25-26 Topps Basketball Blaster Break

Hey! This stuff was actually available at Wally World not long after release. Is that a sign I should try one? Yes. Yes, it is. 7 packs makes it hard to split this into two, so I'm recapping all of them here.

Pack 1:

Here's my first card of the season! Just like would happen randomly in the past, they're recycling from baseball design. 

Every team gets their own team card in this. Are they used for a season recap, or a team checklist?

Well, they're used for a checklist, but just an unrelated 10 card portion of the checklist. This might be the oddest thing about the set.

Inserts and parallels are everywhere in this set. The Anthony is a Season Tip-Off parallel. Ray Allen is also shown on a parallel, a Holo Foil one. They're 1:50 packs in blasters, so I'm guessing that's the closest thing to a hit. There are throwbacks here too, going all the way back to 1980. Disappointingly, not a 3-card perforated salute.

Pack 2:

This was definitely the veteran star power pack, even if it disappointing to see Lebron get such a generic photo on his card. Unfortunately, I'd dupe up on both the Cunningham and Edwards later in the blaster. Although they were the only two dupes I landed, it still is disappointing in a product with only 7 packs.

I'm not sure if Anthony Davis really counts as a Power Player still, but that line of thinking might be influenced by the Dallas franchise at this point. Although this was used in other sports in the past, this is its first basketball appearance.

Pack 3:

Just some more inserts to highlight in this pack. Generation Now is a fairly reliable insert set to show up in Topps releases across all sports, so it is not a surprise to see it here, even if it is somewhat understated in its design.

Pack 4:

There's the Pacers version of "Someone from Montreal is going to get a ring" 2025 NBA finals. That's what the non-shiny version of the 8-Bit Ballers insert looks like.

Pack 5:

My first Raptors card of the box and the season. In terms of teams, the collation was really good, with every team making an appearance on at least one card. Even if Denver's only appearance was on the parallel shown earlier.

Clutch City, an insert set from almost 20 years ago and unseen since then is another returning one.

Pack 6:

Definitely the "big pack" in the blaster, with a pair of inserts featuring the cover boy. And those weren't even close to being the best card in the pack. Not in terms of value, but in terms of being incredible cardboard.

Since this parallel was also in this pack. While watching some of the breaks of this product, this photo immediately stood out as the best in the product, and I just needed to add one of these to my misc collection. Getting a bonus of it being a parallel where the design gives it even more of a 3D look to it makes it even greater. 

This is as good a place as any to note that the text write-up on the back of the base cards is the same as the ones on the 80 throwbacks. Or at least it was the same on both the Anunoby and the AJ Johnson. It's also a little disappointing that the throwbacks use modern back instead of the 80 design.

Maybe I just wanted to see the cartoons.

Pack 7:

Raptors card #2!

And a final tip-off parallel.

If I land a card I'm chasing, even if it is a parallel and not the base version, it's a good break! Thumbs up to the box!

And there you have it!

When a White Whale isn't One

 Much as it seems like this was a White Whale addition to my 2-14 collection, it isn't. Since I didn't even know this card existed until I noticed it while searching around for 2-14 stuff on COMC.

It's also my first RealOne autograph in the collection, featuring Tom Borland. Back when the collection was far more humble, I was thinking that his 1960 entry would be the oldest entry in the binders. Ah, to be so naive about this obsession. This 2010 addition does put me into a tie for the lead for Borland collectors at tcdb. When the 1960 Leaf card from my COMC inventory shows up, I'll take the lead. With 5 cards.

Which I'll stay at, unless someone sends me some of his buybacks or his Oakland Oaks entry.

I'll show the back too. While I appreciate them sticking to the original design and cartoons, I still doubt he won a Little League World Series game in 1958. Although if true, it isn't surprising that he'd dominate the opposition. Being 25 years old at the time and all.

And there you have it!

Playoff Gameday!

Today, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' road to the Grey Cup starts, with the Eastern Final game against Montreal. I'm not optimistic, despite them winning the division and thus getting a bye. Maybe it is just the lows of the season felt really low this year, and the pessimist in me. Maybe showing off some of the CFL content, mostly of the Hamilton variety, in my latest COMC incoming mailer will improve the mood.

Kenny Lawler has had a highlight reel filled season this year with Hamilton. However, for some reason, he wasn't included in the flagship set this year, not even getting a "now with" card after moving on from Winnipeg. He did show up as one of the Game Dated cards though. So, if I wanted an auto of his, but not from another CFL team, I had to go back to 2016 and one of his draft cards.

Marquay McDaniel had already played his last CFL game by the time this card dropped in 2019, ending a 10 year career as a player. He's still around the league as a receivers coach, and has been in Saskatchewan the past couple seasons. 

Here's  a four-pack of parallels from the 2022 release, the only year I didn't buy a couple boxes of the flagship product. I really disliked the hockey design, but at least that didn't reuse the same image twice on the front. Two bland photos are better than one, I guess. Even if Brandon Banks' entry is technically an Argonauts card, the blue parallel does go nicely with his new team. And he did get a Grey Cup victory out of the deal, and that was nice to see.

Finally, since there is no other place to put it, here's a green parallel from last year of University of Waterloo alum Tre Ford. With there being actual blue parallels in the release (or deluxe, if you prefer the actual name), the result of combining base cards on e-pack had to change. So, Edmonton (and also Saskatchewan) got colour match parallels.  As for Ford, he was named starter going into the season, but struggled and was moved to the second string. 

There you have it!

Decisions, Decisions

Do I add this card of Terrence Long to my penmanship colllection, or to my Mets collection? Seeing as he made 3 plate appearances with the Mets, striking out twice and grounding into a double play in the other, he might seem like a perfect candidate for the latter.

But I  also figure there are more autographed Mets card out there than autographed cards of guys with legible signatures, so I'm going with the penmanship one.

And there you have it!

As Good a Day as Any

 Even with the World Series just a few days in the rear view mirror, it is still a fine day to start digging into my most recent incoming mailer from Dennis @ Too Many Verlanders, and start with the Blue Jays content.

I was certain I had this one already. I did - in my Canadian Content collection. Not in the Jays one. So this fixes that and adds Dasan into the team collection. Even if that looks to be a Team Canada jersey photoshopped into a Jays one.

Time to start digging into the bulk of the content, and leading the way is one of the handful of base cards in this post out of Snapshots. Springer's foil parallel provides the only appearance of the City Connects in this post. Bo's card is my first one of those ASG parallels. Those negative parallels remain nightmare fuel.

The Reactive Orange parallel makes me nostalgic for the rather calm foil parallel in the first group of 9. It is just a coincidence that I started with and also ended the two groups with a base card. It might be look like a parallel, but if it was a standalone set's base card, then of course it counts. 

The only numbered base parallel. As best I can tell, this /499 is a green crackle variation. I miss being able to find out the type of parallel with out having to go to either COMC or TCDB. 

Relic #1. The swatch colour is so similar to the blue in the background, it almost seems like UD forgot to include the actual jersey piece with the card.

Autograph #1: Oh Reese McGuire, you'll never live down your time in a Dollar Tree parking lot.

Especially when you result in a rare W for the Toronto Sun.

And let's end it with the best of both worlds, at least if you want to consider a manufactured baseball piece to be a relic. And since this wasn't the year that they used the E-ZEE Fade ink on the card, it still looks very nice. It's my 6th auto of my favourite player, all of which are Blue Jays ones. I really should try to find a Mets one to keep them company. Or even a Marlins one.

So, thanks for all these additions, and all those still to come in future posts!

There you have it!

Stats on the Back

 

Now this might be one of the more interesting career stat lines you'd see on a card.

Who does this belong to? 

After posting Darryl Henley last week, here's an even bigger fuck-up!

It's Lawrence Phillips!

His numbers were really good, especially in such a pass heavy league like the CFL, but he still had his issues and moved on to Calgary, where he'd play a half season before they had enough of him as well. The rest of his mess of a life is documented pretty well. Suffice to say there's a reason he hasn't even appeared in Nebraska Cornhuskers themed sets since this.

Here's the uncropped back of the card.

There you have it!

Colours

 

Not too much today - just a couple of swatches obviously from alternate jerseys used on cards today. The Elias Diaz entry is a lot more obvious, since it is from an insert set dedicated to the City Connects. Arizona also has entries in one of those releases, but since the Ginter entry was the cheaper option, I went for that. I didn't need it to note that the yellow swatch is from one of those Diamondbacks variants.

So, there's a couple of slightly different swatches.

And there you have it!

2025 Adventures in Repacks - Part 33 - Too Long a Wait

 It really has been too long since I busted a Dollarama hockey repack, so here's one of them!

And it is all cardboard content this time, including a hit!

My usual clockwise from top-left of the repacked content means I'm leading with the hint. Not too bad of one as well, in spite of not being game worn but photo shoot worn. Kassian had double-digit seasons in the NHL, and that's always more interesting than someone who is one-and-done, but got a card because they had the jersey around.

The Canadian pack was also really nice. Two superstars (I guess 3 if you count both names on the checklist) and an interesting photo from an outdoor game. I suppose there could be a better view of the jersey in the photo, but there are other ones available.

Fortunately, the 90s pack is there to provide junk wax blandness. But there was Whalers content and a Team USA jersey to move it slightly beyond the usual.

Classic New Jersey Devils green! Even in throwback form, a great way to end it!

There you have it!

Drug Use is Life Abuse

Of all the players who could appear on an anti-drug card, Darryl Henley might be one of the worst option

Although to defend it, the reason he's still in jail probably isn't the cocaine trafficking, but the attempt to hire a hit man to take out the judge and a witness in his trial.

At least the back remains honest. He trafficked drugs, he didn't use them.

There you have it!

New 2/14 names

 My latest COMC shipment made its way through the latest postal strike to my place, and as always, it is filled with 2/14 content. Including some new names! Let's meet them!

Dennis @ Too Many Verlanders is pretty good when I send out the Bat-Signal for a card that is on ebay in the US, and that I don't want to pay $20+ shipping for a base card. I knew the odds of getting a team issued Ohio State card was nill, so I just so waited for this to drop to a reasonable price to add it. You'll be seeing a card that wasn't of a Buckeye in a future post that qualified as a Bat-Signal card.

The 2/14 baby among this sticker is Iheb Mbarki, as the other football makes its appearance in this post as well. He's probably the first Tunisian in my collection as well. So, there's also that.

The 2005 Sinon Bulls team set is so obscure, it doesn't even appear at TCDB. But there were enough other Chao Hang Cheng (or Cheng Chao-Hang) cards there for him to make the birthday list, and to find one card of his at COMC.

Finally, not only does Kris Huffman enter the collection, but he also will enter with a complete cardboard history into the collection, as these were the only two cards of his career. Still two more than I have, though!

Kris Huffman was also the hardest of this group to see if they passed the google test, as he matches up with both a winless MMA fighter and an NCAA women's basketball coach that was far more successful with her career.

There you have it!