I Hate Nostalgia In The Hobby, But This Is Too Good To Resist

Back when DLP was still in the baseball market, things were going well for the collectors that focus on the sport that started it all. There were good sets, there were nice cards, and the stuff that was put out every year was built on the foundation put in place from the year before. I loved a lot of what DLP put out, but I forgot what was possible until I saw a card on a message board.

See, normally, we just get a message on the back of each card that certifies the jersey was used in a game. That’s all we have to go on most of the time, and McWilliam has even removed some of the language on the back of the cards to prevent further liability. It’s a reality that millions have come to accept, that their jersey cards are wholly authentic because some president of a company leaves a message on the back of a card. Hell, even DLP has taken a step back along with Topps and the rest, because liability and transparency are thought of as the enemy. The less we know, the more we will buy. I have gotten countless emails from UD employees, Topps employees, and DLP employees, indicating to me that the stuff I have written about is a tame representation of what actually happens behind closed doors.

It wasn’t always this way. In fact, the card I saw actually had a picture of the jersey it came from on the back of the card. Amazing that these type of things never caught on. Of course, there is never a guarantee, as we have found out, that the jersey IS authentic, or that the swatch is from the pictured jersey, but it’s a step up from a stupid message on the back of the card.


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It used to be that game used jerseys were the exception to the rule instead of the rule itself, and things have definitely changed in this hobby since 1996 when they first appeared. I really do like the way most of the cards are done today, but I cant help but feel like sometimes, the wool is pulled over our eyes, wrapped around our head, and painted black. One day, someone will have the balls to come out and tell me what I have always wanted to know, or in more simpler terms, what have we been missing?

National Treasures Is Looking Better By The Day

I hate small pics, I fucking hate them. Why even make a card if there is no picture on it. I dont care about logos, but I DO care about pictures of the players. That is what makes or breaks a card for me some times.

The problem with National Treasures in the past has been that the pictures have never been that big. It was usually a face shot or a little tiny pic by the auto or jersey on some of the subsets.

This year, along with their painted picture styles, the sets look to have huge fucking pics on them. I love it.

First Look: 2008 DLP Prime Cuts Baseball

We finally get a set from DLP baseball that I would definitely consider one of the first high end sets since 2005. Too bad it will be in excess of 200 per box, but as you can see, the hits are pretty amazing. With only 1 auto in the 4 hits offered, there better not be any Elite Extra Edition style RCs. Also, I wonder how they can produce cards with Gherig and Robinson considering their estate's deal with Topps, but really, who fucking cares? Check this shit out!

Product Review: 2008 Leaf Limited Football

Man, oh man, I thought Limited was going to suck ass, but I was wrong. I cant speak for the format change because I have only seen two box breaks live, yet the cards look great. Maybe the other shit sucked so bad because this stuff gets all the women in the donruss household.

The Good

Lets start with the RC patches, because they are finally a card that was designed properly. There was not going to be a jersey parallel, so they were not worried about a floating swatch. Funny thing is though, I think the cards would work either way. The design is great, the die cuts look good, and the pictures look awesome. I posted the Ray Rice because he changed his number and they acutally went and got a pic from week 1 and used that on the card. BRAVO. No more Antonio Pittman mayhem this year. I also like the way the auto is placed on the picture, though with people like Chris Johnson, that will be a problem. Fuck him though.

Secondly, the insert sets look great, looks like DLP got over their nebulous swatch placement, as most of the insert sets I saw as Jersey only, looked really good. The jumbo number jersey cards that they always put out as a subset for both RCs and vets look double as good as they did last year, and the autos for them are some of the best cards in the set. I couldn’t find a good pic, but they are the only ones with giant swatches in diecut number windows.

Moving on, my favorite set is back, Lettermen, and it is glorious. This is what more sets need, fuck that manufactured shit, lets get some nice ass game used shit. The RC letterman are autoed, but they are all event used, still better than manufactured though. I like the design this year.

We also get NFL logo base card parallels and they look really nice, compared to last year where the diecut really didn’t work. I like that we don’t have a GIANT SHIELD but rather just the important part. Certified Materials, take note please. It fits the picture, and doesn’t cover up much of the awesome action.

The Bad

Switching back to a box with more base cards sucks. Limited was amazing in tin form, and that little flip box was even cool, so why "fix" something that aint broken? At least the base cards look okay, but that doesn’t excuse me having to open 18-24 packs. People don’t need this.

I saw a lot of RC base autos, which are never good. An overuse of scrub autos has basically ruined threads baseball, which could have been a product for the ages. I think it should be like SPA where you either get a Patch auto or a Vet auto jersey per box. Enough with the scrubs. I don’t need an auto of the third string punt returner's water boy.

When it comes to cuts in this set, there is no reason to include half of the people they do, and they should not be one per case. Spend more money on nicer cuts and limit the production. I don’t like having the Cleveland Browns' announcer as my case hit.

The Ugly

There really weren’t many ugly things about this set. Thank god.

Overall, this definitely gets my seal of approval, much like Absolute. It really sucks that of all the products released, only three were top shelf nice. That sucks. At least we have Ultimate on the way, which looks good, and only 4 months to SPA. Game on.

Product Review: 2008 Threads Baseball

Threads Baseball is here and in full force, and I think its time for me to do a thing I havent done in a while, a baseball product review! I think a lot of people were waiting for a DLP baseball product, and they seemingly delivered with a bang, according to the sell sheets. I went over some of the stuff, and ill see if they actually came through.

The Good

Shoeless Joe, Pete Rose, Willie Mays, and Hammerin Hank, four names we havent heard mentioned when referring to baseball cards in a long while. When it comes to these four, two of which who are getting on in age, I have to say "BRAVO DLP!" to finally getting a few more products out for these treasures of the game. Aaron has been the focus in baseball for a while now, thanks to the Steroid Superman, Barrius Bonds, and I think its time we got some sugar for the people who love the original. Aaron and Mathews were my favorite old time players growing up, and I still follow their collectibles today. I was beyond psyched when I saw that Aaron was all over the Threads preview.

As for the results of the hype, the base cards are nice, and I think the relics they threw in the base cards fit nicely. Hank, Willie and Pete are all over this beast of a product, and they even get the royal treatment in Diamond Kings with base, relics, and relic autos. The cards look as good as they did in football, and I think I may have to pick up some singles after our group break.

Moving on, I think its really a good idea to have the Baseball Americana stuff in this set, as it means we get a lot of extra fun cards from people who love and are a part of baseball's history. The funnest card I saw was the autographs they have of former President, George Bush. How great is that? I would love to pull one of those awesome cards. Plus, you get more of Willie and Hank too, which doesn’t hurt. The best part of these cards is that the entertainers collected in this set are actually connected to the history of the game, unlike "Spectrum of the Backup Hair Metal Guitarist Stars." Good call there.

Lastly, the Rookie Class letters can be really cool in football, and I know a lot of people have been waiting for them in a DLP baseball product. Even though the prospects have to be shown in their college jerseys, I think it was a nice addition to the set. Here's to DLP getting the baseball license back!

The Bad

Even though the product is a wagon full of great players, they only got bat relics for most of the people who we were looking forward to. Rose is an exception, though im not sure many are surprised by that. Absolute 2005 was awesome because of all the amazing jersey relics they got of Jim Thorpe, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays, not all the crappy "bat" relics. I wish that jerseys were included. *Sad Face*

Secondly, its obvious to me WHY they had to use stickers for a lot of these cards, but that doesn’t excuse them from the ones that could have been ON CARD. Prospect autos should never be on stickers, bottom line.

The Ugly

No unproven college prospect should ever be put on a "Kings" card. College Kings, Diamond Kings (especially), etc, are not places for these kids to be. I say that for football, for anything, really. Save it for Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, and others who should be there. God I would hate to pull one of those.

Also, the Aaron autos are redemptions from what I can tell. That is the second time in recent memory that I know the autos of the person on the front of the box are actually redemptions. Im sorry DLP, but that is FUCKING BULLSHIT.

Parallels in this product are so plentiful that they become ultimately confusing as fuck. If I cant understand your goofy ass parallels, you need to rethink your strategy. Base, Gold, and 1/1, that’s all it should be.

Overall, this product lives up to the hype due to its forgotten titans of the game. Satchel Paige, who hasn’t had many cards, is in this product - WITH RELICS - and I think that is awesome. Plus, I think this product gives collectors that, "Im doing something good for the hobby" feeling by buying this. If you buy this product, DLP will continue to put out baseball products. Although that is as far from the truth as you can get, I think it’s a feeling many have. I like this product a lot, I have resigned myself to a fate that Absolute 2008 is never coming, and I think I could live with this.

The First Shoeless Joe Jackson Relic Sells For $500 On eBay

In case you werent excited for Donruss Threads baseball, the first card of Joe Jackson in a long time, and first "legal" card in forever, will be included. This story was broken here.

Anyways, the first Bat relic from Shoeless Joe has been up and sold on eBay for a cent under $500. I think the person could have gotten a little more for it being the first one, and being from a new set, but that is still a pretty high sum.

I am excited for this set, and I am definitely of the ilk that says Joe Jackson should never have been part of that scandal.

Regardless of what you think, check it out here.

Wow, Just Freaking Wow.

This is one card that I would love to have, despite not being auto'ed. It should be what every diecut looks like. Kudos to DLP on this beast.

EDIT: This card is now mine. Thanks eBay.

An Ode To DLP Baseball

One of the first posts I ever did on here was a plea to bring DLP back into the baseball market with more than just draft pick and college sets. Well, I finally got my wish with threads baseball, and I couldnt be more happy than I am right now. Yet, without an MLB license or any of the big name signees, will it be at all possible for them to make a worthy return to baseball?

For the answer, I have three words for you that say yes: SHOELESS JOE JACKSON.

I also broke the SJJ story a while ago, and I believe that his "relics" are a great addition to this set. Any set with Shoeless Joe is an EPIC win, considering that he barely has any cards. He remains one of the game's greatest players, and we deserve more. Was he guilty enough to suffer this fate? Im not sure, but his stats from the 1919 series speak for themselves.

We also will get a healthy dose of people who have been absent from cards since DLP left, mainly Aaron, Mays, and company. This is beyond a victory for collectors, especially with the crap that Barry "the Steroidisaurus Rex" Bonds brought to the title of HR King.

Lastly we also get Pete Rose, who I agree should be included. However, the guy is the epitome of how not to be a baseball player, so he is not my favorite, and I wont be getting his cards. Others will, so thats good for this set to have him as a part of it.

Basically, when it comes down to it, I miss DLP Baseball A LOT. They were everything they are to football now, and you will see the shear awesomeness when we break Absolute next wednesday. In fact, I have yet to see a VETERAN based product that was done as well as they were done with DLP. They took boring base card focused sets that I couldnt stand, and made them into ridiculously cool products that everyone could appreciate. Since they left, 2nd world baseball has sucked a whole fucking truck of dicks, and I am tired of it. For fuck's sake, not everyone can survive on collecting retro sets filled with players I dont want a base card of.

If there is a future for National Treasures baseball, I will be there busting boxes. If there is a future for the return of a new Timeless Treasures, ill be there too. If we get 2008 Absolute Memorabilia Baseball, there will be a happy dance, follwed by a case break on this site for sure. Thats how much DLP rules.

So listen UD and Topps, you may have some big shoes to fill coming up, I hope. So big that I hope a lot of the first worlders start to recognize that the grass is greener on the other side when its Absolute they are busting.

I Dont Know Why, But This Is More Helpful Than You Could Imagine

Not only do you get some nice previews of upcoming products, but you also get the top RCs at every stat category. Check it out, trust me. It will help you tremendously. Plus, it also means that I dont have to do it myself. Another reason to love DLP.

DLP Rookie Leaderboard

Product Review: 2008 Playoff Absolute Football

After a barrage of awful to okay Topps products with bad photography and worse looking cards, we finally get one of my favorite sets of the year. The basic feel of the set is pretty much the same as the last few years, but there have been some changes that are definitely welcome. I would say that this product would be twice as good with on card autos, but Im not sure that’s the case. This is one of those products where I cant imagine it without the stickers, because of the small space they would be confined to for on card sigs. Anyways, lets get to the meat!

The Good

Photos, photos, photos. They make and break a product, no doubt about it, and this year's Absolute does not dissapoint from what I have seen. The RC premiere cards look great with the full bleed, and they are printed on foil board which makes the pictures look that much better. For the auto/jersey subsets, I am very surprised as to how great the photos are. Each one has nicely selected action shots, and no weird helmetless players. Is it Upper Deck base set worthy? No. Is it close? Yes.


One of the additions to the set is the use of player number die cut jumbo jersey pieces. They have them for the Tools of the Trade, RPM Autos, and at least one other subset. These pieces are huge, and they look "rozdixculouslee" cool on both the RPMs and the TOTTs due to the space for amazing patches.

They also instituted team logo jumbo swatches, which also look pretty cool, but the size doesn’t compare to the number diecuts, mainly because some teams have small logos.

As always, the Tools of the Trade is my favorite part of this set. The cards are always cool, they usually have multiple types of swatches or nice patches, and they are probably the last shoe card subset on the market. I kind of wish they wouldn’t use the full foil board on these and make them regular like they did with 2005 baseball, but I guess this is the new trend. In all seriousness, it isnt that bad of a change, it just make things more shiny. Plus, with DLP back into baseball, I am PRAYING for 2008 Absolute Baseball. I would be into a case for that shit.

The Bad

There is only a few bad things about this set, and one of them is the RPMs. First off, they hardly changed at all. They look pretty much exactly the same as last year, and I am kind of angry about that. I would like them to try a horizontal design one year, but I guess the jumbos would be tough with that format.

Another bad thing is still including the base RC autos as a box hit. That is awful. At one guaranteed auto per box with a max of two, hitting this crap for 120 bucks is beyond frustrating. Its time to wise up about this and include them as an extra hit in one of the packs.

The Ugly

Why oh why do we get fucking event used football pieces in the RPM RCs? I cant fucking understand what DLP's obsession with these is? They are in this product, Gridiron Gear, LCM, and at least one other product. Could this not be a better example of why event used bullshit should be eviscerated from the hobby? Just to give you an example of how "event used" works:

- The player throws on a jersey in the RC tent
- The DLP rep throws him a ball
- The player throws the ball back
- The player takes off the jersey
- Both items go into a box as "event used"
- I die a little inside

Yeah, this needs to stop.

Also, can we get some better cardboard for this product? This is the second year in a row with ultra condition sensitive materials used to produce these cards. Trust me, it sucks balls when your McFadden has more damage than a woman who was abused as a kid.

Overall, I am still a huge fan of Absolute despite the over-abundance of EU jerseys and balls. When it comes down to it, you cant beat some of the awesome cards from the sets. Plus, the 1/1s have limitless potential as its pretty obvious that jumbo swatch 1/1s have the possibility of being fucking amazing.

Go buy yourself some of this stuff right now so you can tell me what you get. I will be part of a six box break later today, so ill let you guys know if I get anything cool. Besides, the next product on the list is the abortion that is Topps Lettermen FB, so prepare yourself for a long few weeks until LCM.

First Look: 2008 Leaf Rookies And Stars

Again DLP comes through with a design win. The cards from the sell sheet look great and they look to be continuing everything about this set that most people liked last year. Man, those statistical standout autos will be nice. Either way, DLP is one of the only companies to use helmet pieces, and this is the set to get them. I would say at 60-70 bucks a box, this is a pretty fun rip. I might keep an eye out for things with the way the prelims are looking.

Why is Change In This Hobby Always For The Worse?

In lue of a review for Icons FB and after seeing the abortion that is the product, I want to revisit a few things I have talked about before. It seems that these things are getting to the point where I can no longer look at a product like Icons or most of the other new additions to the wax lineup and not laugh at its stupidity. Now, creating card sets is NOT rocket science and I would think that its something one could become a professional at. So, with all of these professional designers, why is EPIC FAIL attached to just about every release that these people have come up with in the last two years?

Lets run down the list:

Premier: Same stuff over and over and over, no new innovations, value DID NOT HOLD
SP Chirography FB: Price point was the worst in history, autos worth less than the cardboard
SP RC Threads FB and BKB: Could be the ugliest set ever, value did not hold, no one cares about letters when they look like that.
Icons FB: Don’t get me started
SP RC Edition FB and BB: Retro themed sets suck, especially when you can only go back 15 years.
Exquisite Baseball RCs BB: Every second world collector is screaming for exquisite baseball, and this is what we get? Crap.
Topps Triple Threads FB, BB, BKB: could not be more boring, price point is terrible for an auto and a jersey, cards havent changed in 3 years. Easiest way to blow $170 and not even break 5 bucks on the box.
Topps Paradigm FB: The only cool thing about this awful ugly set is the box can be used as a candy dish.
UD Draft Edition FB: Why do we need another set that is just like fucking press poop? Find a better way to get a prospect set out.
Topps Sterling BB: So now I have to pay 350 dollars for one hit and it could be a jersey card?
Topps Letterman BKB and FB: Sticker autos on manufactured letters, nuff said.
Topps Stadium Club BKB, FB, and BB: You take a fan favorite set from back in the day and you uglify it, make it 15 times more expensive, and fill it with worthless autos and jerseys. Good job.
Fleer Ultra FB BKB and BB: So you take once cool product from 10 years ago and add worthless jerseys and autos to hike the price.
Topps Performance FB: Made Adrian Peterson autos that no one cared about, awful looking cards, worthless subsets, and horrible price point. More like paradigm jr. than a new set.
Topps TX fooball: Sticker autos on super bowl ticket stubs? Was it really that hard to get hard signed tickets? Wait, this product costs 200+ per box? Oh my god, the humanity!
UD Elements BB: So, you have three mini boxes per box and we know where the jersey auto is? Stupid. The cards are ugly? Stupid. The checklist is the worst of the worst? Stupid.
UD Spectrum BB: Spectrum of the stars? No. Spectrum of the 80s hair metal back up singers. This added to an awful checklist on ALL rainbow foil cards makes for headaches.
Topps CoSigners BB FB and BKB: Ugly cards, the most worthless dual autos ever, parallels that are unnecessary and hard to understand, this would be the fail of fails except for below.
Topps Moments and Milestones: The dumbest idea since non-autoed manufactured patch and letter cards. 10,000 cards that killed millions of trees for no reason, ugly everything, horrible price point, and single handedly made the 1/1 worthless.

Wow, that is a long fucking list, and I didn’t even think that hard about it!

So, what are we going to do about it? That part is pretty simple to break down, as it is pretty obvious what needs to happen (in no particular order):

1. All second world products need to be tinned. Drop the price and the packs full of base, we don’t care about the crap so forget it. Give us the hits and one other card so we can get our fix and be done with it.

2. No more stupid reasons for parallels unless you are a chrome set made by Topps. "So the only reason for this parallel I just pulled is to put a different serial number on it?" No, not any more. If you are going to give us parallels, see LCM from baseball and FB. Each parallel had a different reason for being a parallel. One was base, one was jersey, one was bat/shoe, one was logo, one was auto jersey, etc. Enough with serial numbered parallels for no reason other than to fill out a set, they piss the fuck out of me.

3. Put the cards in cases for high end products when you pack it out. No more dinged edges and bad corners. Because you paid 500 bucks, they should provide the supplies. It would solve a ton of problems.

4. No more sticker autos when the card is irregular. If you have a sticker auto, it needs to be on cardboard and not a ticket, jersey, or something else. Signa cuts put stickers on blank note cards - that is lazy bullshit. If you cant get the cards made, its your own fault. Plan ahead, it works for more than college homework.

5. NO MORE PRINT PLATES! I hate these things more than anything. They dont matter. They arent 1/1s, im tired of idiots thinking they are rare, every product has them, they are ugly.
6. No more event used pieces of shit. If you cant the jerseys from the league fast enough, then don’t put them in the cards. They are worthless and presents the wrong expectations for new collectors. Its time to put autos on every event used card at the very least, or at least have the player wear the jersey for more than 8 seconds. This isnt bull riding.

7. No more ball cards. I don’t care about game used balls. I care even less about event used balls. I hate balls in general.

8. No more non-autoed manufactured letters. Just don’t. Its beyond stupid and makes you look lazy.

9. If you are going to make a celebrity set, make a celebrity set. Don’t put that crap in my sports stuff. I don’t care about an auto of the understudy from Rent.

10 (AND MOST IMPORTANTLY). Give us a reason to bust your product. Guarantee good hits. Guarantee more A List autos per case. Show us why wax is better than buying a lottery ticket. If you hand pack a product there is no excuse for 20 dollars worth of cards in a 500 per pack product, or even a 100 per box product.

Like I mentioned before, all of this stuff has been said in previous posts, but it needed to be done. With more than half of the football card season to go, I am praying that someone suprises me with greatness. So far, its not looking good.

Playoff Absolute Football Preview

There is no doubt in my mind that this set will be awesome. Its tough to fuck up. Its like a card version of toast. Anyways, DAcardworld got some exclusive previews to the RPM RC Autos, and just like last year, they look spank as fuck.

Just an FYI, I have 375 stashed away in my bank account to pick up some of the Petersons that will be in this set, mainly the TOTT autos, and I am so fucking pumped that I am counting down the days by crossing them off my calendar.

With Limited becoming LCM jr this year, I am labeling this a possible front runner for mid end set of the year.

Two weeks and counting!

Shoeless Joe is BACK

Thanks to DLP, Shoeless Joe will again have baseball cards in a mainstream product. As it turns out, DLP has obtained a "game used" bat and will also be including the first relics of Shoeless Joe in some years.

Of course, this cant be THE Black Betsy as Im sure people would riot if it was cut up. I know I would be among those people.

Either way, Donruss Threads Baseball is shaping up to be pretty cool as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays seem to also be included in the product. I may buy a box or two.

Here is the official release:

"Shoeless Joe Jackson, banned from baseball for his alleged role in fixing the 1919 World Series, returns to baseball in 2008 Donruss Threads which will include game-used bat cards of the legendary Black Sox figure.

Donruss Threads, scheduled for a mid-October release, is the company's first full-scale baseball product in three years and combines baseball's rich past with its bright future through the inclusion of all-time greats with top-tier rookies and prospects. The release will be loaded with autographs and memorabilia cards.

Donruss recently purchased an outstanding circa 1916-1920-era game-used Jackson bat and will include pieces in 2008 Threads Baseball. The bat - with provenance - displays significant game use and carries the dark flame-treated finish Jackson preferred on his bats.

"True game-used Joe Jackson items almost never surface on the secondary market - they're kept in private collections or on display in museums," says Donruss spokesman Mike Payne. "But sometimes great pieces do find their way into auction, passed down from generation to generation, as this bat was."

Jackson joins other legendary names such as Pete Rose, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Nolan Ryan, Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Cal Ripken Jr., Bob Feller, Reggie Jackson and Whitey Ford among others, in the product.

Rick Porcello, the first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers I 2007, headlines a deep checklist of prospects, many of whom have never appeared on a certified autograph card before. Porcello's first certified autographs and game-used memorabilia will only be found in Threads.

Some of the other top prospects include Ike Davis, the New York Mets' 2008 first-round pick, Josh Vitters, Xavier Avery, Mat Gamel, Christian Marrero, Elvis Andrus, Jesus Montero, Brandon Waring and more than 110 others.

Five-card packs of Threads will carry a $4 SRP. "

Thank Yous and Pack Breaks

First off, I want to say thank you to Charlie and Stampman who both sent amazing packages for the fun of it. Both packages had awesome cards, Mauers and Petersons included, so thank you very much to both of them!

Secondly, I stopped by the local shop today to bust some Donruss Threads and I came back with cool stuff from 10 packs. Here is what I got:

A nice rookie 1st rounder from USC, Lawrence Jackson /100 RC:

So thats always a good start. Then in the next pack I pulled the first hit from the box, a Fred Taylor 1 color patch card /50. This is definitely a patch, even though it is one color. The card is a fucking brick.

Lastly was a biggie, especially because I have never pulled diddly shit out of this product. I pulled it and immediately wondered if I had pulled something really worth my time as it was /15. I flipped it over, but I was kind of bummed that it wasnt one of the bigger guys from 08. Still, he is one of the better defensive players in the draft and should make an impact right away.

So, a pretty good day.

Donruss and UD Captilize On The Most Annoying Story Of The Young Year

Yes, as expected, both Donruss and UD have cards in production for Brett Favre as a New York J-E-T, Jet, Jet, Jet. Personally I am B-O-R-E-D, bored, bored, BORED with this story. I expected no less from the companies to try and capitalize, but honestly, I expect these cards to have the same hobby value as a Joe Montana Cheifs card or an Emmitt Smith Cardinals card. In other words, dont waste your time. I would much rather take a Favre Packers auto any day of the week. Thankfully there are billions. Yet, here is what we get instead:







Thanks, ill pass.

Product Review: 2008 Donruss Threads Football

Unlike Triple Threads, Donruss threads is a pretty cool product. It is released today, and I have to say, it looks pretty good. Unlike Classics, where the base RC autos look the nicest, this product is a little different. Anyways, ill get to my normal format so that you guys can get a good look at stuff from this beast.

The Good

As with last year, the RC auto letters look really good. They are white bordered and show some good pictures of the players along with the letters. The bad thing is that the letters are not team colored, but at least they arent gold and red like the ones from SP RC Threads. Of all the letters out there, and with the awful Topps set coming out, these are pretty much right under limited and national treasures (both are player worn not manufactured) as the best looking on the market. They hold value too, so expect to pay top dollar now and later for them.

Another aspect of threads is the 4 hits per box, which other products don’t really have yet. That’s not the good part…

…The good part is that most of the jersey inserts and auto inserts look really aesthetically pleasing. The base RCs which contain jersey pieces are really nice, but are event used, obviously, so I don’t buy them. They also have a lot of dual and dual plus jersey cards with combos from old timey guys and new guys. Most of the time, the combos are pretty good.

The Bad

As with most product this year, this one is CHAULK full of no-name rookies who will never see playing time. It absolutely SUCKS when you pull an auto of these guys, hopefully you can get some good players in your box, because otherwise you pretty much wasted 120 bucks. I would like to see these guys as a secondary box hit in the future as some of them go on to be stars (Tom Brady, Hines Ward), but honestly, right now that is crap.

Another bad aspect of Threads is that the rookie letters are so rare. The top ones are numbered to 100, unlike last years 125, so its going to be tough to get a good pull here. This set would be a lot better if these were one every other box instead of 2-3 per case. On top of all that, there were a fuckload of ass-rookies at the premiere, so when you pull one, you may still get crap.

The Ugly

There really isnt that much bad stuff about this set, for once. I would say the worst thing is the design of the base cards. Man they are ugly and a half. Luckily most of the rest of the set is pretty good looking. Also the price point on this is fucking awful. Lets bring things down to around $80 a box please.

First Look: 2008 Leaf Limited Football

Here it is, my favorite mid-level product of last year. First off, the pictures are no disappointment, I love that the team trademarks are no longer unscannable ghost images and that the lettermen have a cool design. The auto patches look pretty great, lets hope the stickers are a little lower.

Here is the problem. Limited is switching BACK to a packed out box, which sucks, because that makes everything THAT much more difficult to get. On the other hand, it does allow for base rookies and more chances at getting sweet stuff with more hits per box.

Ill be saving up for this beast after absolute.

NOTE: There was also a preview for Topps Letterman Football but it was so bad that I wont even dignify it with a response. Just imagine letters with sticker autos. Yes you heard me right.

2008 Donruss Classics Break

Today sucked majorly. I spent most of the day in bed, sick to my stomach, and the Twins decided that giving up 18 runs in a loss to the Red Sox was the best way to end the series. Around 5pm I started to feel better, so I went to Walgreens to pick up some pepto and other shit to make me stop feeling like shit. On the way back I stopped at the card store and picked up a pick-me-up.

I got a good price on 10 packs of classics, and pulled some cool stuff, thankfully. Out of the 10 packs, I hit 2 of the 3 box hits, including the auto. It was really nice to pull a short printed auto of Limas Sweed instead of a non-RC premiere guy who most likely wont play. The Sweed is numbered to 125, so he is one of the top tier RCs for this product. Pretty nice.

The second hit I thought was cool because it is an old timey guy as well as a Timeless Treasure jersey instead of the awful looking classic singles. Blanda disposed of the Vikes in the superbowl, so it is pretty bittersweet.

I also managed to hit a Mario Manningham RC /999 so that was nice too. Overall a good end to a really shitty day. If you have Peterson or Mauer stuff for the Sweed and the Blanda, let me know. I would really like a Felix Jones rc /999 for the Manningham if you have one that you want to trade, so let me know.

First Look: 2008 Gridiron Gear Football

One of my favorite sets from last year is back, and it looks fucking sweet. I like the stone design for this and you know that things are going to rock when you get the dual and triple patches going with the autos. Personally, this could be a front runner for sets of the year as the designs for the gridiron signatures and and the NFL teams signatures has also been updated. AWESOME.