Bad Wax

I told you how much I like the look at this set in previous posts.  I don’t have much left to review packwise until my first box of 1986 Topps comes (this week?)  I did something that I normally don’t do.  I opened it up prior to blogging about it, to see if there are any good cards to scan.  There were so many funny cards, that I might have to do this review a little differently.  I scanned 7 of the 10 cards plus the package.  These poses / inserts are awesomely bad and I know you are going to like this review.  This is what the pack looks like:

First off, there are no great cards in this set.  I can get the etire set on eBay for $8 and a box goes for $10, so rest assured, this is some seriously bad wax.  What’s weird though is my local Hobby store (which may very well be going out of business very soon) is selling these packs for 3 bucks each and I can’t for the life of me figure out why?  I have opened 3 now and got 2 of the crappiest inserts you can get.  The odds on an autograph are ridiculous so I don’t see the draw to this pack / set.  Here is the rip from top to bottom:

1. Antonio Alfonseca – P – Marlins – 68 – There is only one thing about Antonio that you have to know and it’s quite easy to see on the card below.  The guy has 6 fingers on his right hand. Look at the picture thumb and 2nd finger on the bill, 3rd, 4th, and 5th finger on the ball and pinky on left side of ball.  This is the first card I have ever seen that you can actually see all 6 fingers.  I bet he was pissed when he saw the card!

2. Aramis Ramirez – 3B -Pirates – 51 – Why is this guy’s card not worth jack?  Can you think of another player who puts up nubers like Aramis and get’s the same card value treatment.  I knew once he got out of Pittsburgh he was going to florish and he did! He hasn’t hit under 0.290, 26 home runs, and 90 RBIs and if Soriano can stay healthy, he is going to get a lot of good pitches to hit.  He should still be in his peak as far as offensive numbers go.  Someday I hope people realize how good he really is.

3. Kevin Young – 1B – Pirates – 138 – Kevin retired in 2003 after playing almost all of his career in Pittsburgh.  The guy had some solid years but overall he was just an average player on a bad team.  My guess is that if he weren’t on Pittsburgh, he probably would have been a back-up.

4. David Ortiz – DH – Twins – 189 – I included the very smug picture of Big Papi. I imagine the photographer said, “Hey David, who is the best hitter in baseball right now?” and of course Papi not being at a loss for words struck this pose and said “I am!” with his big grin (also probably shaking his head).

5. David Justice – OF – A’s (but in a Yanks uniform) – 55 – I don’t know if I hated him more as a Brave, a Yankee or as a sportscaster.  I guess my answer is yes, yes, and yes.  In college one of my roommates, was a huge Braves fan, so all I heard about was Chipper and David and all those pitchers. I grew to hate him as the school year went on especially since we watched all the Braves games on TBS.  Then when he became a Yankee, I loathed him.  He just never fully embraced the pinstrikes and always seemed to be trying to figure out what his next team will be.  But now as a sportscaster, I hate him because his views are that of a dimwit and he takes the player’s position everytime, sometimes I think just to generate contraversey.

6. Torii Hunter – OF -Twins – 44 – Shown below, this picture (obviously taken at training camp) is one of those poses that I love so much.  It looks so unnatural, that Torii actually looks uncomfortable holding it.  I don’t know if the photographer wanted him to look serious or if he was just pissed off that he actually had to pose for a picture, but he looks like he wants to swing that bag at the photographer.  All in all a very funny picture that wasn’t meant to be funny.

7. Freddy  Garcia – P – Mariners – 227 – This is both funny and interesting.  It was shot at Dodger Stadium (see the roof on the right hand side), plus he just looks so annoyed that the photographer picked that particular moment to shoot his card picture.  Can’t he get a second just to sign the ball then he’ll pose? Also, I think it’s funny how much he looks like The Rock, but maybe it’s just me.  My friend and I saw him after a game at Yankee stadium, playing in Seattle let’s you fly under the radar when leaving the stadium, because no one followed him for autographs.

8. Chris Richards – OF – Orioles – 206 – Chris is one of those 4A players.  Last year, I remember him playing in Durham (TB affiliate).  He is a solid hitter, just not a MLB caliber player.  Sorry Chris that’s all I got on you.

9. Todd Helton – Wheelhouse insert – 16 of 20 – This has got to be one of the worst insert cards I have ever seen (other than the I-Rod version I got in pack 1).  This is instant prize closet material and I can’t wait to give this one away.  Helton swears up and down, he never did steroids, but look at this declining home run totals since 2001 (he hit 49, end of steroid era) 30,33,32,20,15,17.  It’s just too convenient, that his power numbers slide after steroids are tested for.  Just so you know he had over 525 at bats for each season and he still plays in Denver.

10. Scott Rolen – 3B -Phillies - 79 – Look at the sour puss face he has on.  It’s probably just coming back from yet another booing by the Phillies faithful! I don’t know when he turned into a prima donna but he was the same in St. Louis and if the Blue Jays think he’ll be any better there, they are crazy!  I just thought it was a very fitting picture for him.  I examined it again, I think he is about to cry in this picture.

That’s all 10 cards for you guys.  Some of those pictures are just outstanding.  What an awkward set to collect, half the pictures are poses and the other half are action shots.  Personally I like the poses better, since you can see action shots when ever you want on TV or the paper.  The pack is basically worthless, but it sure was fun to review.  Here is the pack rating:

Price of Pack – $3 – 1.5 stars – I can’t understand why this pack costs $3.  It’s just not worth it, especailly when you see the kind of inserts you get.

Cards in Pack – 10 -4.0 stars – I do like the fact you get 10 cards even though this is considered a premium set. Definitely get’s some high marks here.

Stars in Pack – 3 – 1.5 stars – Ortiz, Hunter and Ramirez are definitely star worthy, I guess I could of thrown Rolen in here, but that would have been a compliment.

Value of Pack – $0.50 – 1.0 star – The insert alone keeps this from becoming a 0 star pack.  At about 8 cents a card, it’s just not a treasured set.

Overall we are looking at a 2.0 star pack, which is truely amazing since the pack is basically worthess.  All the cards are yours for the taking except the Helton insert.  Just send me an email at superbadwax@yahoo.com.