2019 Topps Heritage Blaster!

The Easter Bunny was good to me this year, bringing plenty of card packs for me to open. I thought I'd share them with you because, well, what else am I going to write about?

We'll continue with the next box, the 2019 Topps Heritage!

Yeah. I don't know where the Easter Bunny shops either. And, I'm sure you've all seen as much as you care to of this set by now. But, I mean....there aren't any games being played right now.

So...

I'm guessing you all remember what the box looks like.

And that you get eight packs in each box.

It's been so long without baseball that I actually forgot that these cards would be in this set. The 2018 championship seems so long ago. And, of course, this card is now particularly bittersweet. But, I still love adding it to the collection.

I will never not think it's weird that all the Red Sox cards a photographed in front of that hedge. Especially after getting two in one pack. Is that in a public location? Can I recreate a picture there of me?

Another pack. Another hedge shot. Another former Sox.

Is this the best Red Sox moment from a guy wearing #36 on his back? I'm open to hear other contenders.

I forget. Do these cards have a theme, other than one old player and one current player?

Two Sox, and not a hedge to be seen? I guess JD was late or something. Making the David Price card a World Series memory does not help my nostalgia. I miss him already.

There's that's much better! Back to the hedges. One of the biggest disappointments of the 2020 season is not being able to see Devers take another step towards stardom.

Ok. Another disappointment is cheating the Nationals and their fans out of a proper World Series Championship defense and celebration. I can't imagine if this had happened in 2005.

So, there you have it...the best cards from the blaster. They may not be new and fresh, but they're great additions to my collection!

Open any of these lately?

2019 Topps Holiday

OK. So, I'm finally doing one of these fairly close to the release date. Although, still not all that close. I was actually afraid I had missed out on this product. I despise Wal-Mart and avoid it at all costs. So, I didn't even notice that these cards were out until I started seeing tweets from others. By then, I didn't see any at my local Wal-Mart, and couldn't even find them on the Wal-Mart website. I had resigned myself to just buying the Red Sox team set at some point. But, on a whim yesterday I dragged myself to Wal-Mart, and lo and behold there were a half dozen or so boxes sitting on the shelf. I quickly grabbed one, and started opening. (Well, started opening later that night after I purchased the box and brought it home. But you get the idea.) How'd it go?

Even the box is festive. Sorry the pictures are so dark. Was was having more trouble than I realized.

Ten packs was a nice surprise. Seem to open lots of boxes these days from products with half that many.

First pack was the best of the bunch. Two Red Sox cards, and the SP Yelich candy cane bat. I'm usually not a fan of the intentional photo variations that Topps has been doing in its sets. But, for a themed set like this one that is supposed to be fun, it really works and was done well.

Two more Red Sox in the next pack! Is this a good time to mention that I LOVE the design? In past years the snowflakes have been fairly subtle...which is of course one way to go. But, I love the full-on holly borders on this year's set. If you're going to have a theme, go for it!

Joey Votto was the best card in the next pack. No Red Sox cards this time.

Jose Altuve led the next pack. The holiday theme really makes me not mind seeing the same image/design that I've seen on so many other sets this year. A lot more variety than an Opening Day logo or a chrome sheen.

Another Red Sox! And, this time it's stud rookie Michael Chavis. I'm excited to see what this kid brings next year.

Speaking of stud rookies, Fernando Tatis Jr is definitely one of the draws in the set.

Another Red Sox rookie! This one not quite as well known as Chavis. 

And another stud rookie! If he can fix a few holes, this guy is going to be a beast.

The box promises one auto or relic. I was hoping for an auto. But, I got this card of former Red Sox Jon Lester. I like the design of the relic, again carrying that "Holiday" theme as fas as it can go.

We'll close the box out with World Series hero Max Scherzer. 

Over, all not bad at all. I love the cards themselves. I got a good helping of Red Sox cards, and two of the top rookies. I could have done better with my SPs and my hit, but you can't get everything.

Have you opened a box of this yet? What did you think?

2019 Topps Allen & Ginter Blaster!

Yup. You were probably hoping there would be a Topps Update blaster coming soon. Hopefully there will be. As soon as I get get my meaty little claws on one, you can be sure. But, for now this was still hanging around my Target. So, since I haven't opened one on here yet, I thought it would be fun. 

How did it go? Only one way to find out...keep reading!

Yup. They use that enormous box to hold eight packs. Have we figured out why they do that yet? This of the packaging and shipping costs they could save. Let alone saving the turtles.

First pack, and first TWO Red Sox. Pretty solid talent represented by these two as well. I like the design of the set this year. It manages to get the feel of that old timey paintings, but still make the images easy to see.

Two packs, both with Red Sox cards! Always enjoy getting cards of this World Series hero. Is the look on his face him knowing that he holds all the cards?

Not a Red Sox card, but still a solid pull! Odd that Alonso's cards don't seem as popular as Judge's were just a couple years ago, despite Alonso breaking Judge's record and also playing in NY. The interlocking N-Y sure does have a lot of pull!

Always fun to get a Hall of Famer. Even thought thy mystique is wearing off a little bit since they seem to be included by the handful in just about every set these days.

Speaking of Judge...

Look, another Hall of Famer. He's in the Hall of Fame, right? I lost track once they started voting everyone in the world into the Hall.

Not a Hall of Famer. I always see these cards and question my involvement in the hobby. My first reaction is, "no matter how much I think monkey's are cool...why would I collect a card just because it has a picture of a monkey on it?" Then I remember, that's what the entire baseball card hobby is based on. Why are collecting cards with baseball players on them more legitimate that collecting cards with monkeys on them? Any ideas?

Or, you know, thrones on them?

So, there you have it. Solid box if I do say so. Lots of Red Sox, a few Hall of Famers, a hot rookie, and some fun oddities. Pretty much exactly what you hope to get in an A&G blaster.

What did you get in yours?

2019 Topps Fire Blaster!

OK. So the Chrome and Leather and Lumber blaster posts were so much fun, thought it mades sense to try another one. After all, there's like a new release coming out every 36 hours these days. So, lots of opportunities for buying new cards! This time, I'm working with 2019 Topps Fire.

Let's see how it goes!

Here are the eight packs. Seven regular packs, and one extra special Gold Minted Parallel Pack! We'll start with that one first.

This seems like a good time to mention that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Not only is it a good time to GoGold to show your support, but it's an even better time to make a donation. Every little bit helps. If you have a favorite cancer charity, get in touch. Looking for a good one? I, of course, support the Jimmy Fund like any good Red Sox fan. If you can help, help.

The special gold pack even revealed a Red Sox card. While the gold tends to make this card a little bland, and a little less "Fire-y", it's still a great card of the Red Sox ace.

Another pack, another Sale insert This one is from the Flamethrowers insert set. 

This pack also contained a base card of the other Red Sox ace David Price. It's a nice way to see what the base cards look like. They're a lot better looking than the gold ones.

Another pack, and guess what. Another Chris Sale! This one is his base version for the first time. Again, the colors really pop to make this a very attractive card. When it's not blurry.

No Chris Sale in this pack. Odd. But, it did have this card of former Red Sox ace Jon Lester. 

Ooh. I like this one. I saw Vlad Jr a few times in the minors. He absolutely stood out as the best player on the field. I was waiting to see what he'd do in the majors. He hasn't disappointed.

Will there ever be a time when I can open a pack of cards and NOT get a Derek Jeter in it? I suppose if I can't get a Red Sox card, might as well be a card with two Yankees on it. I can probably move that one along pretty easily.

Along those lines, here's an orange parallel of Yankees ace (?) Luis Severino numbered to 299. Hopefully this one will be easy to find a new home for.

So, there you have it. Not a bad haul, especially the Sales. If you're going to get that many cards of one player, I'm glad it was that many different cards of a key Red Sox player. 

Get anything good in your box?

Letting Pitchers Pitch

Yup. I did it again. I watched the 2018 Red Sox World Series DVD again today. Every time I do, I seem to pick up on something new. Today, it was something I think I probably realized, but just didn't

click until today.

Not only did Alex Cora allow his starting pitchers to pitch on days they didn't start, he actually let them pitch on days they did start too.

In past postseasons, the Sox have been plagued by starting pitching problems. The starters were only going four or five innings at most, taking the bullpen, and spiraling down from there. Hard to win a series when our long reliever pitches more than your starters.

But, that didn't happen this year. Quite a few starters were going six or seven innings during their starts. You might think it's because they were pitching better than in years past. I think it might be something else. Cora was letting them pitch more than in years passed. It was watching David Price's fourth inning of Game 2 that really clicked for me.

Price entered the inning with a one-run lead. While he had pitched well in his last playoff start, he did have that history of not winning in the postseason. This is how the inning started.

Single.

Single

Walk.

Ick. This was the Price people were afraid of. If Farrell were still managing, what do you think would have happened? Would Price have faced the next batter after that "meltdown" with a one-run lead? I'm not sure. 

Price then gave up a flyball. While it got the first out, it also tied the game. Would that have been enough to keep him in the game? I doubt it. If he was still pitching, the strike out of Hernandez may have allowed him to pitch to Puig. But, when Puig hit the run scoring single, I can't imagine Farrell wouldn't be walking to the mound before Price had the ball back in his glove. Sure, there were two outs. But, first and third with a starter struggling in a key game? He'd be on the bench. Heck, Francona might have pulled him there. But Cora doesn't. And, Price rewards him by getting the last out of the inning, and holding the Dodgers to just the two runs.

So, sure the Sox got an extra out from Price? What's the big deal?

The big deal is the fifth inning. Price set the side down in order. Quickly. Easily. Pitching an inning that the bullpen didn't have to.

Then he did it again in the sixth, with a newly minted lead in the game. The sixth was even better than the fifth. Once again, the starter recovered and pitched an inning so the bullpen didn't have to.

By the time Price finally stays on the bench in the seventh, you're into your preferred part of the bullpen. Kelly-Eovaldi-Kimbrel closed out the win. You used the three relievers you wanted to use, and didn't have to pitch together two important innings in the middle of the game. Just because Cora let the starters pitch.

Now, will that work every time? Of course not. Cora let EdRo face one batter too many in game four. And, it almost cost him dearly. But, generally, I like the idea of letter pitchers pitch. Starters can give up three runs and not have terrible games. If the tradeoff is having fresh relievers for when you really need them? I think that's a gamble worth taking.

And, apparently, so does Cora.

Four More Years!

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, David Price declined to exercise his option so he will be with the Red Sox for the remainder of his contract. (Quick side note. I'm amazed the “opt outs” have become so standard in contracts since they're so one-sided towards the player.) As you might expect, I'm excited about the idea of having Price for another four years.

I was never one of the people who considered this a three year contract when he signed it. I know there were a lot of those. “This is a good signing if you consider it a three year deal, and assume he opts out.” Because, if he was amazing enough to opt out, you had to assume the Sox would have to spend the same money or more to get him back, or sign his replacement. So, when I liked the deal when he signed it, I still like it now. (With the same caveat. If the Sox can't sign Mookie and Xander to extensions because of this, I'm not a fan.)

Some people certainly wondered if he would ride his playoff success off into the sunset. Frankly, that probably wasn't very realistic unless he wanted to take a pay cut to do so. I'm not sure anybody would hate it here that much. And, even if he had been tempted to do so, his playoff performance probably changed his mind. If you're going to make the money here, why not try Boston while holding all the cards? If you can make it through three years of being a “bust” in some people's eyes, I bet you can make it through four years as a World Series hero.

Hopefully this will help get Price off on a better foot as well. (Although, frankly I doubt it.) If the championship afterglow buys him some good will, I think he’ll be able to take it from there. Naturally, some media members are using this decision as an excuse to be really awful towards Price. After all, now he’s staying here knowing full well what it will be like. So, apparently, playing in Boston means being hounded mercilessly so if you choose to play under those conditions, you can't complain no matter how awful the EEIdiots are. They're just looking for ways to be awful to him at this point.

David Price reminds me of the couple you see at weddings who took dance lessons the month before. You see them on the floor mouthing the beat to themselves, and moving robotically following the steps they've memorized. Clearly they know “how” to dance, but they're not “dancers”. Price seems like that when he deals with the media. It seems like his agent told him how to deal with Boston media, gave him some tips and techniques...but it's just not “him”. So he tries to joke with the media like Pedroia does, but it falls flat. He tries to be honest like Papi did, but it doesn't work. He tries using clichés like everyone else, but it comes off unbelievable. He's trying to be someone he's not. Hopefully by sticking around, and having that shiny new ring, he'll be able to be himself. Because, it seems like he's a pretty likable guy. His teammates adore him, which is probably all he cares about.

So I'm looking forward to more chances to have Sale and Price at the top of the rotation. I'm looking forward to seeing how a relaxed and confident Price performs. I'm looking forward to seeing if the media members realize they're the only one who dislike Price. (I'm not holding my breath on that one) I'm looking forward to getting the Price the Red Sox signed.

Because that will be a lot of fun.

The Boston Red Sox are the World Champions!

For the first time in five years!

What a feeling. What a game. What a team!

There's so much that can and should be said about this team that I can't cover it all right now. (But, don't you worry I will at some point.) There are some things, though, that just need to be talked about now. Like last night's clinching game.

I've often said that the definition of “clutch” as “late and close” is somewhat misleading. There can be clutch home runs prior to the seventh inning. Steve Pearce proved that last night. His home run three batters into the game did more than give the Red Sox a first inning lead. It was crushing to the soul of theDodgers. They're in an elimination scenario. They have their ace on the mound, so they at least have some hope. Then, bam, they're down two runs before fans have found their seats. If there's a way to lose a game before it starts, that was it. A one-hundred percent clutch “here we go again” home run in the top of the first inning. Incredible.

Speaking of clutch first inning home runs, the Dodgers tried to get one of their own when they led off their game with a home run on the first pitch. (Thereby making Pearce’s home run even more clutch looking back.) That, of course, could have been crushing for the Sox. A momentum shift to be sure. And, admit it, part of you wondered if it was going to rattle Price. OK, all of you wondered if it would rattle Price. But, it didn’t. New Price didn't let it get to him, and just shut the door on the Dodgers without allowing another run. This isn't your father’s David Price.

Or, what about the “triple” to right field that JD Martinez lost in the sky? That was going to be it, right? A guy who was in the lineup only for his bat, which had been missing for a while, makes a mistake like that. Once again, fans were probably thinking that was it. It was Buckner in there for his bat costing the team with his glove. And specifically for Price, you could almost see it in his head. “I'm finally pitching well, and he does THAT!?!?” Another perfect opportunity to unravel. The odds failing Price again. But, no. He retired the next two batters, and left the guy standing at third base. Two chances to fall apart turned into two chances for Price to simply stand up taller instead.

The key bats returned just in time. We had been wondering where Mookie and JD were hiding. They had allowed the bottom of the order to do a lot of the heavy lifting this far. But, they came back with a key home run each late in the game. Key for a couple reasons. For one, in a clinching game you can never have too many insurance runs. Make it as easy as possible on the bullpen to close out the game. But personally too, it was nice to see them chip in. Mookie didn't end the series going 0-15 or whatever. He hit a key home run in the clincher. That has to feel good, and makes his stat sheet look more respectable. I am especially glad in his case, since it looked like he was coming around, and hitting the ball harder. It would have been too bad if he ran out of time before he found his swing again. JD looked more lost at the plate. But it was still nice to have him end on such a positive. Next year, they'll have something to build on.

After Price’s magnificent start, the game was turned over to another new pitcher, “Playoff Joe Kelly”. Kelly continued his newly remembered dominance and struck out the side. Amazing.

The last inning was handled by Chris Sale. So, apparently he was healthy after all. I was worried that the ball would go to Craig Kimbrel. While he had rediscovered his dominance, in his outing during game four he looked TIRED! I was afraid he would get to close out the game because he “deserved” to close, even if he wasn’t the right guy at the time. After all, he probably had pretty good numbers in Cora’s binder. But, Cora actually played this one by ear. (Unless Sale’s numbers were even better, which is possible.) He slammed the door by striking out the side himself. He even created the best finishing moment since Papelbon levitated with his hands on his head. The image of Manny Machado falling to a knee after being embarrassed by the pitch pretty much summed up the series for him and the Dodgers.

So the best regular season team is the best playoff team as well. It was an amazing ride through an incredible season and I can’t wait to keep talking about it in the months to come.

What was your favorite moment?

Almost Everything!

So close. David Price needed one more out to qualify for the win last night. But, he was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning, after finding himself in a bit of a jam. It was probably the right call, but I do wish he could have gotten that first playoff win as a starter. 

It’s those last few words that annoy me. It’s one of those classic “moving the goalposts” things. Because it seems that people who don’t like David Price are constantly finding ways to confirm their belief that he is a terrible pitcher and waste of money. 

Now, I’m not here to tell you that Price has been dominant in the playoffs. I do think that overall he’s generally been good. But people like to point out all his flaws. He’s never won a game in the playoffs! Well, actually he as. Ok, then he’s never won as a starter! 

Because they need to find qualifiers. Because he has dominated in the playoffs. Just ask the 2008 Red Sox. He’s gotten wins from that dominance. He’s pitched well as a starter, and not gotten the win. So, if they’re not going to count times he pitched well but didn’t win, I’m sure as heck going to mention a time he didn’t pitch well but did. If he had just gotten one more out!

Someone who did start prying a playoff monkey off their back was Mookie. He had not exactly been playing like Mookie in the playoffs. Admittedly it’s been a small sample. But, people were nervous. Which is why watching him lead off last night with a double before scoring was such a welcome sight. He went on to go 2-4, with two runs and an RBI. Suddenly his numbers this series look pretty darn good. Hopefully that settles things down, and is a signal of what's to come from the MVP.

The Sox are going to need both these guys moving forward.

If they show up, this will be fun.

Kara Jutras Visits Section 36!

Section 36 has another visitor! Kara Jutras is a musician, a Red Sox fan, and the current Miss Portsmouth Area. I’m thrilled she was

nice enough to take some time out of her schedule to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading everything she had to say!

So, let’s see what happens when Kara Jutras visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate being crowned Miss Portsmouth Area?

I celebrated being Miss Portsmouth Area by going out to Fratello’s Restaurant with my family!

How did you select your platform, “We need to Communicate! Supporting Hearing Parents of Deaf Children”?

I chose my platform, “We Need to Communicate! Supporting

Hearing Parents of Deaf Children” because I fell in love with the deaf world after taking an American Sign Language class in college. Although I am not fluent in ASL, I feel as though I am able to communicate enough to get to know the members of the Deaf Community (which is a fabulous community might I add!)

For the talent portion of the competition, you both sing and play guitar. How do you decide which song to perform?

I love singing and playing guitar and it is seriously so hard to pick a song to sing! County is my favorite genre but you don’t see a lot of that in pageants. However, being different is good and keeps things interesting! I chose the song Jolene, by Dolly Parton to sing at Miss New Hampshire. It was a song that I could sing confidently with some attitude and really engage the audience.

Is there a goal you’d like to accomplish during your time as Miss Portsmouth Area?

My goal as Miss Portsmouth Area is to really get to know my community. I am looking forward to meeting a lot of kids in the area and getting them involved. Portsmouth also has a very large Deaf Community, so I am excited to do a lot aimed at my platform!

You recently returned from a trip to Italy. What was that experience like?

My trip to Italy was fantastic. It was so amazing to experience a

different country as it was my first time out of the USA! And the food – to die for! I traveled to Rome, Florence, Perugia and Assisi, all of which were breathtaking. I would love to go back some day!

If you had an extra ticket to Section 36 to watch the Red Sox, who would you bring with you?

If I had an extra ticket to Section 36 to watch the Red Sox, I would bring one of my brothers! They are huge baseball fans and love to both watch and play.

Who is your favorite current Red Sox player? Why?

My favorite current Red Sox player is David Price as he is an outstanding pitcher!

How will the Red Sox finish the 2018 season?

I think (and hope) the Red Sox will take this season home! I’ll be rooting for them!

—-

I’m not going to argue with that. Not with this team.

As always, I want to give huge thanks to Kara for doing this interview. I also want to thank her for providing so many amazing pictures to accompany the interview. They make it a lot more fun for everyone.

As Kara continues her time as Miss Portsmouth Area, I encourage you to follow her on her official Miss Portsmouth Area Facebook page. It’ll be lots of fun!

I also want to wish Kara the best of luck this spring as she competes for the Miss New Hampshire crown! It would be incredible to have another Section 36 visitor take home that title! 

Thanks again Kara, and good luck!

Why is Dennis Eckersley So Thin Skinned?

So, last month, word came out abut an "incident" on the Red Sox team plane involving David Price and Dennis Eckersley. There were no details of the incident itself, just that the two had words. For some reason, people immediately assumed Price was to blame. Who was he to not respect a Hall of Famer like Eckersley?

Then, yesterday the details came out. And, boy do they make Eck look bad.

It seems that Eckersley was making his way to the back of the team plane, and passed by Price. David announced Eck's presence with a snide comment "Here he is, the greatest pitcher who ever lived. This game is easy for him." He then told Eck to get the *bleep* out of here. 

That's it. That was the incident. Well, OK. Actually later in the flight, Eck for some reason tried to go down the length of the plane again, and Price again told him to get the *bleep* out. So, Price mocked Eckersley, and told him to get out.

I know. I'm shaking in my boots just hearing about it.

Why did Price do this? Apparently because he didn't like the way Eckersley reacted to a poor rehab performance from EdRo. He felt he was being too harsh on the kid.

So, why did this become a story? Is it simply the media trying to protect one of their own? I've always found it interesting that the media has been able to convince fans that the worst thing a player in any sport can do is not be nice to the media. If a player doesn't make their jobs easier, they're a bad person. I'm really amazed at how often this actually works. 

And, it worked here. People are actually taking Eck's side here. They're calling Price soft. 

Really?

Sticking up for a teammate is soft?

You know what's soft? Saying things about a player on the air, and then whining when someone calls you on it. Because Eck can't take what he dishes out, he's not going to fly on the team planes anymore. (Or, at least that was the reason given at the end of the article. But, the start of the article said he hardly ever travels with the team anyway.)

People have been pointing out that Eck is supposed to tell the truth. If a player performs poorly, he's supposed to say so. He's not supposed to sugar coat it. If a player sucks, he should say he sucks. And, that's true. Television announcers don't need to be cheerleaders. But, that doesn't mean everyone has to like him for it.  Price didn't demand that Eck be fired because he was mean. He didn't storm the NESN offices insisting it was him or Eck. He just called the guy out for the stuff he said. And the media went ballistic. 

Clearly the Boston media is just beside themselves trying to be negative about a team that has been alone in first place for quite some time. Now that they can't make fat jokes about Panda, they don't know what to do anymore. How do you know the incident is really meaningless? In the story about it, they have to go back years to find another story about another player who dislikes Eck. Jackie Bradley Jr took his own innocent jab at Eck, thanking him for supplying motivation with his negative comments. The article even included the Instagram picture from years ago. (The article didn't include the fact that JBJ apologized immediately, years ago, even though he probably didn't need to.) The fact that we generally applaud players for turning negatives into motivation was apparently missed in this case. How many times have we heard the story of Paul Pierce reciting the names of players drafted ahead of him as he took jump shots. Don't most Red Sox fans adore Pedroia for playing with a chip on his shoulder? For turning all the "you can't" in to fuel for his determination? But, in this case it was decided that motivation was a bad thing. After all, the opposite wouldn't fit the narrative.

So, half of the article about the "terrible incident" doesn't even discuss the incident. Because there's nothing there.

Why would the incident even be reported in the first place? Was it because the players insisted the media write a story about the fact that they all hate Eckersley? Or, is it more likely a push from Eck? Or, at least a desire from the media to circle the wagon around one of their own. Then again assert that being mean to them will not be tolerated. That every player must simply take whatever crap the media piles on them, and can say nothing in return. A player must treat the media with kid gloves.

Because they're all so thin skinned.