2011 Bowman

I want to like Bowman. I buy a little each year, hoping to find something different, but I always find the same. I guess consistency is Bowman's strong point. You know exactly what you're getting with Bowman year in and year out.

What screws up the warm malaise that envelops you upon opening a pack, is ruined shortly after when Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects arrives, with the same set design and virtually the same numbering system. It's almost as if Topps wasn't satisfied with the torrential downpour of reprints it showers upon the unwashed masses. Topps wants the collector to be confused with this year's cards too.

That is the tragic downfall of Bowman each year. Design saturation has made Bowman a product which has no identity and one collectors painfully pass over, time and time again.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I want to like Bowman. Bowman needs to be loved, but like a jilted lover, I am skeptical and wait for the betrayal to inevitably happen before my eyes. Do I dare embrace the set? I cannot fully embrace Bowman, but I will hope that things work out well for the set. I'll collect the few cards that I want and move on. I will not be suckered into heartbreak, disappointment and confusion by Bowman.

The White Sox have fourteen cards in the set, which is the most out of any team.

3 - Edwin Jackson
31 - Carlos Quentin
52 - Gordon Beckham
76 - Paul Konerko
81 - Alex Rios
86 - Jake Peavy
103 - Alexei Ramirez
123 - John Danks
131 - Gavin Floyd
151 - Mark Buehrle
182 - Adam Dunn
196 - Brent Morel
211 - Gregory Infante
220 - Chris Sale

The White Sox also have four cards in the popular prospects insert set.

BP6 - Anthony Carter
BP38 - Eduardo Escobar
BP74 - Jim Gallagher
BP95 - Addison Reed

The design of Bowman is just another variation of what the set has sported over the past decade plus. It looks different, yet the same. Kudos goes out to Topps for the player selection. It has a good mix of veterans, rookies and new acquisitions. I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of White Sox players presented in the set.

The bottom line is that you know what you are getting when you buy Bowman and that doesn't change this year. Get used to this design because you will see it all year. My feelings for Bowman may change in the future if the Draft Picks and Prospects set can differentiate itself from the regular Bowman set. If not by design, at least by color, similar to what Topps does between its base set and Opening Day. I have never confused and Opening Day card with a regular base card. Topps, please take note.