Gint-a-cuffs, you'll want to read this one

Is Andy still with us? Hang in there, bud. Only about 460 Allen & Ginter posts to go in this Gint-a-cuffs-a-thon.

Meanwhile, I've lost confidence that I will win this thing. But it won't be the fault of packs 13 through 15, that's for sure.

Here they are:

PACK 13

267 - Melvin Mora (0 points)
221 - Brandon Webb (0 points)

109 - Samuel Morse (0 points). You think I'm going to try to learn Morse code in one minute and write something snappy all code-like? Fat chance.

155 - Yadier Molina (0 points). The NL losing the All-Star Game was not his fault. Hell, at one point I was about ready to adopt him.

AGR-AER - Alex Rodriguez relic (+6). OK, this sucks. Not because it's A-Rod or anything. OK, yes, because it's A-Rod. You see, because of our great rules, I have to cut the point total for any Yankee relic in half. But, come on, it's freakin' A-Rod! One of the better hits you can get! Six points? Arrrrgghhh. (I'm saying this is a short-print relic, which is usually worth 12 points, because it comes from Group B, which has the steepest odds, 1:215).

Look. It's even game-used pants! Doesn't that count for something? Where's my frying pan? I've got to make the commissioner some fried egg sandwiches.

346 - Dominique Wilkins mini (SP, +7). Apparently basketball players competed for generic teams back in the '70s.

NP59 - Miguel Cabrera, National Pride (0 points)

PACK 13 SCORE: 13 points. Should be more. Definitely should. Yes, I'm pouting.
TOTAL SCORE SO FAR: 147 points

PACK 14

193 - Khalil Greene (0 points)
143 - Robbie Maddison (0 points, motocross champ)

25 - Evan Longoria (+2, favorite player list)

81 - Willie Williams (+2, Negro League star)

213 - Stephanie Brown Trafton (0 points). I love cards of Olympians. Have they made a card set of just Olympians? I'm sure they have. I would buy that.

84 - Justin Upton, code card variation. I don't think this is worth any points. But I'm not sure.

149 - Chipper Jones mini (+3, favorite player list)

NP61 - Mark Teahen, National Pride (0 points)

PACK 14 SCORE: 7 points
TOTAL SCORE SO FAR: 154 points

Pfffffft.

PACK 15

246 - General Custer (0 points)
90 - Bobby Crosby (-1 point). Poor Bobby.
74 - Matt Tuiasosopo (0 points)

289 - Milky Way (-1 point). Cool card. But negative points.

AGR-KF - Kosuke Fukudome relic (+8, relic, x5 for being on favorite player list, total, +40). Now that's more like it. And look at that stripe. I think we need points for stripe relics, too. Did I mention, commish, that one of my jobs in college was frying eggs for hungry college students?

HHB5 - The Turk, World's Biggest Hoaxes, Hoodwinks & Bamboozles (+5). Apparently they brought this game around to bigwigs like Benjamin Franklin, said it was a machine that could play chess, and then beat the pants off of Franklin and Napolean. But there was actually a person in there operating the box. Sounds cool. Although not for the person in the box.

NP51 - Albert Pujols, National Pride (0 points). You think he's glad the All-Star Game is over?

PACK 15 SCORE: 43 points
TOTAL SCORE SO FAR: 197 points

(EDIT: Total score 199 points, as commissioner has ruled that code cards are worth 2 points each).

Awesome.

I'm going to be taking a break from Gint-a-Cuffs for a few days. But I'll resume next week. And I may have another box to open, too. Maybe.