Seven Bucks Goes a Long Way Number Nine Number Nine Number Nine Number Nine...

 Do you get the reference in the title?

Let's get into the ninth pack of random cards, shall we?

We'll start with some more of the most unappealing flagship Topps cards in the past decade. Luckily, I need both of these rookies. And yes, the Lin card is a gold parallel.

Luis Severino is back again. I like the photo because it isn't too common of an image. If I saw a bunch of folks holding up jerseys I would think much differently. Gerrit Cole was an All-MLB member last year, so his card is a keeper. But Luis is off to the discard pile.

Ryan Flaherty is another card I need, which is fine with me! Matt Adams will be hitting the road, though. And we're done with 2017 Topps in this pack, thankfully!

This Ron Swaboda card is an insert from 2018 Topps Heritage, and it's a pretty nice card to have in my collection. Scott Kingery is also an insert - one of those 1983 throwbacks from 2018's flagship set. And it's another nice card to have in my collection.

I appreciate Heritage, but I don't necessarily like it. There are some good insert sets, but overall it's just not my cup of tea. That doesn't mean I won't have the cards in my collection! Both Jay and Garcia are needed, and I'll gladly add them to the keepers pile.

Somehow, I need Pat Neshek still, but I don't need Eduardo Escobar. Well, I needed Neshek. Now, Neshek is needed no longer.

Eloy Jimenez, on the left, is a pre-rookie card, but I don't need it. Robles is also a pre-rookie; it is one of those mega box parallels with the tire track pattern. I need Victor Robles, though!

Prospect cards from Bowman are hit-or-miss, since several of the players don't make it to the show. Both of these guys hit the big time, though I already have a Frazier card. That means Justus Sheffield is a keeper!

I'm not a big fan of cards where the player's first name isn't on the front of the card. It's plainly stated on the back, but there are players who share the same family name. Michael Fulmer is needed, but Lorenzo Cain is not.

At least for McGwire, his full name is on the card, even if he is a green ghost. Danny Mendick's first name is missing on his card, but at least he is basically the right color, even if the photo is hyper-HDR filtered. I do need Mendick, though! McGwire isn't needed, but I'll put him in the keep-for-now pile, just in case he fits in somewhere later.

2017 Topps flagship's design was ugly. I mainly hated the type - the font, the italics, but I also didn't like the dullness of the invasive cross found at the bottom. 2018, on the other hand, has a more 3D style of design, and it doesn't cover the bottom edge, giving the card a better full bleed aesthetic. Gerson Bautista is an RC, and I need his card for my collection! Cameron Maybin's photo is nice, even if it is yet another running-from-the-dugout shot. This card gives a good view of the stadium press box, so it was a good execution of the concept. Unfortunately I don't need it. I'll stick it in the keep-for-now pile, though. I might find a home for it somewhere.

Speaking of cards I don't need, here's yet another Luis Severino card. Why is he in so many sets? Nelson Cruz is an insert card, and the artwork is really sharp. I need this card, too, because Cruz received the Roberto Clemente award last year.

These two Bowman High Tek cards are pretty cool. Pavin Smith had his debut last year, but Tristen Lutz has not made it to the Marlins roster. I don't need either of these cards, though.

Zack Collins made it to the majors, and I need his card, but Austin Beck has not, so I don't. Who knows, maybe Beck and Lutz will have their debut this year? If there's a season?

Jose Altuve is one of my favorite players, but that means that I already have this card! Salvador Perez has been around for quite a while, but this is the first loose card I've gotten of his, so he is a keeper!

Billy McKinney and Carter Kieboom have both had their cups of coffee, but I already have cards for them. So unless they start winning awards, I won't need these two cards anytime soon.

Two more Bowmans. And I need both of these! Chris Shaw heads to the archives, and Matt Chapman to the awards for his Gold Glove last year.

Insert Justin Bieber joke here. I don't need this card. That is all.

I needed a Matt Chapman card, and that Bowman card came first. But I like this Archives card more than Bowman, so I'll replace the Bowman with this. I don't need the Enos Slaughter card, but I've been saving the retired stars for possible use later this year. So this goes to that stack. And we finish on a high note!

I'm keeping 16 cards for the archives, three for my awards collection, and three are temporary holds. Nineteen or more cards from this one pack! Even if those three maybes end up in the no pile, I'll still come out with more than half of the cards being added to my collection. And this pack was much more interesting than the past few ones - more variety in the cards and more interesting card sets.

And now, I sleep. Until next time...

Seven Bucks Goes a Long Way Part Eight (Holiday Edition)

 Saturday, February 12 is Lincoln's birthday, and if you live in Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, or New York, Friday the 11th is a state holiday observing his birthday. But that's not the holiday I'm talking about.

Sunday the 13th will be the Super Bowl. I doubt I'll be watching - I'm not sure how to even watch it here in Japan, and I've never really cared much for football. 

Of course, Monday is Valentine's Day. But that's not really a holiday. I might get some chocolate from my female students over the next week or two, but again, not a holiday.

Nope, February 11 is National Foundation Day here in Japan. (I'm sure you saw that coming.) Usually, that holiday ends up moved to the nearest Monday to make a three-day weekend for some folks, but I am already off on Mondays so I don't get the day off. But this year, it's on Friday.

The holiday commemorates the accession date of the first Emperor of Japan, way back in 660 BC. It became a national holiday in the Meiji period to boost loyalty to the national government over any regional loyalties. And you can read the rest if you'd like.

So, February 11 is a holiday, and I get the day off! I have no plans, but I might get out and do some exploring. We had our first really big snow of the year on Thursday. The snow is more than ankle-deep, up to 20 centimeters. The roads are pretty clear, so going out tomorrow sounds like a possibility. But I would like to go somewhere.

Here are the cards from the eighth pack. Fewer cards here, but they're all Chrome cards. Thicker cards means fewer cards can fit inside the pack, naturally.

There are 28 cards in this pack, and 22 of them are 2019 Topps Chrome. Looks like we'll start off with just a need it, got it routine.

Got it. Got it.

Got it. Need it.

Got it. Got it.

Got it. Need it.

Got it. Got it.

Need it. Got it.

Got it. Got it.

Got it. Got it.

Need it. Got it.

Got it. Need it.

Got it. Got it.

Duplicates. And I need neither. 

Ah, finally, some interesting cards!  I don't need these, but it's nice to see some color behind the players. 

And two more. Neither card here is needed either. But look how the background pops on the Schwarber since it's a Refractor. In fact, it scans better than it looks in person!

Well, of the 28 cards here, I only needed five. Two went to the archives, with the other three heading to the awards collection. I'm not too surprised, honestly, but it has been a depressing couple of packs.

Until next time...

The Seventh Part of Seven Bucks which Went a Long Way

 I made gyoza (Japanese version of dumplings) Monday night, for the first time. They turned out pretty good despite not having any sauce to put on them. Usually, gyoza in Japan are dipped in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil. And usually, people eat gyoza as a side dish to a bowl of ramen. But I just had the gyoza and some crackers and wasabi cheese dip. Good times.

So let's go on to the next pack of cards.

Lots of horizontal cards here. I can group them together better! I think there's a shirtless guy standing above Maile in the stands. 

Of the above seven cards, I only need the two Brandons. Not the best start.

And for the four preceding cards, only Paulo Orlando heads to my collection.

I don't need either of these cards, but I always enjoy throwback uniforms.

Gomez is a keeper. There really isn't much to say about 2017 Topps. 

Two more from '17. And one last card for my collection: the Ohlman.

Now with the 2016s. Duda is a keeper, so a good start here.

Two Tigers, with reversed card designs, side by side. This scan worked out well. And by a stroke of luck, I need both cards.

These two O's: I don't need them.

These two 2015 Topps cards: I don't need them. But hey, there's another Tiger.

Mike Piazza and Brooks Robinson in Topps Fire. The Robinson card doesn't have a copyright date. I don't need these, but I'll hold on to them just in case.

Let's go horizontal one more time. The Ryan Zimmerman card is a great shot. Unfortunately, the trend in this pack is cards I don't need.

I do need the Lyle Overbay, but Javier Medina hasn't made it to the Majors.

I always look forward to Allen & Ginter for the mix of non-baseball subjects, including the topical inserts. While I don't collect every insert set, I still enjoy finding good cards for my type collection. I already have a Revolutionary Battles card, but it's fun seeing other cards from the set.  Luckily, I do need the Bauers card.

A couple regular A&Gs. I've already seen Gordon and Trumbo, and I need neither for my collection.

We'll finish this lackluster pack off with some Topps Bunt. I really dislike Topps using the name of their online card platform in a regular set. It made for a good bit of confusion and looking for the cards on eBay was challenging. I enjoyed the inserts and the low cost (it's nice to have more than one budget option, especially when that option is just a cheaper version of flagship); I just hated the name. I guess Bunt became Big League, which was a pretty nice set as well. Anyways, I need the Matz but not the Severino. 

If I had scanned these two in opposite order, I think it would have looked like they were standing on a pedestal. Side by side, though, these two cards look decent. I like the photo of Dee Gordon, even though I don't need his card. I don't need the Addison Russell, either.

Well, that wraps up another pack. This one was really lackluster in my opinion. I managed to save 10 archives cards and one awards card, plus two keep-for-now retired players. Overall, though, there was nothing really exciting in this pack. Sure, there were a couple inserts, and I don't expect much out of these cards to begin with, but there just wasn't anything really standing out to me. Let's see what happens tomorrow.