BIRTHDAY BOOLSHEET BLASTER: PART 10 - BRAVES

I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO SEE A BRAVES TEAM PILE IN THE CRAPOLA BOX. I EXPECTED MOST OR ALL OF THE BRAVES TO BE YOINKED OUT AND PUT IN THE 50 CENT BRAVES BOXES BUT I GUESS THOSE WERE GETTING A LITTLE FULL AS WELL SO I GOT A NICE PILE OF THIRTY SEVEN BRAVES. IT'S NOT EVEN THE SMALLEST TEAM PILE IN THE BOX!

ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR BRAVES IN THE 87 TRADED SET MADE IT INTO THE BOX. I NEED IT FOR THE SET, SO THAT'S NICE AT LEAST

1987 TOPPS TRADED COUNT: 15/132

THERE WERE TWELVE 2002 TOPPS CARDS IN THE PILE BUT I'M ONLY ADDING SIX OF THEM TO THE SECOND SET BECAUSE HALF THE PILE IS NEEDED FOR MY TEAM SET

SINCE I ALREADY HAVE THE ENTIRE 2002 BASE SET, A SECOND TEAM SET IS KIND OF A LUXURY, BUT IT MAKES THE TEAM BINDERS LOOK NICE. LOOKING AT MY SET WANT LIST AND TEAM WANT LIST I COULD PROBABLY COMPLETE A FEW SETS IF I RAIDED MY BINDERS. HMMMM

2002 TOPPS COUNT: 86/718

SO THERE'S NOT ONLY BRAVES IN THE BULLSHIT BLASTER BUT VINTAGE BRAVES. 1978 IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SETS BUT I'VE COMPLETED THE BASE SET AND THE TEAM SET SO IT'S HARD TO JUSTIFY PICKING UP RANDOM CARDS FROM THE SET WHEN I SEE THEM. I WILL ABSOLUTELY TAKE THEM JUST OUTTA NOWHERE THOUGH. THIS IS A GOOD MIX OF PLAYERS TOO, ALL STAR WILLIE MONTANEZ, GOOD OL' CHANNEL 17, LONG TIME UTILITY GUY JERRY ROYSTER AND ROOKIE OF THE YEAR GARY MATTHEWS. IF WE PLAY THE GAME ON THE BACK OF THE CARDS WE GET A GROUND OUT AND STRIKEOUT BOOKENDED BY GAME INSTRUCTIONS. THAT'S HOW IT GOES SOMETIMES

THERE'S ALSO A TEAM CARD IN THERE AND IT ISN'T EVEN MARKED UP OR NOTHIN. THERE IS A COOL ARTICLE FROM SPORTS COLLECTORS DAILY ON THE SURPRISING PLAYERS THAT TURNED UP ON TEAM CARDS OVER THE YEARS THAT'S WELL WORTH A READ. I'D LOOK UP WHO IS ON THIS CARD BUT I AM TRYING TO GET THIS WRITTEN BEFORE I HAVE TO GO RUN ERRANDS THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON SO THERE'S NO TIME. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE FORD FRICK AWARD YEARS AGO ERNIE JOHNSON SR. ON THE LEFT OF THE TOP ROW THOUGH

I ALSO LOVE 1980 CARDS AND WE HAVE A BRUCE BENEDICT ROOKIE CARD RIGHT HERE. I'M GLAD MY LCS COMPLETELY DISREGARDS VINTAGE TOPPS AFTER ABOUT 1974

SINCE THERE'S SO FEW CARDS IN THE PILE I'M SHOWING THEM ALL OFF EVEN IF I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY. MAN, THERE'S A LOT OF COLORS ON THIS CARD

THIS PHOTO IS NOT ONLY OUT OF FOCUS BUT I ALSO FORGOT TO CROP IT. I RETOOK THE PICTURE OF THE 1978 CARDS BECAUSE THEY DESERVE TO LOOK NICE BUT I CAN'T BE ARSED WITH THIS ONE

NOW WE REACH THE BIG STACK OF UPPER DECK COMMONS THAT WE GET WITH EVERY TEAM. THESE ARE JUNK BUT I WILL ALWAYS APPRECIATE FRANCISCO CABRERA'S CONTRIBUTION TO HUMANITY

I'M TEMPTED TO COMPARE THE GIANT STACK OF 1992 UPPER DECK TO 2002 TOPPS WHEN THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE, BUT UPPER DECK'S CARD STOCK IS THINNER SO TOPPS WILL END UP WINNING NO MATTER WHAT. IT DOES IRK ME THAT I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND A 1992 CARD I NEED TO FINISH THE SET OUT OF THEM ALL. JUST ONE IN THE BOX AND I WILL BE HAPPY

1993 UPPER DECK IS NOT JUNK EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE RIGHT ERA AND PROBABLY HAD JUST AS MANY CARDS PRINTED. YES, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF THIS BRIAN HUNTER CARD BUT HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE PERMANENTLY BRICKED OR HAVE THE DREADED 93 UPPER DECK SNOW FROM CARDS STICKING TOGETHER? JUST COMPARE THIS CARD COMMEMORATING THE DEMISE OF A POOR BAT TO THAT BRIAN HUNTER TOPPS CARD ABOVE THAT I COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO CORP. JUNK 1993 UPPER DECK DOES NOT EXIST. EXCEPT FOR THE ONES YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE WITH

LEMKE!!! FROM MY FAVORITE DONRUSS SET!!! LE EPIC WIN!!! 

WE WIND UP THE PILE WITH A COUPLE ROYAL ROOKIES. STEVE TORREALBA MADE IT TO THE BIGS WITH THE BRAVES IN 2001 AND 2002 AND WAS A GOOD ENOUGH PROSPECT TO GET A COUPLE SHORT PRINTED ROOKIE PROSPECT CARDS. I HAD NO IDEA WHO KENNY NELSON SO I LOOKED HIM UP AND DISCOVERED THIS ISN'T KENNY NELSON IT'S BUBBA NELSON. BUBBA WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE IN PROSPECT SUBSETS IN THE EARLY 00S. IN ADDITION TO THE GAWDAWFUL CARD DESIGN ROYAL ROOKIE DEPRIVED US OF A BUBBA CARD. UNFORGIVABLE. I HAVE ABOUT SIX COPIES OF BOTH THESE CARDS AS THESE PACKS WERE RIPPED LIKE CRAZY FOR AUTOGRAPHS AND NO ONE WANTS THE BASE

THAT WAS A NICE LITTLE PILE OF BRAVES AND THE NEXT BULLSHIT BLASTER POST IS EVEN NICER BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO DO A LOT OF WRITING