It's Life

Basketball has kept me busy for the most part of the week, so blogging was put on the backburner.

It's life.

Here are some basketball updates that I haven't gotten to yet on here. Last Saturday, the first half of the team lost 28-14 as one girl took over the game like MJ. She scored 20 of that team's 28 points. The other half, the one I am head coach on when the main coach isn't available ended in an 18 all tie. We blew a 10-4 halftime lead and looked sluggish in the second half.

This Saturday it was a weird one. We played each other, so we all knew each other's tendencies and obviously the few plays we have. I was in charge of coaching half of the team (the third coach was out with the flu like a couple players too) while the main coach did the other half. I lost 24-11. However, at half time, I drew up a new play we have never practiced since we got the ball to kick off the second half which worked immediately, and we scored on it. I was stoked; the girls were as well. Maybe I got this coaching thing down some.

So far this year, the main coach's half of the team is 2-1

My half of the team is 0-2-1.

Which makes us overall as a team 2-3-1. Which isn't bad for a team mainly built of first year players. We are doing our best as coaches and the players are doing theirs as well. We are all learning together.

It's Life.

Along with basketball, I found out some health news as well.

One, the ENT called me back finally and they want me to get an ultrasound done on my face to just make sure on the two cysts and that they aren't missing anything. Gotta admit, when the big C word could be involved, it's a little nerve wracking. Though the ENT didn't originally seem to concerned.

Also, during practice last Wednesday, my stomach was bothering me with bad cramps/pain, and I felt a lot of nausea, so my wife suggested that I go to the ER just in case it was my hernia acting up and maybe tangled. Four hours, many tests later, they called it just a stomach virus. However, suggested that I get the hernia fixed this year basically as well. On top of that, the catscan I had done, showed a 2mm kidney stone in my left kidney, a partially collapsed bladder and irritation at the bottom of my left ureter. Yay!

Still waiting on my urologist to call me back to see what she wants to do.

It's life.

When trying to find a new post to put up, I was searching for pictures and realized that I never posted all of my Christmas mail day from Dennis of Too many Verlanders fame.

Along with the amazing cards he sent, he also included something for me to rip since 2024 was a year I barely ripped anything.

It was nice he did that.

This is some form of blister pack that included 5 retail packs. I haven't ever seen one of these before.

Here were the packs within. A nice variety.

This is what I found in those packs,

Silver parallel.

Rookie Carroll!

I would had been stoked about this before he went all P-Diddy.

 

Purple parallel.

Some fun stuff. A couple I am adding to my PC.

Thanks again Dennis for this! Sorry it got missed in my original post. I am just busy, health stressed and very forgetful at age 41.

It's life.

Hope all of the readers tonight are having a good 2025 and thanks for reading. I truly appreciate the time you take to read this gibberish.

But cards and coffee are both good gibberish.

It's life.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Don't forget you can start to nominate cards for the 2025 Coffee Card Hall Of Fame!! Cards don't have to be autographs, patch cards, super star cards. It can be whatever you think is Hall Worthy! Find details and current nominations HERE.

Coffee Break:2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball Fat Pack

When the coffee is brewed, I am always in the mood for some coffee, cards and food.

*takes a sip*

That will be about as coordinated I am for rhyming in today's post. It's still early and I am dragging my feet until the coffee hits my belly and the breakfast kicks in. Well, that has to be cooked first to once I decide what it is.

But I do have some exciting news, I got to do one of my favorite things in the hobby!!! I got to open a pack of cards!!!

*takes an excited sip while thinking about what breakfast food is needed*

I recently received a RAK (random acts of kindness) from @RaiderX_GC on Twitter/X where he sent me a package of penny sleeves (I am in desperate need of these) and a Fat pack/Value pack/Hanger pack (whatever you may call it) of 2024 Topps Series 2 baseball.

There are 36 cards to unwrap in one of these packs and my top hope was to pull a Home Field Advantage, but I was also happy to find any non-pitcher rookies and any Jasson Dominguez. 

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

I think for what I was hoping for, I did pretty well. 

I haven't paid a lot of attention to baseball this year, so I didn't really know what rookies I was chasing in Series 2, just wanted to make sure I landed some hitters. Thought I did well here. I will definitely need to fill in some gaps of players I didn't pull as well.

Purple holofoil board falls 1:11 hanger packs and is /799. I don't know who Jose Tena is or if he is even good, but I always appreciate a nice shiny card.

Here's a name I know!

 

I feel this year's design for Stars Of MLB is probably the best looking one they have done so far. Though I do feel this insert line should end soon. They can only keep beating the same dead horse so many times.

 

I do like this Dominguez, however. Probably my favorite card of the pack.

Nothing too big to brag about in this pack, but I did pull a PC card, some rookie cards and a nice looking shiny card so that counts as wins.

Thanks again to @RaiderX_GC for the mail day. It arrived at a time I needed some cheering up, thank you.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post.*

*decides that a bagel is in order for breakfast*

*gets bagel out of freezer to thaw in the microwave, turns back to laptop to finish up post while it's thawing*

I am not sure when or what my next break will be. Just have to go with the wind on this and hope that it's sooner rather than later because I really miss opening up product.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

*starts to toast bagel*

Counting It Down

Coffee is hot, cards are even hotter. 

I have a mail day from blog reader Oren to show off from our latest trade, so, let's do some Cards Over Coffee so I can show it off.

*takes a sip*

We all like countdowns. 

Whether that's a countdown to launch for a spaceship, a countdown til you retire (I bet most people now-a-days don't count this down because nobody can afford to retire), a Top 20 music countdown, maybe a countdown to some big life event such as a wedding or family vacation, or maybe everyone's favorite, a sport card mail day countdown.

Today, I am doing a countdown of my favorite cards in my trade with Oren.

12.

11.

Wild Card created Chrome before Chrome was Chrome. Imagine if these had refractor parallels?!!?

10:

 

Brian Griese Finest Rookie. Griese was one of those sought after rookies in the 1998 class along with Ryan Leaf and of course Peyton Manning.

9.

Topps Chrome inserts whether they are refractors or not, just look good.

8.

7.

 

7 and 8 are set needs. This set had different levels to chase. There was the green base level, the next level was blue and the top was red. I think the reds were a little tougher to chase. Each pack also only came with only one red or one blue.

6.

 

Flair Wave Of The Future design got better by the years. This is probably the weakest design, but I love the blue on it.

5.

Dufex. That's all.

4.

I rank Plax up there as one of my all-time favorite Giants despite not having a long tenure with them. He is teh one that helped create Eli's career and in his early years with the Giants was pretty much unstoppable. Go ahead and YouTube him.

3.

I think a lot of Giants fans forgot what Daniel Jones was like his first year with the Giants. He led a huge comeback in his very first start and made some incredible throws his rookie year. Yes, the mistakes especially the fumbles were there but look at what Coach Daboll did his first year with him. I am still hoping he has a future with the Giants, though I have a feeling his time will end soon.

2.

 

1.

 

Are these really 2 and 1. More like 1A and 1B. I gave the slight edge to Dorsey because he was a Giant and I think the design is slightly better. But, Topps Chrome refractors in the 90's will always trump all. These cards are just stunning and make me want to set chase them both.

Well there you have it. My countdown.

Let me know if you would have made an changes to this.

In the meantime, thanks again to Oren for yet another awesome trade and you guys enjoy your coffee and cards.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2022 Topps Museum Collection Baseball

*it's time to sit down and enjoy a fresh cup of brew, this along with some cards equals some cards over coffee time*

For the sixth year in a row, I am able to try a box of Museum Collection. I have had mixed results with the product so far scoring about a 50% decent hit ratio or 3 out of 6 boxes with at least one good card. Those numbers are rough knowing what these boxes usually cost.

Speaking of cost, this year is even more due to the inflation in the hobby.

Let's hope this box is a good one.

*takes a sip before moving onto the break*

In every box of 2022 Topps Museum Collection there are 4 mini boxes per Master Box. Each box has a hit, and the hits can range from autographs to quad relics to patch cards, etc. NO guarantees other than that, including autographs. Boxes are currently $360.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

BASE:

 

There are 100 cards in the Museum Collection base set.

This includes Veterans,

Rookies (one per master box)

And Legends of the game.

PARALLELS:

Unlike shiny products, there are only a few parallels in Museum Collection.

These include,

Copper, Sapphire /150, Amethyst /99, Ruby /50, and Emerald 1/1.

Found this Sapphire of the GOAT of baseball, Ken Griffey Jr. It is also numbered 24/150....eBay 1/1.

INSERTS:

There is only one, Canvas Collection Reproduction.

Mine was of Juan Soto.

HITS:

I know this is what you are really here for!

J.T. Realmuto

Miguel Cabrera

Eric Hosmer with a nice patch swatch.

 

And the big hit of the box, a quad relic featuring the stars of MLB this year.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

Well, for the cost of the box, it was rough even with the quad relic ending. I am a little disappointed that autographs are not guaranteed in every box which also hurts the value. My box isn't the first one I have seen autograph-less.

As for the design and appeal, I think it's still good. The product hasn't changed much design-wise over the years.

Ratings (ratings based on 1-5 🍵 and on a per box basis. not for overall product)

Design 🍵🍵🍵
Photography 🍵
Inserts: 🍵
Hits 🍵🍵
Price 🍵
Value 🍵🍵

Your thoughts on this product welcomed in comments!

Have a great Thursday!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Start Of Something New

*laptop, cards and coffee in hand for a new post on Cards Over Coffee. lets do this!*

I can finally say officially this morning that I have reached my first weight loss milestone of a 10-pound loss. Well, technically 10.1 but who is keeping track.....okay, I am. I have been able to do this so far just by starting something new in my life by working out daily and cutting back on how much I eat. Keep that part in mind as I have been able to eat what I want to, but just a lot less of it. I assume this method won't work forever, but for now, it does.

*takes a sip, thinks about what to have for breakfast but not to overdo it*

I also got to start something new in the hobby, my first ever Rodney Hampton relic chase. Up to this point, Rodney hasn't had a series of jersey cards in a product. Technically he has only had one total jersey card until Panini XR released. The only other jersey card he had came from Donruss where it's a Passing The Torch dual with Saquon Barkley.

But in Panini XR, he has seven.

*takes another sip before moving onto the cards*

The first card of the seven is the base relic. This one is numbered to 49. So, to start off, these are not easy to find.

Follow that one up with the blue /25 which I don't have in hand yet but owe a thanks to @CardpocalypseNC for.

That one is followed by the Orange /15 with a nice patch as well.

 

Then as we continue, they get lower numbered as this one is /10. This is a gold parallel.

After this there is a Green /5 (which I will have thanks to my buddy Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday) and two 1/1's which are the last cards I need in the rainbow. One of those 1/1's is a Jersey Tag. That card I want badly but haven't seen any listed yet.

If you see either of the 1/1's listed anywhere, please contact me!

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I am hopeful my weight loss journey will continue, and I will post updates as I go along on here. Same goes for my Rodney Hampton chase.

For today's question, has anything new started in your life? Let me know in comments today.

Hope everyone has a great Friday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*