2000 Topps Series 2:

1. #256 Charles Johnson
2. #295 Johnny Damon
3. #247 Randy Winn
4. #442 Rafael Furcal/Jason Dellaero/Travis Dawkins (Prospects)
5. #359 Hideki Irabu
6. #476e Barry Bonds (Magic Moments) (1992 MVP)
7. #348 Tim Salmon
8. #356 Troy O’Leary
9. #245 Ray Lankford
10. #254 Kenny Rogers
11. #266 Dave Roberts

“After accepting the 1990 NL MVP Award, and finishing a close second in ’91, Bonds grabbed the hardware again in ’92.  With Buc’s basher Bobby Bonilla gone, NL hurlers pitched around Bonds all year.  They walked him 127 times, including 32 intentionals.  Nevertheless, with his huge uppercut swing and 100-mph bat speed, he slugged .624 to pace the NL.  He also tallied a .311 average, 34 homers, 103 RBI, 39 steals and a league-high 109 runs.  He powered the Pirates to their third straight NL East crown.”

One of the rules of the baseball card industry should be:  ”One number per baseball card”.  Not 5 variations assigned to one number as in the case of the Magic Moments cards of 2000 Topps.  Also not letters instead of numbers or no number at all, as I’ve seen in other Topps cards.  So much confusion in the hobby could be avoided by eliminating vague and deceptive numbering.

Again, I don’t actually have jumbo packs of 2006 Topps Series 1, so instead here are 5 hobby packs of the stuff:

PACK 1

1. #153 Ray King
2. #305 Chuck James (Rookie Card)
3. #24 Jason Marquis
4. #302 Chris Denorfia (Rookie Card)
5. #262 Alex Rodriguez (MVP)
6. #172 Todd Greene
7. Barry Bonds Home Run History #BB682 Barry Bonds
8. #114 Travis Lee
9. #192 Larry Bigbie
10. #235 Cliff Floyd

PACK 2

1. #263 Albert Pujols (MVP)
2. #242 Felix Hernandez
3. #132 Russ Adams (Topps All-Star Rookie)
4. #238 Matt Morris
5. #279 Jim Tracy (Manager)
6. #161 Chris Shelton
7. Hobby Masters #HM14 Vladimir Guerrero
8. #211 Melvin Mora
9. #61 Eric Hinske
10. #216 Russell Branyan

PACK 3

1. #303 Anthony Reyes (Rookie Card)
2. #228 David Eckstein
3. #62 Damaso Marte
4. #249 Vernon Wells (Gold Glove)
5. #259 Bobby Abreu (Gold Glove)
6. #250 Ichiro (Gold Glove)
7. Barry Bonds Home Run History #BB681 Barry Bonds
8. #179 Deivi Cruz
9. #10 Clint Barmes
10. #200 Albert Pujols

PACK 4

1. #231 Chris Capuano
2. #209 Orlando Hudson
3. #204 Miguel Cairo
4. #220 Jason Bay
5. #94 Matt Stairs
6. #111 Erubiel Durazo
7. Mantle Home Run History #MHR1 Mickey Mantle
8. #155 Paul Lo Duca
9. #4 Scott Hatteberg
10. #53 Tomo Ohka

PACK 5

1. #169 Jhonny Peralta
2. #86 Brad Radke
3. #207 Billy Wagner
4. #21 Lance Berkman
5. #9 Damian Miller
6. #84 So Taguchi
7. Declaration of Independence #RTP Robert Treat Paine
8. #115 Adam Dunn
9. #92 Lance Cormier
10. #25 Chipper Jones

1996 Topps Series 2:

1. #318 Greg Maddux
2. #302 Dave Nilsson
3. #368 Dennis Eckersley
4. Mickey Mantle Sweepstakes Entry Card
5. #227 Ivan Rodriguez (Star Power)
6. #241 Garrett Long (Draft Pick) (Rookie Card)
7. #282 Jeff Cirillo
8. Wrecking Crew #WC3 Barry Bonds
9. #410 Glenn Dishman
10. #231 Jose Mesa (Star Power)
11. #385 Heathcliff Slocumb
12. #309 Moises Alou

Pretty neat pack here.  The Barry Bonds Wrecking Crew card is one of the most valuable cards in 1996 Topps packs.

“Few pitchers can pitch in a hitter’s “kitchen” with any consistency.  And Barry Bonds will turn anything that’s in his attic, basement or living room into a souvenir.  Once he reigned-in a penchant for impatience, Bonds evolved into a three-time MVP, a slugger who also hits for average and commands high walk totals.  His ability to recognize pitching patterns only adds to pitchers’ problems.”

Barry Bonds is scheduled to go to trial for perjury in the BALCO scandal next March.

Then I also found this:

The Mickey Mantle Sweepstakes Entry Card is also pretty neat.  They came only one in every three hobby boxes.  In 1996, Topps gave away 19 original Mickey Mantle cards, one from each year.  They randomly inserted 2,500 Sweepstakes Entry cards in packs for each Mantle card they were giving away.  If you got one, you could fill it out and send it in to enter the drawing for the card that was pictured on the Sweepstakes Entry card (I got the entry card for the 1964 Topps Mantle).  Entry cards had to be mailed in no later than October 15, 1996, so I’m a little too late to mail mine in.  It’s sort of like an early version of the Topps Million Card Giveaway if you think about it.

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH81 Kelly Schoppach
2. #UH112 Henry Owens
3. #UH34 Paul McAnulty
4. #UH159 Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Rookie Card)
5. #UH107 Damion Easley
6. Red Back #UH171 Andy Sonnanstine (Rookie Card)
7. Red Back #UH222 Ichiro (All-Star)
8. Barry Bonds 756 #HRK Barry Bonds
9. #UH188 Ryan Rowland-Smith (Rookie Card)
10. #UH239 Mike Lowell (All-Star)

“Bonds’ epic pursuit of the all-time career home run mark was realized in a sea of cheers from San Francisco fans on August 7, 2007.  No. 756 – a long blast against Washington – gave him possession of one of the most hallowed records in all of sport.”

Booooooooo

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.

2006 Topps Series 1:

1. #89 Glendon Rusch
2. #283 Willie Randolph (Manager)
3. #160 Travis Hafner
4. #157 Carlos Zambrano
5. #64 Juan Encarnacion
6. #93 Alex Gonzalez
7. Declaration of Independence #RS Roger Sherman
8. #100 Barry Bonds
9. #117 Troy Percival
10. #70 Carlos Lee

“Bonds picked up a record 7th NL MVP Award in 2004”

It’s another one for my Future Hall of Famers binder… that is, unless they shut out known steroid users from The Hall.

2005 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH47 Nick Green
2. #UH103 Dan Johnson (Prospect)
3. #UH225 Elliot Johnson (First Year)
4. #UH315 Aaron Thompson (Draft Pick) (First Year)
5. #UH283 Nick Touchstone (First Year)
6. #UH98 Anthony Whittington (Prospect)
7. Barry Bonds Home Run History #BB631 Barry Bonds
8. #UH59 Brad Eldred
9. #UH112 Greg Maddux (Season Highlights)
10. #UH169 Huston Street (Sporting News All-Stars)

…and Checklist 1 of 3.

On June 12, 2003 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, Barry Bonds hammered his 631st home run off of Bartolo Colon of the Chicago White Sox.  It was the 9th inning with one man on with no outs.

1993 Upper Deck, to be integrated into my collection:

1. #267 Wes Chamberlain
2. #296 Eddie Taubensee
3. #298 Scott Radinsky
4. #299 Thomas Howard
5. #330 Rich Rodriguez
6. #337 Pat Mahomes
7. #363 John Smoltz
8. #375 Cal Eldred
9. #379 Ryan Klesko
10. #377 Damion Easley
11. #383 Sam Militello
12. #384 Arthur Rhodes
13. #386 Rico Brogna
14. #396 Mo Vaughn
15. #410 Steve Farr
16. #411 Henry Cotto
17. #422 Pete Janicki (Top Prospect)
18. #437 Brad Pennington (Top Prospect)
19. #442 Frank Rodriguez (Top Prospect)
20. #458 Dave Hollins (Inside the Numbers)
21. #476 Will Clark/Barry Bonds/Matt Williams (Team Stars)
22. #497 Juan Gonzalez (Award Winners)
23. #513 Jose Lind