I am Joe Collector, All Wright

I've seen other folks that participated in IamJoeCollector's recent Topps Finest break posting their winnings, so when I got to my mailbox this afternoon, I was very excited to see a bubblelope with the words "I am Joe" on the back! (Are other people using 'bubbleope, or is that just me?)

Of course, the main thing I wanted to see is David Wright's Auto Finest Moments. What I did not expect was the other David Wright card! I think DingedCorners is going to be very happy:

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Being this was my first break party, I didn't know what to expect other than the "hits" I won. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I also got more than a handful of other cards! Given there were 30 participants, I'd say that's a pretty good take. Here are the cards (including other the other hits from the break):


Xavier Nady (Yankees) - He's by himself because of the way I had laid the cards on the scanner. Each card has a trivia question on the back. His is "Who was the youngest player elected to the HOF?" Hint? He was 36 years old when elected. Another hint? He would never be confused with a spacesuit-wearing squirrel. Ready? Sandy Koufax.

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Wow, these scans came out really small... Well, that's Nick Markakis (Orioles), Chase Utley (Phillies), and Josh Whitesell (Diamondbacks). One of the trivia questions: "Who hit a home run in the first game he ever managed?" Hint? He's a former Triber. Another hint? He might have been caught singing a Simon and Garfunkel song to his wife from time to time. Ready? Frank Robinson.

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Ah, the Jonathon Niese (Mets) Auto Patch card. I have to admit, this is much cooler than I pictured. It's a "unique manufactured patch." Seriously? "Unique?" I'm not sure how 'unique' it is if they used the same "S" for other players, too... Ah, well. Next is the Justin Morneau (Twins) Refractor. To be honest, if it didn't say "Refractor" on the back, I'm not sure I would have easily noticed the difference between the regular issues and the refractors. Ryan Dempster (Cubs) is next followed by the Gary Sheffield (Tigers) Refractor. The refractors do some cool things in the light for sure. I also just noticed that the refractors have a silver border instead of the white one, so if I were rifling through a stack of them now, I'd be able to spot the refracs pretty easily. Feel better? I do. Trivia question this time: Who was the first Japanese-born player to catch in the Majors?" Each trivia question is actually multiple choice. For the sake of being my usual goofy self, however, I'm going for the straight-guess route. Hint? His name doesn't sound very Japanese. Another hint? His first name is not Ronald. Ready? Keith McDonald.

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Aaron Cunningham (A's), Kosuke Fukudome (Cubs), and Ken Griffey Jr (labeled as White Sox, but appearing in Mariners uniform) round out this trio. There was a discussion about cards like the Griffey over on All-Tribe Baseball. The general consensus is that card collectors hate these. Why not just go ahead and put "Mariners" at the top? Stupid. Trivia question: "Who is the only every-day player to be managed by his father in the Major Leagues?" Hint? It's not Griffey Jr. Another hint? Every-day pretty much should give this away. One more hint? He *is* a Junior. Ready? Cal Ripken, Jr.

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The final three cards are Adrian Gonzalez (Padres), Jose Reyes (Mets), and Joe Saunders (Angels). Wow, I ended up with several Mets cards out of the deal. They'll go nicely in my to-be-given-away box! To be fair, remember, I give nearly every non-Tribe card away and then give away duplicate Indians, so very few cards are ever "safe" in my house!

I have to say, I am glad I took part in this break. It was well worth the last-minute decision to jump in there, especially because I have a couple Wright cards that will find a very loving home! So, to address my own question regarding breaks: I say this was definitely in the FUN category.