Gint-A-Cuffs VI: Let's put this puppy to bed

Since it is pouring down rain outside, and the power keeps flickering off and on, I thought it would be a good time to write my final Gint-A-Cuffs post for 2014. Oh, yeah, and post that 5-point bonus selfie!

Links for each Gint-A-Cuffs post are listed below:

Box loader and Pack 01 (Pack:+13, GAC:+13)
Pack 02 (Pack:+7, GAC:+20)
Packs 03-05 (Packs:+22, GAC:+42)
Packs 06-08 (Packs:+13, GAC:+55)
Packs 09-12 (Packs:+21, GAC:+76)
Packs 13-15 (Packs:+14, GAC:+90)
Packs 16-18 (Packs:+24.5, GAC:+114.5)
Packs 19-21 (Packs:+25,GAC:+139.5)
Packs 22-24 (Packs:+19,GAC:+158.5)

Selfie (below): +5

GAC6 Total: +163.5, Plus whatever points I get for bribing the Commissioner.

Wait! Did I bribe the Commissioner!? You bet your sweet buns, I did! I mean, I offered a "Points Adjustment Incentive." I'm not saying anything else about it, so as to allow Mark the pleasure, nay honor, of posting the bribe contents on the GAC site.

My #GacSelfie displays the Pastime's Pastimes of Justin Masterson - the only insert I pulled for myself, and quite possibly the only INDIANS player I pulled for myself. I can't remember if that is true or not (as far as overall Indians players), and I'm not up to going back to look.

*Taken in the bathroom, as all good selfies are...

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - The Final Countdown

We're busting together
We hope it ends well
And may find a pack
With more, who can tell?
I guess there's Ginters to claim
We're holding ground
Can we raise our score again?

It's the final countdown...

Okay, pretty far-reaching stretch, I know. But, we are busting into the final three packs of my hobby box. I have 139.5 points and I know someone has already hit 171.6 as a final tally. I just don't see me winning without a major bribe to the ruler of Gint-A-Cuffs (which I am going to offer a bribe because you just never know).

Let's do this and get the pain over with:

GAC Pack 22

Albert Pujols - Angels - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.5
Yordano Ventura - Royals - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.5
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +139.5
Christian Yelich SP (#320) - Marlins - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +141.5
London, United Kingdom - World's Captials - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +143.5
Allen Craig Mini SP (#347) - Cardinals - Maddings (Wahoo!!) - GAC +3; Total +146.5
Gary Sheffield - Marlins - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +146.5
Rafael Palmeiro - Rangers - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +146.5
(Pack total: +7;  GAC total +146.5: +2 shortprint; +2 capitals; +3 mini shortprint)

Hey! Not a bad pack for GAC. Had a really nice pack for managers. Some of you pulled some cool players. Congratulations, folks!

Well, we have two packs to go and just 25.2 points to take the lead. haha!!

GAC Pack 23

Mark Teixeira - Yankees (NNOOOO!!!!) - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +145.5
Ty Cobb - Tigers - Stealing Homes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; total +145.5
Lou Brock - Cardinals - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +145.5
Curtis Granderson SP (#331) - Mets - Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +147.5
Ottawa, Canada - Worlds Capitals - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +149.5
Lonomia Mini- Deadliest Predators - Free Agent - GAC +3; Total +152.5
Samantha Briggs - Fitness Champion - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +152.5
Mike Pereira - Broadcaster - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +152.5
(Pack total: +6; GAC Total +152.5: -1 yankees; +2 shortprint; +2 capitals; +3 predator)

Man, start off with a ding but end up with some pretty cool cards. The predator really stands out with that bright red printing! Wow!

And so, we have come to the end of the box. There is but one pack left to bust open. We have revealed all our expected hits. We've hit some bumps along the way (Yankees, misc dings) but we have also found some very cool cards as well. As part of Gint-A-Cuffs, I get +5 for posting a selfie with my favorite card. I will do that when I post my actual "Final GAC-6 Points" post. I cannot remember if the person with 171.6 included the selfie with that score or not. Hmm... Well, here we go:

Adrian Gonzalez - Dodgers - GCRLs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +152.5
Jake Marisnick - Marlins - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +152.5
Brooks Robinson - Orioles - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +152.5
Paul Goldschmidt SP (#317) - Diamondbacks - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +154.5
Socotra Archipelago - Natural Wonder - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +156.5
Casey Kelly Mini A/G Back - Padres - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +158.5
Mark Roth - Bowler - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +158.5
Carli Loyd - Soccer Player - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total 158.5
(Pack Total: +6; GAC Total +158.5: +2 shortprint; +2 naturalwonder; +2 mini a/g)

Well, with +5 for a selfie to come, our total is +163.5! All things considered, I think that's a decent score. I'm looking forward to reading some of the other posts and see if anyone in the competition pulls something super rare!

In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoyed the onslaught of Allen and Ginter over the past few days. Congratulations to ALL the managers who scored players/cards and to those who WILL score more when this is all said and done through the next couple drafts.  This has been a LOT of fun!!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - Two for flinching

Good morning/afternoon, everyone! I am off work today after a visit to the dentist. Turns out I get to have root canal done. Yay me. On the other hand, I did get some pain killers and since I have taken one, I am not driving to work today. I also can't vouch for the content, quality, or general atmosphere of this post. Oh, I know, friends don't let friends blog on pain meds...

Well, we're opening the next three packs of Allen and Ginter today.

Oh, before we move on, I have a matter of business to conduct. Somehow, I managed to assign the same Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) to both Quarrys and Jennings. After reviewing the drafts and going back through the revision history of the Managers/Players list in Google, it is quite clear that the Quarrys owned that player first (had him in the first draft) and somewhere, I managed to give him to the Jennings. As a result, Jennings gets Jayson Nix (currently not drafted) and one other Rockies player to be named. Jennings has given me the choice. I chose Melvin Mora.

Next season, I have plans to avoid these kinds of "duplication" problems. I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we continue to work out the kinks in these now-annual giveaways. :-)

Okay, let's see where we are in GAC: Total is +114.5, and for the record, the meds are making me sway a bit at the keyboard. Probably a good thing I am not playing Far Cry 3 or GTA IV right now.

GAC Pack 19

Wade Miley - Diamondbacks - ScottCrafordOnCards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.5
Aroldis Chapman - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.5
Adrian Beltre - Rangers - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.5
Kolten Wong - Cardinals - Superduperman99s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +114.5
Anibal Sanchez SP - Tigers - ProwlingCats (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +116.5
Sportsman's Park - Fields of Yore (Cardinals) - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +118.5
Sandro Botticelli Mini - Where Nature Ends (Painter) - Free Agent - GAC +3; Total +121.5
Erin Brady - Miss USA - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +121.5
(Pack total: +7; GAC total +121.5: +2 shortprint; +2 fields of yore; +3 nature ends)

Wow, that pack had several GAC scores! Every player pulled has an owner already, too. Very cool! I'm sure I had some smart alec comment to make about a "Miley" card and a "Wong," but it has since left the swimminess of my brain. Yeah, I made up a word there. Or misspelled it, whichever.

GAC Pack 20

Zack Greinke - Dodgers - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +121.5
Oswaldo Arcia - Twins - BoRosyny (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +121.5
Paul O'Neill - Yankees - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +120.5
Max Scherzer Pastime's Pastimes - Tigers - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +122.5
Kyle Seager Game-Used Bat (FSR-KS) - Mariners - ProwlingCats (Wahoo!!) - GAC +8; Total 130.5
Clay Buchholz Mini - Red Sox - BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +130.5
Sam Calagione - Businessman - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +130.5
(Pack total: +9; GAC Total +130.5: -1 yankees; +2 pastimes; +8 full-sized relic)

Nice pull for the ProwlingCats! And, we were just one card away from a Perfect Pack. Congratulations to all the managers pulling cards out of this one!

Okay, one more pack for today! For the record, I took a break between packs 19 and 20 because my mom had brought lunch for me and the kids. We enjoyed sitting around and talking. As we did, we watched a portion of some movie called "Immortals." Lots of fighting in the movie, but some of the coolest death-effects I've seen. Of course, that could be the pain meds talking.

Anyway, I digress often, so let's get back to opening packs. Well, one more anyway!

GAC Pack 21

Doug Fister - Nationals - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +130.5
Madison Bumgarner - Giants - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +130.5
Starling Marte - Pirates - BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +130.5
Troy Tulowitzki Pastime's Pastimes - Rockies - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; total +132.5
Clayton Kershaw Game-Used Relic (FRB-CK) - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +8; Total +140.5
Vince Gilligan Mini - Writer/Director - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +140.5
Anthony Bourdain - Chef - Free Agent - GAC -1; Total +139.5
(Pack total: +9; GAC Total +139.5: +2 pastimes; +8 relic; -1 bourdain)

Wahoo!! Well, we pulled our third relic! Congrats to Night Owl for that one. Freakin Bourdain put a wet blanket on this pack. Dang it. At least we can say a big congrats to each of the managers who got cards from this pack! That's always good news.

The bad news is that I have three packs to go and all the guaranteed hits have shown up. Why bad news? Because I read one of the other GAC contestants' posts and saw he had posted a final score of 171.6. So, if I have any chance of winning, I have to pull +31.1 points out of the final three packs. That will only happen if I scored a bonus box with an extra hit. I'm not banking on that happening.

So, until next time: See ya later!

*Any typos, misspellings, ramblings, or other nonsense is the result of posting while on pain meds. Leave a comment if there is something I need to fix and I will get it at some point. Thanks!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - We got a hit!

Good afternoon, folks! I am sitting here with +76 points in my Gint-A-Cuffs coffers and zero box hits so far to show for it. Yesterday, I busted several packs. Today, I will open up 3 or 4 (we'll see how it goes) and see if we can uncover any hidden gems.

GAC Pack 16

Jarrod Parker - A's - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Jordan M Zimmerman - Nationals - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Clayton Kershaw Pastime's Pastimes - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +78
Steve Carlton Mini A/G back - Phillies - MySportsObsessions (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +80
Felicia Day Framed Mini Autograph - Actress - Free Agent - GAC +25.5; Total +105.5
Judah Friedlander - Comedian - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +105.5
Diana Nyad - Swimmer - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +105.5
(Pack total: +14; Total +105.5: +2 pastime; +2 mini a/g; +12 framed mini auto; +3 mini fav plyr +15*1.7 for Day's bonus multiplier)

WAHOO!! Our first box hit, and it is a Mini Framed Auto of a Favorite Player!! That is great! She is also a free agent in this week's draft! Wow, some managers may rethink their pick orders. haha! Speaking of, congrats to the managers who grabbed cards from this pack.

Well, let's see what our next pack holds!

GAC Pack 17

Jon Lester - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +105.5
Kris Medlen - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +105.5
Randy D Johnson - Mariners - GoBlues (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +105.5
R A Dickey - Blue Jays - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +105.5
Carlos Gonzalez Pastime's Pastimes - Rockies - Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +107.5
Jered Weaver Mini - Angels - GoBlues (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +107.5
Manny Ramirez - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +107.5
Don Sutton - Dodgers - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC+0; Total +107.5
(Pack total: +2; GAC Total +107.5: +2 pastimes)

WAHOO!! We just racked up our first Perfect Pack of the box!! Wow, our first box hit and our first Perfect Pack on the same day! This is way cool. Congrats to the GoBlues and the ThoughtsAndSox for each nabbing a pair of hits out of the pack! Congrats to all the other managers, too.

In terms of GAC, we are actually sitting in pretty rough shape for the contest right now. I realize we have two more box hits to go, but there are just seven packs left. In previous years, my boxes have hit as high as 214 points, and that wasn't even close to the winner. I hate to say it, but I'm not feeling too good about my box and its Gint-A-Cuffs contender potential.  As far as Pack-A-Daily goes, however, this box rocks!

GAC Pack 18

Chase Utley - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +109.5
Joey Votto - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +111.5
Dwight "Doc" Gooden - Mets - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +111.5
Lou Gehrig - Yankees - GoBlues (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +110.5
Mike Olt Short Print (#326) - Cubs - RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +112.5
Punalu'u Beach - Natural Wonder - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +114.5
Jeremy Hellickson Mini - Rays - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +114.5
Allyson Felix - Sprinter - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +114.5
(Pack total: +7; GAC Total +114.5: +2 fav plyr; +2 fav plyr; -1 yankees; +2 shprnt; +2 nat wonder)

Hey, as far as GAC goes, that's not a bad haul without a hit! We had two favorite players in there and they both led off. Nice.  Hellickson is in this week's draft, so he'll go to a manager at the end of the week! The others will be rolled into next week's draft. Really, this was a nice pack of cards - some great players in it for sure!

We have six packs to go. They fit nicely in the box as a 2-high by 3-wide arrangement, so I will stop here for now. Next time, I will break open the top row of three and then we will have the final three for another post. We are nearing the end. We have two box hits yet to unearth. We have a LONG way to go in terms of overall box score.

See you next time!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - Packs 13-15 - Start the 2nd Half!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, I am opening three more packs of our Allen and Ginter hobby box. Yeah, I should wait until tomorrow or spread this out over many days, but to be honest I am just too excited to see what we get. So, here we go!

GAC Pack 13, Total so far +76 (At least 30 points off for a decent overall score)

Alex Gordon - Royals - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Carlos Gomez - Brewers - Thorzuls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Roy Halladay - Blue Jays - RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
James Paxton - Mariners - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Yasiel Puig Pastime's Pastimes - Dodgers - Trhdds (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +78
Japanese Bobtail - Little Lions - Free Agent - GAC +3; Total +81
Casey Kelly - Padres - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +81
Tommy Lasorda - Dodgers - GCRLs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +81
(Pack total: +5; GAC Total +81: +2 pastimes; +3 little lions)

Wow, except for the bobtail, we would have a Perfect Pack! That is cool to see no matter what we're busting open. At the rate of +5 avg per pack, I am going to end up with a measly 120 points for this box. Still holding out for the hits. Congrats to everyone that pulled hits here!

GAC Pack 14

Joe Mauer - Twins - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +81
Yadier Molina - Cardinals - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +81
Yu Darvish - Rangers - RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +83
Erik Johnson SP (#334) - White Sox - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +85
Ha Long Bay - Natural Wonders - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +87
Troy Tulowitzki Mini - Rockies - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87
Daniel Okrent - Rotisseries Baseball Co-Creator - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +87
Ryan Riess - Poker Champion - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +87
(Pack total: +6; GAC Total +87: +2 fav player; +2 short print; +2 nat wonder)

Nice score on the fav player and other positive-point cards! Managers are getting some great bits of cardboard in this box. Congrats to everyone that got a card here tonight from this pack!

Okay, we have one last pack to open tonight. Really, I'm just hoping for an Indians player or four of five. Haha!

GAC Pack 15

Daniel Nava - Red Sox - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87
Matt Davidson - White Sox - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87
Nick Franklin - Mariners - Free Agent - GAC +0; total +87
Ben Zobrist - Rays - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +87
Justin Verlander Pastime's Pastimes - Tigers - Okatus (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +89
Sam Calagione Mini A/G Back - Businessman - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +91
Bill Bucker - Dodgers - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +91
Roger Maris - Yankees - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +90
Crack the Code
(Pack total: +3; GAC Total +90: +2 pastimes; +2 A/G back mini; -1 yankees)

Ugh, a freaking Yankee in the mix causes me to lose a point. I have no idea who Sam Calzone, Calgon, Calafragilisiticexpialadocious is, but I got the A/G back version, so that's 2 points and I'll take them! Roger Maris is the #1 card in the whole set. That's pretty cool to pull the card that would sit on top in a stack by card number. Congrats, managers!

Hope you have a good night/good morning!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - New draft on the loose, updated Managers/Players and busting more Gint-A-Cuffs!

Good afternoon, folks! I have released the latest draft to the managers. It has the cards we've busted here lately from the Gint-A-Cuffs breaks. Free Agents revealed this week will go into NEXT WEEK'S draft (not this week's) unless they are already in the draft for this week.

Notables in this week's draft include several autographs and relic cards, Allen and Ginter cards, etc:

Whitey Ford Regular and Mini A/G
Barbed Wire regular and Black-Border Mini A/G
The Iron Sheik Black-Border Mini A/G
Brad Ziegler autographed cards (x2)
Alex Wood Autograph card
Kyle Waldrop Auto card
Beau taylor Auto card
Jacob Nix auto/relic card
Erin Brady Miss USA Mini A/G Back

Notes: The Hendrix/Handel card was listed as two separate "players." Cal Ripken Sr was added this week (somehow he had been left off before). Mickey Tettleton has been added (thanks to Bo for spotting that).

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The Managers/Players list has been updated: http://tinyurl.com/padplayers

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Now, let's rip some Allen and Ginter for Gint-A-Cuffs!!

GAC Total so far: +55. For those wondering, the stadiums cards are treated as regular cards.

GAC Pack 09

Prince Fielder - Rangers - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies - Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Johnny Bench - Reds - Trhdds (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Mark McGwire - Cardinals - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +55
Prince Fielder Pastime's Pastimes - Rangers - TSHensons (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +2; Total +57
Robin Hood Mini - Outlaws, Bandits, Ne're Do Wells - Free Agent - GAC +3; Total +60
Helen Keller - Newsworthy - Free Agent - GAC+0; Total +60
Ricky Nolasco - Twins - Quarrys (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +60
(Pack total: +5; GAC Total +60: +2 pastime; +3 n.d.w)

Wow! TWO managers got two hits in one pack, plus the TSHensons got he SAME player twice on different cards! That is some kind of cool! Congrats to the others who managed to snag cards out of this one.

Still haven't found a "hit" from the box yet. Here, I will jinx it: It would be cool to hit the halfway mark without getting a single box hit. Now, let's see what happens:

GAC Pack 10

Miguel Cabrera - Tigers - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +60
Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +60
Frank Robinson - Reds - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +60
Jim Palmer - Orioles - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!! Back-to-Back!) - GAC +0; Total +60
Justin Masterson Pastime's Pastimes - Indians (Wahoo!) - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +3; Total +63
Vladimir Gurrero Mini A/G Back - Angels - GCRLs (Wahoo!!) - GAC - +2; Total +65
Dr. James Andrews - Surgeon - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +65
Mike Napoli - Red Sox - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +65
(Pack total: +5; GAC Total +65: +1 favorite team; +2 pastime; +2 a/g back)

Wahoo!! Scored +1 for Indians player, +2 for it being Pastimes, and scored +2 for the cool mini A/G back! Slowly building my GAC score. As for PAD, well, another Wahoo!! for the Masterson that goes to my own collection! And a big WAHOO!! to CaptainKairk42 for going back-to-back! Man, what a fun pack to break open! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but come on, you have to admit this was pretty cool.

I am going to go ahead and get us to the halfway point. So, two packs down and two more to go! GAC total so far is +66 with *NO* box hits.

GAC Pack 11

Andre Rienzo - White Sox - MySportsObsessions (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +65
Tom Glavine - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +65
Bob Feller - Indians (Wahoo!) - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - GAC +1; Total +66
Elvis Andrus SP (#335) - Rangers - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +68
Moscow, Russia - World's Capitals - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +70
Iron Sheik Mini - Wrestler - Free Agent - GAC +1; Total +71
Andrew Lambo - Pirates - BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +71
Dan Straily - A's - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +71
(Pack total: +6; GAC Total +71: +1 favorite team; +2 short print; +2 capitals; +1 iron sheik)

Wow, this is a very nice GAC Pack! +1 for Feller being Indians. +2 for Andrus being short-printed. +2 for the World's Captials card. +1 for Iron Sheik "just because." Nice!

On the PAD side, we scored a slew of free agents for next week. Congrats to folks pulling cards out here. That Feller card is pretty slick. Nice pull, Timothy!

Okay, we are going into the halfway mark with this pack. We have +72 points and have not had a box hit yet. Come on, big bucks! No Whammys!

GAC Pack 12

Hector Santiago - Angels - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +71
Junior Lake - Cubs - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +71
Yogi Berra - Yankees - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +70
Pablo Sandoval - Giants - Arpsmiths (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +70
Matt Kemp SP (#301) - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +4; Total +74
Cave of Crystals - Natural Wonder - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +76
Tyler Skaggs Mini - Jennings (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
Steve Carlton - Phillies - MySportsObsessions (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +76
(Pack total: +5; GAC Total +76: -1 yankee; +2 favorite player; +2 short print; +2 natural wonder)

Well, we did it! We managed to break half the box without a single box hit. That means the second half should be even more fun than the first! Congratulations, managers! For me, pulling the Carlton was the best card of the pack. How cool!

Thanks for stopping by!! See you next time when we TRY to find our first box hit!

(Note: After this was posted, I went back to check scores. Adjustments have been made. Point values are current as of 8/9/14 3:30pmCST)

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - GAC Packs 06-08 - Still Seeking First Big Hit

Greetings, readers of the Tribecards! Today, I am busting open several packs of Allen and Ginter for the Gint-A-Cuffs contest and to help add cards to manager stacks and the free agent  pool. I do not have a set number of packs, so let's bust some open and see where it leads!

GAC Total so far after 5 packs and a box loader: +42

Hanley Ramirez - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0; Total +42
Johnny Cueto - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0; Total +42
Jim Rice - Red Sox - FDNYs (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0; Total +42
Babe Ruth - Yankees - StealingHomes (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +41
Phil Niekro SP (#343) - Braves - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +43
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - Air Supremacy - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +45
Didi Gregorius Mini A/G Back - Diamondbacks - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +47
Dave Portnoy - Blogger - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +47
(Pack Total: +5; GAC Total +47: -1 Yankees; +2 short print; +2 air sup; +2 a/g back)

Not a bad GAC pack total, but not great. As for PAD, the FDNYs score another Rice card (you may recall the amazing auto card from the Crackin Wax "Crapload of Stuff" giveaway). Ruth dinged me, but who cars? It's freaking Babe Ruth. That Didi mini A/G back is a pretty cool addition for NachosGrandes!

BTW, if you are wondering why I scan the backs of certain cards, it is because I am showing evidence that  card is short-print or A/G back, etc for the Gint-A-Cuffs contest.

Let's rip into our next pack! Is it me, or are these wrappers the hardest things to get off!?

Avisail Garcia - White Sox - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +47
Xander Bogaerts - Red Sox - BCs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +47
Jose B Reyes - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +47
Matt Carpenter - Cardinals - Superduperman99s (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +47
Jose Altuve Pastime's Pastimes - Astros - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +49
Craig Kimbrel Mini Black Border - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +3; Total +52
Hal Newhouser - Tigers - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +52
Sparky Anderson - Tigers - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +52
(Pack Total: +5; GAC Total +52: +2 pastime; +3 mini black brdr)

Wow, the CaptainCanucks score ANOTHER Kimbrel mini, only this time it is the black border variation! Congrats to the other managers who grabbed cards out of this pack, too! I am amazed Sparky Anderson hasn't been seen yet - or at least not drafted. That is certainly one of the fun things about doing these pack-a-day breaks.

We're on a roll, so let's keep going. We've had two packs worth +5 points each so far. Maybe I should bust packs until the pack total falls below +5. Haha! Who knows...

Freddie Freeman - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +2(fp); Total +54
Jered Weaver - Angels - GoBlues (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +54
Taijuan Walker - Mariners - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +54
Dennis Eckersley SP - A's - Jafronius (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +56
Cleveland Municipal Stadium - Indians (Wahoo!) - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +56
Whitey Ford Mini - Yankees - Free Agent - GAC -1; Total +55
Buffalo Bill Cody - Newsworthy - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +55
Mike Piazza - Mets - Jafronius (Wahoo!! x2) - GAC +0; Total +55
(Pack Total: +3; GAC Total +55: +2 fav player; +2 shortprint; -1 yankees)

I have posed the question to Mark, ruler of all things Gint-A-Cuffs, as to whether or not the stadium card counts as an Indians card. If it does, that adds +1 to my score. But, I jinxed things by putting the +5 limit on my pack total. Dang Yankees.  In the meantime, that Eck card is beautiful with the green done the way it is! Of course, I am scanning the back since it is short-printed, so you won't see it unless you search online. haha! Congrats to Jafronius for being the first manager to pull two hits from a single pack in the GAC break! And, congrats to everyone else that pulled cards here.

I am not too bummed about my GAC score at this stage. I mean, I have not hit the halfway point yet and have managed to gather up more than 50 points. We have yet to find the elusive big hits, too. Maybe next time we can find one. Of course, I'd be happy to have all three hits come at the end, building the suspense and tension.

Thanks for stopping by! See ya next time!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - Hobby Packs 03, 04, and oh why not 05

Good evening, folks! I know I have posted several times today, which is against some kind of cardinal rule of blogging, but these Allen and Ginter cards keep calling my name. Like a sailor drawn to the siren's song, I...must...obey...

GAC Total thus far: +20

Bartolo Colon - Mets - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0; Total +20
Ryan Howard - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0; Total +20
Ted Williams - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +20
Don Mattingly - Yankees - EG9460s (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +19
James Shields Pastime's Pastimes - Royals - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +21
Jackie Robinson Mini - Dodgers - GCRLs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +21
Felicia Day - Actress - Free Agent - GAC +2 (fp); Total +23
Jeremy Hellickson - Rays - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +23
(Pack Total: +3; GAC Total: +23: -1 yankees; +2 pastimes; +2 favorite player)

Well, as far as GAC goes, that pack sucked. Oh well, as far as PAD goes, we made out quite well! We've added some great cards to several managers' stacks. Congratulations, folks!

Okay, let's not dwell on that last one. Here is the next pack:

Grant Balfour - Rays - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +23
Stan Musial - Cardinals - JediJeffs (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +23
Tony Gwynn Sr - Padres - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +23
Manny Machado Short Print (#350) - Orioles - RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +25
Travertine Pools - Natural Wonders - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +27
Barbed Wire Mini Black Border SP (#341) - Newsworthy - GAC +10; Total +37
Dusty Baker - Braves - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +37
Robin Yount - Brewers - Thorzuls (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +39
(Pack Total: +16, GAC Total: +39: +2 short print; +2 natural wonders; +10 mini black sp; +2 fav player)

Wahoo! This pack has some great cards in there! From a GAC point-of-view, we scored nicely with the SPs and parallels, plus a favorite player in the mix! On the PAD side, we have HOFers to spread around. Congratulations, managers!

Okay, well, after that pack, I can't simply walk away! I have to try another. Wish us luck!

CC Sabathia - Yankees - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - GAC -1; Total +38
Michael Choice - Rangers - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +38
Gio Gonzalez - Nationals - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +38
Hyun-Jin Ryu SP (#306) - Dodgers - StealingHomes (Wahoo!!) - GAC +2; Total +40
Berlin, German - World's Capitals - Free Agent - GAC +2; Total +42
Craig Kimbrel Mini - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - GAC +0; Total +42
Matt Besser - Comedian/Actor - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +42
Maria Isler - Miss Universe - Free Agent - GAC +0; Total +42
(Pack Total: +3, GAC Total +42: -1 yankees; +2 sh-print; +2 capitals)

Well, we lost a point for the Yankee, but gained a few for inserts and short prints. We also added a few free agents to the next draft. How will Berlin do in OOTP? And Miss Universe? Guess we will find out!

#PackADailyCircus #GintACuffs - #03 Hobby Pack 02 - Triber Lifts Spirits, GAC Total

Good morning, folks! I am currently saving off the OOTP league, played through July 7, so I figured I would bust open another pack of the Allen and Ginter.  Let's what today holds:

Steve Cishek - Marlins - Jennings (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +13
Zack Wheeler - Mets - Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +13
Matt Holliday - Cardinals - Erins (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +13
Matt Moore - Rays - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +13
Jason Kipnis Pastime's Pastimes - Indians (Wahoo!) - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +1,+2; Total +16
Sphynx Mini - Little Lions - Free Agent - GAC: +3; Total +19
Danielle Kang - Golfer - Free Agent - GAC: 0; Total +19
Tanner Foust - Racecar Driver - Free Agent - GAC: +1; Total +20
Crack The Code Card
(Pack Total: +8, GAC Total: +20: +1 fav team; +2 pastimes; +3 lions; +1 foust bonus)

Awesome! I scored a Kipnis Pastimes card, nearly doubling our GAC total by itself! Every player is already claimed, so that's a win for the managers. Congrats to everyone adding players to their stacks!

(What is GAC, anyway?)

#PackADailyCircus #Gintacuffs - #01 - Box Loader, #02 - First Pack

Good evening, folks! Tonight, I am starting to bust open the Hobby Box of Allen and Ginter for this year's Gint-A-Cuffs. As usual, I barely understand all the ins and outs of scoring for Gint-A-Cuffs, so we'll just hope for the best. All cards will be scanned.

The box loader is an oversized card of:

Chris Davis (BL-10) - Orioles - Chonks (Wahoo!!)
(Pack Total: +8, GAC Total: +8)

(Update: Mark awards this +8 as oversized box loader, totals adjusted accordingly)

I have no idea how this gets scored. Is this an oversized reprint? Is it just a box loader? I dunno. I'll have to ask Mark about it. Anyway, congrats to the Chonks for scoring this cool card!

Next up, our first actual pack:

Travis D'Arnaud - Mets - Hadsalls (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +0, Total +8
Hiroki Kuroda - Yankees - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - GAC: -1, Total +7
Nolan Ryan - Rangers - Otakus (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +7
Hank Aaron - Braves - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - GAC: 0; Total +7
Miguel Cabrera Pastime's Pastimes - Tigers - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - GAC: +2; Total +9
Iron Sheik Mini Black Border - Free Agent - GAC: +4; Total +13
Larry King - Free Agent - GAC: 0; Total +13
Michael Eisner - Free Agent - GAC: 0; Total +13
(Pack Total: +5, GAC Total: +13: -1 yankees; +2 pastimes; +3 mini black; +1 sheik)

Wow, we were rolling along for Pack-A-Daily there! Kind of a slump for G-A-C, though we snagged a mini black border and a Pastimes card! Congrats managers from our first pack of 2014 Allen and Ginter!

I decided that each card would be live on its own merit for the Pack-A-Daily - as currently defined. For example, if there were any team logos, then the person with that logo drafted gets the card. Same holds true for mascots and anything else we've already uncovered. If I come across something not yet defined, then I will define it and we'll go from there.

(What is GAC, anyway?)