Monday, August 31, 2015

Tribecards from gcrl - He Kluber'd Me!

Quite some time ago now, gcrl sent a stack of Indians cards to the Tribecards household. I am just now posting those (and, Bo, a post about your box of Indians is coming soon) as a part of my "catch the freak up, man" marathon.

The stack starts with Corey Kluber, then travels through a interesting set of twists and turns in terms of collecting.

Yan Gomes looks up and to the left, evidently watching for the ball that he hit straight up into the air.

Trevor Bauer winds up, here's the thr... He does know he is supposed to let go, right?

Next up is Doug Jones in all his 80's hair and 'stache greatness. I'm just glad there's no fire.

John Farrell is looking rather Happy in his Rated Rookie pose.

Yan Gomes again looking up to his left. I see a pattern here.

Carlos Carrasco appears to be indoors or in the bullpen or... I'm not sure.

Michael Brantley is NOT messing around here, people.

Here is what Brantley looks like after the previous card!

Doc Edwards. I'm afraid the good doctor couldn't save the Indians of the 80's.

Joe Wendle looks like he is ready to take off.

Albert Belle, on the other hand, looks like he is about to take off... someone's head.

Dorssys Paulino finds himself on a VERY shiny, rainbowy card.

Juan Lara also finds himself on a shiny, rainbowy card. He doesn't look too happy about it though.

Brantley returns a bit smaller after a big swing.

Gomes dons his catcher's garb for this one. The women of Dinged Corners would be proud.

Kluber comes back for Opening Day.

And then Kluber refuses to leave the mound, ending the pack he started.

THANK YOU very much, gcrl for these great Indians cards!! I don't know if you enjoyed looking through these as much as I did writing about them ,but I had fun - and that's what matters in this goofy hobby we all love.





















Sunday, August 30, 2015

#PackADailyCircus Packs 193-194 - Wax packs and PAD News

Hello, everyone! Thanks for dropping by to see what we've got today in the world of the PAD Circus.

First up: Normally, we run pack opening through the end of the regular baseball season. This season, we have SO MANY packs, many donated by you players and readers, that I see the PAD Circus running through playoffs - heck maybe even to the World Series. Basically, I'm not going to quit busting packs until they are all busted. But, if it turns out we have a supply that lasts to the World Series, I will probably bust open everything in a "last draft effort" before the series.

Next up: I hope to have PAD 2014 ready to ship by the end of this coming weekend! I'll be on a sorting and packing binge during the week. Those of you that have taken part in last year's and this year's should also get some of this year's cards as well. I'm going all out, balls to the fence, this week to get this done. You've patiently waited far too long.

Finally: The OOTP game has been on hold for much longer than I wanted. The simple fact is that with the game's quirks (or operator error or whatever), things just got to be too much for me to clean up easily. So, after the actual MLB season, I am going to start a NEW game with the managers from 2015 that will run during the off season. You will have the players you drafted during the breaks and we will see who can take it all!

And, now, let's rip some wax:

First up, 1992 Donruss

Rod Carew Puzzle 49, 50, 51 - Twins - Enamel Rods (Wahoo!!)
Jerald Clark - Padres - Free Agent
Mario Diaz - Rangers - Free Agent
Bud Black - Giants - Free Agent
John Olerud - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!)
Terry Steinbach - A's - Saitama Sushi (Wahoo!!)
Kent Mercker - Braves - Free Agent
Jeff E Gray - Red Sox - Eastern Virginia Mutts (Wahoo!!)
George Bell - Cubs - Kazis (Wahoo!! x2)
Rob Dibble - Reds - Free Agent
Dave Winfield - Angels - Arpsmith (Wahoo!!)
Robin Ventura - White Sox - Illinois Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Casey Candaele - Astros - Arkansas Tribecards (Wahoo!!)
Tommy Greene Highlights (no hitter vs expos) - Phillies - Free Agent
Joel Skinner - Indians (Wahoo!) - Jacksonville Jobu (Wahoo!!)

Congrats to the Kazis for getting two players here today! Congratulations to the others of us who also add a card to our stacks. I have the black-and-white Carew puzzle from 1991 Studio in a frame on my wall. The version in this pack is the color version. Nice grab!



Our next pack is 2015 Panini Prizm:

Shin-Soo Choo - Rangers - Arkansas Tribecards (Wahoo!!)
Anthony Ranaudo (Refractor, I believe) - Rangers - Dominic FDNY (Wahoo!!)
Ichiro Passion - Yankees - Illinois Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Miguel Cabrera Field Pass - Tigers - Jacksonville Jobu (Wahoo!!)
Dee Gordon - Marlins - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!)
Freddie Freeman - Braves - Captain Canucks (Wahoo!!)

Wahoo!! A Perfect Pack, folks!! That is AWESOME stuff right there. Congratulations, everyone that pulled players from this pack. I'm excited to have pulled a Choo, though he is Texas garb. That actually works out because Play at the Plate and I are doing a little team swap: I am keeping his Indians and he will get my Rangers. It all works out! Wahoo!!

Friday, August 28, 2015

#PackADailyCircus - Pack 192 - Flashback Friday: 2014 Allen and Ginter

Thanks to the Jobu, we have a pack of 2014 Allen and Ginter in our midst. Let's see what memory flashbacks this pack brings with it:

Kris Medlen - Braves - Free Agent
Brett Lawrie - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!)
Table Mountain - Natural Wonder - Free Agent
Gary Sheffield Mini - Marlins - Free Agent
Billy Williams - Cubs - SoxFan4Life (Wahoo!!)
Tyler Skaggs - Angels - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!)

I forgot that last year's packs had six cards compared to this year's eight. Ah well. Congratulations to the three managers who split the packs between drafted players and free agents!


Thursday, August 27, 2015

#PackADailyCircus - Packs 190-191 - Packs from Jobu!

Hello, everyone! In my various postings yesterday, I managed to NOT post a pack! UGH. So, tonight, I am posting TWO packs. But, before we get there, I received a box in the mail today from Jacksonville Jobu. In it are all kinds of wax pack goodness!! THANK YOU Jacksonville Jobu!!



We've got quite a mix here. So, tonight I am opening two of these. We're starting with the one that has all the Japanese writing on it! It says "Q-Card Official Pro Baseball Card." So, is there just one card in here? I dunno. The pack is also smaller than standard US packs, as you can tell from the scan above.

Terunobu Seto - Hiroshima Reds? - Free Agent
Tomio Watanabe - Seibu Lions - Free Agent

Well, these are unique little cards. They are like credit card wannabes. Very interesting.


Next up, a pack of 1995 Classic 5-Sport:

Mark Bruener - Steelers (football) - Free Agent
Corey Fuller - Vikings (football) - Free Agent
Jan Hlavac - Islanders (hockey) - Free Agent
Kevin Garnett - Timberwolves (basketball) - Free Agent
Kyle Brady - Jets (football) - Free Agent
Ty Law Die Cut - Patriots (football) - Free Agent
Aki-Petteri Berg - Kings (hockey) - Free Agent
Doug Million - Rockies - Free Agent
Ben Davis - Padres - Free Agent
Rebecca Lobo - Sun (basketball) - Free Agent

Okay, well, these are a little different as well. Here, we have a mix of sports. This was like opening some time warp version of Allen and Ginter.

I'm scanning all the cards from tonight because I can't seem to find words. These are insanely wonderful bits of cardboard, well, and plastic.



Wednesday, August 26, 2015

OOTP 16 - Review from two perspectives

Hey all!

I did not realize that I had not actually written a review for OOTP 16 yet. One would think that would be something done very early on. Alas, I obviously tripped on my way out of the dugout there.

This review is approached from two different directions. One is from the PAD Circus perspective and the other is an overall perspective based on my experience using a fully fictional league that will be used as the basis for a novel or novella.

Overall: I really, really have grown to like the clean look of the interface. Some of the menus (or items on the menus) got moved a round a little, so that took some adjusting, but the interface itself is super clean and easy to read. The "Manager's Office" makes for a one-stop update shop: anything you need to know about what's going on in your league and/or with your team, it's there for you in plain view. I think it is pretty cool that the game is now MLB licensed, though I don't use that feature (I am strictly a fictional-league person). I've watched a couple games with the new 3d field mode and wow, that is freaking cool! The folks at OOTP have really outdone themselves there. I would guess many people would buy the game for that feature alone!

PAD Circus: I use OOTP to create a 40-team fictional league that uses the real players plus players I add along the way. The process is a bit convoluted because I have such a weird set of rules and circumstances, so I certainly can't blame the game for that. I do have an issue, though, where the game seemed to have taken over (I set everything for human manager - well, that *I* manage everything) from time to time. For example, I set the players on the teams and then suddenly, players are moved to other teams even though I set the NO TRADES flag and I am the human manager. I might have posted something about it on the forums, I may not have. Really, I am not convinced that I am doing everything correctly. It's one of those things - I question whether it is the game or my own head space. It is far too late in the real season and in the game's season to worry about it now. What it did mean, though, was that I have to manually add all the players back to my 40 teams. It has not been fun, and I have not really put a lot of time into it, which is not fair to the folks that are playing along "vicariously." My one wish, and I may post this as a request, is that game-generated fictional players should have some kind of FIC designation or something so that I know which players on any given team were imported from real rosters or were the result of filling a team with fictional players.

NOVEL: I created a Midwestern league with 10 completely fictional teams and players. The game worked great as I watched the league and players start out from a first year entity to its current 26th season. In that league, everything was run by computer. I kept my hands off, except to change the city of one team, and let the game do its thing. I watched some of the simulated games, but mostly just blew through seasons a month at a time. At the end of each month, I'd check for injuries, news, records, etc. It was great watching rivalries spring up (even if those were made up in my head) and watch players as they matured in their play and eventually retired. My only real complaint is that players never die. I don't mean during the season, but after they are long retired. I really do wish OOTP would make that a select-able option - people could choose whether they wanted it or not. I would want it. I do love that you change certain settings during the course of things. For example, the HOF system I had set was a bit too stringent, but I didn't realize it until one of my favorite players missed his chance at the HOF. I fixed that and it affected future HOF nominations, etc. Sure, I could have done manual HOF, but I would rather the game handle everything in this scenario.

Aside from the few quirks, OOTP is one of the best simulations I've used. It is why I keep using it each year during my Pack-A-Daily Circus pack breaks.

Now, I just need to get off my duff and get my PAD Circus league back in order before the real MLB season ends!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

#PackADailyCircus - Pack 189 - Draft Results 8/23!

Hey everyone! I was a little late running the draft this weekend because I wanted to get the Allen and Ginter cards taken care of beforehand - I know, they aren't related, but in my brain it made sense.

In any case, we have the randomized list and the results. The Managers/Players list has been updated as well!

(click image for larger view)

Final results:

Congrats, managers!! Next step is to sort through free agents and get the next draft going - the next is a double-draft, so we will hold TWO drafts at the same time for this coming weekend.

While we wait for that, though, how about we bust open a pack of something that is NOT Allen and Ginter? We have a cello rack pack of 2006 Topps plus 3 "vintage" cards. Let's take a peek:

Carlos Beltran - Mets - Wilsons (Wahoo!!)
Aubrey Huff - Rays - Free Agent
Edinson Volquez - Rangers - Free Agent
Luis Gonzalez, Shawn Green, Koyie Hill - Diamondbacks - Alecs All-Stars (Wahoo!!), Night Owls (Wahoo!!), Dominic FDNY (Wahoo!!)
Jason Jennings - Rockies - Free Agent
Todd Walker - Cubs - Free Agent
Eddie Guardado - Mariners - Thorzul (Wahoo!!)
Carlos Silva - Twins - Free Agent
Jason Bergmann - Nationals - Free Agent
Octavio Dotel - Yankees - Eastern Virginia Mutts (Wahoo!!)
Julio Franco Hit Parade RBIs - Mets - Free Agent
Bill Gullickson 1990 Tiffany - Astros - CaptKirks42s (Wahoo!!)
Rick Schu 1989 Topps - Orioles - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!! Back-to-Back!!)
Kirk McCaskill 1991 Topps - Angels Saitama Sushi (Wahoo!!)
Set Checklist 2 of 3 - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!! x3)
Chris Duffy - Pirates - Free Agent
Oliver Perez - Pirates - New Jersey Hadsalls (Wahoo!!)
Mark Mulder - Cardinals - Maddings (Wahoo!!)
Pirates Team Card - Pirates - Free Agent
Andy Sisco - Royals - Free Agent
Buddy Bell - Royals - Free Agent
Craig Counsell - Diamondbacks - Free Agent

Haha, it was so weird not typing "GAC" after each card! But, WOW!! Congrats to CaptKirk42s! Not only did they grab back-to-back players, but then added another for good measure. Congrats to everyone else in here as well. We pulled a ton of free agents, so it looks like anyone getting cards came off lucky.


#GintACuffs - Let 'Er RIP!

Pedersejs emailed me to say that we should RIP open the Cespedes card to see what's inside. To catch folks up, I am sitting at +149.6 points in the Gint-A-Cuffs contest. We know that I will get at least +10 just for ripping open the card.

So, without further adieu, here we go....

Joe Mauer Mini SP (374) - Twins - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!) - GAC +10(rip) +3(sp)

GAC Total = +162.6

Congrats to PatP!! Thanks to Pedersejs for letting us rip your card apart to the benefit of others!

When I first started, the top score was 159.6, but since then a new leader has emerged with 185.2 at the time of this writing. But, my score ain't bad at all! It puts me in second place thus far.




#PackADailyCircus Packs 184-188, #GintACuffs Packs 20-24

Well, here we are. This is the final post from the first Hobby Box of 2015 Allen and Ginter. We've got six packs left. We start the night off with a GAC score of 125.6 so let's see if we can rally some points. According to the current GAC Leaderboard, we have to beat 159.6... That will be tough. Of course, I could always pull the Rip card for extra points. We'll see.

Pack 20

Bernie Williams - Musician - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1 (bernie); Total +126.6
Hanley Ramirez - Red Sox - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +126.6
Yovani Gallardo - Rangers - Thorzul (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; total +126.6
Shin-Soo Choo Starting Pts - Mariners - AR Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); Total +128.6
Zack Greinke Mini A&G - Dodgers - Ventura Cty Royals (Wahoo!!)- GAC +2(mag); Total +130.6
Jeff  "Sandwich King" Mauro - TV Host - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +130.6
Brian Quinn - Comedian - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +130.6
Jeremy Roenick - Hockey Player - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +130.6
Crack the Code - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +130.6
Pack Total +5; GAC Total +130.6

Wow, we managed to get +5 additional points! I even managed to get a player along side several other managers. Williams, an ex-Yankees player defies the scoring rubric, which turns out to be a very good thing for my GAC score!







Pack 21

Juan Lagares - Mets - New Jersey Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total 130.6
Carlos Santana - Indians (Wahoo!) - jacksonville Jobu (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1(ft); Total +131.6
Bryce Brentz Mini - Red Sox - Pennsylvania BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +131.6
Sling - Ancient Armory - Free Agent - GAC +2(aa) ; Total +133.6
Rusney Castillo G-U Relic - Red Sox - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +6(fsra); Total +139.6
David Price - Tigers - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +140.6
Jacoby Ellsbury - Yankees - Captain Canucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1(ynk); Total +138.6
Pack Total +8; GAC Total +138.6

There it is! So, the framed buyback was NOT a box hit! We pulled our third hit from the box and it goes to Jennings64. Nice pull! Congrats to everyone else that got a player here, too. We would have had a Perfect Pack if it weren't for the Sling. So close!


Pack 22

Matt Adams - Cardinals - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +138.6
Dee Gordon - Marlins - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +138.6
Greg Holland - Royals - Ventura County Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +138.6
Michael Cuddyer Starting Pts - Twins - E VA Mutts (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); Total +140.6
Joe Gatto Mini - Comedian - Free Agent - GAC +0; total 140.6
Gary Brown - Giants - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +140.6
CC Sabathia - Yankees - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1(ynk); Total +139.6
Travis D'Arnaud - Mets - New Jersey Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.6
Pack Total +1; GAC Total +139.6

UGH, they sneaked another Yankees player in there on us. That pack netted us a single GAC point. Now that we have found all three box hits, I can't help but wonder if the points are going to come to a trickle.

On the upside, congrats to each of you that can add these to your respective stacks!



Pack 23

Carlos Gomez - Brewers - gcrl (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.6
Yoenis Cespedes - Tigers - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.6
Chris Owings - Diamondbacks - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.6
Yu Darvish Mini - Rangers - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.6
Albert Pujols Starting Points - Cardinals - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); total +141.6
Brian Windhorst - Sports Writer - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +141.6
Glen Perkins - Twins - gcrl (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +141.6
Thunderlips - Wrestler - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +141.6
Pack Total +2; GAC Total +141.6

Whew! We managed 2 points, but I was afraid we were get a goose-egg. The gcrls pulled TWO players out of this one. Congrats to them! We have just two packs left. I am 18 points away from the current leader in GAC. Ripping the card gives me at least +10, which right now is not enough to justify tearing it open. At least, not to me.


Pack 24

Brandon Moss - Indians (Wahoo!!) - Dominic FDNY (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1(ft); Total +142.6
Zack Greinke - Dodgers - Ventura County Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +142.6
Cory Spangenberg - Padres - Backstop cards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +142.6
Pablo Sandoval - Red Sox - Northampton Therapists (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +142.6
Shamshir - Ancient Armory - Free Agent - GAC +2(aa); total +144.6
Kyle Lohse Mini A&G - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(mag); Total +146.6
Cliff Lee - Phillies - AR Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +146.6
Gregory Polanco - Pirates - Pennsylvania BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +146.6
Pack Total +5; GAC Total +146.6

Once again, a Perfect Pack ruined by Ancient Armory. I hate when that happens! I did manager to pull a card for myself. Congrats to everyone taking in cards here! Now, we move to our last pack...


Pack 25

Max Sherzer - Idaho Astros (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +146.6
Casey McGehee - Giants - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +146.6
Magna Carte - Historic Document - Free Agent - GAC +1(magna); Total +147.6
Sal Vulcano - Comedian - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +147.6
Robinson Cano Mini - Mariners - VA County Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +147.6
Carlos Gonzalez Starting Points - A's - KY Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); Total +149.6
Wilmer Flores - Mets - New Jersey Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +149.6
Grant Balfour - rays - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +149.6
Code Card - Free Agent
Pack Total +3; GAC Total +149.6

Well, tartar sauce! Ripping the card would gives us a slight edge over the current leader. We do have a question in the air regarding the red mini pack, so I am waiting to hear from Mark about that. I believe we will wait until I know more about scoring the red minis and then decide from there.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

#PackADailyCircus Packs 177-183, #GintACuffs Packs 13-19

Howdy, folks! Hope you are having a great Sunday afternoon! Let's rip some more A&G. We are halfway through the first box and we've had two hits (Yadi bat card and Cespedes Rip Card). Let's see how things go today. Should I rip until I get a hit or rip the whole enchilada or just rip a few? I dunno. Let's see how far I get...

*Quick note: In Pack 09, I pulled an Indians player and had forgotten to add +1 for my favorite team (d'oh!). That has been fixed and points adjusted accordingly. Total=+73.6

Pack 13

Yadier Molina - Cardinals - Erin Rose (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (fpl), Total +75.6
Bryce Brentz - Red Sox - Pennsylvania BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +75.6
Chris Sale Strtng Pts - White Sox - SoxFan4Life (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (stp) +1 (fpl), Total +78.6
Tim Hudson Mini - Giants - Free Agent - GAC +0, Total +78.6
Hare Mini 10 Ann Issue Buyback - Portraits of Penultimacy - Free Agent - GAC +4; Total+82.6
Aroldis Chapman - Reds - Nachos Grande (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total 82.6
Jason Kipnis - Indians (Wahoo!!) - AR Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1 (ft) +4 (fp); Total +87.6
Pack Total +14; GAC Total +87.6

Okay, the mini 2011 framed reissue buyback was a little hard for me to figure out, but I got there. I don't know if that counts as a box hit or not. I would think so, since it is framed, but then again, that is not the card type listed as the "One of 3 types..." So.. I dunno.

On the other hand, I pulled my GAC favorite player on my favorite team! Wahoo!! Congrats to each of us getting a card from this one!


Well, since I'm not sure if the buyback is a hit or not, we'll soldier on some more.

Pack 14

Andrelton Simmons - Braves - Cobb County Superchickens (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87.6
Zack Cozart - Reds - Ventura County Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87.6
Jacob DeGrom - Mets - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87.6
Todd Helton Hometown Heroes 10th Ann Issue - Rockies - KY Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +10 (ann); Total +97.6
Carlos Gomez Starting Points - Mets - gcrl (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (stp); Total +99.6
Vibrating Belt Machine Mini - Healthy Body - Free Agent - GAC +4 (hb); Total +103.6
Jason Heyward - Cardnals - Cobb County Superchickens (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +103.6
Andrew Cashner - Padres - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +103.6
Pack Total +16, GAC Total +103.6

Wow, what a great Helton card! Nice pull for the Quarrys there. The Superchickens managed to pull TWO cards for themselves! Wahoo!! That ended up being a very good GAC pack over all.


Pack 15

Lakey Peterson - Surfer - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +103.6
Yasiel Puig - Dodgers - Enamel Rods (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +103.6
Adrian Beltre - Rangers - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (fpl); Total +105.6
Micah Johnson - White Sox - Joliet Convicts (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +105.6
Doug Fister Starting Points - Mariners - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); Total +107.6
Abigail Fillmore Mini - First Ladies - Free Agent - GAC +2 (fl); Total +109.6
Jon Singleton - Astros - Idaho Astros (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Manny Machado - Orioles - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Pack Total +6; GAC Total +109.6

Man, those First Ladies card sure are cool. I know, I said that before. Well, they are. My wife teaches History as part of her 2nd Grade curriculum so I showed it to her. She agreed they are pretty neat. Also pretty neat? How about a handful of folks getting some more cards for their respective stacks? Congrats, everyone!


Pack 16

Jake Arrieta - Cubs - Ventura County Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Huston Street - Angels - Kentucky Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Jered Weaver - Angels - Alecs All-Stars (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Torii Hunter - Twins - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +109.6
Troll - Menagerie of the Mind - Free Agent - GAC +2(mom); Total +111.6
Joe Panik Mini Black Border - Giants - Free Agent - GAC +3(mbb); Total +114.6
Gabe Kapler - Sports Analyst - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +114.6
Mookie Betts - Red Sox - Thoughts and Sox (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.6
Pack Total +5; GAC Total +114.6

Congrats, managers! I'm not sure if I remember seeing Alecs All-Stars come up yet in this A&G box break, so that's always a plus to see folks grab a card that we don't see a lot of. I'm not sure if Thoughts and Sox has had one yet either. Well, in any case, I'm glad we could add some cards to everyone's stack that pulled a card here.

On the GAC side, we're still adding points to our total! I'll keep going (I probably just jinxed us).


Pack 17

Drew Hutchison - Blue Jays - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.6
Sonny Gray - A's - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.6
Jake Lamb - Diamondbacks - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +114.6
Djinn - Memagerie of the Mind - Free Agent - GAC +2(mom); Total +116.6
James B Duke Mini - Magnates, Barons, Tycoons - Free Agent - GAC +2(mbt), Total +118.6
Shane Victorino - Red Sox - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +118.6
Starling Marte - Pirates - Pennsylvania BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +118.6
Nori Aoki - Giants - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +118.6
Pack Total +4; GAC Total +118.6

Tack on another +4 to the GAC score and add a few more cards to some very familiar names in this break. You three are seriously raking it in here with this box in terms of adding cards to your collections. Great drafting!


Pack 18

Philae Probe - Comet Lander - Free Agent - GAC +1 (bonus); Total +119.6
Megan Kalmoe - Crew Rower - Free Agent - GAC +2(fpl); Total +121.6
Yordano Ventura - Royals - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +121.6
Matt Holliday - Cardinals - Maddings (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +121.6
Ivan Drago Mini - Boxer - Free Agent - GAC -1 (drago); Total +120.6
Cerberus - Menagerie of the Mind - Free Agent - GAC +2(mom); Total +122.6
Matt Cain - Giants - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +122.6
Grant Miller - Codebreaker - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +122.6
Pack Total +4; GAC Total +122.6

When I opened the pack, I actually thought the Philae was a penalty before checking. When I saw it was a bonus, I was pretty excited... Next comes Kalmoe which I recognized from the Favorite Players list! And then Drago happened. Dang it. I hope that Cerberus eats Drago. Just saying...

Congratulations to the Maddings and RJBreeze for keeping this pack from being a bust in terms of PAD Circus!


Pack 19

Jimbo Fisher - College Football Coach - Free Agent - GAC -1 (fisher); Total +121.6
Jose Bautista - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +121.6
Zach Britton - Orioles - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +121.6
Unicorn - Menagerie of the Mind - Free Agent - GAC +2(mom); Total +123.6
Marlon Byrd Mini Blk Brdr - Reds - Eastern VA Mutts (Wahoo!!) - GAC +3(mbb); Total +126.6
Fall of the Berlin Wall - Cold War Landmark - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +126.6
Chris Tillman - Orioles - Jacksonville Jobu (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +126.6
Didi Gregorius - Yankees - Enamel Rods (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1 (yankee); Total +125.6
Pack Total +3; GAC Total +125.6

UGH, as soon as I saw Fisher, I knew he was a penalty. Luckily, I pulled yet another Menagerie of the Mind card (I may have the whole set before we're through, yeesh) and that Byrd Black Border Mini sure helped, but then we get smacked with a Yankees card. Three steps forward, two steps back. I have a LONG way to go to get Top Three on the GAC leaderboard.

Okay, let's stop here. That's a whopping SEVEN packs in one post. haha, I didn't even realize it until just now! I was just rolling along... Next post, we'll wrap up the box!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

#PackADailyCircus Packs 174-176, #GintACuffs Packs 10-12

Hey there, everyone! Thanks for stopping by to see what cards we bust out of our 2015 A&G Hobby Box today! So far, we are at +51. Let's rip some packs:

Pack 10

Adam Eaton - White Sox - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +51
Doug Fister - Nationals - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +51
Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies - Kentucky Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +51
Artificial Heart - Great Scott - Free Agent - GAC +2 (gs); Total +53
Edith Roosevelt Mini - First Ladies - Free Agent - GAC +2 (fl); GAC +55
Malala Yousafzai - Activist - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +55
Kendall Graveman - A's - Super Dupermen (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Rusney Castillo - Red Sox - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Pack Total +4; GAC Total +55

Wow, that First Ladies card is looks great with all the red, white and blue! Congrats to those of you able to grab cards from this one. We pulled quite a few free agents.


Pack 11

Mike Zunino - Mariners - ProwlingCats (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Buck 65 - Musician - Free Agent - GAC +0; total +55
Nelson Cruz - Mariners - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Katar - Ancient Armory - Free Agent - GAC +2 (am); Total +57
Buster Posey Mini AG Back - Giants - Arpsmith (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (mag); Total +59
Yadier Molina Relic Card - Crdnls - Erin Rose (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2, +6, x1.7 (13.6), Total +72.6
Yasmany Tomas - Diamondbacks - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +72.6
Pack Total +17.6; GAC Total +72.6

Holy, freaking cow! Erin scored big time here - and so did I! Not only did I pull a relic (+6), but Molina is on the Favorite Player list (+2) so I get the 1.7x multiplier bonus! Wahoo!! On top of that, we pulled a Posey A&G backed mini and Ancient Armory. What a great pack for my GAC score! That also means we have pulled 2 of the 3 per-box hits.


Pack 12

Clay Buchholz - Red Sox - Pennsylvania BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +72.6
Chase Headley - Yankees - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +71.6
Jose D Fernandez - Marlins - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +71.6
Mike Moustakas Strtng Pts - Royals - Ventura Cnty Royals (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2(stp); Total +73.6
Chase Utley Mini - Phillies - Eastern Virginia Mutts (Wahoo!!) - CAG +0; Total +73.6
Jordan Zimmermann - Nationals - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +73.6
Kolten Wong - Cardinals - Super Dupermen (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +73.6
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - CaptKirk42s (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +73.6
Pack Total +1; GAC Total +73.6

Wahoo!! A Perfect Pack!! Congrats to CaptKirk42s for grabbing two players and to everyone else that snagged cards to make this perfect! Headley knocked us back a point in the GAC score, but Moustakas helped push us ever-so-slightly forward.

Friday, August 21, 2015

#PackADailyCircus Packs 170-173, #GintACuffs Packs 06-09

Good afternoon, or evening, or morning, depending on where you are and when you are as you read this. I am going to open packs of 2015 A&G until we hit some kind of mojo, so let's get ripping!

Pack 06

Melky Cabrera - White Sox - Joliet Convicts (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +26
Yu Darvish - Rangers - RJBreeze (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +26
Christian Yelich - Marlins - Cobb County SuperChickens (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +26
Dane Axe - Ancient Armory - Free Agent - GAC +2 (aa); Total +28
Julie Foudy Mini AG back - Free Agent - GAC +2 (mag); Total +30
Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +30
Billy Hamilton - Reds - Nachos Grande (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +30
Jonathan Papelbon - Phillies - Thoughts and Sox (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +30
Pack Total: +4; GAC Total +30

Congratulations managers! On top of the cards pulled that are already claimed, we snagged two cards for GAC that added four points to our total. We're going to need a lot more, though.


Pack 07

Matt Barnes - Red Sox - Dominic FDNY (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +30
Dexter Fowler - Cubs - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +30
Freddie Freeman - Braves - Captain Canucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +30
Phrenology - What Was Once Believed - Free Agent - GAC +2 (was); Total +32
Yordano Ventura Mini - Royals - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +32
Aaron Paul - Actor - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +32
Ichiro Suzuki - Marlins - Illinois Jafronius (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +32
Buster Posey - Giants - Arpsmith (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +32
Pack Total +2; GAC Total +32

Nice job! Several of you added cards to your stacks while we added some free agents to the mix. That makes for an almost even blend... Like I'm talking about coffee or something.


Pack 08

Brian McCann - Yankees - Captain Canucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1 (yk); Total +31
Danny Santana - Twins - Northampton Therapists (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +31
Lucas Duda - Mets - New Jersey Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +31
Henderson Alvarez - Marlins - Jennings64 (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +31
Dee Gordon Starting Point - Dodgers - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2 (stp); Total +33
Peregrine Falcon Mini - Birds of Prey - Free Agent - GAC +2 (bop); Total +35
Chase Utley - Phillies - Eastern Virginia Mutts (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +35
Howie Kendrick - Dodgers - gcrl (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +35
Pack Total +3; GAC Total +35

Well, tartar sauce! We hit our first Yankees player, subtracting points from our total. Dang, man. On the upside, we nearly had a Perfect Pack. If it just hadn't been for that Birds of Prey...


Pack 09

Ian Kinsler - Tigers - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +35
Dellin Betances - Yankees - Bo Rosyny (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1 (yk); Total +34
Alexei Ramirez - White Sox - SoxFan4Life (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +34
Sphinx - Menagerie of the Mind - Free Agent - GAC +2 (mom); Total +36
JD Martinez Mini A&G back - Tigers - Free Agent - GAC +2 (mag); Total +38
Yoenis Cespedes Rip Card (08/10) - Tigers - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +12 (rip); Total +50
Corey Kluber - Indians (Wahoo!!) - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1 (ft); Total +51
Pack Total +16; GAC Total +51

Well, shoot! We pulled another Yankee... But, we pulled an insert, a mini A&G back, plus a freakin RIP CARD!! I seriously did not expect to get a rip card, so... I have to figure out what I'm going to do with that. For the integrity of cards going to managers, I'd rather keep the card in tact. In terms of boosting my GAC score... I'd have to rip it. The dilemma has come upon us, or me, or something.

My gut tells me to wait and only rip it if I think it will dramatically change my GAC score as to knock off the leader of the contest. If the base rip bonus (that is +10) isn't going to help enough, then I don't rip it. I dunno. I'll think on that...