.  The Yankees and their silly made-up records

2009 Topps Series 2:

1. #578 Adam Kennedy
2. #618 Brandon Backe
3. Ring of Honor #RH56 Dustin Pedroia
4. Legends of the Game #LG-RJ Reggie Jackson
5. Topps Town #TTT47 Carlos Beltran
6. #377 Trevor Crowe (Rookie)
7. #494 Gary Matthews
8. #462 James Loney

“Pedroia was the American League Rookie of the Year when his Red Sox swept the Rockies to win the 2007 World Series.  In that event and the ALCS combined, he ripped 15 hits and drove in nine runs in 11 games.”

Since winning his first World Series ring and the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2007, Dustin has been racking up the awards.  He won AL MVP, All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger honors in 2008.  He was also an All-Star in 2009.

2009 Topps Series 1:

1. #188 Josh Bard
2. #21 Jack Wilson
3. #118 Josh Johnson
4. #278 Philadelphia Phillies (Postseason Highlights)
5. #227 Freddy Sandoval (Rookie)
6. Topps Town #TTT7 Hanley Ramirez
7. #231 Xavier Nady
8. #168 Mark DeRosa
9. #251 Greg Smith
10. #91 Cody Ross

“Somewhere in the Dominican Republic, an old trophy tells the story of a “natural.”  Hanley won a Little League home run crown at age five and kept the award.  Not much has changed:  He blasted 33 for Florida in 2008.”

Hanley won the National League batting title last season after hitting .342.

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH34 Laynce Nix
2. #UH24 Gabe Gross
3. #UH167 Julio Borbon (Rookie)
4. #UH89 Phil Hughes
5. #UH178 Josh Beckett (All-Star)
6. Ring of Honor #RH94 Tris Speaker
7. Topps Town #TTT57 Joey Votto
8. #UH111 Livan Hernandez
9. #UH174 Omar Vizquel
10. #UH69 Joe Girardi/Derek Jeter (Classic Combos)

Derek Jeter is still racking up those hits.  He should get his 3,000th hit next season.

Tris Speaker, to be added to my Hall of Fame binder: