Re-Pack Wars

Impulses are jerks.

I just can't help but walk throw a re-pack in my cart as I walk through the local drug store.  Well, the other day I had to make two trips.

So, I of course ended up with 2 re-packs.  They were far too tempting:

That hit ratio is how the one on the right ended up in my possession.  Of course, my luck with hits is best exemplified by a Cody Ransom auto being my primo pull.

But, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to add some new cards to my Cubs player collections.  My Cubs PCs extend to everyone who's ever played for them.

As for the one on the left, Hanley parallels are of no interest to me (who wants it?) it was the backside that drew me in (that sounded pretty perverse, didn't it?)

That had to be a good omen, right?  Either that or good marketing on the Fairfield folks' part.

Yea, definitely the latter.

So, since I got them on the same day, it was only natural for me to stack them against each other.  In a no holds barred cage match, which repack offered the better bounty?  The tidy box or the plastic cage of frustration?

The plastic finger shredder is off to an early lead with two of my all-time favorites.  While I already have the '88 Donruss Maddux, that crazy looking Derrek Lee will fit nicely in my PC.

Cards on the right are from the box, cards on the left are from the hanger:

Both offered me a Mad Dog; clearly they're pandering to me.

Though he might be a brave on that fantastic '96 Ultra insert, the grip chart gives it a clear advantage.  As I mentioned earlier, I already had the '88 Donruss in my collection anyway.

Box -1  Hanger - 0

A couple of super short-term Cubs.

I don't have many cards of either guys; in fact, it's my third Jackson and only my second Cunnane.  Damian got a brief audition with the *shudders* infamous 2004 Cubs but was shipped off before the season came to a painful close.  Cunnane was stashed in the bullpen for 16 games in 2002.  Obviously, neither player was very significant to the club.

Cunnane gets the nod here though, mostly because it depicts him making his ML debut at Wrigley Field. 

Box -1  Hanger - 1

Next up, we have a HOFer and a player who put up some HOF numbers.

I don't need to describe the career arcs of either of these players; you certainly know all you need to know.

This Sandberg is new to my collection and Ryno was the first Cub that I declared to be my favorite.  that said, I have to give the edge to Sosa just for the novelty of seeing him in a White Sox uniform.

Plus, I have no love for the purple borders that Score utilized that year.

Box - 1  Hanger - 2

 Both re-packs offered something wonderfully garish as well.

The bright pink border on this '90 classic Alomar screams 90's. Sandy was on the coaching staff at  the beginning of the previous decade, so into the coaches binder it goes.

Bosley is sporting the so-ugly-they're-actually-awesome V-neck pullovers they wore in the late 70's.  It's too bad that the shorts that were briefly paired with them didn't last until 1980.  If they had, maybe Bosley would have been able to take down Sandy.

While, I don't care much for purple Score, I apparently get some enjoyment from Pink Classic.  I'm an enigma.

Box - 2  Hanger -2

Moving on, we have two pitchers who completely bombed on the North Side of Chicago.

Goose wasn't fooling many batters during his lone season in Cubbie Blue.  In 1988, he posted a 4.33 ERA as their closer in 46 games, with only 13 saves.

But, he has a Hall of Fame career to fall back on.  Plus, '85 Topps is one of my favorite sets of all-time (irrationally so, I know) and, like Bosley before, we get to see a awesomely ugly uniform.

Jose Guzman was one of the pitchers that GM Jim Frey signed with the money that should have been allocated to Greg Maddux.  Needless to say, he was no replacement.  He was out of baseball just 2 seasons later.

Goose gets the W here.

Box - 3  Hanger - 2

 These two were traded for each other straight-up in a change of scenery deal in January of 2012.

Though he was a major Crazy Train that finally went off the tracks at the end, he was still a part of 3 division championship teams, tossed the first Cubs no-hitter in 30+ years and was a steady workhorse for 10 seasons.

Volstad was the worst pitcher not named Edwin Jackson that I had ever seen.  In 21 starts, he posted a 6.31 ERA over 111 innings.  I don't think I really need to elaborate any more beyond that.

Thus, even though Big Z got ripped at some point, he still beats out Volstad.

Box - 4  Hanger - 2

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There we have it - the victor is the box!

Cue the balloons, music, cake and clowns!

What? That wasn't in my budget?  Ah well, maybe if I'd gotten that 1-in-4 box with a "hit" in it, I'd have been able to pay for all that celebratory stuff.

But, that was about it for useful cards in the re-packs.  Although it wasn't very much and certainly nothing significant, it was still pretty fun to rip through them.

It always is.