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More Strasburg stress


Still very busy. Very, verrrrrry busy. Busy, busy, busy. Come onnnnnnnnn, Tuesday!

Yes, I said "Tuesday." It means nothing to you. It means a hell of a lot to me.

Here's another quick post:

I pulled the Stephen Strasburg No. 661 card in my Topps Update rack pack the other day. I also pulled that other Strasburg card:


The "Merry Stras-mas" tag line makes me want to claw out my eyes. I don't know who first uttered that phrase or thought it was clever, but someone needs to explain to me:

a) What it means
b) Why it's clever
c) When the definition of "clever" became "first stupid thing that comes into my head."

Anyway, back to No. 661.


I'm not terribly clear on whether this is the same Strasburg card you can get in the Million Card Giveaway. If I remember correctly, it is not. I also don't know whether it is the same Strasburg card that is in factory sets. I know you newsy type card blogs that have worked so hard to inform the public about these matters are very disappointed in me right now. But this is what happens when Topps issues a bunch of different cards of the same player. I get confused. And I stop caring.

What I do care about is this:

Where do I put my Strasburg No. 661 card in my 2010 Topps binder?

My 2010 set is in a binder already, and it is arranged just like all my other set binders. The base set comes first, followed by any gold parallels, insert sets, variations, etc. Then I leave room for the Update/Traded/Updates&Highlights set. I rarely collect that set, but I do pick up some packs and throw them in the binder at the end.

But Strasburg is numbered 661, while the other cards in the Update set have a US prefix before the number. So Strasburg 661 seems to be intended as part of the base set.

So, do I have to remove all my parallels and inserts and variations and update cards to fit in Mr. Special Case? Or can I make him the first card of the Update portion of my binder?

I'm leaning toward pulling out all of my inserts, etc., and putting him at the end of the base set, even though that means there will be one, solitary card from the base set dangling by itself on the next row, which makes my brain hurt just a tiny little bit ow, ow, ow!

If nobody cares where it goes, that's fine. I'm probably too busy right now anyway, trying to figure out how to cover a soccer game that means as much as where I should display my Strasburg Update card. In other words, it means nothing at all.

Comments

Matt Runyon said…
it should go at the end of the base set. and that stras-mas card needs to die
Nachos Grande said…
I'm pretending that the entire update set (or whatever they are calling it this year) doesn't exist. I'm not chasing any of the set - which means my legendary lineage insert set, etc are complete in my eyes.
I say put it at the end of everything else because that's "f"ed up and that's exactly what Topps did with the whole Strasmania thing...they "f"ed it up.
Funner Here said…
I pulled a "Stras-Mas" card too. I did a double take when I read it, then rolled my eyes. I experienced Strasburg mania first hand since I live in the DC media market. It was nuts then, but now his Nats t-shirts are on the sale rack for $5.
Anonymous said…
Didn't they do the same thing in 2007 with Bonds' card 661? Or am I high.
Cardsplitter said…
Came in an update pack, out of an update box, goes in the update binder. Simple as that.
Captain Canuck said…
put it in the same pocket as card #660. just slide it in the back. it's there, where it belongs, but you really don't have to look at it unless you really want to.
Justin Drummond said…
I believe if you look at the back of the first checklist card it lists #661 before #US-1. Since I keep my base Topps sets in boxes I stuck it in with the series 2 set, but it sounds like it would be easier for you to put it in the pages with the Update stuff. I say do that. It is on the Update checklist after all.
GCA said…
Put it in the update binder.

I think the Millions version still has some significant value. I knew the Update one didn't when I got one out of each box that I broke. Also have the Peak, More Tales, Turkey Red, and ToppsTown - none of which count as a nice Strasburg like one of the Bowman variants or the National giveaway that I didn't bother to wait for...