A break for Update

I'm still waiting for Shoebox Legends to make his pick in the 10th anniversary giveaway (he's on the clock until 1 p.m. Friday). But I just can't sit and do nothing on this blog!

NOC is about content, dammit! Here is some content!

I wanted to check out what people had told me after my horrific discovery at Target the other day. They said that Target actually hadn't destroyed the entire card aisle and put all the unopened packs in the trash compacter, but likely had moved them to another part of the store -- most likely the electronics section.

However, Target's hours don't match up with mine. By the time I could go to a store, it was 10:30 p.m. and Target is too weenie to open that late. So, Walmart it was. I needed printer ink anyway.

I thought I'd grab a rack pack or two of Update. That's usually all it's worth. But Walmart didn't have anything smaller than a blaster. Ugh. Do I want a whole blaster of this stuff? I pondered and waffled until I'm quite sure I looked like that creepy guy in the card aisle.

Finally I grabbed it and hoped there were many Dodgers within.

I'm going to go pack by pack here, but I'm only showing the highlights of each pack, according to me. Sorry, Mariners fans. You'll have to buy your own packs.


Pack 1

I'm sure you've spotted it right away. The Don Mattingly card is an SP.

It's already on its way to a Don Mattingly fan -- or at least it's in a stack on my desk with all the other stacks. But that card of a neutered Lance Lynn is available!

The highlight for me, of course, is the Return of Matt Kemp card. (I think that might be Max Muncy also in the frame, which is very interesting considering MAX MUNCY DOESN'T HAVE HIS OWN BASE CARD IN THIS SET!).

The Altuve-Judge card is interesting, too, although it is very 2017. Would've worked a bit better in last year's Update. I do appreciate the "Game for Everyone" label. That's why I like baseball. It's not a freak show like the NBA.


Pack 2

There isn't much to say with Pack 2 except to show you that Update is filled with Ohtani cards, as well as Postseason Preeminence (such big words!) inserts.


Pack 3

It does appear to be true that Topps has done a little better job of getting players in their updated uniforms than it did last year. I still think the set is about 150 cards too large, but I appreciate a photoshopped Tyson Ross card.

The "Don't Blink" inserts, which I believe feature speedsters, is right up my alley. I like the title, too.


Pack 4

The Marcell Ozuna card is very nice. I'm a bit distracted by that neon yellow sleeve he insisted on wearing, but otherwise, good stuff. ... The Andrew Cashner card is there because it's a foily.


Pack 5

Here is Dodger No. 2! Although, that helmet Dozier is wearing is clearly not Dodger blue.

The Will Clark will leave my collection as quickly as humanely possible -- likely to Cards on Cards.


Pack 6

I don't know what Contreras is doing, but the Braves rookies card is pretty cool.


Pack 7

Pack 7 was loaded with all the buzzworthy players!!! The Machado card is interesting because of what card I'll show in a bit.


Pack 8

It's just the way the World Series is going that I had to pull not one, not two, but three J.D. Martinez cards in this blaster. The Dodgers just can't avoid that guy and the Red Sox have an embarrassment of riches.

I'm sure it pained Topps not to be able to get Andrew McCutchen into a Yankees uniform. Not that I'm crazy about him as a Giant.


Pack 9

Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Two Dodgers!!!!!

Manny Machado won't be a Dodger next year, so I'm glad to get at least one card of him with L.A., if only to commemorate his ability to turn Brewers fans into a butt-hurt lynch mob. One of the worst parts of modern baseball is how everyone has to feel slighted all the time. Hal McRae would have needed 24-hour bodyguards if he played today.

I must address the Max Muncy card, too, as it's bizarre that he's shown in the Home Run Derby subset, but he doesn't have his own card in the Traded set. What the hell? How can you rob a guy of his own card when he hit 35 home runs? Not 35 HR Derby home runs, 35 real home runs!!!


Pack 10

This may be the finest Hyn-Jin Ryu card in my collection. Beautiful card. Plus, Bartolo!!!!


One more selection of cards I want to show before ending this.

Let's see the advertisement on the box first though:

I counted 7 Postseason Preeminence (dammit, I have a difficult time typing that word) cards. Woo! A Postseason P-r-e-e-m-i-n-e-n-c-e hot box!!!!

Also, here are the Hall of Famer Highlights cards in the box:

There's a Chipper Jones Hall of Famer Highlight card.

And there are FOUR Vladimir Guerrero Hall of Famer Highlight cards.

I don't know how that adds up to two.

It's actually three Guerrero cards because the card on the top left is some sort of "stained-wood" parallel. I have a sneaking suspicion that the card on the bottom right is a parallel, too. Good luck, all you Vlad collectors.

All right, so there's your box of Update. I think I like it a little better this year. But that's probably because I like the design this year.

(Oops, I forgot to show the Jackie Robinson manu-plastic number thing. Oh well).