2015 Gint-a-cuffs (Part 3 of 3)

Heading into the final 8 packs, I'm sitting at a whopping 100 points. Let's put this thing down.

#36 - Anthony Ranaudo

#45 - Chris Owings

#90 - Darren Rovell

#147 - Yoenis Cespedes

#167 - Julie Foudy

#322 - Mark Melancon

SP-69 Chase Utley (Starting Points) +2

MINI BP-10 Tyto Alba (Birds of Prey) +2

PACK TOTAL: 4

RUNNING TOTAL: 104

I feel like the Birds of Prey set is a pretty blatant appeal by Topps to a certain card blogger.

#14 - LaTroy Hawkins

#33 - Michael Wacha

#106 - Yunel Escobar

#178 - Travis d’Arnaud

#213 - Elvis Andrus

#275 - Billy Hamilton

SP-15 Jon Lester (Starting Points) +2

MINI 112 - Buck 65

PACK TOTAL: 2

RUNNING TOTAL: 106

Even without the lens of non-scoring Gint-a-cuffs cards, this is a pretty unremarkable pack. 

#59 - Hector Rondon

#89 - Jonathan Papelbon

#157 - Jose Reyes

#288 - Robinson Cano

GS-10 Dolly the Sheep (Great Scott!) +2

FSRB-JVO Joey Votto Full-Sized Relic (FPx1.7) +10.2

MINI 112 - Buck 65 (A&G Back) +2

PACK TOTAL: 14.2

RUNNING TOTAL: 120.2

One the heels of the most boring pack of the box, we've come to the final hit of the box, a full-size gray relic. Luckily, Mr. Votto is on the Favorite Player list so he bumps up the point value a bit. Still, it was right around this point I started to accept that I'm not winning this year. Let's soldier through th rest of box.

#31 - Frank Caliendo

#54 - Javier Baez

#158 - Kurt Suzuki

#276 - Alex Rodriguez (YANKEES) -1

#281 - Cory Spangenberg

#314 - Ian Desmond

AA-18 Dory Spear (Ancient Armory) +2

MINI 264 - Matt Kemp (Black-Bordered) +3

PACK TOTAL: 4

RUNNING TOTAL: 124.2

The A-Rod card is a lot less palatable at this point of the break.

#6 - Lucas Duda

#168 - Clay Buchholz

#171 - Anthony Rendon

#193 - Aramis Ramirez

#256 - Sonny Gray

#301 - Justin Morneau

SP-49 Joe Mauer (Starting Points) +2

MINI 276 - Alex Rodriguez (A&G Back / YANKEES) +1

PACK TOTAL: 3

RUNNING TOTAL: 127.2

Okay, seriously. What is with all of these A-Rod cards??

#101 - Stephen Strasburg

#217 - Wade Miley

#229 - Ivan Drago -1

#237 - Hyun-Jin Ryu

#246 - Andrew Cashner

#321 - Ben Zobrits

SP-29 Victor Martinez (Starting Points) +2

MINI 123 - Micah Johnson (A&G Flag Back) +8

PACK TOTAL: 9

RUNNING TOTAL: 136.2

The A&G Flag Back mini was a nice little surprise. Granted, I couldn't tell you a single fact about Micah Johnson so it could've been a little nicer surprise.

#84 - Josh Harrison

#257 - Pablo Sandoval

#268 - Jimbo Fisher -1

#284 - Jay Bruce

#300 - Bryce Brentz

#306 - Stephen Drew (YANKEES) -1

SP-80 Fernando Rodney (Starting Points) +2

MINI 309 - Gabe Kapler (SP) +3

PACK TOTAL: 3

RUNNING TOTAL: 139.2

Alright, things are getting a little gross here. I'm ready for the end.

#13 - Koji Uehara

#115 - Dustin Pedroia

#175 - DJ LeMahieu

#204 - Chase Headley (YANKEES) -1

#231 - Henderson Alvarez

#320 - Dallas Keuchel

WAS-6 Brontosaurus (What Once Was Believed) +2

MINI HBF-6 Benjamin Hornigold (Hoist the Black Flag) +2

PACK TOTAL: 3

FINAL TOTAL: 142.2

That happy little brontosaurus is the saving grace of the last few packs. I somehow managed to score 60 fewer points than last year's box. Can't win them all I suppose. It was still fun and I'm anxious to see how/if I rebound in 2016.

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.

Gint-A-Cuffs V: Packs 17-24

We're heading into the final third of the box with a running score of 148. I wonder if my lucky streak will stretch another year?

PACK 17
FP/ATY Trevor Bauer +4

PACK TOTAL +4
ROLLING TOTAL +152

PACK 18
164 Chris Mortensen -1
ATY C.J. Wilson +2
Mini Relic: Roy Jones, Jr. +10

PACK TOTAL +11
ROLLING TOTAL +163

Well this is interesting. All 3 of my hits were relics but none of them came in the same format. The Roy Jones, Jr. here has a different colored frame around it. I think the light blue on the Belle is a lot more flattering. This mauve color is just way to drab here. Plus the plain borders are so far away from the ornate borders on pretty much every other card in the set. I guess the red fabric swatch is cool, though. Really makes me wonder what article of clothing it's from since boxer trunks are usually all silky and shiny, no?

PACK 19
128 Joe Mauer (FP) +2
344 Nolan Ryan (SP) +2
Martial Mastery: Zulu +3
A&G Mini: 288 Chris Davis +2

PACK TOTAL +9
ROLLING TOTAL +172

It's crazy how some packs have 4 scoring cards in them while others only offer 1. Here's my first look at the Martial Mastery cards. I like how the lack of hard borders helps the card breathe. The little logo up top is well done, too. Can't say I'm a fan of the subject matter, though. They just had a military leaders set in A&G a couple years ago.

PACK 20
ATY Dylan Bundy +2

PACK TOTAL +2
ROLLING TOTAL +174

This doesn't look like a strong finish...

PACK 21
186 Andy Pettitte -1
345 Melky Cabrera (SP) +2
Civilizations: Swahili +3
Inquiring Minds: Francis Bacon +3

PACK TOTAL +7
ROLLING TOTAL +181

I tried to keep it out of my mind and avoid the jinx but there were more than a few times opening this box where I thought "man, I haven't pulled me Yankees so far." I don't know if the checklist was lighter or if I just got a lucky box but the Pettitte here was the first Yankee base card I pulled.

PACK 22
96 Jason Heyward (FP) +2
316 Hal Newhouser (SP) +2
Martial Mastery: Romans +3
SP Mini: 346 Josh Johnson +3

PACK TOTAL +10
ROLLING TOTAL +191

Hey hey, we're picking up some steam here. I feel a strong finish in the works.

PACK 23
300 Bud Selig -1
327 Yogi Berra (SP) +2 / -1 NYY = +1 total
Martial Mastery: Knights +3

PACK TOTAL +3
ROLLING TOTAL +194

Damnit, Selig!

PACK 24
ATY Willie Stargell +2
Inquiring Minds: Plato +3

PACK TOTAL +5
GRAND TOTAL +199

And an embarrassing stagger across the finish line. Actually, 199 is basically 200 and I told myself beforehand if I get to 200, I'll be pleased. It's always fun opening a box but adding the weird scoring into the mix cranks it up exponentially. As always, thanks to Mark for organizing/running this whole crazy thing and also getting Dave & Adam's Card World on board with a Gint-A-Cuffs discount. I can't imagine all the work that goes into overseeing this year after year.

Overall, I like the 2013 Allen & Ginter designs a bit less than last year's. The whole 'theme' seems a little too loosely applied resulting in a mix of carnival and ren faire that I'm not a big fan of. I suppose there are only so many 'yesteryear' eras to cull from. It seems a bit like A&G and Gypsy Queen are on a track to meet each other head on in a few years. A lot of these ornate storybook elements are found in each, along with things that used to be A&G signatures like the minis and such. About the only distinction that remains is GQ is baseball only (minus the gypsies) and A&G is a balls-out quirkfest. The products may be built differently but the looks of each are starting to converge.

Gint-A-Cuffs V: Packs 9-16

Let's get round 2 started. To recap, after the first 8 packs yielded 2 of my hits, my running total is +91.

PACK 9
247 Ryan Howard (FP) +2
ATY Anthony Rizzo +2
A&G Mini: 253 Mark Trumbo +2

PACK TOTAL +6
RUNNING TOTAL +97

PACK 10
336 Chase Headley (SP) +2
One Little Corner: Sedna +3

PACK TOTAL +5
ROLLING TOTAL +102

The One Little Corner cards feature 'one little corner' of universe, depicting either a particular planet, star or other celestial object. The design is nice and all but it's hard to get excited about these drawings of homogenous spheres. I think maybe constellations would be a bit more interesting. Maybe next year...

PACK 11
324 Justin Morneau (SP) +2
One Little Corner: Mercury +3

PACK TOTAL +5
ROLLING TOTAL +107

PACK 12
282 Tim Lincecum (MFP) +4
ATY David Ortiz +2
First Americans: Sioux +3

PACK TOTAL +9
ROLLING TOTAL +116

Hello, Timmy. Even after the ups and downs of his last season and a half, I still get excited when I pull a Timmy from a pack. Even a base card like this. I also got my first look at the First Americans minis. I really like these cards. The design is clean and solemn yet still has an organic feel. Living in Oklahoma, this might be a set I try putting together.

PACK 13
ATY Ryan Howard (FP) +4
A&G NNO: Bob Lemon +11

PACK TOTAL +15
ROLLING TOTAL +131

I wonder how many people have these no-numbers in their possession but have no clue.

PACK 14
332 Cole Hamels (SP) +2
One Little Corner: Eris +3
Black Mini: 291 Edwin Encarnacion +3

PACK TOTAL +8
ROLLING TOTAL +139

PACK 15
ATY Jayson Werth +2

PACK TOTAL +2
ROLLING TOTAL +141

And now we're feeling the affects of pulling 2 hits in the first 8 packs...

PACK 16
59 Joey Votto (FP) +2
325 Johan Santana (SP) +2
Civilizations: Mayans +3

PACK TOTAL +7
ROLLING TOTAL +148

After 16 packs, I'm 8 points off my pace from last year's contest. Who knows what's in store? (I do)