Neglected set pack-opening

My scanner/printer decided to freak out last night and remains in panic mode.

I have no time to tend to its very fragile emotions and probably won't the rest of the week. My guess is I'll be putting scanner number -- what is this number 4 ... number 5? -- out on the curb and getting something that can be stable for a couple years. But, again, there's no time to deal with breakdowns at the moment.

I'm not sure what that means for posts the next week. Right now it means: pictures with my phone! Yay!

I prefer scans over phone pictures without a doubt. But at least I have some sort of image-making machine to keep this blog going.

Yesterday I was running errands and catching up on a lot of stuff that built up over the holidays. I decided to check out the card aisle for the first time in a few weeks. My goal was to grab something that I hadn't bought in the past year.

These days, that's a lot. The only 2019 products I opened last year were Topps flagship and Update, Stadium Club, Allen & Ginter, Heritage, Fire (couple packs), Opening Day (once), Big League and Archives.

As I stared at what was available on the Target shelves I realized how much I hadn't opened. Neglected sets staring back at me included:

Gypsy Queen
Chrome
Donruss
Diamond Kings
Optic
Chronicles

There was probably some Bowman thing there, too, but my brain has learned to tune out all of Bowman's products as if they're Pokemon or basketball cards and I don't even realize they're there.

I felt a little bad for those sets I hadn't tried. Five or six years ago, I would've tried them all. But these days, I'm almost relieved when I don't see them available for sale.

In fact, I'd prefer if all the sets that don't interest me much were online-only offerings. I have a much easier time ignoring those sets. Bowman Heritage was just released as an online-only set. That set never did much for me, it doesn't really represent the '50s Bowman sets that well. So if it's online, it's out of mind! No need to bother.

But, again, back to those cards on the shelves staring at me plaintively.

"Fine," I said and grabbed a three-pack hanger of Chrome for 9 bucks.

I used to love Chrome. I knew it was a lot of money for basically the same cards, but I loved the shiny and I loved the color parallels. However, ever since borders disappeared, the set seems more pointless than ever.

My goal here was to get at least a Dodger I didn't have. So let's have a look.

Pack one features a couple of heavy hitters, the requisite one-Diamondback-per-pack, and an insert of Ryan O'Hearn. O'Hearn was one of the rookie players that Topps selected to push autographs this year. His autographs were everywhere.

I feel a bit sorry for those players. There are a handful every year and Topps must ask them to sign many more cards than some of the more well-known autographers on the checklist. Then people bust the product and bemoan another O'Hearn or Dennis Santana autograph. That's got to make those upcoming MLBers feel real good!

Pack 2 was the least exciting for me (not that any of these packs were exciting). I pull Alex Bregman in every pack that doesn't include a Diamondback.

More Chrome cards of small-market teams, alleviated by a Trout card, which is always nice to get in chrome form. Luis Urias is the guy the Padres traded to the Brewers in November, which automatically means Urias will perform better because he's not wearing a Padres uniform. But hopefully not too much better because he's wearing a Brewers uniform!

Each three pack hanger comes with bonus pink parallels.

These -- and every colored Chrome parallel since 2016 -- would look so much better in border form. But I no longer regret the 9-dollar purchase because I got a Dodger card! (And the Wright will be useful, too).

Most likely I will not visit a card aisle again until the 2020 Topps cards show up in about a month. It feels a little more relaxing to me, happening by the card aisle every once in awhile, rather than the urgent need to check out Target or Walmart every week, which is what I was doing seven or eight years ago.

Plus it looks like I might be using some of those card-buying funds for a new scanner.