Contest Winner Plus Case Break Minis!

First and foremost the scoring line from last night:

Aroldis Chapmin "closed" it out for the Cubbies last night and they took home the win 8-1.  11 total hits means our winner is #20 in the list:

Congratulations Barry W.!!!

I unfortunately do not have your contact information, nor can I really seem to find a way to get it.  So if you could reach out to me, we can get you hooked up with some Ginter!

On to the Ginter that I opened!

Today we're only going to cover 9 cards, but they are a fun group of 9 cards for me.  I probably will only end up keeping two of them, as I don't have much interest in the other subjects and I certainly don't collect these sets.

We're, of course, speaking of mini parallels (namely the rare ones)!

Regular back:

A&G back:

Black bordered:

No number: theoretically /50 (but not numbered)

Brooklyn back: /25

Cloth: /10 (limited run)

Metal: /3 (limited run)

Wood: /1 

Glossy: /1 (most likely included in retail as well???)

For this post I'm skipping over the first three types of minis.  I pulled a bunch of them... featuring a variety of players.

These first three are of the no-number flavor of mini.  These minis I find to be completely obnoxious because they aren't numbered... and they aren't numbered.  Eh!  Get it?

Alright, I'm done.  Anywho, these used to be hand-numbered to 50 and I figure Topps got lazy because they aren't anymore, yet folks are still fairly certain that there are approximately 50 of each of these floating around in the product still.

None of the above names are overly special, but this below one is kinda fun!

I don't mind having this card, even though she is suspended.  I enjoy watching tennis every once in a great while mostly because I have so much respect for the players and what they can do.  If you combine the two, tennis might be the most physically and technically demanding sport out there.

Obligatory post of the card backs.  Notice the missing numbers... and the missing number.

Onward to other minis says I!  More rare minis!  Next up in that list are these "new" Brooklyn back minis.  These used to be red backs, or Bazooka backs, or... I don't know.  There's been a lot of different names for these.

These now have the word "Brooklyn" on the back of them, so we must call them Brooklyn backs.  Whatever.  I rarely keep these unless I pull a Brave or someone I'm really interested in.  I got a Moose and a guy who makes a living by throwing a Frisbee around.  On a much happier note, these minis have numbers... many of them.

Next in line is the card that you've already seen.  I only got one cloth mini out of the case and it was a doozy.  Bryce Harper staring out into space with that ever confident look on his face.  This one is staying right here... at least for a while.

Next would be the metal minis numbered to 3.  I have never opened a metal mini, and this case did not yield any either.

A quick break in the action to highlight the other rare mini that I plan on keeping.  This is a case hit that is part of a 30 card insert set that is going to end up hitting my wallet REAL hard.  While these minis are still case hits like years past, they are 3X harder to get because there are three times as many.  EBay prices for last years case hits could be seen around $6 if you tried really hard (normally more like $8).  This year, I haven't seen one go for under $10 (including shipping) and they are routinely going in the $12-$15 range.  Not impressed. We're talking about $300-350 for this set.  BOOOOOOO.

The next type of mini is the first type of 1/1 mini.  The wood mini.  I didn't get any.

Butttttt....

I did get a glossy mini of Steve Carlton!  I have no interest in keeping it.  It'll probably end up on the eBay eventually, if I don't get anyone really coming after it hard.  I should probably be responsible and re-coup at least a little of my case cost.

Gintery Contest #3 Results!

Contest #3 is in the books!  I asked you all to number the non-baseball hits that I'd pull in this year's Allen and Ginter.  I was unable to find any retail near me by this deadline (of today) so it ended up being my case and the one Gint-a-Cuffs box.

Here's my non-baseball hits!

We start off with two relics.  One of a guy from "Field of Dreams," a movie that I've seen at least 5 times but could have never told you the name of this actor.  The other is of a boxer I know very little about, but he's apparently pretty good... meh.

Two more relics to make four.  Both of these I have zero interest in.  Though, I must say, that blue is mighty vibrant and I appreciate that.

Taking a break from relics and jumping over to two of my autographs from my case break.  Ari Shaffir is a comedian that I've never heard of.  To be fair, I really haven't heard of many comedians at all.  The only time I ever listen to comedy is if a random YouTube search brings me to it.

To date I've heard of and listened to the following comedians (more known for stand-up than for acting... the first two are borderline for this criteria):

Jerry Seinfeld - he's okay...

Bill Cosby - I enjoyed him up until his little... incident

Jeff Dunham - I find him to be above average and greatly applaud him for his completely insane talent of ventriloquy

Gabriel Iglesias - I find him to be completely unbearable

Brian Regan - I found him funny in high school... not so much anymore

John Pinette - This guy has my single favorite stand-up routine I've ever listened to (admittedly not a whole lot).  But if you think food is a funny subject and you have an hour, then enjoy.

Otherwise, I'm not very impressed with comedians and I really don't appreciate the recent trend of cornucopias of them showing up in Ginter product.  Oh well.

The other auto is of Vinny G.  He's from Jersey Shore.  Enough said... and yes, I had to look that up.

Hits numbers 7 and 8 bring us back to relics... and oh, looky that.  ANOTHER COMEDIAN.  Boo.

I did know who Steinberg was before writing this simply because I follow sports, but I don't really want a piece of his shirt.

Hit 9 comes from the only guy to beat Joey Chesnut at stuffing food down one's gullet.  Good for him!  I hope that blue is stained with mustard.

Hit number 10 I already showed off once, but it is that of an Ancient Roman coin.  Wooo!

Lookie here!  Did we ever hit it big with this one!  The last non-baseball hit from the case was an autograph of olympian Micheal Phelps!  I was definitely pumped when this came out of the pack.  After Sharapova got suspended for the year, either Costner or this Phelps auto became THE non-baseball auto to hit from this product.  Very happy with this pull.

But wait!  Not done yet!  We still have my Gint-a-Cuffs box.  That box yielded 1 non-baseball hit.  I'm not going to show it here, because that would spoil the fun.  Plus, it could influence Mr. Commish on his scoring.  We don't want to do that.

That means... the winner of this year's Gintery Contest #3 is he who guessed 12 hits!

One person guessed the number 12.

Congratulations to this year's winner!

Wilson (Tenets of Wilson)

You can expect an e-mail tomorrow with prize details!

For those of you who didn't win, remember to watch the Cubs and White Sox tonight!  ...and if you haven't gotten in on the fun yet, YOU STILL CAN!

Gintery Contest #1 Update!

Before I talk about winning, know that there's still one more contest you can join.  It's contest #5 and is located here!

I'm stealing defgav's idea of how to determine a contest winner (simply because I think it more fair and random).  So here's what we're going to do.  I'm going to randomize this list of people 5 times (the number of contests I did) and post it below.

The winner of this contest will be the person that occupies the slot for the total number of runs/hits/errors in tonight's Cubs-White Sox game.  If that number is over 26, we will simply loop the list, so 28 runs/hits/errors will make Josh D. in spot 2 the winner.  Make sense?  Good.

Good luck!

I should have an update on contest #3 this afternoon as well!

#Box 9

Allen & Ginter was released on Friday.  I had ordered it months ago from the card shop I occasionally work at.  I was talking with the owner over the past week and he wasn't sure if the case would actually come in right on release day (mostly because his shop is out in the boonies and the shipping companies aren't exactly the nicest to him).

I was at work on Friday on a 9-5 shift when I got a text from the owner:

"Your case is in."

Oh yeah!  I had a dilemma though... I was supposed to be getting dinner with the gf later that evening around 6ish.  Here's a map of CT.

Blue dot = work

Yellow dot = home/dinner

Green dot = Allen & Ginter case

See my problem?

So I decided to do the sensible thing... I cut work early.  Shhhh, don't tell anybody.  They have no idea what I did.

Regardless, I did the right thing the rest of the night and spent the evening with the girlfriend especially since it was the last day I was seeing her for quite some time as she goes to Disney... without me.

That left mostly yesterday for case opening shenanigans!

As I was opening the case and looking through cards, I was trying to decide how and what I wanted write about.  There are certainly a plethora of subjects I want to touch on this year like the minis, the Mejia SSP, what I got for hits, the card stock, and hobby odds, but this first subject seemingly wrote itself as I was opening the case.

It's simply my story and mindset while opening these packs.

When I obtained this case I briefly debated filming the opening or breaking it down into box-by-box posts, but quickly nixed both ideas.  I wanted to get these cards open ASAP both for trading purposes and so that I could actually mail out contest winnings before going on vacation.  Plus, there's already a blogger out there who loves A&G almost as much as I do and does a very good job with pack-by-pack postings (so if you're looking for that, go check out Nachos Grande).

I quickly opened boxes 1-6 of the case (144 packs for those of you counting) and noted my progress:

• 1 missing card (#343) for a complete base set
• Completed 2 of the 3 full-sized insert sets (72/100 of the 3rd)
• Mini inserts far from complete
• Notable pulls: 2 autos, 2 RIP cards, mini case hit (Skippers), Urias SSP, a Brooklyn back mini

I paused.  I was very happy with where I was at this point.  So happy, in fact, that I considered stopping for good right then and there.  I had done far "too well" on these first 6 boxes.  Additionally, the whole reason behind opening a case had just evaporated.  I had already hit all my expected "case hits."

Basically my thought process was, "you aren't going to hit anymore RIP cards, anymore Skippers inserts, and you've already had too many 'plus' boxes.  You can only go downhill from here."  My mind was thinking in mathematical terms... in terms of expected value... in terms of those people out there who are in this hobby to make a buck.

That thought iss what kept me opening.  I do this for fun and because I enjoy it.  Sure, I love pulling sweet hits as much as any other person, but I'm not in this to make money.

I opened more.

Box 7 and 8 were pretty much as I expected... not those 'plus' boxes you're looking for.  Three relics for hits and not much in terms of nice minis.

On I went.

On to Box 9... where, I kid you not, this is exactly how the hits revealed themselves:

The very first pack I opened contained this very bland Justin Verlander relic.  Moving on.

Three or so packs later yielded this very colorful piece of Kyle Seager fabric.  I'll touch on this VERY briefly right now because I was very impressed this year.  Topps really upped it's game with jersey pieces in this year's A&G (at least in the fabric I got).  Of the 20-some odd relics I received, the vast majority either featured extremely colorful material, were dual color, or had some other "fun" feature about them.  Trust me... that Verlander up there is in the minority.

Topps seems to think I like Jim Rice.  I actually laughed out loud when I saw this come out one of the packs from Box 9.  This is at least my 4th hit I've pulled of Rice in the past 2 years.  Unfortunately, I was born the year after he stopped playing so I certainly never got to see him on the ball field.  This is my first 1-of-1 of his though, so I'm definitely not complaining!

At this point, I thought I was through with hits for the box.  After all...

...the box specifically counts printing plates as one of your guaranteed 3 hits.  I have opened boxes with 4 hits before; in fact, one of the first 6 boxes I opened was a 3 relic/1 auto box which was pretty cool.  Ginter also always has other rare cards that are non-hits as well; case hit mini inserts, numbered minis, and SSP Urias's.

But I was certainly not expecting this numbered mini to fall out of this Box 9.  I might have to give this card it's own post just because its so purrty.  If you've never seen one of these cloth minis in person, please go out and buy one of your favorite player (just not from 2011... those frames are ugly).  They are that beautiful.

I might have gone a little ballistic when this card showed up just over halfway through Box 9.  I'm still ogling it.  I just went and made the 'B' in Box 9 capital everywhere in this post because I'm still so impressed.  I have dubbed "Box 9" to be a proper noun.  This card will 100% have it's own post... later.

Let's review:

• Version A Relic - 1:24
• Version B Relic - 1:24
• Printing Plate - 1:415
• Cloth mini - 1:443
• Ancient Rome Relic 1:1110

All in the same box, Box 9.  The chance of having the two relics, a printing plate, and a cloth mini show up in the same box: 0.313%.  That's impressive.

The chance of those showing up with an Ancient Rome Relic?  

 0.0068%

Cool.  Go Box 9!

That awesome Ancient Coin showed up around roughly pack 18 of 24 and I was overjoyed.  I made such a loud verbal exclamation that my roommate who has very little interest in baseball cards came out of his room to see what I had pulled.

Box 9 had exceeded all expectations.  The 6 packs remaining weren't your 'run-of-the-mill' packs either.  No, Box 9 will not relent!

No big deal.  Just a sweet looking autograph of a former Braves prospect that is young and has tons of speed!  We can add a 6th "hit" to that list.

• Framed Mini Autograph - 1:48

We're now at a .0034% chance of this box coming together at random.

In other terms, this is a 1:29,412 box... or you'd have to open 2,451 cases to see a box like this!  To be fair, I've seen a bit of talk of these kind of seeming "hot boxes," but nothing this insane.  Bryce Harper cloth! Common.

I'll recap the rest of my case and show some more pretty pictures in another post.  This one is long enough as is.  In the meantime:

 #Box 9

Gintery Contest #4 Results!!!

Contest #3 is in the books!  Thank you all for participating!  I had 16 different entries and ended up choosing 4 finalists that had me giggling the most.

The winner of this contest (according to a variety of different people that read over these 4 finalists) is defgav of Baseball Card Breakdown!  I'll shoot you an e-mail once the other winners have been determined.

Meanwhile, enjoy the MadLibbing of our 4 finalists below and come back next week for the revelation of two more contest winners!!!


Bloggers take notice!  An 89UD Griffey #1 has been seen pulsing to the tune of Get Out of My Dreams (And Into My Car).  Weird Al attempted to shower on Take Your Daughter to Work Day but failed in his effort.  Authorities decided to urinate, and caught the perpetrator in the process.  However, it has been determined that the unopened packs of 1989 Topps are still not safe.  To combat the further busting of the Upper Deck Griffey RC, please refrain from PSA grading while writing blog posts.  Furthermore, to encourage a PSA Gem Mint 10 community, always lick while reading other blogger’s creations.

Thank you for your stinky assistance in this matter.

-The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Bloggers take notice!  A pizza has been seen skywriting to the tune of I'd Do Anything For Love (But I won't Do That).  Tom Sawyer attempted to twerk on Saturday but failed in his effort.  Authorities decided to pounce, and caught the perpetrator in the process.  However, it has been determined that the balloons are still not safe.  To combat the further jumping of the pizza, please refrain from counting while writing blog posts.  Furthermore, to encourage a blue community, always whine while reading other blogger’s creations.

Thank you for your spotted assistance in this matter.

-Mr. Bean

Bloggers take notice!  A pig has been seen shrieking to the tune of Pompeii.  Pete Rose attempted to beat it on Wednesday but failed in his effort.  Authorities decided to walk, and caught the perpetrator in the process.  However, it has been determined that the pull tabs are still not safe.  To combat the further killing of the pig, please refrain from roasting while writing blog posts.  Furthermore, to encourage a slovenly community, always leave while reading other blogger’s creations.

Thank you for your churlish assistance in this matter.

-Jay Barker

Bloggers take notice!  A baseball has been seen collecting to the tune of I Remember You.  Madison Bumgarner attempted to jump it on Friday but failed in his effort.  Authorities decided to vomit, and caught the perpetrator in the process.  However, it has been determined that the binders are still not safe.  To combat the further running of the baseball, please refrain from punching while writing blog posts.  Furthermore, to encourage an ugly community, always fight while reading other blogger’s creations.

Thank you for your colorful assistance in this matter.

-Johnny Bench

Gintery Contest 2016 Edition #5

Allen & Ginter releases on 7/22!  I haven't posted about this contest series in a bit so just a reminder that you can still get in on 3 of the 4 previous contests if you haven't entered yet!

Contest #1: Deadline 7/27

Contest #3: Deadline 7/20 (yes... that would be tomorrow)

Contest #4: Deadline 7/27

For this last contest, we're hearkening back to last year again and we're all going to be opening a pack of 2016 Allen & Ginter.  That's the theme of this contest after all... is it not?  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find a single pack of this year's Allen & Ginter.  It can be hobby or retail.  It can be part of a blaster, a case/box break you're doing.  Whatever.  All you have to do is designate it as the pack for this contest.

Open it.  Review it. If you have a blog, post about it.  If you don't have a blog, e-mail me your review.  I'll post it for you!  If you choose the first option, make sure you comment on this post with a link to your pack review (so that I can actually read it)!

I'll probably have a group of my friends decide the winner for this one and it'll probably be based loosely on what's in the pack, the creativity of the review, and perhaps some other things.  I'm going on vacation to visit the glorious green carpets (yes... mini golf) of Cape Cod from 7/31-8/6.  I feel that giving folks only a week to do this would be a little unfair to those whose Wal-Marts and Targets are slow to get new product on the shelf, so this contest will have a deadline of the day I get back (8/6).

Good luck!

Allen & Ginter Insert Overview Series #81

Set: 2009 Allen & Ginter Baseball Highlights

            Total Cards: 25

            Stated Odds: 1:6

Bubba’s Derived Odds: 1:6

           # of Hobby Boxes Needed to Obtain Set: 6.25

It's been some time since I last wrote one of these up.  We're currently on post #81 and we're going backwards so I'm really on post number 20... out of 100.  I went back in time recently to accommodate the newer 2015 sets and we're just now back to where we should be in the countdown.  Here's the link to #82 which was the 2010 version of this same set.

Both sets require the same 6.25 hobby boxes to complete but this set gets the nod as slightly more difficult to complete due to its size of 25 cards compared to 15.

Favorite (Owned) Card:

I don't really like the Yankees, and Jeter isn't exactly my favorite player in the world, but this card, and this play will always live in my memories.  I have always enjoyed when players go all out for fly-balls, especially when they end up crashing into the stands or a dugout.  Perhaps the only defensive plays I enjoy more are insane throws from deep in the hole or from way out in the outfield.  It just so happens to be quite difficult to capture that type of play on cardboard, so this becomes my de-facto choice for defensive themed cards.

Notes and Comments:
The set design itself: Topps made similar insert sets to this one from 2009-2012.  They were occasionally given different titles, but the general concept was the same.  Find some baseball highlights either from the past year or from recent baseball history and make cards about them.  At its heart, I think this is a fine idea.  This 2009 version of the set just so happened to pick highlights from the past decade.  It features multiple cards of superstars from the day (Griffey Jr., Jeter, Chipper, and a bunch of other Yankees) achieving a milestone of some sort or having some highlight play.  This works for me.

The 2010 set does something very similar, but only focused on highlights and milestones from the previous season.  This also worked for me.  It invoked some fond memories of that 2009 season and featured players that weren't necessarily superstars.

As you'll see in future posts, I didn't like the 2011 or 2012 versions of these sets (even though they're quite similar to these two sets that I do enjoy).  I think the problem is two-fold: design and repetition.  I'll go deeper when I review those sets individually.

As for this set, I truly love it.  I think the watercolor feel to the pictures are phenomenal (not to mention that the cards mesh so nicely with the '09 base set).  I also am a big fan of these particular card borders and titling.  They almost remind me of those old barber-shop polls, just in a different color.

Arbitrary Rating (out of 100): 81

Click link above for complete up-to-date ratings

% of Set Completed: 80%

Missing Cards: AGHS2, AGHS3, AGHS4, AGHS7, AGHS22

Extra Cards: AGHS9, AGHS10, AGHS11, AGHS14, AGHS15, AGHS18, AGHS23, AGHS24

Gintery Contest: 2016 Edition #2 Update

I follow Crackin' Wax (a guy who breaks cases for charity) and he always does a case of Allen & Ginter.  I was looking around his page today and I saw that he had a link to the 2016 Ginter checklist posted.

Here it is...

http://www.topps.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GinterCL.pdf

I have no idea where he got it from because I can't for the life of me find any checklist on topps' website, but here it is... and it looks pretty legit.

That being said, it also appears that Mr. Jorge Soler garnered Ginter's #1 spot this year.  If this is indeed official then the winner of Gintery Contest #2 is... well, nobody.

Sigh.

Whelp, at least I've got 4 more to go!  Thank you to all who have participated so far!

Gintery Contest 2016 Edition #4

Welcome to day 4 of contests of Gintery goodness.  I’ve arbitrarily decided that today will host the penultimate contest of this year’s series.  That being said, I will probably wait to post contest #5 for another couple of days simply because it isn’t very time-sensitive.  On the off chance that you’re seeing this for the first time today here’s the three other contests I’m currently hosting.  If you have been following, here’s some administrative stuff (namely deadlines) for these contests.

Contest #1: Deadline 7/27

Contest #2: Deadline undetermined (probably pretty soon!)

Contest #3: Deadline 7/20

…and this is Contest #4!  It shall also have a deadline of 7/27.

Here’s what you have to do.  It requires a bit more effort than the other 3, but I think the prizes you can win are probably worth it!  Oh yeah!  The prizes!  Here they are!

• A complete base set of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A complete base set minus SP's of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A selected 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter relic/auto (by you) from those I pull (there will be a VERY minor number of disqualifications, but you'll get to see the full list before choosing this option)
• All the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter base baseball box toppers I pull
• Your choice of 20 A&G back minis
• A copy of every duplicate I pull from the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter The Numbers Game set (on average this should be about 3/4 of the set)
• Your choice of 30 duplicate inserts (mini or regular sized, minis count as 2)

Today’s contest ended up being the last one that was created.  I learned last year that I can’t really make these things too complicated or else people simply won’t participate.  Even if no one else participates, I’ve already had resounding success and participation for the first three and that makes me overjoyed!  Meanwhile, I still wanted to have a good quantity of contests so that there were more chances for people to win.  I struggled finding a way to provide simple, yet also fun and creative contests.  I have to credit my girlfriend for this last idea.  Hopefully it’ll turn out to be a resounding success!

We’ve all played MadLibs at some point in our lives… at least I hope.  If you haven’t, find a friend and play.  It can be quite the hilarious experience.

In any case, I’ve made my own MadLibs and you folks get to fill it in!  The only thing I will tell you is the title; “A Warning to Bloggers”.  Below is a link to a Survey Monkey where you can fill in your responses (it’s only 15, don’t worry).  Fill it out and you get a chance to win!  Good luck!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQ2T6JJ

Let me know if any of you happen to have a problem with this link.  This is the first time I’ve done a Survey Monkey.  It looks pretty simple, and I tested it, but you never know with technology.

Gintery Contest 2016 Edition #3

We can't have enough contests says I!  So here's another one!  In case you STILL haven't seen my other two there's one here where all you have to do is comment... and one here where you just have to provide me with a name!  Get in on them before its too late!

Without further ado, here's today's wonderfully Gintery contest!

I've been a Ginter fan from close to the start

and every year since I load up my cart

with boxes of Ginter of all shapes and sizes

to chase minis, sets, and other great prizes!

A case, I say! Sitting on my front stoop!

Not to mention some retail I'll open to boot.

My task for you is to number them all,

those hits I obtain in this glorious haul!

Eliminate any of those that play ball on a field

and comment below with that number, unconcealed.

Last, but not least, to prevent those dreaded ties,

there is one final thing a participant must provide.

Your ballteam of choice, they you knew from the start,

via hits of those players, all ties will depart!

Another reminder of what one can win!

• A complete base set of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A complete base set minus SP's of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A selected 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter relic/auto (by you) from those I pull (there will be a VERY minor number of disqualifications, but you'll get to see the full list before choosing this option)
• All the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter base baseball box toppers I pull
• Your choice of 20 A&G back minis
• A copy of every duplicate I pull from the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter The Numbers Game set (on average this should be about 3/4 of the set)
• Your choice of 30 duplicate inserts (mini or regular sized, minis count as 2)

...and I'll be a bit more clear about what I'm looking for because I know my rhyming scheme is probably abysmal.  Comment below with the number of A&G hits I open minus the number of those hits that feature baseball players (non-sport hits basically).  Also provide your favorite baseball team to break ties.

Hint:  I open a case, a Gint-A-Cuffs box, and a few blasters.

Gintery Contest: 2016 Edition #2

Day 1 of this contest has started swimmingly.  If you haven't seen yet, you can still get in on part 1.  Find it here!  A quick reminder of possible winnings:

• A complete base set of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A complete base set minus SP's of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A selected 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter relic/auto (by you) from those I pull (there will be a VERY minor number of disqualifications, but you'll get to see the full list before choosing this option)
• All the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter base baseball box toppers I pull
• Your choice of 20 A&G back minis
• A copy of every duplicate I pull from the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter The Numbers Game set (on average this should be about 3/4 of the set)
• Your choice of 30 duplicate inserts (mini or regular sized, minis count as 2)

...and now on with the contest!!!

Every year, especially when a player gets hot,
Topps choses that player for a special #1 spot.
So Bubba has a task for you contest participants
an endeavor you must take on with all diligence.
Tell me the player Topps has chosen to revere,
the player that takes the #1 spot for this year.
Provide the answer to one receiving clout
but take care and do it before the checklist comes out!

I've tried to help you all out a little with this one.  Here's all the number #1's from previous years.  Comment with your answers below.  The person who comments first and gets it right will win, so I would suggest not duplicating answers.  For this contest, you can provide an answer once every 24 hours (simply comment again).

2016: ???
2015: Madison Bumgarner
2014: Roger Maris
2013: Miguel Cabrera
2012: Albert Pujols
2011: Carlos Gonzalez
2010: Adam Lind
2009: Jay Bruce
2008: Alex Rodriguez
2007: Ryan Howard
2006: Albert Pujols

Back with a Bang! A Contest for All!

Summer is seemingly always a busy time of year for many people.  I can even see it with you other bloggers out there.  People have parties to attend, vacations to go on, and friends to visit, and I don't blame them in the slightest.  My particular summer has been more along the lines of friends and family oriented, including recently spending quite a lot of time with a very special woman who happens to be quite a lot more important to me than keeping this blog going.

I haven't spent much time on this hobby in general over the past few months.  Even my favorite part of the hobby (trading) has slowed to a standstill.  That being said, Allen & Ginter is right around the corner.  That means...

I'm holding contests.  Yes plural.  I'm going to get right to it because people are going to want to know what they can possibly win.  Simply put, if you are lucky enough to win one of these contests over the next couple weeks you will get to choose your prize from the following:

• A complete base set of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A complete base set minus SP's of 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter
• A selected 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter relic/auto (by you) from those I pull (there will be a VERY minor number of disqualifications, but you'll get to see the full list before choosing this option)
• All the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter base baseball box toppers I pull
• Your choice of 20 A&G back minis
• A copy of every duplicate I pull from the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter The Numbers Game set (on average this should be about 3/4 of the set)
• Your choice of 30 duplicate inserts (mini or regular sized, minis count as 2)

I would note that these are all limited by who ends up wanting what.  Obviously, I am only going to have one extra set of SP's, so that first prize can only be had by one person.  Last year, I had a drawing to see who would get to pick first if I remember correctly.  Regardless, everyone should come away happy.

Your first avenue to entry is simple.  Simply comment on this post!  Last year I required one to pimp this contest.  There's no need for that this year, but feel free if you so choose!  Any help is appreciated.

All commenteers will be thrown bodily into a random drawing.  Last one standing will get a prize of their choice (see above).