OVERDUE DONRUSS FAT PACK POST

 I BOUGHT THIS THING BACK IN JUNE AND DONRUSS IS STILL HANGING AROUND IN STORES IF THAT TELLS YOU HOW POPULAR IT IS. I KINDA LIKE IT THOUGH, THE DESIGN IS NEAT AND THE MIX OF BOWMAN MEETS LEGENDS IS KIND OF FUN. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS POST IN A WAY WHERE I DIDN'T HAVE TO POST EVERY SINGLE CARD SO I BROKE IT UP INTO SUBSETS AND CUT THE NUMBER OF PICS IN HALF

SINCE THERE'S A LOT OF PROSPECTS IN HERE I CHECKED THE MLB.COM 2023 PROSPECT RANKINGS SO I COULD ANSWER THE ETERNAL QUESTION 'DID I DO GOOD?' THEIR NUMBER RANKING HAS BEEN LISTED NEXT TO THE NAME AND I DID THE SAME WITH THE RETIRED PLAYERS BECAUSE WHY NOT. PROSPECT RANKINGS WILL LIKELY BE OUTDATED BY THE TIME I POST THIS BUT HOPEFULLY IT GOES UP BEFORE THE NEXT HALL OF FAME BALLOT. GRANT WILL BE PLEASED TO SEE I TYPED OUT THE NAMES WHEN I WAS OPENING UP THE PACK WITH ACTUAL LOWER CASE LETTERS AND I'M TOO LAZY TO CAPSLOCK THEM ALL

DIAMOND KINGS:

Juan Marichal - Hall of Fame
Roger Clemens - Not

NEW DIAMOND KINGS WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS THE DICK PEREZ ONES BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS REASONABLY NICE. THE ENTIRE CHECKLIST IS FILLED WITH LEGENDS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PULLING A MINOR LEAGUER. THEY WENT WITH THE DIAMOND THEME ON THE DESIGN, MAYBE NEXT YEAR WE'LL GET A CROWN

RATED PROSPECTS:

Jackson Chourio - #2
James Wood - #4
Jackson Jobe - na
Brayan Rocchio - #52 Called up
Carson Williams - #23

ALL THESE RATINGS ARE PROBABLY DEFUNCT NOW THAT THE TRADE DEADLINE IS LONG GONE. THERE'S ALSO PROBABLY A COUPLE OTHER PLAYERS CALLED UP BY NOW. THE FACT THAT ANY OF THEM WERE CALLED UP AT ALL IS INTERESTING TO ME AS PANINI'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SELLING CURRENT PLAYERS. SURE IT TAKES TIME TO PLAN, DESIGN AND PRINT THE THINGS BUT IT'S STILL WORTH WATCHING CONSIDERING HOW LITIGEOUS EVERYONE IN THE INDUSTRY IS AT THE MOMENT. JUST ASK PAUL LESKO. JACKSON HERE IS THE #2 PROSPECT RIGHT NOW AND IS TEARING UP DOUBLE-A SO HOORAY FOR ME!

NEW-DONRUSS CARD DESIGNS HAVE BEEN CONTROVERSIAL AT BEST BUT I REALLY LOVE HOW GOOFY THIS ONE IS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE 1991 DESIGN STRIPPED OFF THE GREEN AND BLUE BORDERS AT THE COST OF LETTING THE BORDER STRIPES GO A LITTLE FERAL. THEY'RE GOING EVERY WHICH WAY NOW AND THE SPECKLEY ONES HAVE MUTATED INTO AN EERILY ORGANIC MESH WITH TINY BASEBALLS IN IT. OR ARE THEY EYEBALLS? BASEYEBALLS. IT'S A LITTLE UNNERVING AND I LOVE IT. SINCE NO ONE HERE IS ALLOWED TO BE A ROOKIE THEY ARE NOW RATED PROSPECTS. I'M OK WITH THIS

AS USUAL, THE BACKS ARE TRASH BUT AT LEAST THEY ARE COLORFUL TRASH. THE BLACK AND WHITE BACKS ON A LOT OF PANINI'S LOW-END STUFF DEPRESSES ME

PROSPECT BASE:

Druw Jones - #13
Alex Ramirez - na
Gavin Williams - #10 Called up
Jordan Walker - Called up
Jasson Dominguez - #41

VERY HAPPY TO PICK UP A CARD OF DRUW, NOT AS HAPPY HE'S WITH THE DIAMONDBACKS. I'M WONDERING NOW IF HE'LL BE CALLED UP BEFORE OR AFTER ANDRUW GETS INTO THE HALL OF FAME. I KNOW DRUW'S BATTING UNDER THE MENDOZA LINE IN ROOKIE BALL AND HIS POP NEEDS ABOUT 25% MORE VOTES, I GOT A COOL CARD AND I WILL ENJOY MY DREAMS. JORDAN WALKER'S THE GUY WHO TIPPED ME OFF THAT CALLED UP PLAYERS WERE IN THIS SET. HE'S NOT HAVING A GREAT SEASON IN ST. LOUIS BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER ARE THE CARDINALS AND HE'S ABOUT A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS YOUNGER THAN THEY ARE. GIVE HIM SOME TIME. YOU CAN REALLY SEE THOSE LITTLE BASEBALLS IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER WITHOUT THE RATED PROSPECTS LOGO

BACKS ARE THE SAME EXCEPT GREEN AND YOU GET SOME STATS INSTEAD OF THE RATED PROSPECT LOGO. I WONDER IF THE GREEN ANOTHER LITTLE HAT TIP TO 1991 DONRUSS?

RETIRED BASE:

Jimmy Rollins - MVP
Jack Morris - Douchebag
Nolan Ryan - overpriced by boomers
Buster Posey - was out
Bobby Abreu - underrated
Ivan Rodriguez - Hall of Famer
Rafael Palmeiro - should be a Hall of Famer

THE UNIVERSE HEARD ME BITCHING ABOUT HOW I NEED NOLAN RYAN CARDS TO COMPLETE ALL MY SETS AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY FLOODED ME WITH RYAN CARDS THIS YEAR. NONE FOR THE ACTUAL SETS, BUT A LOT OF THEM. I'M NOT GOING TO COMPLAIN, THIS A  NICE LOOKING CARD. I REALLY REALLY LIKE THE RETIRED LEGENDS ON THE CHECKLIST. THERE'S A LOT OF GUYS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY IN THAT INNER CIRLE LEGENDS GROUP LIKE NOLAN BUT ARE STILL FUN LIKE J-ROLL AND ABREU. I HAVE ALWAYS DISLIKED MORRIS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS BUT HAVE RECENTLY SOURED ON HIM EVEN MORE DUE TO HIS VILLAINY IN THE SECRET BASE DOCUMENTARY ON DAVE STIEB. YOU'RE A DOUCHE, JACK. I'M GLAD FLEER USED A BAD PICTURE ON YOUR CARD IN 1982. ALSO DON'T GET ME STARTED ON PALMIERO. I'M ABOUT TO RUIN A NICE SUNDAY MORNING BLOG POST

1990 RETRO PROSPECTS:

Harry Ford - #25

ONLY GOT ONE RETRO PROSPECT CARD AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE BACK THEY REALLY LEANED INTO THE 1990 DESIGN. SO INCREDIBLY RED. HARRY IS A PRETTY HYPED PROSPECT FOR SEATTLE. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE HARRY WAS FROM KENNESAW AND THAT HIS PARENTS NAMED HIM HARRISON. STAR WARS FANS I GUESS

1990 RETRO RETIRED:

Shawn Green - played for blue teams despite being named green
John Smoltz - exhausting
Ken Griffey Jr - Kid

CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT MY RETRO CARDS. A GRIFFEY JR. CARD IS A GOOD CARD. SMOLTZ MEANS I DIDN'T GET SHUT OUT ON BRAVES IN THE PACK. ONCE AGAIN A REHASHED VERSION OF THE 1990 DONRUSS DESIGN SHOWS JUST HOW GOOD THAT DESIGN WOULD BE IF IT JUST WASN'T COMPLETELY EYE-BLEEDING RED. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SKIPPED THE 1989 DESIGN THIS YEAR THOUGH. MAYBE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE GRADIENT BORDERS? 

:EVITAGEN ESREVER EKAF 0991

nayR naloN

SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT NOLAN? THIS IS CLEVER, RIFFING ON THE 1990 JUAN GONZALEZ ERROR. I HAVEN'T CHECKED TO SEE IF JUAN IS IN THIS SET OR IF HE HAS HIS OWN REVERSE NEGATIVE CARD AND I'M NOT GONNA

IF IT'S DONRUSS YOU KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE PARALLELS

SHINY PARALLELS:

Carlos Beltran - will be a Hall of Famer sooner or later
Tyler Black - #98
Noah Schultz - na
Willie McCovey - Hall of Famer
Roger Clemens Diamond King - PUT HIM IN ALREADY

AN ACTUAL NUMBERED PARALLEL! TOO BAD IT'S NUMBERED 1997 INSTEAD OF HIS ROOKIE YEAR OF 1998 OR ELSE I'D HAVE AN EBAY 1/1 HERE. i WAS VERY HAPPY HE GOT FORTY-SOMETHING PERCENT OF THE HALL VOTE HIS FIRST YEAR. PEOPLE MIGHT START GETTING SOME VOTES NOW

I LIKE SHINY BLUE BORDERS SO THIS IS NICE. I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY ABOUT THE CARD, BUT IT IS NICE

I THINK THE ORANGE PARALLELS ARE THREE PER FAT PACK AND I PULLED A PROSPECT, A HALL OF FAMER AND A DIAMOND KING. GOOD RANGE OF PLAYERS THERE. THIS WAS DEFINITELY THE TEXAS STRIKEOUT PITCHER PACK. I'M SERIOUS ABOUT CLEMENS TOO, JUST PUT HIM STRAIGHT IN COOPERSTOWN, NO VOTE. PUT AN ASTERISK ON HIS CAP IF YOU MUST, BUT I AM NOT AT ALL INTERESTED IN BONDS AND CLEMENS CLOGGING UP VETERAN'S COMMITTEE VOTES FOR ETERNITY LIKE THEY CLOGGED UP THE BBWAA VOTE FOR SO LONG. JUST PUT THEM IN! 

UNLEASHED INSERT:

Mick Abel - #42

I DON'T KNOW WHO THE HECK MICK ABEL IS, ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS HE'S A PRETTY DECENT PITCHING PROSPECT FOR PHILLY. I DO KNOW THAT THIS INSERT IS FUCKING METAL AS HELL. A BEAR A WOLF AND A RATTLESNAKE ON WACKY HOLOSQUARES FOILBOARD. I HAD NO IDEA THESE THINGS EXISTED AND NOW I WANT THEM ALL. SO COOL

ALL IN ALL THIS WAS A PRETTY FUN PACK RIP FOR SEVEN BUCKS OR WHATEVER IT COST AND I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT NEED TO RIP ANOTHER ONE UNLESS THEY END UP IN CLEARANCE BOXES. WHICH THEY MIGHT. I REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I'M DOING WITH MY NEW-DONRUSS COLLECTION GOING FORWARD. I DOUBT I'LL EVER ACTUALLY COMPLETE THE SETS AND WHO KNOWS IF ANYONE WOULD EVEN WANT THE CARDS. I STILL HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR THEM IN ALL THEIR UGLINESS SO IT'S A DECISION I CAN PUT OFF FOR A WHILE. IF YOU SEE ONE OF THESE PACKS IN THE WILD AND ARE THINKING ABOUT PICKING IT UP, I SAY GO FOR IT AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO