Does anyone care about Opening Day? I'm guessing no. But it's affordable and I enjoy the inserts.
I'm in a bit of a rush as I'm going on a trip very soon. So for a while, it's going to be lots of cards, not much discussion. But I'll reward you with a fun video at the end of the post!
Fired Up is a great concept and if I wasn't so involved with Japanese cards I'd probably chase it.
I like unique images on cardboard. This isn't very flattering. But it is unique. (Did anyone notice the Raiders logo in the background?)
Markakis is one of my Player Collection guys, and while I only want flagship Topps it's fun to pull their cards.
You "suffered" through seven cardboard scans. Here's your reward. If you can call it that! I'd love to do something like this if I ever return to the science classroom.
The above video is from 2012, but the following clip is more recent:
If I kept my mental track right, I've opened 64 packs of Calbee including the cards below. That's 128 cards. A master set, excluding the lucky cards, has 124 cards. Do I have a master set? Nope. I don't have a full base set yet, either. But who expects perfect collation, especially when buying random packs from multiple locations?
I mentioned before I'm pretty much done with bags of chips for Series 1, though I'll trade and buy for the cards I need next month (after my vacation). Did I get anything great in this last batch?
The Hawks have two pitchers named Takeda. This is Masaru, a starter with a career 2.85 ERA.
In case you didn't hear, Wladimir Balentien broke the single-season home run record last year with 60, almost doubling his prior two seasons. He has 11 already in 2014.
Ginjiro Sumitani has a career .204 average, yet he's been the Lions' number one catcher since 2009. Except 2010, when he played in exactly one game, getting exactly one at bat.
This pack of two has two doubles. I wonder if any of the catchers in Calbee's set are shown without their catching gear.
Here's my first and only insert in the last six packs. Even the "common" inserts have been somewhat difficult to find - no checklists or League Champions cards. I managed to pull all three Japan Series cards, though, so I have a full set of that. It seems like I'm missing more of the inserts than I have, although I have half of the Starcard inserts plus several duplicates.
Akira Nakamura had his breakout year last year after seeing limited play in 2011 and 2012. He answered by hitting .307 in 109 games. This year he's hitting .296 in 21 games so far.
I need to confirm my Calbee checklists and then I'll post a summary/want list tomorrow!
I have never really thought of myself as a Taylor Swift fan, but I enjoy her music. This isn't my favorite from her most recent album, but you'll see why I'm including it when you get to the end of this post. I suggest you go ahead and skip the 2+ minute speaking intro and get to the song.
Let's get another six Calbee packs out of the way, shall we? Something good is in store here after yesterday's lackluster bust.
Today's cards are packed with pitchers, and this pack starts us off with two lefties. Okada had a good rookie year last year, serving in a relief position. Masanori Ishikawa has been with the Swallows since 2002. Never a really great pitcher, he's off to a rough start this year.
Pack two has two righties. Kodai Senga is another reliever who had a great rookie season last year. Hideaki Wakui moved to the bullpen a few years ago and after being the closer in 2012 has served mostly as a middle reliever to give the Marines a couple good innings a game.
Here's a good pack! Two inserts! After batting in the .230s for the prior three years, Sho Nakata hit .305 for the Fighters in 2013. He's been a bit of a power hitter, averaging around 24 home runs per season. This year his average is low again, though he already has five dingers. The card on the left is from the Japan Series, one of the insert sets... and at least it's a different card than the one I already have!
Wait, what's this? I pulled a lucky card! Actually, it's a Rakkiikaado. I've already cut out and mailed the tiny tab in the corner to get my card holder and two special cards. You'll see those when I receive them - hopefully next month. Oh, and there's another Starcard!
You've heard about Takahashi. Eishin Soyogi has had a couple of .300+ seasons since starting in 2006 with the Carp.
Let's finish with two more pitchers, this time a righty and a lefty. Atsushi Nohmi (Atsushi Nomi) has been a pretty consistent pitcher with the Tigers with an ERA below 3.00 from 2009 through 2013 (career 3.08). He's 3-1 this year with a 4.78 ERA. I told you about Masuda before, the Marines closer.
Well, six more packs down! And the "Golden Ticket" of cards, the lucky card, is mine as well! I'll bring you my (most likely) final six packs tomorrow.
