Here it is, an Upper Deck (UD) MVP pack. I loath this set, it actually makes me angry just to see those latters across the pack, MVP. I hate UD for putting this set out, they want to appear like they are doing something for the children who want to collect. They put out this entry level set that the kids can enjoy, they charge 2 bucks for it and give them 6 cards. Whooooooo hoooooo! I know theis has happened to you as well, you are going through some cards and then you stumble across this great name on a card and notice in the upper corner it says MVP or Victory. You cringe because you knwo it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. OK enough of my rant, here is the pack:
6 cards is all you get, 4 if one of them is a relic (1:24). The odds are actually pretty good, but take into account it is UD MVP so even the relic cards aren’t worth much. For example a game used jersey from Johan Santana can be had for $2.50 on eBay. So what is the allure of this set? Enough bitching, open up the pack . . .
1. Torii Hunter – OF – Twins – 86 – Mr. Consistency, I have a man crush on Torii Hunter, I always try to grab him for my fantasy teams. He always puts up good numbers. I’m resonably sure he’s not on ‘roids. Yet he has no value in the baseball card industry. From what I read he is even a nice guy.
2. Alex Rodriguez – 3B – Yankees – 4 – Who hates A-Rod? I don’t thats for sure. I have written about him before, I feel when it’s all said and done, statistically he will be the best player ever to play the game. If he can manage to go out and win a World Series, that will validate his career, but we could be looking at a 5 time MVP, and he’s had 2 runner-up MVPs. The Yankees not winning the World Series every year is not his fault, the whole team sucks during the post season lately.
3. Sammy Sosa – OF – Orioles – 79 – Was he on steroids? Probably. Is he not one of the best personalities in baseball? He is. So we know he chaeted as much as Bonds and McGwire, why do we like him so much? Because he is such a nice guy, he makes us laugh with those silly faces he makes. I hope he gets into the Hall, he makes us all feel young when we watch him.
4. Carlos Lee – OF -Brewers – 16 – This guy can hit. You don’t hear much from him because of where he plays but he is a monster hitter. He can even steal some bases. Again why isn’t he more valuable in the baseball card community? Maybe if he can win an MVP he might become more valuable.
5. Jeff Bagwell – 1B – Astros – 40 – This was Bags last season. He played every one of his MLB seasons in Houston. He had over 400 HRs and 200 SBs, which in 2005 made him the only member of that club. I hope he makes the HOF, he might not since he was 700 hits shy of 3000 and 51 HRs shy of 500, but he does have the MVP and ROY award and was a very likable player. We shall see.
6. Bob Lemon – P – Indians – BU-6 – This is an insert card of the Batter Up series. He is a HOF pitcher but he has as many walks as he does K’s. He only won 207 games, but did it in 13 seasons. Proof that you don’t need to win 300 games to get into the hall (but it helps, just ask Jack Morris).
Overall a very good pack. I like the look of the card, and the insert was very nice as well. Maybe I could be convinced this isn’t a bad set after all. So let’s get down to business all ratings are out of 5 stars.
Price of pack – $1.99 – 2.0 stars – Not as high as the requisite $2.99, but still high for what you are getting, a kiddie set.
Cards in pack – 6 – 2.5 stars – Come on this set is worth less than the standard set, but with only 90 base cards, it isn’t horrible. UD could raise it to 8-10, it’s not like you are holding gold here!
Stars in pack – 6 – 5.0 stars – Every player was a star. I definitely would go to a game simply to see the players that are in this pack.
Value of pack – $0.60 – 1.0 star – The very thing I hate about this set. On eBay it’s $9.99 for the set. Or about a dime a card.
Card Design – 4.0 stars – I liked the overall design, it’s not too busy, but it may be a little too simple. The design of the one insert I got was very old timey and I liked that as well. Here is a sample of the base card:
Overall the rating was 2.9 stars which when you think about what I said before opening the pack, is really good. Maybe UD has swayed me, I guess the real test would be to see how the kiddies feel about it. Since I don’t have kids I might need some help from my readers. Let me know if your children like the design and whether they would collect the cards. This pack is available for their collection, just email me at superbadwax@yahoo.com.
