Picked up a single blaster of 2015 A&G and only got one Phils card.
And it was a card of a player that just got traded. That is ok - 1) Paps really was never loved in PhilaPa 2) Since he got moved to DC I can make this posting as part of our Sunday Night Baseball Series.
Papelbon will be closing for the Nats and if the game between the two division rivals is tight tonight, I will not know who to root against.
I have one additional quibble with the Papelbon A&G card
Double Vision
Yes Topps used the same image for A&G as they did for the 66T homage 2015 Heritage. I disapprove, but I am sure Topps Sees these sets as Low end, while I see them as premium so we know we really aren't on the same page anyway.
I will display the highlights of the pack in All-Star fashion
Battery
Edinson Volquez
Matt Barnes
Brian McCann
Pretty week class of pitchers - have to admit Volquez looks pretty nasty here. Overall I am not a fan of the dotting used for shading on the players faces. I am sure there is a artsy name for this technique, I don't know the term, I just know that I think it looks freaky.
Infield
Ian Desmond
David Wright
Danny Santana
Jon Singleton
David Wright beat out Manny Machado for the Blaster All-Stars strictly because he is a member of the teams playing tonight (even if he is on the DL). This squad has two shortstops as I did not draw a second baseman from the packs.
Jon Singleton gets the nod at first base strictly because of his one time Phillies Farmhand status.
Outfield
Mookie Betts
Michael Bourn
Yoneis Cespedes
We have another former Phil in Michael Bourn, while newest Met Yoenis Cespedes appears here representing the Tigers.
The Bench (Inserts and Extras)
Starting Points Dee Gordon (b-side)
I like the 2015 A&G common insert, Starting Points. As a fan of game dated cards this one is aimed at me. At 100 cards I doubt I will seriously look to build the set unless I found a boatload in a dime box one day. There are 5 Phillies on the checker (Rollins, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Maikel Franco) Plus Jayson Werth (Blue Jays) and Cliff Lee.
The two cards presented above represent games that occurred within days of each other. Moustakas debuted in a 4-2 victory over the Angels, He singled in the 6th off of Ervin Santana for his first career Major League hit.
The Latter card marks the debut of Dee Gordon whose first game occurred in Philadelphia where his father Tom Gordon pitched for several years. Dee pinch ran in the 9th inning of a tight game that the Dodgers lost 3-1.
One of the features of these cards that I like is that in addition to the A-side Player the text mentions other baseball events of the day. Dee Gordon's first game was shared with a Career Milestone for Tim Lincecum and the Pirates Draft of Gerrit Cole.
Jeremy Roenick
Topps of the non-baseball base cards are Val Kilmer and Jeremy Roenick. Considering my distaste for Jonathan Papelbon I would have to say that the Flyers related Roenick card is my favorite in the pack.
Mini Javier Baez (rc)
Mini Jean Segura
Mini Kendall Graveman A&G Back
Mini First Ladies Abigail Adams
Mini Black Border Berlin Wall
Mini Black Border Appomattox Court House
Mini Hoist the Flag Mary Read
Turned out to be a Moustakas hot pack as we picked up a pair of inserts of the Royals 3rd Baseman.
The Berlin Wall card is from the short print portion of the minis and is probably the rarest card that was drawn from the blaster. Beyond that we have some pedestrian minis other than the Baez RC Mini.
Ancient Armory - Dane Axe
Menagerie of the Mind - Mermaind
Couple of the full size inserts. Of the three sets here Keys to the City is the most interesting to me.
Sources and Links
Cardboard Connection
baseball-ref
