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Some these guys I know, some I don't


When I posted that pack of Panini Hometown Heroes a week or so ago, I was holding out on you. Baseball Dad also landed a pack of this on me.

I admit, I don't handle non-major league baseball well. I'll watch minor league games. I'll work up a little bit of interest for minor league sets. But otherwise I am not spending money on anything that's not major league in quality.

I like to see the big boys play. I'm like that in other sports, too. I just can't get past the "god, that pass was crap, that'd never fly in the NFL."

Then there is the Olympics. They're pretty much "professional only" these days, and I'm not getting into whether that's good or bad, but not being able to see baseball in the Olympics has really put a damper on my interest in USA Baseball. If the guys playing on the USA team aren't someday going to play in the Olympics, then all I've got is waiting for them to make the majors. And that means: I'll pay attention when they make the majors.

So, I didn't have a lot of hope for this pack. But since All Tribe Baseball was good enough to send it to me, I will open it here.

Go USA:


#102 - Dillon Maples

Maples finished his second year in the Cubs organization last year, pitching in Class A ball.



#35 - Jason Varitek, Legends, diecut insert of some sort

Oooh. I think I did good here. Not only is it a diecut insert, but it's turned the American flag green. And, of course, I've heard of Jason Varitek.



#87 - Michael Choice

Choice is actually playing major league ball, working for the Rangers this season after being acquired from Oakland.



#45 - Cole Green

Green played independent ball last year after not doing so well in the Reds' lower levels.



#7 - Frank Viola

I think everyone knows Frank. He just underwent successful heart surgery. Those 1980 caps sure look homemade.


#65 - Matt Purke

Purke has moved up to Double A ball for the Washington Nationals



#23 - Nomar Garciaparra

The gold borders are your sign that this player is probably well-known.

And that's your pack.

There apparently is a hobby edition of this set, which boggles my mind on why someone would pay even more on this set than they have to.

But then, I'm always wondering why anyone watches college football when the NFL is happening the very next day.

Comments

I bought a ton of these hobby boxes last year when they could be had for $30ish bucks each. They had 3 autographs and 3 relics. I pulled a Frank Robinson autograph, Frank Viola autograph, and a bunch of autographs of 18 year old kids. They were fun breaks, but not really worth more than that, unless one of those 18 year olds makes it big.
Paul Hadsall said…
This is the first Pannini baseball set that I've seen that actually looks decent... of course, I have pretty much the same level of interest in USA Baseball as you do. Still, it's neat seeing photos of some familiar players before they were famous.
Jeff said…
I would much rather see a game at Raley Field (AAA Sacramento River Cats) then at O.Co Coliseum or whatever they're calling these days. Minor league ball is very fun to see.
Yeah I bought a couple boxes. It's actually a decent product for the price.
Alex Markle said…
Love that Nomar card. Don't see aluminum bats on cardboard often.
I thought it was a pretty cool set. Nice mixture of Hall of Famers, prospects, and nobodies...sounds kind of like a normal set. Also appreciate no air brushing. As Paul said, the look is decent as well.
buckstorecards said…
That Viola card with the surreal cap may be the best 41 cents I've spent out of my COMC Challenge funds. It may also be the quickest that I've seen a card on a blog and went over there to purchase it.
night owl said…
The only reason I'm hesitating in saying all of these are up for grabs is that I'm swamped in requests already, but ... they're up for grabs.
BASEBALL DAD said…
Don't know why I sent that,I'm not really interested in these either, just thought it might be interesting. I bought a couple packs just to have some samples. They had Golden Age at one time but it was long gone. Maybe I'll start a trend here !
Fuji said…
There are only a handful of Panini baseball card sets I like... and this is one of them. Nice Nomar!
jacobmrley said…
The base cards of this set are decent enough, I mean, I like a good patriotic motif as much as the next guy...but that Varitek card? Ugh. Rick Monday himself wouldn't save that thing from burning.