Can't stop giving Topps my $$$

 So I got sucked into the trap of getting more cards today. Probably cards I didn’t need, seeing as I plan on purchasing the complete 2023 Topps complete set whenever it is released. Jim from Downingtown commented on my last post something to the effect of me enabling Topps to continue doing things I don’t like by buying from them and flippers. I guess I don’t have the right to complain, and I will try to tone it down until I can curb my penchant for buying new product. 

This latest purchase was 2 hanging packs of 2023 Topps from Target. Karen picked them out as she went there after joining me for my lunch break, and I met up with her after I got off an hour or so after coming back from lunch. Apparently those were the last 2 hanging packs of 2023 Topps as I checked out the card aisle before finding her. The aisle was stocked pretty well with 2022 Allen/Ginter, Stadium Club, Mozaic, and a few random other products. I would've probably picked a Panini product if I had been shopping myself, but as always, Karen always is a good picker with the cards as we shall see later.

The collation wasn't good with the 2 hanging packs, with a few pairs of doubles, and combined with some of the '23 cards I've purchased earlier this year, I think it's time to switch to a new product as I've pulled triples of 1 or 2. 

I did pretty good with the Tigers. Pulled a Harold Castro, 2 Rony Garcia's and 2 Austin Meadows's. The Yandy Diaz is a new Ray, and I will take it and the Tigers I pulled with me to Opening Day in 12 days in hopes of getting them signed. The Max Scherzer is my first look at one of those new Aces inserts, and it reminds me of a printing plate with the shape and the silver color. I don't know if these cards come as printing plates, but if they do, I'm sure there wouldn't be too much of a difference.

Here's where the Karen luck showed up (besides for all of the Tigers and the Ray). I pulled a few promising rookies in Cade Cavali, Audley Rutschman, and that Peraza guy for the Bankee$, but the one that jumped out to me when I pulled it was an autographed 1988 Topps insert of Tyler Freeman. He's not the biggest name, but I beat the flippers as the pack was clearly searched (as you unfortunately can expect from any kind of retail pack). 

I've almost finished pulling out all of my current Rays and Tigers from binders to bring to the game in a week or so. It's been a little bit tricky as I expect the team to do something special involving the 1998 team for the 25th anniversary that afternoon, and you never know who will show up. I have a hunch that Wilson Alvarez (who threw the first pitch in their first game), maybe Fred McGriff (a new Hall of Famer and Tampa native), and maybe Wade Boggs (another Tampa native) will show up and throw a first pitch. Other people could be Larry Rothschild (their first manager), and Florida governor Ron DeSantis (who I will boo mercilessly). I hope to get some autographs and maybe make some memories of doing so with Kyler. We have seats by the bullpen, so I've stocked up my box with Rays relievers, and hopefully we'll get lucky. 

I'm glad that Karen can pick such good boxes and I've got some 2023 cards to bring to the Rays game on the 30th. Even if I can't stop giving Topps my money.

Thanks for checking out my latest post.

-Jeremy