BOUGHT ANOTHER PACK OF CHRONICLES AT TARGET LIKE A DUMBASS

REMEMBER THAT TOPPS SERIES ONE HANGER PACK I BOUGHT? THE PLAN WAS TO PICK UP A SERIES ONE RACK PACK TO GO WITH IT BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY. THEY DID HAVE A BUNCH OF 2022 CHRONICLES PACKS THOUGH AND STILL DAZZLED BY ALL THOSE QUARTER CARDS I PICKED UP I STUPIDLY BOUGHT ONE. DID I HAVE FUN AT LEAST OR WAS IT A BIG WASTE OF MONEY? LET'S FIND OUT! FIND OUT OVER THE NEXT MONTH, I CUT THE POST INTO THREE PARTS AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS TAKING TOO LONG TO WRITE

REMINDER ON THE GIMMICK FOR CHRONICLES POSTS. FOR EACH DESIGN I WILL ANSWER THESE THREE QUESTIONS: 

1) HAVE I EVER HEARD OF THIS PRODUCT?

2) WHAT ORIGINAL SET IS THIS RIPPING OFF?

3) IS THIS DESIGN WORTH A DAMN OR NOT?

VERTEX ONEIL CRUZ RC

1) THE CARD IS IN MY HAND AND I'M LOOKING RIGHT AT IT AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS

2) THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN ON A TRADING CARD. IT SORTA REMINDS ME OF A PIET MONDRIAN PAINTING BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH COLORS. MAYBE IT'S A SUPER ABSTRACT VERSION OF 1993 SCORE ALL-STAR CARDS?

3) I WON'T ARGUE WITH ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS CARD IS UGLY AS SIN CUZ IT IS BUT I KINDA RESPECT THE ULTRA MINIMALISTIC DESIGN COMBINED WITH SUPER INTRICATE EMBOSSING. IT'S COMPLETELY UNIQUE AND THAT COUNTS FOR A LOT

SPEAKING OF MINIMALISM, JUST LOL AT THIS CARD BACK WITH NAME, TEAM, POSITION, AND BIRTHDAY. YOU CAN SEE THE WILD EMBOSSING MUCH BETTER FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT. CHRONICLES IS FILTHY WITH ROOKIE CARDS AND ONEIL CRUZ IS A GOOD ONE TO GET RIGHT OFF THE BAT. PITTSBURGH IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A MESS IN '23 BUT THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF NICE YOUNG PLAYERS. SADLY THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THIS CARD IS NOT SO MUCH DINGED AS IT IS BENT BUT I WASN'T GOING TO GET THIS GRADED ANYTIME SOON

PINNACLE JEREMY PENA RC

1) YESSSSSS. THIS IS THE PINNACLE I KNOW AND LOVE!

2) BIG OL' RIPOFF OF 1992 PINNACLE. YES THE FONT IS WONKY AND THERE'S SOME ANACHRONISTIC FOIL STAMPING BUT IT'S GOT THE BLACK BORDERS, 90S GRADIENT AND PHOTO BLEEDING OFF THE EDGES OF THE CARD. PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF FUCKIN' AWESOME

3) I ALMOST CRIED WITH JOY WHEN I SAW THIS AFTER THAT TRAVESTY OF A PINNACLE DESIGN IN THE LAST BATCH OF CHRONICLES CARDS. SO DAMN HAPPY WITH THIS

THEY DID A REALLY GOOD JOB WITH THE BACK AS WELL. IF ONLY THEY'D SPRING FOR A DIFFERENT PHOTO FOR ONCE. I'M NOT SURE IF THE 2022 ROOKIE CLASS WAS JUST THAT GOOD OF IF MY LUCK IS FANTASTIC, BUT I'VE HIT TWO TOP ROOKIE SHORTSTOPS IN A ROW. AS I'M TYPING THIS, THE BRAVES ARE HAVING A BIT OF A CONTROVERSY WITH THEIR OWN ROOKIE SHORTSTOP BUT I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT IT WILL BE SORTED OUT BY THE TIME THIS POST GOES LIVE. JEREMY PENA REALLY JUMPED INTO CARLOS CORREA'S SHOES AND WENT OUT AND WON WORLD SERIES MVP. PRETTY GOOD. THIS CARD IS EVEN MORE BEAT UP THAN THE CRUZ CARD, SOMEHOW THE TOP RIGHT CORNER IS BONKED THIS TIME. THEM'S THE BREAKS WHEN YOU BUY RETAIL 

ROOKIES AND STARS JAKE BURGER RC

1) I KNOW LEAF ROOKIES AND STARS BUT I DON'T KNOW THIS

2) TYPICAL PANINI 'ANGLES, ANGLES EVERYWHERE' SCHOOL OF CARD DESIGN

3) NOT A FAN

I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS CARD. IT LOOKS LIKE A BUNCH OF OTHER RANDOM PANINI PRODUCTS AND ISN'T FOILY OR SHINY TO DAZZLE MY EYES. LOOKS LIKE JAKE BURGER IS HITTING DINGERS IN SPRING TRAINING BUT HE'S GOT YOAN MONCADA AHEAD OF HIM ON THE DEPTH CHART. LOOKING AT THE BACK OF THE CARD JAKE IS AN ECONOMIST WHO WANTS TO GET INTO POLITICS SO I HOPE HE WINS THE JOB AND LOCKS DOWN THE HOT CORNER FOR A DECADE AND THEN GETS INTO COACHING. MAY YOUR BASEBALL CAREER BE LONGER THAN JIMMY REESE'S

LUMINANCE ROMY GONZALEZ RC

1) AW YEAH, THIS IS THAT UGLY STUFF I PULLED IN THAT PACK OF BASKETBALL DRAFT PICKS

2) TO QUOTE THE PREVIOUS POST, "THIS LOOKS LIKE THE BLANDEST FLEER ULTRA SET HAD A BABY WITH UPPER DECK FIRST EDITION"

3) I DON'T DIG IT, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN GENERIC PANINI ANGLES

ANOTHER WHITE SOX ROOKIE WITH NEGATIVE CAREER WAR. LOOKS LIKE ROMY MIGHT END UP A UTILITY GUY NOW THAT ELVIS ANDRUS IS PLAYING SECOND. MY EYES SUCK SO WHEN I READ THE BACK OF THE CARD I SAW 'GONZALEZ HAS A BIG HAT' AND LAUGHED. WE NEED A TRADING CARD SET OF PLAYERS WITH BIG HATS

CLASSICS KYLE MULLER RC

1) CLASSICS IS THE ONE TRADING CARD SET THAT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT COLLECTING FOOTBALL CARDS AGAIN

2) THERE'S A LOT OF ELEMENTS CRIBBED FROM JUNK WAX SETS HERE BUT THE ONE IT REMINDS ME OF THE MOST IS 1990 FLEER

3) VINTAGEY RETROEY RIP OFF SETS ARE LIKE CATNIP TO ME, I LOVE THIS KINDA CRAP

WOOHOO! I GOT A BRAVE IN THE PACK! WOOHOO! WE TRADED HIM FOR SEAN MURPHY! KYLE WAS A SECOND ROUND PICK FOR THE BRAVES AND ONE OF A HANDFUL OF DECENT PITCHING PROSPECTS TRYING TO CRACK THE ROTATION. HE ONLY PITCHED A DOZEN GAMES FOR THE BRAVES BUT WHILE THE BEST TEAM OUTCOME FOR A PITCHING PROSPECT IS TO GET A SOLID SPOT IN THE ROTATION LIKE MAX FRIED OR KYLE WRIGHT, THE SECOND BEST OUTCOME IS TO GET A DAMN GOOD PLAYER IN RETURN WHEN TRADING SAID PROSPECT. THE A'S ARE LOOKING LIKE THE BRAVES WEST IN SOME RESPECTS AND I HOPE KYLE HAS SOME SUCCESS OVER THERE

THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY, NEXT TIME WE'LL SEE SOME BASE CARDS, SOME SHINY, AND SOME ACTUAL VETERANS FROM THE PACK