Apologies for my really long “short” hiatus.  I didn’t make it back before the All-Star break as I had hoped, but at least I made it back before what could potentially be the final MLB game of the year (I’m rooting for Detroit to prolong this thingy to Game 7; can’t go wrong with more baseball).

I finally got around to busting my jumbo box of 2012 Topps Series 2.  I did get a complete base set out of the box.  However, the “big hits” are nothing I really need, so if anyone sees something intriguing, they’re all negotiable for trade.

Here are the top 5 cards from the box (according to Beckett valuations):

2012 Topps A Cut Above #ACA-9 Cal Ripken Jr. (Die Cut)

2012 Topps Golden Moments Relics #GMR-BA Bobby Abreu (Game Used Memorabilia)

2012 Topps Golden Moments Autographs #GMA-JW Jordan Walden (Autograph)

2012 Topps Gold World Series Champion Pins #GWSP-WB Wade Boggs (Commemorative Gold Pin Card)

2012 Topps Black #648 Josh Beckett (Serial#50/61)

All in all, 2012 Topps Series 2 doesn’t yield many surprises beyond the formula set forth by Series 1.  Topps has streamlined the insert sets, which actually makes box breaks a bit more monotonous than they used to be.  Perhaps a return to the more variable, seemingly random, inserts would add more excitement.

A hobby pack of 2000 Topps Series 1:

I believe this is first-ballot Hall of Famer Wade Boggs’ last regular issue Topps card, showing his entire career stats (including 3,010 hits) on the back.

1. #72 Brian Jordan
2. #29 Darrin Fletcher
3. #3 Wade Boggs
4. #5 Matt Williams
5. #219 Chris Singleton (Season Highlights)
6. #186 Roy Halladay
7. #119 Greg Norton
8. #136 Brad Ausmus
9. #12 Bret Saberhagen
10. #138 David Cone
11. #233 Rickey Henderson (20th Century’s Best)

“Wade is one of only five American League players ever to participate in ten consecutive All-Star Games.”

Topps is just making up baseball trivia here.  The ten consecutive All-Star Game club isn’t all that exclusive.  Let’s see… we have Cal Ripken Jr., Rod Carew, Carl Yastrzemski, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Al Kaline, Brooks Robinson, George Brett, Nellie Fox, Bill Freehan… that makes ten…

Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio would have done it if not for World War II.

Then since 1995 we have six new members of the club:  Kirby Puckett, Ivan Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Roberto Alomar, Manny Ramirez, and the most recent member, Ichiro.

So Topps got this one wrong… unless they’re using a very narrow definition of the word “participate”.

1995 Topps Series 1:

1. #170 Wade Boggs
2. Cyberstats #185 Scott Servais
3. #251 Kurt Miller (Star Track)
4. #6 Jacob Shumate (Draft Pick)
5. #133 Mike Hampton
6. #233 Alan Benes (Future Star)
7. #257 Shane Reynolds
8. #151 Derek Parks
9. #163 Alex Fernandez
10. #159 Bill Wegman
11. #311 Bryan Harvey
12. #283 Dave Magadan
13. #76 Charles Nagy
14. #124 Todd Benzinger
15. #187 Geronimo Berroa

No, it’s not a 1990 Topps Jumbo pack (did those even exist?).  It’s a mad wax-ripping frenzy… 5 packs in one sitting!

Pack 1

1. #500 Kevin Mitchell
2. #27 Rick Leach
3. #511 Clay Parker
4. #35 Benny Santiago
5. #283 Joey Belle (Rookie)
6. #170 George Bell
7. #750 Dale Murphy
8. #361 Randy McCament (Rookie)
9. #699 Jim Leyland (Manager)
10. #784 Scott Bailes
11. #624 Darrin Jackson
12. #587 Lance Johnson
13. #502 Mitch Webster
14. #508 Terry Leach
15. #403 Tony Gwynn (All-Star)
16. #581 Ken Griffey

Pack 2

1. #293 Mike Gallego
2. #140 Andre Dawson
3. #319 Dion James
4. #100 Will Clark
5. #197 Doug Drabek
6. #650 Mike Witt
7. #429 Tom Kelly (Manager)
8. #280 Lou Whitaker
9. #171 Russ Nixon (Manager)
10. #229 David Wells
11. #646 Checklist 5 of 6 (Checklist)
12. #69 Todd Frohwirth
13. #337 Lloyd McClendon
14. #386 Julio Franco (All-Star)
15. #692 Sammy Sosa (Rookie)
16. #704 Chip Hale (Rookie)

Pack 3

1. #726 Gene Nelson
2. #703 Jeff Brantley
3. #212 Joe Orsulak
4. #697 Mike Davis
5. #423 Fred Toliver
6. #126 Randy Kramer
7. #453 Jody Davis
8. #527 Ron Hassey
9. #99 Rich Monteleone
10. #434 Mark Carreon
11. #378 Luis Salazar
12. #134 Earl Cunningham (Draft Pick) (Rookie)
13. #760 Wade Boggs
14. #118 Erik Hanson
15. #482 Steve Carter (Rookie)
16. #252 Otis Nixon

Pack 4

1. #512 Gary Pettis
2. #291 Dave Johnson (Manager)
3. #595 Greg Swindell
4. #30 David Cone
5. #412 Jamie Moyer
6. #24 Joe Hesketh
7. #479 Frank White
8. #553 Scott Scudder (Rookie)
9. #250 Jose Canseco
10. #316 Carney Lansford
11. #757 Larry Walker (Rookie)
12. #32 John Farrell
13. #380 Dave Winfield
14. #9 Eric Plunk
15. #783 Checklist 6 of 6 (Checklist)
16. #218 Wally Backman

Pack 5

1. #369 Todd Burns
2. #484 Mike Fitzgerald
3. #42 Jeff Robinson
4. #260 Eric Davis
5. #364 Rolando Roomes
6. #630 Gary Gaetti
7. #720 Andres Galarraga
8. #717 Ron Karkovice
9. #723 Jeff Robinson
10. #684 Julio Machado (Rookie)
11. #519 Bucky Dent (Manager)
12. #631 John Wetteland (Rookie)
13. #263 Mel Stottlemyre Jr. (Rookie)
14. #765 Chili Davis
15. #119 Billy Hatcher
16. #394 Jeff Ballard (All-Star)

1995 Topps Traded and Rookies:

1. #162 Kirby Puckett/Lenny Dykstra (All-Star)
2. #82T Chad Fonville (Rookie)
3. #158 Wade Boggs/Matt Williams (All-Star)
4. #82T Chad Fonville (Rookie)
5. #33T Rheal Cormier
6. #24T Tomas Perez (Rookie)
7. #29T Todd Williams
8. #63T Felix Rodriguez (Rookie)
9. #144T Pat Listach
10. #79T Brad Radke (Rookie)
11. #53T Terry Mulholland

Matt Williams was one of the players who was most adversely affected by the 1994 baseball strike.  He was on pace to break Roger Maris’ single-season home run record in 1994 when the strike started.  He batted .391 with 13 home runs by the end of May.  However, he was one of the players named in the Mitchell Report as having used steroids, so maybe it was a good thing that he didn’t break the record.

1993 Stadium Club, to be integrated into my collection:

1. #11 Sam Militello
2. #12 Mike Magnante
3. #13 Tim Wakefield
4. #29 Paul Gibson
5. #39 Royce Clayton
6. #45 Clay Parker
7. #52 Gary Thurman
8. #61 Carlos Baerga
9. #77 Mike Mussina
10. #82 Ted Power
11. #103 Mike Maddux
12. #112 Scott Fletcher
13. #113 Rex Hudler
14. #116 Mark Leiter
15. #132 Doug Strange
16. #143 Darren Lewis
17. #148 Bill Pecota
18. #149 Carlos Hernandez
19. #157 Juan Bell
20. #161 Jeff Reardon
21. #172 Mark Lemke
22. #191 Danny Gladden
23. #211 Hipolito Pichardo
24. #212 John Kiely
25. #240 Donn Pall
26. #258 Craig Shipley
27. #295 Robin Ventura (Member’s Choice)
28. #300 Gary Sheffield (Member’s Choice)
29. #601 Wade Boggs *x2
30. #602 Jeff Reardon *x2

1992 Ultra, to be integrated into my collection:

1. #302 Todd Frohwirth *x4
2. #303 Ben McDonald *x3
3. #304 Mark McLemore
4. #306 Bob Milacki
5. #307 Gregg Olson *x4
6. #308 David Segui *x2
7. #309 Rick Sutcliffe
8. #310 Jeff Tackett *x2
9. #311 Wade Boggs *x4
10. #313 John Flaherty
11. #314 Wayne Housie *x3
12. #315 Peter Hoy *x2
13. #316 John Marzano
14. #317 Tim Naehring *x4
15. #318 Phil Plantier *x4
16. #319 Frank Viola
17. #320 Matt Young *x2
18. #321 Jim Abbott
19. #322 Hubie Brooks *x3
20. #323 Chad Curtis *x2
21. #324 Alvin Davis *x2
22. #325 Junior Felix *x4
23. #326 Von Hayes *x2
24. #327 Mark Langston *x2
25. #328 Scott Lewis
26. #329 Don Robinson *x2
27. #330 Bobby Rose
28. #331 Lee Stevens
29. #332 George Bell
30. #333 Esteban Beltre *x5

1992 Fleer had a clean, refreshing feel just like the 1992 Donruss design:

1. #3 Juan Bell
2. #4 Glenn Davis
3. #5 Mike Devereaux
4. #8 Leo Gomez
5. #11 Tim Hulett
6. #13 Chito Martinez
7. #16 Luis Mercedes
8. #18 Bob Milacki
9. #19 Randy Milligan
10. #31 Craig Worthington
11. #32 Wade Boggs
12. #33 Tom Bolton
13. #38 Danny Darwin
14. #45 Carlos Quintana
15. #48 Luis Rivera
16. #58 Gary Gaetti
17. #64 Kirk McCaskill
18. #73 Cliff Young
19. #75 Esteban Beltre *x2
20. #76 Joey Cora
21. #78 Alex Fernandez
22. #82 Ozzie Guillen
23. #103 Sandy Alomar Jr.
24. #114 Doug Jones
25. #115 Eric King
26. #118 Charles Nagy
27. #128 Andy Allanson
28. #129 John Cerutti
29. #130 Milt Cuyler
30. #137 Bill Gullickson