2014 Spirit Base: 341-350

#341 - Jarred Cosart
Cosart was decent with the Astros but he's been great since being traded to the Marlins. (And I was worried about having enough cards for Series 3...)

#342 - Danny Duffy
What an great name.

#343 - Mike Trout
It's funny how Trout's 2014 batting average is under .300 and OBP is under .400 yet this will be the year he finally wins MVP.

#344 - Scott Van Slyke
Really good lighting for this photo.

#345 - Garrett Jones
Thus concludes the "men holding bats" portion of the checklist.

#346 - Wily Peralta
I know Wily's not pronounced how it looks but I really hope he starts getting called "The Coyote."

#347 - Josh Willingham
Former Twin, current Royal.

#348 - Dillon Gee
Sifting through all his photos, Gee has that scared "oh my god, please don't hit it" look on his face for every pitch.

#349 - Michael Pineda
Hmm, that palm looks awfully clean there...

#350 - Josh Donaldson
Every single A's photo needs recolored since I want the greens to match. I don't mind it though since that kelly green looks so damn good.

2014 Spirit Base: 331-340

#331 - Wade Miley
I wonder if adding the word "nude" to the description here will get me any more page hits...

#332 - Justin Upton
I wonder if adding the word "leak" to the description here will get me any more page hits...

#333 - Nelson Cruz
Ya know, I'm happy for Nelly that he was able to avoid the Rangers' shitshow this year and is poised to do well with the Orioles in the playoffs. He deserves better than being remembered as the goat of the 2011 World Series.

#334 - Jon Lester
I guess I should've paid more attention to the offseason trade forecasts and stuck Lester in Series 1. Though, if I wasn't so late getting around to Series 2, having him here in a Red Sox uniform wouldn't look so bad.

#335 - Nate Schierholtz
After his 2013 season, it looked like Nate was finally turning the corner after getting out of the Bochy Zone. Then he posted an OPS+ of 49 this season before the Cubs cut him loose. Now he's on the Nationals' bench, battling for a spot on their post-season roster. Good luck, Nate.

#336 - Marcus Semien
Having his ups and downs this season. It'll be interesting to see where he fits on the White Sox roster next year.

#337 - Mat Latos
Can't decide if he looks more like Billy from Family Circus or Black Francis. He's about as endearing as both, either way.

#338 - David Murphy
Again, happy for Murph that he escaped Arlington this year. Too bad the Indians probably won't be making the playoffs, though.

#339 - Jordan Lyles
Lyles has actually been decent this season, making the Dexter Fowler trade look a little less bonkers.

#340 - Nick Castellanos
Nobody expected him to be Miggy at the plate. But nobody expected him to be Miggy in the field, either.

Spirit Base: 321 - 330

#321 - Cody Asche
That's a long E at the end there.

#322 - Edinson Volquez
That's some intense pitchface.

#323 - Adam Wainwright
2014 Cy Young candidate?

#324 - Yonder Alsonso
I wonder if Dick Enberg has ever been able to make a "way over Yonder" call on a line drive to right field?
 

#325 - Jake Dunning - I'm sure nobody outside of the Giants fanbase has heard of Dunning. He pitched enough in 2013 I figured he deserved at least one MLB card, even if it's a fake one.

#326 - Nick Franklin
I can't help but think the Mariner's could've gotten a bigger return for Franklin than Austin Jackson if they would've traded him directly after signing Cano. Oh well, they seem to be doing just fine.

#327 - David Price
Speaking of said trade, I figured since Price will be getting another card with the Tigers in Series 3 (ha), I could use this WTF-photo here.

#328 - Mitch Moreland
Like a lot of Rangers, Moreland didn't make it out of 2014 unscathed. He only got 52 games in before season-ending surgery.

#329 - Esmil Rogers
Rogers pitched less than impressively for 16 games before the Blue Jays waived him. The Yankees picked him up and have squeezed some Yankee Magic out of him.

#330 - Ryan Zimmerman
Poor Zim can't stay healthy these days.

2014 Spirit Base: 311-320

#311 - Brett Oberholtzer
I wish there was just a little bit more area all around the edges of this photo. His foot and glove are a little too close to the edge.

#312 - Billy Butler
Again with the crazy blue. At some point it matched the blue from the photo :/

#313 - Jered Weaver
The soft background focus is really nice here.

#314 - Dee Gordon
I really miss the pre-2014 Dee Gordon...

#315 - Jose Fernandez
I really wonder how the Marlins' season would've turned out if he hadn't gotten hurt. They've been respectable without him so one would think their fast start wasn't a fluke.

#316 - Khris Davis
Do the Brewers wear this gold jerseys very often? They're a nice change of pace from the dark navy.

#317 - Ricky Nolasco
Why, Twins?

#318 - David Wright
Those Steve Rogers comparisons really died down this year, huh?

#319 - Ichiro Suzuki
I'm curious to see if Ichiro quietly hangs them up after this season or if, after witnessing the Jeter Farewell Yankfest all season, he decides to stick around another year and get a taste of that action.

#320 - Josh Reddick
I guess it's Oakland's turn to do the AL West late-season collapse thing this year since the Rangers are nowhere in sight of the playoffs.

2014 Spirit Base: 301-310

Let's start unpacking Series 2 (better late than never...)

#301 - Aaron Hill
I like that he's mimicking the shape of the Diamondbacks' logo here.

#302 - Ramiro Pena
I had to look him up on Baseball-Refernce.com to check his position. Turns out he's not a relief pitcher like his name would indicate. Go figure.

#303 - Adam Jones
#304 - A.J. Pierzynski

The alpha and omega of MLB A.J.'s. On the left we have the most likable one with a fun, friendly photo. On the right, the most hate-able one with an appropriately dickish photo. Pretty proud of my work on this pair.

#305 - Travis Wood
I've noticed the blues really looking funky lately.

#306 - Avisail Garcia
I'm really glad the ball was able to make it in-frame here.

#307 - Tony Cingrani
His last name is kinda fun to say. Try it at home.

#308 - Michael Brantley
Brantley's probably the breakthrough player of this season. I hope he keeps playing at this level for many seasons to come.

#309 - D.J. LeMahieu
I'll never get tired of hearing jokes about D.J. LeMahieu "spinning at the club" or whatever.

#310 - Alex Avila
What a classic cardboard pose here.

Gint-A-Cuffs (Part 2)

ROLLING TOTAL: 72

PACK 13
111 - Frank Robinson Mini
10 - Andrew McCutchen
114 - Desmond Jennings
118 - Adam Schefter
131 - Buster Posey (SFG) +1
252 - Didi Gregorius
197 - Brian McCann (NYY) -1
WC17 - Taipei +2

PACK TOTAL: 2
ROLLING TOTAL: 74

Hey, looky there, a Giant! I probably should have picked Buster as my favorite player but my heart's been winning the battle with my brain regarding Timmy for like 3 years now.

PACK 14
90 - Roy Halladay Mini
46 - John L. Sullivan +1
133 - Xander Bogaerts
194 - Avisail Garcia
208 - Al Kaline
226 - Bob Gibson
350 - Manny Machado (SP) +2
PPJM - Justin Masterson +2

PACK TOTAL: 5
ROLLING TOTAL: 79

PACK 15
WDP03 - Blue-Ringed Octopus Mini +3
25 - Joe DiMaggio (NYY) -1
90 - Roy Halladay
136 - Carlos Gonzalez
151 - James Paxton
217 - Jose Iglesias
266 - Prince Fielder
NW02 - Shilin Stone Forest +2

PACK TOTAL: 4
ROLLING TOTAL: 83

PACK 16
285 - Carl Crawford A&G Mini +2
137 - Reggie Jackson
260 - Jay Bruce
267 - Kevin Clancy
271 - Chuck Klosterman +1
282 - Salvador Perez
343 - Phil Niekro (SP) +2
PPPF - Prince Fielder +2

PACK TOTAL: 7
ROLLING TOTAL: 90

PACK 17
225 - Pedro Martinez Mini
53 - Sandy Koufax
87 - Alex Gordon
143 - Eddie Mathews
203 - Jared Weaver
238 - Bert Kreischer
301 - Matt Kemp (FP & SP) +4
PPCG - Carlos Gonzalez +2

PACK TOTAL: 6
ROLLING TOTAL: 96

PACK 18
155 - Yogi Berra Mini (NYY) -1
7 - Hector Santiago
36 - Yadier Molina (FP) +2
117 - Yu Darvish (FP) +2
128 - Bill Rancic -1
287 - Chuck Zito
333 - Stephen Strasburg (SP) +2
PPMMA - Mark McGwire +2

PACK TOTAL: 6
ROLLING TOTAL: 102

Lots of scoring cards in this pack. Enough to push me into triple digits. I was starting to worry...

PACK 19
WDP13 - Brazilian Wandering Spider +3
43 - Craig Kimbrel
67 - Omar Vizquel (FP) +2
79 - Matt Adams
247 - Billy Williams
FAF05 - Pingxi Lantern Festival +2
RBJH - Jason Heyward Framed Mini Relic +20

PACK TOTAL: 27
RUNNING TOTAL: 129

And we're into the hit column. It seems like this year the relic cards are of more collectable players and not so many "nobodies" like past years. I also like how they've made the mini relic cards team-color coordinated. A nice change of pace.

PACK 20
248 - Mark Teixeira A&G Mini (NYY) (+2 / -1) +1
23 - Snoop Lion -1
199 - Joe Mauer
231 - Carlos Gomez
298 - Deion Sanders
FAF04 - Holi Festival +2
FSRMK - Matt Kemp Full-Size Relic (FP) (x1.7) +13.6

PACK TOTAL: 15.6
ROLLING TOTAL: 144.6

Hit #2. And thanks to Greg for having questionable tastes in favorite players (I keed).

PACK 21
NNO - Johnny Cueto Mini +6
54 - Yordano Ventura
163 - Paul Molitor (FP) +2
253 - Rickey Henderson
277 - Trevor Rosenthal
WC14 - Tokyo +2
FSRDP - David Price Full-Size Relic +8

PACK TOTAL: 16
ROLLING TOTAL: 160.6

And there's my last hit. I feel like Topps packed these boxes with LCSs in mind. Sticking the hits on the bottom of the box keeps those cheapskates buying loosies. Well done.

PACK 22
202 - Jim Rice Mini
4 - Edwin Encarnacion
156 - Jean Segura
158 - Carlton Fisk
206 - Willie McCovey (SFG) +1
237 - James Shields
334 - Erik Johnson (SP) +2
PPMS - Max Scherzer +2

PACK TOTAL: 5
ROLLING TOTAL: 165.6

Giant #3. Same as the number of hits.

PACK 23
WNE14 - Winslow Homer Mini +3
50 - Orlando Hernandez (NYY) -1
71 - Wade Boggs
121 - Freddie Freeman (FP) +2
124 - Jonathan Schoop
NW13 - Moeraki Boulders +2
103 - Jose Altuve Silk +22

PACK TOTAL: 28
ROLLING TOTAL: 193.6

BONUS HIT! And it's even one of my non-PC favorite players!

PACK 24
OBA10 - Ishikawa Goemon +3
45 - Nomar Garciaparra
51 - Oswaldo Arcia
78 - Zack Greinke
152 - Vince Gilligan
292 - Andre Dawson
311 - Anibal Sanchez +2
PPJV - Joey Votto (FP) +4

PACK TOTAL: 9
ROLLING TOTAL: 202.6

Huh, how do you like that? 24 packs and somehow pull more hits than Giants, none of which were my favorite player. Sounds like I need some extra points.

SELFIE +5
The bonus hit is my favorite card. It probably turned the box from a sack of sorrow to a satisfying snack.

Gint-A-Cuffs (Part 1)

Once again, I've signed up to take part in the annual box break battle known as Gint-A-Cuffs. It's always fun and if you have the patience you should definitely look into participating next year. I've decided to condense the results into two post since I've done a lot of post-padding with the whole Spirit base stuff (the completion of which isn't looking too promising at the moment.)

BOXTOPPER
Lincoln Memorial +5
ROLLING TOTAL: 5

PACK 1
259 - Jim Calhoun A&G Mini +2
6 - Laura Phelps Sweatt
57 - Carlos Beltran (NYY) -1
98 - David Wright (FP) +2
125 - Glen Waggoner
187 - David Price
263 - Alfonso Soriano (NYY) -1
FAF08 - Dia de los Muertos +2

PACK TOTAL: 4
ROLLING TOTAL: 9

LOL at Alfonso Soriano being included in A&G this year. Pretty sure he was DFA'd right around the product release. Nice forecasting there, Topps.

PACK 2
190 - Kolten Wong Mini
18 - Ryne Sandberg
169 - Dale Murphy
176 - Anthony Robles
232 - Ozzie Smith
268 - Jarrod Parker
320 - Christian Yelich (SP) +2
PPTT - Troy Tulowitzki +2

PACK TOTAL: 4
ROLLING TOTAL: 13

PACK 3
339 - Jeff Samardzija Mini SP +3
16 - Bartolo Colon
76 - Cal Ripken, Jr.
95 - Austin Wierschke -1
164 - Jenny Dell
248 - Mark Teixeira (NYY) -1
299 - Enny Romero
WC06 - Brasilia +2

PACK TOTAL: 3
ROLLING TOTAL: 16

Can't argue with the Commish ruling Wierschke as a whammy card.

PACK 4
347 - Allen Craig A&G Mini SP +6
66 - Roger Clemens
167 - Nick Castellanos
195 - Chris Carpenter
285 - Carl Crawford
189 - Kyle Seager
326 - Mike Olt SP +2
PPJS - James Shields +2

PACK TOTAL: 10
ROLLING TOTAL: 26

PACK 5
208 - Al Kaline Mini
89 - Chuck Todd
175 - Chase Utley (FP) +2
179 - Chris Archer
269 - Jose Abreu
295 - Ryan Braun
296 - Joey Votto (FP) +2
WC11 - Buenos Aires +2

PACK TOTAL: 6
ROLLING TOTAL: 32

PACK 6
258 - Ricky Nolasco A&G Mini +2
9 - Koji Uehara
29 - Shelby Miller
33 - Alex Avila
34 - Felix Hernandez
270 - Ryan Howard (FP) +2
317 - Paul Goldschmidt (SP) +2
PPJK - Jason Kipnis +2

PACK TOTAL: 8
ROLLING TOTAL: 40

PACK 7
148 - Bryce Harper Black-Bordered Mini +3
122 - Craig Biggio (FP) +2
82 - Jackie Robinson
145 - Derek Jeter (NYY) -1
234 - Roberto Clemente
242 - Warren Spahn
291 - Aramis Ramirez
NW12 - Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa +2

PACK TOTAL: 6
ROLLING TOTAL: 46

PACK 8
ITU01 - Christopher Columbus Mini +3
37 - Wil Myers
115 - Dustin Pedroia
130 - Mike Zunino
141 - Starlin Castro
191 - Jordan Burroughs
331 - Curtis Granderson (SP) +2
PPMC - Miguel Cabrera +2

PACK TOTAL: 7
ROLLING TOTAL: 53

PACK 9
218 - Casey Kelly A&G Mini +2
15 - Matt Williams
42 - Junior Lake
134 - Jordan Zimmermann
192 - Daniel Nava
228 - Orlando Cepeda (SFG) +1
246 - Dwight Gooden
FOY05 - Wrigley Field +2

PACK TOTAL: 5
ROLLING TOTAL: 58

Finally, my first Giants card. This doesn't seem to bode well for the rest of the box.

PACK 10
348 - Billy Butler SP Mini +3
127 - Greg Maddux
159 - George Brett
196 - Eddie Murray
207 - Justin Upton
272 - Tim Raines
340 - Dennis Eckersley (SP) +2
PPJVE - Justin Verlander +2

PACK TOTAL: 7
ROLLING TOTAL: 65

PACK 11
99 - Wilin Rosario Black-Bordered Mini +3
12 - Jedd Gyorko
24 - Jorge Posada (NYY) -1
69 - Johnny Cueto
148 - Bryce Harper
209 - Vladimir Guerrero
290 - Hanley Ramirez
AS15 - V-22 Osprey +2

PACK TOTAL: 4
ROLLING TOTAL: 69

Not a big fan of them devoting a whole insert set to glorify the Military Industrial Complex but I'm probably in the minority on this one.

PACK 12
233 - Dan Straily Mini
3 - Matt Davidson
41- Lou Gehrig (NYY) -1
100 - Queen Victoria
126 - Willie Stargell
204 - Albert Pujols
324 - Adam Wainwright (SP) +2
PPTG - Tom Glavine +2

PACK TOTAL: 3
ROLLING TOTAL: 72

Welp, at the halfway point I've pulled only 1 Giant, 6 Yankees and 0 hits. I guess you could say that I have a good second-half of the box awaiting me. We'll see...

**EDITED TO ADD...***
Looks like I forgot to scan the 2-point David Wright card from Pack 1. Here it is for verification.