Lunchtime with Fairfield

What do you do when your done eating, but still have time to kill on your lunch break?  Also, when you're lacking inspiration for your blog?  Well, obviously, you go and buy yourself a $5 repack from the local Walgreen's and open it in your truck while simultaneously live blogging it's contents.  Duh.

Let's do this:

The parameters - 100 cards and a bonus pack.  Additionally, 1:4 boxes has a hit; in all of my years of collecting cards, I've bought way more than four of these and I've never pulled a hit.  Harumph.  Don't mind the cameo by my thigh and dirty work pants.

Rather than show off every bit of junk wax from this repack, I'm going to stick with the highlights.  By the way, anybody need a 2015 Cueto?

A smattering of 2008 Topps was to be found underneath the newest SF Giant.  We've got one of the best photo selections in recent memory, courtesy of a lurking mascot and two Cubs connections.

It's jarring to see Michael Barrett in a Padres uniform.

Here we have a card of a guy that I could possibly be a distant relative of; my family's original name was Burba, before they left Lithuania for the US in the beginning of the last century.  When they came through Ellis island, it was changed to sound more American.  I wonder...

Meanwhile, there's also an oddball of a blogosphere favorite.

A couple of nice looking sets came up next - unfortunately, I really have no use for these in my collection.  I really do enjoy the ticket stub/baseball card hybrids that seemed to pop up a lot in the previous decade.

A then-future Cub and a bonafide, actual Cub (and a vintage one at that) - neat!

Orlando was brought in for the stretch drive as an extra outfielder for the Wild Card winning 1998 Cubs squad.  Fitting that this card uses a photo from Wrigley Field; Upper Deck getting awfully prescient there.

Speaking of Cubs playoff teams' spare parts, Mark Guthrie was a member of the bullpen for the heart-wrenching 2003 NL Central champs.  He was well passed his prime though, which you might have guessed seeing as this card dates from 12 years before that.

Some more oddballs shuffled up next.  Is that the infamous Marla Collins in the background of the Darryl Strawberry card?

Harry Caray was a wildcard in the booth, wasn't he?  He'd never survive in today's broadcasting climate.

It's just as bizarre to see JoBo in an Indians uni as it was to see Michael Barrett as a Pad.  However, this card will slot nicely into my Cubs of a Different Color collection.

That's a pretty 90's looking card of Matt Williams there.

Hey there's my bonus pack - 1992 Upper Deck.  Notice the banner on the front that encourages the buyer to find the Williams.  Hey, I already found the Williams; Matt's right up above you, Mr. pack of cards!

OK - I've just been informed that is neither the right card, nor the right Williams.  Let's save this for the end and see if I found TED Williams.

Next up, a thus-far disappointing current White Sox and a franchise all-time great who has since moved on, both from last year's edition of Heritage.  Any official word yet on whether or not Buehrle is going to hang up his spikes?  I sure wouldn't mind having him around for the back end of the other Chicago rotation.

Luis Gonzalez in Dodgers duds - that's strange-looking... I'm sensing a theme to this box.

An MLB Showdown strategy card, eh?  Well, that's the first time I've ever gotten one of these in a repack... too bad it's not a player card.  I guess the super shiny Finest Pagnozzi makes up for the uselessness of an umpire card.

It's inclusion was... wait for it... a bad call! Ba dum tis.

More junk wax with Cubs connections.  Bosley, Wynne and Johnson were also both member of Cubs teams who made it to the postseason (1984, '89 and '98, respectively); unfortunately for Krukow, he's the odd man out here.  His six years spent on the Northside of Chicago amounted to exactly zero playoff trips and just one season above .500 (1976-81).

The White Sox sure did have some awesome uniforms in the 80's!

A checklist for the Collect-A-Books?  I didn't realize there was such a thing.  I know there are a handful of checklist accumulators on the interwebs, does any of them want to lay a claim?

Boy oh boy, Derek Lee in a Padres uniform is a weird.... oh you know the drill by now.

We close the loose cards with a short-term Cub in Paul Maholm and an all-time legend in Tony Gwynn.  The Maholm is new to my collection, as I had previously only had the factory sealed, team set version before, which has an egregiously worse Photoshop job.

Going out on a Gwynn is not a bad way to go out.  I know I had this particular card in my childhood collection, but it was lost to the sands of time.  It's like seeing the face of an old, forgotten friend suddenly resurface in your life.  Welcome back, Mr. Padre!

Now, we still have to take a look at that Upper Deck pack; did I land one of those coveted Ted Williams cards?

Hardly.  But, I did walk away with a Cubs bench coach (Trammel), a floating bat (Hrbek), two Hall of Famers without the surname of Williams (Ripken, Biggio) and a family portrait (the Alomar brothers), as well as some assorted junk not worth the trouble of taking a picture.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a lunch break.  Of course, I'm pretty sure I got some strange looks from Walgreen's patrons as I sat there in the parking lot for 30 minutes opening stuff and taking pictures of what probably looked like my crotch.  So goes life.

Also, still no hits in a Fairfield repack for me.  1 in 4 my @$$.