2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH33 Daniel Bard (Rookie)
2. #UH37 Adam Kennedy
3. #UH58 Omar Quintanilla
4. #UH87 Jake Peavy
5. #UH98 Hanley Ramirez (All-Star)
6. Propaganda #PP15 Andrew Bailey
7. Topps Town #TTT70 Hunter Pence
8. #UH50 Gary Sheffield
9. #UH270 David Ortiz/Alex Rodriguez (Classic Combos)
10. #UH122 Kevin Youkilis/David Wright/Derek Jeter/Shane Victorino (Classic Combos)

Topps is really milking this Yankees/Red Sox rivalry thing.  They seem to be trying their best to catch Yankees mingling with Red Sox lately.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #253 Bronson Sardinha (Rookie)
2. #1 Alex Rodriguez
3. Trading Card History #TCH25 Grady Sizemore
4. 50th Anniversary All Rookie Team #AR53 Jeff Francoeur
5. #301 Chris Duffy
6. #211 Lyle Overbay
7. #312 Ramon Hernandez
8. #143 Willie Harris
9. #108 B.J. Ryan
10. #12 Jason Bartlett

Tribute to 1948 baseball cards:

“Grady possesses a blend of power and speed that scouts rarely see, becoming (in 2007) the Indians fourth 20-HR/25-SB man.  In ‘06, he finished with 92 extra-base hits — most in the Majors.  Sizemore puts his speedy wheels to good use not only on the bases (tying for sixth in the AL in steals in ‘07), but as a dynamic centerfielder.  His skills have earned him All-Star Team berths two straight years.”

And an A-Rod:

2008 Topps series 1:

1. #117 Boof Bonser
2. #45 Dontrelle Willis
3. #258 Manny Ramirez/Kevin Youkilis (Classic Combos)
4. #265 Fredi Gonzalez (Manager)
5. #44 Jonathan Broxton
6. Own the Game #OTG11 Alex Rodriguez
7. Gold Foil #329 Lou Piniella (Manager)
8. #119 Jeremy Hermida
9. #104 Kevin Youkilis
10. #41 Rich Aurilia

…and checklist 2 of 3.

Of note, the front of Boof Bonser’s card spells his name as “Boof Bosner”.  oops!

A-Rod’s Own the Game card commemorates him leading the Major Leagues in RBI in 2007 with 156.  Magglio Ordonez, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Howard were a distant 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

2008 Topps series 1:

1. #256 Alex Rodriguez (MVP)
2. #28 Kyle Kendrick
3. #323 Jose Valverde/Francisco Cordero/Trevor Hoffman (League Leaders)
4. #282 Jon Lester
5. #305 Carlos Delgado
6. #47 Orlando Cabrera
7. Campaign 2008 #C08-RP Ron Paul
8. #121 Mike Cameron
9. #308 Felipe Lopez
10. #169 Adam Lind

“Rep. Paul is a trained physician, having graduated from Duke University School of Medicine and served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force.  He has delivered more than 4,000 babies — a claim few politicians can make!  He was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988, and he has more recently served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’ 14th district.  Paul has written several books, including “A Foreign Policy of Freedom.”"

How about a kindly old man for president?  anyone?

A juiced up A-rod who hit 54 home runs in 2007.

And a former National who has played for the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and the Brewers since being released by the Nationals in July 2008.

Merry Christmas to all from 25YearsOfBaseball!  Today we’re opening a very special pack.  It’s a pack I got from a dealer last year for National Baseball Card Day!

1. Upper Deck #UD9 Ken Griffey Jr.
2. Upper Deck #UD10 Derek Jeter
3. Upper Deck #UD11 Albert Pujols
4. Upper Deck #UD12 Ichiro
5. Upper Deck #UD13 Prince Fielder
6. Upper Deck #UD14 Ian Kennedy (Rookie)
7. Topps #6 Clay Buchholz (Rookie)
8. Topps #1 Alex Rodriguez
9. Topps #2 David Wright
10. Topps #3 Ryan Howard
11. Topps #4 David Ortiz
12. Topps #5 Vladimir Guerrero

I don’t have any 2008 Upper Deck cards, so maybe I’m biased, but I think Upper Deck won this one design-wise.  I wasn’t aware that there was a “National Baseball Card Day”, so I Googled it real quick.  Apparently it was held every March 29 in hobby stores across the country.  Now I’m wondering, was there a “National Baseball Card Day” in 2009?  Or is it going to be held in 2010?

2009 Topps Topps Town #TTT1 Alex Rodriguez

2009 Topps series 1:

1. #59 Eric Gagne
2. #289 Josh Banks
3. #50 David Ortiz
4. #79 David Eckstein
5. #114 Chris Dickerson
6. Topps Town #TTT1 Alex Rodriguez
7. #27 Jonathon Niese (Rookie)
8. #194 Jeremy Guthrie
9. #306 Javier Vazquez
10. #29 Jerry Hairston

“A-Rod has held clinics for kids in his hometown every year since 1993.  He says his favorite training tool — whether you’re a three-time MVP Award winner like he is or just a beginner — is a batting tee.“

2009 Topps #1 Alex Rodriguez

2009 Topps series 1:

1. #174 James Shields
2. #252 Brandon Wood
3. #178 Frank Catalanotto
4. #1 Alex Rodriguez
5. Turkey Red #TR16 Joe Mauer
6. Topps Town #TTT18 Miguel Cabrera
7. #309 Humberto Sanchez (Rookie)
8. #74 Trey Hillman (Manager)
9. #3 Andy Marte
10. #182 Daniel Murphy

It’s been one heck of a year for A-Rod so far.  The infidelity, the divorce, the drug use, the surgery… they could film him and make a reality show out of his life.

2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500, to be integrated into my collection:

2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 #ARHR4 Alex Rodriguez

1. #ARHR4 Alex Rodriguez
2. #ARHR208 Alex Rodriguez