Opening My First 2019 Allen And Ginter Blaster

This year I decided to approach Allen & Ginter a little bit differently. I made a conscious effort not to seek out any information. No checklist. No eBay browsing. Not one thing other than the fact I knew about the Sister Mary Jo Sobieck card.

I saw the release date come and go and there was no sign of the vendor at my store. So, I went searching for the familiar boxes that the trading cards get delivered in. I enlisted the help of a manager today, because I was sick of waiting for the vendor to come and put them out and I was not spotting them in the back.

After about ten minutes he comes out with a blaster box and I was ecstatic. I made my purchase and headed home to explore the wonders of Allen & Ginter.

The first White Sox card I encountered was Yoan Moncada. Nice picture. Solid card.

The next White Sox card knocked me off my feet because I was not expecting it.

BAINES MOJO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I was really not expecting Harold to be in this set. I LOVE this card!!! It's almost like the card is responding to my surprise reaction of it being in the set by saying, "evidently".

One White Sox Hall of Fame player was followed by another.

It's nice to know that Frank Thomas is a Gemini. My astrologer says I shouldn't believe in such nonsense, but still gladly takes my money. Such is the life of a Libra, which I would say if I believed in that... which I don't.

The next White Sox card is bittersweet. You see, Yonder Alonso is no longer with the White Sox. After a very poor performance, Yonder was designated for assignment and released. He's already played a few games for his new team, the Colorado Rockies. I hope he does better than he did in Chicago. Alonso is a very nice guy, but he had a horrible 2019 with the White Sox.

Out of forty-eight cards, four were White Sox cards. Not too bad. It was a pleasure to open Allen & Ginter, as always. Topps seems to always find a way to keep this set fresh without straying too far from the previous releases.

2007 eTopps Moments And Milestones

Something smells fishy about this release. At least to me anyway. I never really bought into the whole eTopps thing. Pristine cards are offered for sale that lessen in value if you actually want to see them. Isn't the whole point of collecting to actually see and enjoy your collection?

I was caught up in the hype in October, but I also had some common sense left. I wasn't about to pay $7 a card for something that I may never potentially see. I paid $5.75 for the Jim Thome and $6.75 for the Mark Buehrle. Yes, I got caught in a mini bidding war for the Buehrle, but I still didn't pay $7. It's the principle of the thing.

Since I purchased them on eBay, they have gone down in value. Thome is down to $4.75, not too far from what I actually paid. Buehrle is down to $4.23. I like both of these players so I can live with it. For the record I liked Thome when he was on the Indians and the Phillies and I would still like Buehrle if he ever packs up for St. Louis, like he's joked about in the past.

• Alex Rodriguez - 500 Home Runs
• Mark Buehrle - No Hitter
• Tom Glavine - 300 Wins
• Craig Biggio - 3,000 Hits
• Sammy Sosa - 600 Home Runs
• Frank Thomas - 500 Home Runs
• Jim Thome - 500 Home Runs
• Justin Verlander - No Hitter
• Pedro Martinez - 3,000 Strikeouts
• Curtis Granderson - 20/20/20
• Prince Fielder - 50 Home Runs

Two White Sox cards, two ex-White Sox cards and one of someone who grew up in Blue Island, which is only a few miles away from my hometown. Not too bad Chicago-wise. The milestones are amazing as well as the player selection. It's hard to remember every major event that happens in a year of baseball. Some get lost in the shuffle and some you don't even realize happened.

There is also a moments card of Barry Bonds that was offered for $11, in addition to the 11 card set. It commemorates his "achievement" of 756 home runs.

This is a great set. It combines the look of Allen & Ginter with the feel of Moments & Milestones. The only thing I don't like about this set is that it's an online entity. It almost feels like you're being ripped off. Collecting is for seeing and touching, not seeing an image that looks like your card and not being able to hold it in your hands right away.

The Halos Hunted By Cover Of Darkness

Torii Hunter got a contract from the Los Angeles Angels for $90MM over 5 years. That's $18MM per year. News of this leaked out in the wee hours of the morning today. The Angels are taking a page out of Kenny Williams book. I never heard a word about their interest.

What does this mean to the Sox? It means that the Sox will concentrate on "The Legend" Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones, Kosuke Fukudome, finding a scrap heap bargain, finding a rookie bargain, trading for a center fielder or staying with what they got. I know, that's a lot to digest. Fortunately, that's why it's Kenny Williams job to sort that out.

As evidenced by my favorite card of Torii Hunter, he's shocked that someone actually gave him $90MM. I'm a bit shocked too. That's about $3MM more per year than he really should be worth. If the Angels want to overpay for him, that's their business. It smells a bit like a Scott Boras move though. Wine and dine and promise alliances, only to use those teams as bait for a bigger paycheck.

I am a bit disappointed that I won't be showing the 2007 Allen & Ginter card of Torii to friends. I like to show off cards of White Sox acquisitions with former teams. You know, to get the fan base used to what the players look like and what they do. That would've been a sweet card to show around.

I like Torii and I think he would've made an excellent addition to the Sox outfield. When Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are reported to have texted Hunter on the benefits of the Chicago White Sox, it seems like desperation. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Only time will tell on that though. With that said, I can't wait to see what the Sox do with centerfield this year! I want to know who's series two card I can look forward to collecting next year.