Pack Break! One For The Archives

So I found a reason to go to Target yesterday (for the record I really did need new T-Shirts) and that means time to pick up a pack of Heritage. Yes I'm collecting the set one pack at a time, the most inefficient and expensive way to do it, but hey it fills the fix I occasionally have for pack bustin'.

Underneath the well-pawed over gravity feed box of Heritage there was a newish looking box of Topps Archives. Back in January I planned on not wasting money on sets I have no intent of finishing, but now that I have a little extra scratch in my pocket I decided to see the product that all the kids are talking about. So I flipped a back in my basket and went on with my day.

What did my deviation from the norm yield? Riches? Non-riches? Orioles? Cubs? Ummm how about none of the above. So lets take a look at what I did receive.

Matt Moore - The Rays rookie phenom recently snapped a 4-game losing streak by tossing 6 innings of 2-run ball against my beloved O's.

Hanley Ramierz - Some folks (hi, Strums) say that the Marlins uniforms occupy that space where ugly becomes beautiful.  I disagree. Sometimes ugly is just ugly.

Jordan Zimmermann - The Zimmermann with the extra "n" in his name on the Nationals might have a losing record, but his stats aren't that bad. He's currently on pace to have career lows in WHIP, ERA and opponent's BA but still has a losing record at 3-5. (This card is no longer available for trade)

Ryan Howard - The big slugger has yet to play a game in the big leagues this year as he continues to rehab his injured Achilles. Per ESPN he has started playing in simulated games down in Clearwater (one of the best baseball stadiums in the Tampa Bay Area).

R.A. Dickey - Fairly interesting guy. Besides being the only knukleballer left in the big leagues he also is a voracious reader and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Duke Snider - Snider was one of a trio of outfielders that dominated New York sports during the '50s (Willie, Mickey and The Duke). He was also the teammates with a young Sandy Koufax.  I'm reading a book about Koufax, which has absolutely nothing to do with this card.  Let's move along.

Kevin Youkilis - It seems the "Greek God of Walks" is living on borrowed time in Boston.  Youkilis is going to be a great candidate for the "What Could Have Been if Not For Injuries" game.

Brandon Morrow - Morrow is making $4 million this year. Not a bad deal as he's been rock steady this season (although his .243 BAbip might have some saying his numbers aren't sustainable).


Overall I'm not all that jazzed by the Archives, mainly because of the card stock.  Flimsy is the best way I can describe it, and the slick finish just doesn't work with some cards (such as the Matt Moore). If they had been printed on the cardboard stock I might feel a little better about them.

Since there are no cards here that I'm looking for - they are all for trade.  Feel free to check out my Heritage trade page while you're at it.