Must. Rip. Pack.

It has been 19 days since I bought a pack of cards or even a single card. This may not seem like a long time to some collectors. And I'll bet it definitely seems like an insignificant time to any noncollector who is now pointing and laughing at the previous sentence.

But I know there are some sympathizers out there who ... um, sympathize.

Trust me, it's not something I enjoy going through. I'll admit the first week or so is nothing. But after two weeks, you start noticing that there are no new cards around and that you haven't felt the sensation of wrappers crinkling for many, many, many,  minutes. Then comes the longing, the sense of entitlement, the whining and moaning. I'm generally just an overgrown teenager right now. It's tragic.

So when Robert of $30 a Week Habit sent me a rack pack of Allen & Ginter, I shoved aside all the other cards and packages that people had sent me long before this rack pack arrived -- screw THEM, I said in my best teenager voice -- and prepared to open it up right here on this blog.

I know you've all seen Allen & Ginter until your eyes have bled. I know Gint-a-Cuffs is still torturing someone somewhere. I don't care. I HAVEN'T RIPPED A PACK OF CARDS IN 19 DAYS!!!!!!!

Let's see what's in this baby.

#103 - Bronson Arroyo, Reds

Weee. Horizontal. Not the way to start.

#206 - Tony Perez, Reds

Ah, you catch on quick. Yes, this will be a Reds-centric pack. I'd have more respect for Topps if they put Perez in an Expos uniform.

#81 - Al Kaline, Tigers

Please, please, please tell me Kaline's hands aren't in his pants. His hands aren't in his pants. His hands aren't in his pants.

#102 - Ian Kinsler, Rangers

This is an odd little card because the white part of the bat blends in with Kinsler's uniform so that you have no idea what he's doing.

#236 - Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays

I got nothing.

#59 - Joey Votto, Reds, regular-back mini

More Reds. I like Votto and I hope he makes it into my frankenset binder. But a horizontal card is a disservice to this fine player.

ATY-DW - David Wright, Across the Years insert

Eeesh. I hate it when inserts I don't collect take the place of a short-printed base card.

#90 - Jon Lester, Red Sox

More horizontal. I don't even see them anymore.

#186 - Andy Pettitte, Yankees

I swear I looked at this card and wondered if Pettitte was still pitching. That's how much I've paid attention to the Yankees this year. It also looks like Pettitte is tired and wants to go home.

#247 - Ryan Howard, Phillies

What? Did I just get a card? I didn't see anything. Nope, I guess there wasn't a card.

#26 - Elvis Andrus, Rangers

I hope you're noticing something that I'm noticing. Besides all the crankiness about horizontal cards, I mean.

#310 - Brandon Phillips, Reds, SP

Yup. That is Red #4. One base card. One legend. One mini. One SP.

#42 - Jackie Robinson, Dodgers, regular-back mini

Joy, joy, joy! (enjoy it before it's blocked).

MM-GD - Gladiators, Martial Mastery insert

After pulling that Robinson mini, I most certainly feel as if I stepped on the neck of this particular rack pack!

Now, onto the thing you may have noticed:

Except for the Gladiators card, that was an ENTIRE ALLEN & GINTER RACK PACK OF BASEBALL PLAYERS ONLY! It's too bad gladiator had to spoil it. I was going to send it to Ripley.

Robert sent me a couple other A&G items, including this Koufax card encased in a very nifty red-bordered top loader:

I need to get some more of those color-bordered top loaders

But I'm going to save the other cards for some other time.

For now, I just thank him for quieting the pack-ripping demons for a couple of days.

At least THOSE voices in my head will be quiet.