2024 ONLINE BLASTER - PART 5: THE FIRST PILE OF CHRONICLES

I STILL LOVES THE CHRONICLES AND STILL KEEP PICKING OFF NEW CARDS FROM THE SET AS THEY POP UP. I HAVE NOT EXACTLY FIGURED OUT HOW I AM COLLECTING THE SET YET, IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILD ALL THE SETS, THERE'S 25 DIFFERENT DESIGNS WITH AS MANY AS 100 CARDS IN A SET AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN A CARD FROM EVERY DESIGN YET! I THINK I DO WANT TO GET AT LEAST A PAGE WORTH OF MOST OF THE SETS WHILE TRYING TO GET AS MANY DIFFERENT PLAYERS AS POSSIBLE. ONCE THE NEXT BATCH OF CARDS COMES IN I'LL HAVE A BETTER HANDLE ON HOW EXACTLY TO DO THAT. *NOTE - THIS HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY AFTER I WROTE THIS POST. HERE'S THE FIRST OF THREE POSTS OF INCREASINGLY SHINY CHRONICLES CARDS

CATEGORY - CHRONICLES

2022 BASE DESIGN - MANNY MACHADO, LUIS ROBERT

IT'S KINDA RIDICULOUS HOW MUCH MANNY'S STAR HAS FADED SINCE HE JOINED THE PADRES. HE'S STILL A GREAT PLAYER ON A HALL OF FAME TRAJECTORY WHO IS STILL VERY PRODUCTIVE. OK, SURE, HE'S IN HIS THIRTIES NOW AND COULD FALL OFF A CLIFF AT ANY MOMENT BUT STILL. THIS DUDE IS A GOOD PLAYER! 

ON THE OTHER HAND, LUIS ROBERT IS A GREAT PLAYER ON A GARBAGE TEAM. HE HAD THIRTY-EIGHT DINGERS LAST YEAR! I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT LUIS CAN DO THIS YEAR AS HE STARTS TO ENTER HIS PRIME. WHO KNOWS, THE AL CENTRAL IS PRETTY STINKY, HE MIGHT MESS AROUND AND LEAD THE SOX TO THE PLAYOFFS. 74 WINS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO WIN THE CENTRAL

ODDLY ENOUGH THE BASE SET ONLY HAS 50 CARDS WHEN SOME OF THE SHINER ONES THAT ARE TOUGHER TO PULL OUT OF A PACK ARE 60 AND EVEN 100 CARDS IN SIZE. PART OF ME WANTS TO COMPLETE THE BASE SET JUST BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO COMPLETE BASE SETS FOR FOREVER BUT I HAVEN'T REALLY COMMITTED TO IT YET. WE'LL SEE

2022 LUMINANCE DESIGN - MARCUS STROMAN

I DON'T REALLY LIKE THE LUMINENCE DESIGNS SO THIS MIGHT BE ONE OF THOSE SETS I ONLY COLLECT THREE CARDS FROM, WHICH MEANS I NEVER HAVE TO TINK ABOUT IT AGAIN STINCE STROMAN'S MY THIRD CARD. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S ONLY A 20 CARD SET SO ALL IT WOULD TAKE FOR ME TO COLLECT THE WHOLE THING IS TO SEE A PILE OF THEM IN A DIME BOX

2022 THREADS DESIGN - CODY BELLINGER

I DON'T LIKE THREADS EITHER BUT I ALREADY HAVE MORE THAN THRE OF THEM SO A COMPLETE PAGE WILL PROBABLY BE IN THE WORKS. A FORMER MVP IS A NICE ADDITION, AND I DID NOT HAVE A BELLINGER FOR THE SET YET WHICH IS A BONUS. LET'S HOPE HE CAN KEEP UP HIS CUBS PRODUCTION IN 24

2022 LIMITED DESIGN - JOSE ABREU

ANOTHER MVP! IM NOT SUPER CRAZY ABOUT THE LIMITED DESIGN BUT IT'S KINDA GROWING ON ME. I STILL WISH THERE WAS A BUNCH OF HOLOFOIL STAMPING ON FOILBOARD LIKE OLD LEAF LIMITED SETS BUT THERE'S ENOUGH OF THAT ON THE OTHER DESIGNS

2022 PINNACLE DESIGN - JOE RYAN

I REALLY LIKE THESE CARDS THANKS TO THE (MOSTLY) AUTHENTIC LOOKING PINNACLE DESIGN BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF THEM AROUND. JOR RYAN'S A PRETTY GOOD RC TO GET, YOU GOTTA LOVE AN INNINGS EATER IN TODAY'S GAME. THERE'S ONLY TWENTY CARDS IN THIS SET, I'M TEMPTED TO COMPLETE THE WHOLE THING AND PUT IT IN THE PINNACLE BOX

2022 ELITE DESIGN - RILEY ADAMS

THE ELITE SET HAS FIFTY CARDS AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S SHINY, IT'S PRETTY BORING WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT. THERE'S JUST NOTHING TO IT! I KNOW I MADE FUN OF ALL THE RANDOM ANGLES EVERYWHERE PANINI DESIGNS ON A LOT OF THESE CARDS, BUT THERE'S JUST NOTHING HERE! FULL BLEED CARDS WITH A MINIMAL DESIGN ONLY WORK WITH A BACKGROUND AND I DON'T MEAN A FUNHOUSE REFLECTION OF MY FACE STARING BACK AT ME THROUGH THE RAINBOW FOIL

2022 CERTIFIED DESIGN - JOSE ABREU

THE MORE I LOOK AT IT THE MORE I LIKE THE CERTIFIED CARDS. YES, THE DESIGN IS OVERWORKED ALMOST TO THE POINT OF ABSURD, BUT IT DOES FIT WITH THE WEIRD HISTORICAL DONRUSS VERSIONS. HERE'S ANOTHER JOSE ABREU. I KNOW I SAID I WANTED TO GET AS MANY DIFFERENT PLAYERS AS POSSIBLE BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST GO FOR THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE

2021 REVOLUTION DESIGN - KRIS BRYANT

I FRIGGIN LOVE THE REVOLUTION SET NO MATTER IF IT'S PACIFIC OR PANINI. I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE 2021 VERSIONS SO THIS IS A REALLY NICE PICKUP. HOW IN THE WORLD DID KRIS BRYANT GO FROM THE SAVIOR OF CHICAGO TO A PRISON SENTENCE IN DENVER. MAYBE HE CAN HAVE A BELLINGER BOUNCE BACK THIS SEASON

2022 CLEARLY DONRUSS DESIGN - JAVIER BAEZ

I STILL FEEL THIS DESIGN WORKS BETTER ON PLAIN OL PAPER CARDS BUT CLEAR CARDS ARE TOO APPEALING TO ME TO CARE. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE LARGER SETS AT 65 CARDS SPLIT UP BETWEEN BASE AND RATED ROOKIES. BAEZ SEEMS TO BE SUFFERING FROM A COMBINATION OF MACHADO'S NO ONE CARES ANYMORE NOW THAT HE SIGNED A BIG CONTRACT WITH THE TIGERS AND BRYANT'S THE MOJO IS GONE NOW THAT HE'S NOT IN CHICAGO CURSES

2021 CLEAR VISION DESIGN - IAN ANDERSON

CLEAR CARDS WITH HOLOFOIL ARE MY CATNIP AND THIS ONE IS A BRAVES ROOKIE TO BOOT! IAN MISSED LAST SEASON WITH TOMMY JOHN AND WILL PROBABLY BE PRETTY LOW ON THE DEPTH CHART WHEN HE FINALLY GETS BACK. EVERY TEAM NEEDS LIKE EIGHT DECENT STARTERS MINIMUM NOWDAYS TO GET THROUGH A SEASON THOUGH SO HE'LL PROBABLY GET HIS CHANCE SOONER OR LATER

THE NEXT THREE ARE NOT CHRONICLES CARDS BUT IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I AM ALLOWED TO PICK UP CARDS WITH DESIGNS SIMILAR TO THE CHRONICLES CARDS I LOVE EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT FROM THE CHRONICLES SETS. OR EVEN BASEBALL. YOU CAN PUT THE FOLLOWING IN CATEGORY - INSERTS IF YOU PREFER

2021 ILLUSIONS JOSH JACOBS ILLUSIONISTS INSERTS

I DUNNO WHO JOSH JACOBS IS BUT DAMN THIS CARD IS VERY CLEAR AND HAS SOME GREAT LOOKING GOLD FOIL HIGHLIGHTS. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH TELLS ME JOSH IS A VERY GOOD RUNNING BACK WHO IS A FREE AGENT AT A TIME WHERE TEAMS DON'T WANT TO PAY RUNNING BACKS SQUAT. POOR JOSH. I HOPE YOU FLEECE SOME TEAM AND GET YOUR MONEY

2021 ILLUSIONS DARIUS LEONARD AND JAMES HARRISON CLEAR SHOTS INSERTS

DAMN, ILLUSIONS DOES SOME GREAT INSERT SETS. WE HAVE A COUPLE LINEBACKERS HERE WITH DARIUS LEONARD AND JAMES HARRISON. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHINY AS THE LEONARD CARD HAS A TON OF HOLOFOIL WHILE HARRISON GETS THE GOILD FOIL TREATMENT LIKE THAT ILLUSIONIST CARD UP THERE. I'M PUTTING THEM BOTH IN THE CHRONICLES BOX ANYWAY BECAUSE ILLUSIONS ISN'T A REAL SET ANYWAY

UP NEXT: IT'S CHAOS TIME AGAIN