Gint-A-Cuffs II: Boxtopper and Packs 1-8

Alright, bitches and bitchettes.  The gauntlet has been thrown and warrior needs food badly.  Let’s cuff it up!

We got this box from the same case as Beardy’s monster box.  Will lightning strike twice?

Cabinet Card Pack

NCCB4 – Baseball Highlights featuring Lance Berkman, Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Lee (+8)
I like these slightly more than the engineering achievements.  This one celebrates the first trio of teammates to hit 300 HR in the same season.  I would think that a better, similar card would be to celebrate Konerko and Dye hitting their 300th HRs back to back.  That did happen last year, didn’t it?

Pack #1
116  Galileo Galilei – Astronomer

98  Johnny Cueto (Favorite Player List +2)
143  Jorge Posada (Yankee -1)
292  Chris Pettit
221 Mike Leake

304 Carlos Pena SP (+2)

319 Austin Jackson A&G Back mini SP (+6)

TDH3  Aramis Ramirez This Day in History (+1 +1 Favorite Team = +2) – The Diary of Anne Frank is published.  So, this is the kind of insert set this is going to be, eh?
Ginter Code Promo Card

Pack Total:  +11

Pack #2
92  Randy Oitker – Archery World Record holder.  He’s from IL!  Too bad he’s not in a Cubs uni.
206  J.D. Drew
251  Chase Headley
71  Hunter Pence
42  Mark DeRosa

302 Daric Barton SP (+2)

316 Nate McLouth mini SP (+3)

TDH53  Nick Markakis This Day in History (+1 +2 FP = +3) – The first congressional session is held.  And it was just as productive as all the rest.

Pack Total:  +8

Pack #3
134  Vladimir Guerrero
21  Ryan Kennelly – Bench Press WR holder

289  Hanley Ramirez (FP +2)
213  Mark Reynolds
133  Nelson Cruz
86  Andrew Bailey

320  Scott Sizemore SP (+2)

LO12  Cronos (+3) – To protect his throne, he ate his kids as they were born.  Is this where “A Modest Proposal” came from?

TDH8  Yunel Escobar This Day in History (+1) – 1st commercial radio broadcast happens, announcing that Harding beat Cox for President.  There would be no President Cox until Bill Clinton takes office.

Pack total:  +8

Pack #4

130  Area 51 (+1) – This card does not exist, does it Will Smith?
237  Kevin Millwood
234  Nick Johnson (-1)

261  Adam Jones (FP +2)
285  Alex Rodriguez (-1) – It’s a real see-saw battle between positive and negative in this pack.
93  Brandon Inge

317  Alex Rios SP (+2)

TDH42  Jorge Posada This Day in History (+1 -1 Stankee = +0) – Robert Fulton’s steamboat makes it’s first voyage, unknowingly paving the way for Walt Disney’s empire.

Pack Total:  +3 It’s a miracle we made it out of that pack with a positive total considering there were 3 Yankees and no mini (although still 8 cards).

Pack #5

129  Johannes Gutenberg (+1) – Think if I send this to Steve, it’d get TTM’d?
266 Adam LaRoche
167  Dan Haren
14  Shane Victorino
39  Josh Johnson
43  Yovani Gallardo

NA36  Dolphin – Greece (+2) – How do you say Flipper in Greek?  How do you say +2 for that matter?

TDH58  Dan Uggla This Day in History (+1) – The Great Blizzard of 1888.  Don’t suppose that’s a veiled reference to his 3 error All-Star game performance.

Pack Total:  +4

Pack #6
121  Francisco Rodriguez
112  Tyler Bradt – Waterfall Kayaking Record holder
149  Ichiro Suzuki – I hate that they don’t put his full name on cards.  Please someone tell me why this stopped.
244  Aaron Cook

AGR-ARA  Aramis Ramirez Bat Relic (+8 X 1.2 FT = +9.6) – Hopefully this is one of those sub-Mendoza bats he was using earlier in the season.  I like the darker coloring along the top and right sides.  Is that seeped-in tar?
64  Josh Beckett mini

TDH57 Miguel Tejada This Day in History (+1) – John Scopes is indicted for teaching evolution.  He was convicted two months later in what was also known as the “monkey” trial.

Pack Total:  +10.6

Pack #7
207  Wandy Rodriguez
24  Brandon Webb

208  Evan Longoria (FP +2)
222 Craig Gentry
85  Yunel Escobar

107  Adam Dunn (FP +2)

WGWS9  Dante Alighieri (+4) – This is a great one for me.  I’m working with someone on a comedic project somewhat inspired by “Inferno.”  Hopefully it’ll escape the rings of hell one of these days and I can say more.

TDH46  Yovani Gallardo This Day in History (+1) – The 22nd Amendment is ratified, which limits presidential terms.  Nixon would later overturn this in “The Watchmen.”

Pack Total:  +9

Pack #8
156  Cameron Maybin

291  Ron Teasley – Negro League (+2)

106  Dustin Pedroia (FP+2)
46  Chad Billingsley
295  Josh Thole – Rumored to be coming to the Cubs in a potential trade for Ted Lilly

335  Jonathan Broxton SP (+2)

186  Jose Reyes A&G Back mini (+2)

TDH49  Justin Morneau This Day in History (+1) – First Machine Gun Patented, originally called the Puckle gun.  That doesn’t sound quite so menacing.

Pack Total:  +9

Grand Total so far:  +70.6

Alright, so 1/3 of the way in and I think we’re in pretty good shape.  We got a nice first hit with a player from our favorite team.  No Ryan Howards (our choice for favorite player), however.  And really, not too many Cubs cards overall, either.  We had really good luck with the SPs and in the mini department, I’d say.  Can we keep this momentum going into the next 2/3rds?  Will our next hits be just as good as the first?  Will that kid stop annoying me?  Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.