2008 Topps Updates & Highlights - Hobby vs., Retail part 2

As promised, here's the 5 packs of retail Topps U&H. You decide for yourself if these five random packs are better than the other five random packs. Some would argue that retail is the path to failure and despair, but let's open them anyway. I'll find some Target packs so I can be fair and balanced if anyone so desires.

THE RETAIL PACKS:

5 packs purchased from a display at Wal-Mart on 10/27/08.

First Pack:

UH31 Marco Scutaro
UH30 Brendan Harris
UH271 Brad Thompson
UH55 Cesar Izturis
UH303 Taylor Teagarden RC
UH327 Hernan Iribarren RC
UH315 Sean Rodriguez RC
UH213 German Duran RC
UH76Francsico Rodriguez AL All-Star
UH58 Scott Kazmir AL All-Star
UH23 Christian Guzman NL All-Star
UH234 Carl Pavano Gold parallel #0582/2008
ToppsTown

I got more rookies in this back than in all the hobby packs. Got the first gold border card too, of Yankee flop Carl Pavano.

Second Pack:

UH253 Josh Johnson
UH130 Mike Cameron
UH163 Miguel Cairo
UH166 Ryan Braun Home Run Derby
UH148 David Wright NL All-Star
UH255 Brian Horwitz RC
UH75 Matt Treanor
UH34 Nate McLouth NL All-Star
UH64 Joe Nathan AL All-Star
UH95 Ichiro AL All-Star
FC-5 James & Elizabeth Kotright Monroe
WMDP22 Johan Santana Dick Perez
ToppsTown

7 straight packs with a ToppsTown card. Guuuuh. Two inserts in the pack, a snazzy looking Dick Perez card and a First lady card. I am so goddamned sick of presidents I could puke. How about some Vice presidents? Or Chief Justices? Speakers of the House? President pro tempore of the Senate? Postmaster General? Mayors of Pittsburgh? For Pete's sake, Topps, there are other freaking people in the government beside the stupid president.

Third Pack:

UH128 LaTroy Hawkins
UH74 Corey Patterson
UH152 Steve Trachsel
UH330 Johan Santana
UH125 John Smoltz 3000th Strikeout Highlight
UH262 Brian Wilson NL All-Star
UH232 Geovany Soto NL All-Star
UH167 Justin Morneau Home Run Derby
UH156 Juan Rincon
UH162 Eric Stults
UH102 Matt Murton
WBC20 Johan Santana WBC
David Wright Topps of the Class

Wouldn't ya know it, 8 packs in and I've got doubles of my only WBC card. Oh well, I got Smoltzie at least.

Fourth Pack:

UH205 Octavio Dotel
UH121 Jacque Jones
UH90 Dan Haren
UH325 Clay Hensley
UH!95 Chris Carter RC
UH51 Fernando Tatis
UH279 Alex Hinshaw RC
UH1 Kosuke Fukudome RC
UH17 Russ Martin NL All-Star
UH41 Joe Mauer AL All-Star
UH53 Justin Duchscherer AL All-Star
UH47 Dustin Pedroia AL All-Star
David Wright Topps of the Class

I am a KoFu magnet. I don't know what I did to deserve this.

Fifth Pack:

UH170 Greg Smith RC
UH182 Sidney Ponson
UH21 Darrell Rasner
UH117 Jed Lowrie RC
UH159 Mike Aviles RC
UH280 Max Scherzer RC
UH287 Chase Headley
UH328 Billy Wagner NL All-Star
UH5 Chipper Jones NL All-Star
YR172 Melky Cabrera Year in Review
MRH-GC Gary Carter Ring of Honor
UH14 Bartolo Colon Gold Parallel #0121/2008
ToppsTown

Three inserts, four rookies and a Chipper in this pack. Feast or famine, I suppose. I've been interested to see a Ring of Honor card, they look pretty much like the football insert. I guess they chose the '86 Mets to balance out some of the Yankee lovefest that's been going on this year. Maybe by 2038 a non-New York team will be honored in a trading card set. Of course then it'lll be one season of Boston Red Sox love then back to the Yanks. Ah screw it, I got my Chipper.

53 base cards
12 RCs
2 Gold border parallels
1 Dick Perez
1 Year in Review
1 WBC
1 Ring of Honor
1 First Lady
3 ToppsTown
2 David Wright ads

What's interesting about this stuff is that there are no odds for relic cards on the back of the pack. So, if you like jerseys Hobby is the way to go. Series 2 blasters has a jersey per box though, so maybe that's where Topps is hiding 'em.