Register one is open, no waiting

It's been some kind of week. It's been such a week that I found myself in Walmart for the second time in less than seven days and on a Friday night no less.

You're just asking for it, going to Walmart on a Friday night. But I was still working on the whole Mother's Day thing and I hadn't gotten any wrapping paper. That meant go to Walmart on a Friday night or give the missus a present in a plain, gray box.

I was regretting the trip for frilly stuff almost instantly. As I've mentioned before, I enter Walmart by the side entrance, where the outdoors wares are stocked (and during the holiday time, Christmas wares). It's a dandy in-and-out experience when getting in-and-out is an absolute necessity (i.e. any trip to Walmart). But this time, there was this huge, monster line at the side entrance register. Oh, this was not good.

Once I got inside, the fun began. Squirrely kids trying to provoke a lawsuit everywhere. And as I dodged all kinds of ill-mannered and ill-behaved people, I figured I'd extend the ordeal by heading over to the card aisle. I didn't expect to find any Bowman. It wasn't even on my mind. I just wanted something to take the edge off.

The three columns of empty blaster rows in the Bowman display were still there. But then I saw it -- several rack packs of Bowman. This was it: my infinity-to-one shot at the superfractor Ohtani card and the $100,000 bounty that comes with it.

I snagged a rack pack and headed to the main checkout area. There, at register one, was absolutely no line. Just the opposite of the side entrance register.

This was most unusual, but I paid up and was on my way instantly. I headed back to the side entrance to get to my car and saw the giant line at the side register had grown even longer.

As I walked past the line, I heard someone yell, "hey!"

I looked behind me and it was my co-worker, the one who I had discovered collects cards several weeks ago.

"Did you get any?" he asked.

Good thing I knew he was talking about Bowman.

"Yeah," I said, holding up my pathetic baggie containing the rack pack.

"I got 'em all," he said.

I turned and looked at his cart. In there were eight blasters of Bowman. He had cleared them all out.

"You got to get 'em while they're there," he said.

I kind of shook my head, wished him good luck and got out of there as fast as I could.

So let's see that pack that I'm sure took a few minutes off my life.

Bowman 2018 22-card pack (more value!)

100 - Kris Bryant, Cubs

59 - Walker Buehler, Dodgers

Buehler is finding out quickly what it's like to pitch for the Dodgers. Take part in a collective no-hitter one start, get zero run support against the worst team in the league the next start.

23 - Richard Urena, Blue Jays
70 - Parker Bridwell, Diamondbacks
35 - Erick Fedde, Nationals
46 - Austin Hays, Orioles

This is why I don't buy Bowman. I barely have any idea who the "established" players in the set are.

18 - Salvador Perez, Royals
39 - Jose Berrios, Twins
60 - Aaron Altherr, Phillies

80 - Evan Longoria, Giants

BCP73 - Adrian Morejon, Padres
BCP55 - Kyle Tucker, Astros

60 - Luis Urias, Padres, Bowman Scouts Top 100 insert

#-TM (cute) - Triston McKenzie, Indians, Bowman trending insert

BP33 - James Nelson, Marlins
BP106 - D.J. Stewart, Orioles

BCP72 - Andres Gimenez, Mets
BCP20 - Will Smith, Dodgers

I know enough about my Dodgers prospects that cracks about the Fresh Prince are passe.

BP84 - Franklyn Kilome, Phillies
BP88 - Quentin Holmes, Indians

BP22 - Yadier Alvarez, Dodgers

BP53 - Miguelangel Sierra, Astros

And that's it. No superfractor for me.

However, there were three Dodgers in the pack.

And I did get out of that Walmart far earlier than my buddy with the eight blasters of Bowman. He still may be standing there for all I know. Or he may be pulling that Ohtani card out of his sixth blaster right now. Had I made my trip to Walmart even 10 minutes earlier, I could've gotten to the blasters before he did.

But you have to decide what's important.

Do I want to stand in a long line of Walmart patrons and contract god knows what to pay $160 on a bunch of cards that are not the $100,000 card?

Or do I want to buy one rack pack, head to register one with no waiting and be on my way?

The choice is easy.

Also, I bought one of those three-Bowman-packs rack packs with the camo parallels, too, and I haven't even opened it yet.

So there.