This month's edition of "What Tha?"

In these posts, I will explore the moments when the hobby ever so slightly crosses the line from decorum and fellowship into ... "What Tha?"

Don't expect a major rant or sudden feelings of outrage. In fact, all I'm trying to get out of you is a simple: "Dude, that's not cool."

OK ...

I was in the drug store yesterday. As usual, I did a slow scan of the long checkout area, because this particular store sometimes displays baseball cards.

They had some. Rack packs of Heritage and last year's Chrome. Pretty good stuff for a drug store. Especially on this side of town.

But dopey me had to pick up one of those rack packs of "100 Baseball Cards, including 10 Hall  of Famers!" because they're cheap, and because I've done pretty well pulling relics out of the things.

But apparently they save the bastard repack rack packs for the corner drug stores. While the fancy rack packs are hanging 6 feet in the air, living the high life and eyeing the cute checkout girls at Target, the drug store rack packs are dusting the dirty floor at ground level as they watch big Barry groom his nose behind the counter month after month.

The pack I bought there was absolute trash. Ninety percent of it was every junk wax year you can imagine. Almost all cards I have three times over. A generous portion of it was this:

Lovely '91 Fleer.

OK, I know Smed will get on here and say that he actually NEEDS some of those cards. And Bo will join in and ask what everyone has against '91 Fleer.

But the rest of you get me, right?

Also, I don't know if you can make it out but almost every one of those Fleer cards are Padres. Fifteen percent of the pack was Padres cards! A full 15 PERCENT! From 1988-91. How can Padres fans argue that their team should be taken seriously when I pull stuff like this?

But none of the above was the "What Tha?" moment. I mean I've purchased plenty of repack crap in my life.

No, the "What Tha?" moment came about halfway through the pack when this fell out:

Huh? Whazzz this? A guy in a helmet? A baby blue uniform? A football? ... This ... this ... is a FOOTBALL card!

In a pack advertising 100 BASEBALL cards!

I know I've sung the praises of these rack packs in the last year, but I am officially amending my statement.

I recommend the occasional purchase of these 100-card rack packs when you happen to be in TARGET. Target only.

Stay away from the dust eaters at the drug store that employs big Barry.

You don't know what you'll catch.

(P.S.: The home run poll is up on the sidebar).