May 5, 2013

2013 Topps Heritage Rack Pack Break: Result!

For every season, there is a passage that a baseball fan must go through.  In summer, it is uplifting hope; in autumn, it is crushing disappointment followed by uplifting hope; in winter, it is boredom, followed by uplifting hope, and in spring, it is uplifting hope followed by unceasing opening of baseball card packs.

I haven't been diligent enough in the unceasing opening of the packs this spring.  I've skipped over the usual suspects in pursuit of other collecting needs.  But like the pollen that inflames our bronchial tubes, it is a rite of spring that must be satiated, lest our collection dwindles and starts craving other more sinister pursuits to swell its ranks.

I ventured into the 2013 pack breaking era with a rack pack of the Heritage brand.  For 3 reasons:
1) My quota of hatless player cards was yet unfulfilled
2)The 3 black bordered cards that come with each rack pack.
3) The joy of playing "spot the airbrush"

Here are the highlights:
Michael Bourn black-bordered: He was not airbrushed into his new Indians uniform.
Nelson Cruz black-bordered: He's larger than life in the shadows. Seriously, is there a more anonymous member of the last two AL champions?
Ryan Zimmerman black-bordered: My hatless player quotient is now raised 100%; this pack has been a success.
Matt Harrison SP: This is the joy and bane of collecting Heritage, short printed base cards.  He's also a Rangers pitcher that I bet you didn't know was an all-star in 2012.
Charlie Manuel: Old Cholly is now the Phillies all-time winningest manager.  It's also the first Phillies Heritage card I have.  It's hard to laugh when playing so poorly though.
Robinson Cano New Age Performers: This insert set is always a must for completists.  I admit I never understood the theme though.  The design this year does not stand out from the base card.
Shane Victorino: This is what Victorino looks like in an airbrushed Red Sox uniform.  What a strange look for him after so many years.
Ezequiel Carrera: Final Phillies stats: 1 hit in 13 at-bats, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Felix Hernandez MINI!!: And as a great surprise, I pulled this 1:216 (or so) pack hand-numbered King Felix mini out of the final section of the rack pack.  Let's just call it an epic win.

Until the bug strikes again....

4 comments:

Marcus said...

Nice haul, especially that King Felix mini. Normally I'm not a big fan of cards that aren't the standard size, but I like those a lot. I guess it's the numbering on the front, and the fact that it's hand written. Weird that it makes a difference to me, but it does.

Play at the Plate said...

Nice Felix mini and the Cruz is sweet! I turned on the Rangers game today just in time to see Cruz hit a game tying two run homer!

Daniel said...

Nice Break. I just opened a heritage box myself.

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