Bad Wax

As the stack of packs in my desk drawer gets lower and lower I am forced to play out some repeat packs. I think this one though, everyone got a kick out of last time I did it. I even ended up with a Soriano SP rookie card which was spectacular. I like this set maily because it is so radically different from the other UD cards. They vary from their look only so much for their sets, but this one is just so colorful and bright I just love it! Again if you forgot what the pack looks like, here it is:

Great picture of Griffey, not at all like the 2007 Fleer pack which was just not flattering at all! In this pack, we find four cards. Truth be told, I am not a fan of only 4 card packs (even UD Masterpieces), but with only 60 cards in the base set I can see why. There are quite a few inserts in this set, so hopefully I can keep my insert streak going and nail something. Another futuristics rookie card would be great. Keep your fingers crosssed. So let’s open it up:

1. Alex Gonzalez – SS – Marlins – 31 – Now which Alex Gonzalez is this? This is not Alex S. Gonzalez, it’s the other one. The one who had one great year in Florida, then got bumped for some Haney Ramirez character (H-Ram is my new nickname for him, I hope it sticks). The funny thing was that he went to Boston and Haney got shipped to Florida. Talk about a role reversal. So in the end who got the better deal Boston or Florida, Beckett for Ramirez is a push, for now Lowell is better than Sanchez, the other two minor leaguers have done nothing.  Edge BoSox.

2. Nomar Garciaparra – SS – Red Sox – 45 – Before all the injuries, when he was hailed as a superstar.  Part of the royal triumvirate of  short stops (with Jeter and A-Rod).  Did you know about 2 years ago there was a chance that all three would have played on the same team?  I didn’t realize this but in Boston he only had one very bad season.  In fact the year he was traded was one of his better seasons.  He obviously doesn’t have the pop he once had and it seems that he is happy playing in about 122 games a year.  He’s settled in nicely in LA and might be there awhile.

3. Larry Walker – OF – Rockies – 49 -  So the question is would he be the same player if he didn’t come to Colorado at the beginning of his prime? If you don’t think he’s a good player go here and see who he is compared to. Not only did he put up some nice homer totals, but there were 5 of 6 years where his batting average never dipped below 0.338. One of the better personalities in baseball in late 90s early 00s.

4. Sammy Sosa – OF -Cubs – R62 – This is part of the reciprocal card set.  It looks just like the regular card, but there is a smooth finish to it where the other cards is more rough.  Supposedly it’s worth twice as much as the base card.  But since the base card is on juice does that mean this card is worthless?eBay has it listed for $1 and I’d say that’s about right.

I think the pack was OK, not as good as the last pack I got, but an insert kept the streak alive!  I understand the idea behind a reciprocal card but I don’t understand why they wouldn’t make it more discernible from the original card.  Still hate the fact that you only get 4 cards, but again it’s understandable since the base set is so small.  Let’s rate the pack:

Cost of Pack – $4.00 – 1.5 stars - I just can’t condone the gouging for a pack like this one.  You aren’t even guaranteed an insert. Four bucks is just too steep.

Cards in Pack – 4 – 1.5 stars – I have set my limit at 5 cards if you want to pass the 2.0 star mark and this pack didn’t have the mustard.

Stars in Pack – 3 – 3.5 stars -  Sosa, Walker and Nomar all get the nod as stars.  Maybe not all valuable but definitely stars.

Value of pack – $1.50 – 1.0 stars -  Figure a dollar for the Sosa and 50 cents for the rest? When the pack costs $4, I think you would expect more.

Overall this is a 1.89 stars pack, it did have quite a bit of star power and that’s why it rated as high as it did.  I do remember collecting these in 2000 and I remember Beckett making a big deal about the set and every card was wroth aroudn 5 dollars (for the big name players).  I doubt very much they are worth that now.  I’ll have to buy the Beckett baseball cards plus guide to see that now I guess. I will put the Sosa into the prize closet but the other 3 are up for grabs.