Gint-a-cuffs, the end

I am eager to finish off these contest posts. As much as I enjoyed it last week, I'm just not feeling it anymore. Could be something to do with the way this box ended.

So, instead of the three-packs-at-a-time routine that I've gone through, I'm going to post the final six packs here. That way, I can finally get to the business of collecting this set.

Through 18 packs, I had 225 points (I shorted myself two points in Pack 12 as I missed that someone had Mariano Rivera as their favorite player. So that's been corrected).

It appears that Gint-a-Cuffs creator beardy is still leading with 347. I think. I have family in town and it's pretty freakin' hard to catch up on blog posts, let alone scan and post to my own blog, when your relatives barely know the point of baseball cards, let alone blogging about baseball cards. ("Sonny, why are you on the computer all the time? Come in the living room and listen the story I've told 18,000 times before.")

But to build up the hype, I'll throw out this question: will I catch the bearded one? And to shatter the hype, I'll say this: No, dammit, no! Haven't you been catching my hints? I have nothing! Nothing! Packs 13-15 were IT. My day in the sun, my blaze of glory, my night at the Playboy mansion, my ... oh, forget it. Here are packs 19-24:

PACK 19

255 - Aramis Ramirez (0 points)
88 - Brad Penny (0 points)
82 - Justin Verlander (0 points)
48 - Brigham Young (leader/colonizer, 0 points)

324 - Wladimir Balentien (SP, +5)

LMT13 - Vampire (+7, creatures of legend, myth & terror). Mr. Undead looks like The Joker on this card.

AGHS19 - Albert Pujols sketch card (+3). This is probably my favorite of the A&G sketch cards I've seen. I'm not impressed with most of them.

NP48 - Jorge Cantu, National Pride (0 points)

PACK 19 SCORE: 15 points
POINT TOTAL SO FAR: 240 points

As good as it's going to get.

PACK 20

110 - Kevin Youkilis (0 points)
262 - Magglio Ordonez (0 points)
44 - Freddy Sanchez (0 points)
225 - David Price (0 points)
218 - Bobby Parnell (0 points)

150 - Prince Fielder code card (+2). Wow! Points! I read how Mike and Nick solved the A&G code. It was so unbelievably complex that I zoned out about halfway through and then immediately had to turn on Spongebob just so I could listen to Patrick Star and absorb some dumbness in order to balance it with all the smartness that I had just read. Ya dig?

126 - Trevor Crowe mini (0 points)
NP49 - Max Scherzer, National Pride (0 points)

Two points! Second worst of the whole box. But somehow, every pack has been worth something.

PACK 20 SCORE: 2 points
POINT TOTAL SO FAR: 242 points

PACK 21

210 - Johan Santana (0 points)
9 - Ryan Theriot (0 points)
194 - Brandon Morrow (0 points)
33 - Florence Nightingale (best nurse of all time, but still ZERO points)
54 - Carlos Guillen (0 points)
13 - Travis Hafner (0 points)

Air! I need air!

128 - Red Moore mini (+2, Negro League star)

NP53 - Vladimir Guerrero, National Pride

PACK 21 SCORE: 2 points
POINT TOTAL SO FAR: 244 points

Totally gassed. Isn't anyone warming up in the bullpen?

PACK 22

94 - Paul Maholm (0 points)
172 - Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0 points)
226 - Ricky Romero (0 points)

60 - Matt Holliday (0 points). This is one of those horizontal cards that looks like it shouldn't have been horizontal.

336 - Ryan Ludwick (SP, +5). The man behind Albert Pujols' success. Or at least the reason why Pujols isn't walked every time he steps to the plate.

AGHS20 - CC Sabathia sketch card (+3). He looks so much better when he doesn't wear pinstripes.

44 - Freddy Sanchez mini (0 points)
NP54 - Carlos Zambrano, National Pride (0 points)

PACK 22 SCORE: 8 points
POINT TOTAL SO FAR: 252 points

PACK 23

134 - Jered Weaver (0 points)
52 - Aaron Hill (0 points)
43 - Koji Uehara (0 points)
23 - Kristin Armstrong (Olympic cyclist, 0 points)
272 - Brad Nelson (0 points)

I sense a theme to these last few packs.

313 - Jeff Francis (SP, +5)

178 - Adam LaRoche (+3, favorite players list). Why is he on the favorite players list? Only the Captain knows. But I thank him.

NP50 - Jair Jurrjens, National Pride (0 points)
Crack the Code ad

PACK 23 SCORE: 8 points
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 260 points

Crawling to the finish line.

PACK 24

223 - Scott Rolen (0 points). Bleeping double in the box! Arrrgghhh!
231 - David Murphy (0 points)
96 - Geronimo! (0 points)
29 - Jonathan Papelbon (0 points)

343 - Doc Holliday, gunfighter (SP, +5)

AGHS21 - David Price sketch card (+3 points)

108 - Alamo mini (0 points)

NP60 - Stephen Drew, National Pride (0 points). Last card in the box.

PACK 24 SCORE: 8 points
TOTAL SCORE FOR BOX: 268 points

Sadly, no winner here. But it was fun while it lasted.

You might be interested to know that I have gotten a second box. I really don't have the energy to do a second Gint-a-Cuffs, but if the points add up, I will.

Ah, who am I fooling? I've already calculated it. It's even worse than this box. But I will reveal the "highlights" at some point soon.

Nice sparring with you folks. Good luck to the winner.