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Three more packs, over lunch:
Pack 6:
#57 Marvin Harrison
#15 LaDanian Tomlinson
#118 Cedric Benson
#105 Lee Evans
#122 Carson Palmer
Despite Benson, that would be an ok fantasy football pack--if Harrison's knee can hold up. He killed one of my teams last year.
OK, grabbed three quick packs for now. Noticed something else on the checklist too--they actually label Cards 1-150 as "Commons" on the checklist. How annoying is that? Even Beckett doesn't classify ALL 150 as just commons--there are also your stars, your semi-stars, and your minor stars.
Anyway, into the cards:
2008 Donruss Threads Hobby Boxes
Well, finally broke down and purchased another hobby box of a 2008 product--in fact, two boxes, since I hadn't in quite some time, my local card shop gave me a bit of a deal.
Also, it might be the only 2008 product I collect this year--even Bowman Chrome, which I bought a ton of (too much?) in 2007 might be on the chopping block, depending on how the rookie class starts to look once the regular season gets under way. Right now, I'm not holding my breath--I still think what little superstar talent was in this draft was at positions that doesn't bode well for prospecting--so any additional 2008 cards I buy this year will have to be more for fun. Or of specific players.
I bought a bunch of Threads in 2007 as well (again, too much?), and did manage to pull a couple of the letter patches (Isaiah Stanback & Darius Walker--sold the Stanback, believe I still have the Walker), as well as a few other nice hits (Michael Bush Auto Patch card, Trent Edwards Prime Patch, Dan Marino Gridiron Kings Patch).
Anyway, since posts have been slow around here, I think I'll go at a slower pace for opening the boxes--not quite A Pack A Day style, but a few packs here, and a few there. Or I'll get bored in a few days and bust the rest, who knows?
Anyway, first two packs:
Stopped by the local card shop yesterday, as per usual with no real intent of picking anything up (I was actually dropping something off this time). And, as often happens, I walked out with a box of cards, as it was the first time I'd been in since 2008 Topps Progressions came out.
A few things conspired against me--first, my wife is out of town, and for some reason, I tend to buy cards when she's gone (I wonder if she actually reads the blog? Guess I'll find out). Second, the boxes were cheaper than I expected, priced at under $100. Third, there was a guy there opening some, and he was loving it--the Adrian Peterson jersey he pulled certainly helped, but he really was enjoying the cards.
So, despite the reservations I've had about this new Topps product, I grabbed a box and thought, "Maybe Gellman got it wrong." Hoped, might be a better way to describe it.
Well, I was over at the local retail giant this past weekend, getting a few things for the house, and noticed that they had some 2008 product in. And, even though I'm not going to make it a goal to review every product that comes out on TheFootballCardBlog.com, I thought I'd better at least do some blaster boxes.
So, I grabbed a box of 2008 Press Pass, and against my better judgment, a box of 2008 Upper Deck Draft Edition. Press Pass is something I've usually grabbed a box of later on in the season, after Topps Draft Picks & Prospects would disappear from the retailers, and before Bowman Chrome would come in (of course, that was before I had a local hobby shop to buy better boxes at). The Upper Deck is a first year product.
The Press Pass box was pretty impressive, I thought--I actually pulled three Darren McFadden cards (including a Power Pick insert, seeded 1:14 packs, a teammates card with Felix Jones, and and All Americans card), and a shiny Retailer exclusive card of Matt Ryan (I suppose that gives away which retailer I shop at--not sure if the other mega retailer has an exclusive with Press Pass).
Overall, I think Press Pass does a decent job at continuing to put out a decent quality product, with a nice handful of inserts, and some really good photography and nice designs. It'll never be the cream of the crop, but it's always been a decent pre-draft product.
Of course, Upper Deck was always left out of the early Football game wars--something they decided to remedy this year, with their Draft Edition. The box I got wasn't so great--they certainly didn't hand seed any 1/1 cards for me to review on my box break. In fact, the only two cards I actually pulled out and put in top loaders were two College Greats inserts, one of Matt Ryan and one of Brian Brohm. Although I have a feeling once the draft is done, and the pricing comes out, there may be a few more, and I did get my first card of Chris Long, who has been rumored to be the top pick in the draft, although lately most rumors have focused on Jake Long or Vernon Gholston--but it's seeming very unlikely that a skill position player will go #1--and very possibly not even in the top 5--which could make for an interesting year in the card world.
Overall, though, the set seems very...plain. Ordinary. Rushed? I just don't think it meets up with the type of image that Upper Deck seems to want. All cards are stamped with a 2008 Rookie Card logo--which was very shocking when I pulled a Steve McNair (who just retired). The design feels a bit clunky, the photography isn't bad, but isn't as exciting as the limited Upper Deck I've seen in the last year or two, and the inserts just feel boring. I guess time will tell on this set.
I was trading emails with fellow Minnesota Football Card Collector and new TheFootballCardBlog.com reader Daryl last night and this morning, and he dropped a bit of a big one on us when he said:
"I did go to [unnamed local card shop] a couple weeks ago it was the only card store I was able to find and I bought a pack of 2008 Sage Hit and pulled a Matt Ryan Gold Autograph out of it."
Somehow, 2008 Sage Hit hit the shelves in the last couple weeks, and I didn't even know it. Granted, Sage Hit has never been something I've bought, other than a few packs mixed in with the re-packed retail sucker boxes I've bought--but you know what this news meant--I happened to find myself in the neighborhood of said unnamed card shop this afternoon, and grabbed a box.
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