I saw Topps Lineage "bonus" packs hanging there in front of me. My first thought: "Since when does 'BONUS' mean a total of 14 cards!?" Me next thought: "Okay, I'll bite."
I picked a couple packs off the hanger and noticed something... If you press the wrapper against the cards, you can make out at least one card on the front and one on the back. I sought.
Yeah, that's right, I became a pack searcher. Though, probably not for what most searchers would be seeking. Was I looking for some telltale sign of autographs or swatches? Nope. I was looking for Indians logos. And, sure enough, one of the packs featured a ghostly Chief Wahoo peeking through the white wrapper. I bought.
Yeah, that's right, I bought it. I didn't even stop to look for other Indians-filled packs, either. I found one and ran for the hills... er, checkout. (Digression: For those that immediately thought of another discount department store when you saw the word "hills," I applaud you. Does Hills even exist anymore? Man, we used to go there all the time when I lived in the 'Burgh. Okay, digression over.)
The card I saw on the back, by the way, was some guy named "Cobb." Ever heard of him? Yeah, I thought you might have. In any case, packs with memorabilia have 12 cards in them instead of 14. My pack had 14. So, you know I did not come up with the chicken dinner. (Digression: "winner, winner! Chicken dinner!" Though I've never understood just why the winner was getting a chicken dinner. Granted, not too many other dinners would scan in the rhyme... Digression over.)
So, what *DID* I pull? Let's take a look:
Lou Gehrig, Mike Schmidt, and Lance Berkman. Wow! Not a bad way to start a pack of cards. Speaking of cards, I absolutely love the design of these. They remind me of some older set that I cannot quite place and yet feel totally modern. Excellent work, Topps.
Next up: Ryan Braun, Paul O'Neill, and Vernon Wells. The Braun card is written in Spanish on the back (#TV20). I have not done any checking to see just what that's all about. I opted to show the back of the Wells card, so you could see what it looks like in case you hadn't seen one of these yet. Again, I love the design - brightly colored, big spot for name/info, and a neat paragraph to go with it.
The last card in the first half is Michael Pineda. Sorry, but I have no idea who he is. Carlos Santana was the top card in the bottom of the blister pack, and it was his helmet that I could make out the logo. He was the reason I bought the pack. Not too shabby! Adam Wainwright followed.
Then, we have Roy Oswalt, Gordon Beckham, and Shin-Soo Choo. Am I the only one that thinks Oswalt looks weird in anything but an Astros uniform? Probably. How awesome that this bonus pack had TWO Indians players in it!? Wahoo!!
The last two cards (since my pack was not a dinner-procuring pack) were Chipper Jones and Ty Cobb. Not a bad way to end the pack at all! Great start and a nice finish with two Tribers sandwiched in between!
Overall, as I said, I love the design of these Lineage cards. The photos tend to be a tad saturated, but I can't help wonder if that is intentional. If not, it works anyway. If it was intentional, then it works as intended.