2009 Topps Updates & Highlights

Another season has come to an end, so it must be time for the update sets! I've been a big fan of late season update sets. These releases usually address rookies, traded players, season highlights, forgotten players and All-Star selections. This year's set is no different.

Initially I wasn't a fan of the 2009 Topps design, but it has grown on me over the course of the year. It's reminiscent of the 1994 Topps set, only in a classier way. The set selection is decent, but far from perfect.

There are eleven White Sox cards in the 2009 Topps Updates & Highlights set. It's a pretty fair amount for an update set. Once again, DeWayne Wise is relegated to the update set for the second year in a row. It's great to see him get a card, but he was an Opening Day starter in 2009. It shouldn't have taken this long to get a card in the Topps base set.

UH020 - Gordon Beckham
UH036 - Jermaine Dye/Paul Konerko (HL)
UH087 - Jake Peavy
UH117 - Alex Rios
UH147 - Jayson Nix
UH169 - Mark Kotsay
UH182 - Mark Buehrle (AS)
UH241 - DeWayne Wise
UH268 - Chris Getz
UH309 - Scott Podsednik
UH319 - Ramon Castro

I do have a few beefs with the player selection. Chris Getz was also an Opening Day starter. Shouldn't he have had a card in the second series? It would make the most sense to me. I could argue a case for DeWayne Wise not being in the second series because of an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a good chunk of time.

I can also see not including some of the many relievers that spent time with the White Sox during the 2009 season. Unless it's from a team that I would collect, a card of a reliever is about as exciting as watching concrete harden.

Mark Buehrle does get a card for his All-Star selection. Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko get a joint card for their back to back 300 home runs. Can anyone tell me why there isn't a card of Mark Buehrle's perfect game? Or a card commemorating Buehrle's record of 45 consecutive batters retired? Instead there are unnecessary cards like the one of Joe Girardi fist bumping Derek Jeter. I do appreciate the cards like that, but not at the expense of others.

Still the treat is in the unmentioned twelfth card. A short print variation of Bo Jackson.

UH052 - Bo Jackson

I've seen other examples of these variation cards and I have come away impressed. Where else can you see a modern day card of Babe Ruth on the Braves or Roger Maris on the Cardinals? Even Ryne Sandberg pops up on the Phillies. This is how a variation card should be. Retired stars in underexposed situations. Skip the cards of squirrels and rainbow colored parallels, give me more of these types of variation cards!

Overall, it's another quality update set from Topps. There are flaws, but there are also gems in set. I'm willing to compromise for cards of Peavy, Kotsay and Rios in White Sox uniforms.