Mailbox Joys: When Grand Cards Go Black

"Goodbye, everybody!"

"Goodbye, Jr. Ken!"

I was reminded of a variation of Dr. Nick Riviera's famous line and the Pavlov audience response, when I saw this Ken Griffey Jr. card. Was it all just some horrible, wonderful dream? Apparently so.

As the years go by, the White Sox will be an impossible trivia answer to one question. What team was Ken Griffey Jr. on between the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners? Or the second question. What team did Ken Griffey Jr. play on that didn't have a double letter together in the city's name? I guarantee that even a few White Sox fans will get that one wrong in a few years.

I participated in a group box break for Topps Wal-Mart black variation blasters that Dan of Grand Cards put together. I was worried after the first of three boxes produced no White Sox cards. Did I just kiss five dollars (six with tip) away without getting a single thing for my money? Maybe I had a better chance at hitting the lottery.

Just then, divine intervention came into play. The second and third boxes were littered with White Sox cards. Yay!! Let's see what blackened Topps cards came out of the three blasters.

2009 Topps Wal-Mart Black
30 - Ken Griffey Jr.
70 - Jermaine Dye
149 - Juan Uribe
154 - A.J. Pierzynski
306 - Javier Vazquez

2009 Topps Toppstown
TTT19 - Carlos Quentin

Not bad! I think I made out pretty decently, considering the first box was a complete bust for me.

But wait... there's more. A note was thrown into the bubble mailer.

Thanks for participating! I tried to find some extras to throw in, but White Sox are hard to come by! Enjoy.

I wasn't expecting this! That just shows how great Dan really is. It takes a special kind of person to throw in extras as a thoughtful gesture. Here's what extras tagged along.

1982 Topps
521 - Billy Almon

1987 Topps
718 - Steve Carlton
756 - Carlton Fisk

1988 Topps
132 - Donnie Hill

1992 Topps Kids
99 - Frank Thomas

2008 Topps Chrome
14 - Orlando Cabrera

While I had most of them, I needed the Frank Thomas card. Plus, any free White Sox card is welcome in this household, regardless if I have it or not.

Thanks, Dan! That was a grand idea and it worked out beautifully!