2021 Topps Gypsy Queen Blaster!

Another box of Gypsy Queen! I'll say it again that this strikes me as an unnecessary product. Allen & Ginter already covers the old fashioned style card. But, I guess having options is never a bad thing.

How did I do in this box? There's only one way to find out.

Let's have a look!

As always, the box. Just in case you were confused.

And, the packs. Five of them this time.

Still not thrilled with the combo of the action shot and the old-time feel. If you're going to go all ornate and elegant with the borders, I think you need a portrait. Maybe it's just me.

Some sort of insert featuring Xander. I have no idea what's going on here.

I do enjoy how Devers has his elbow sticking beyond the border. I'm a sucker for that. 

Another Bogaerts. A fancy purple one this time. How fancy?

"Numbered to 250" fancy.

And we'll finish with this green Verdugo sticking his bat over the border. The green isn't as fancy as the purple, apparently.

And there you have it. Numbered Sox are always fun, even if this set doesn't exactly wow me.

How did your box go?

Kirsten Fernow Visits Section 36!

Section 36 had another visitor! Kirsten Fernow is passionate about sustainability, a realtor, event planner, and the current Miss Las Vegas USA. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So, let's see what happens when Kirsten Fernow visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Las Vegas USA crown? 

I went to go eat with some friends at a new, local business called SPLASH! I was super hungry after forgetting to eat lunch before the pageant. Oops! 

As a former titleholder in other organizations, what made you decide to compete for a Miss USA crown? 

I love what the new President Crystle Stewart has done to revamp the organization. I love to see how the women have more opportunities to speak! Also, I am half Filipino, and I have always thought it would be amazing to compete for Miss Universe, and this is the first step ! 

What has been the most pleasant surprise about your time as Miss Las Vegas USA?

How excited others get about this title! My family was freaking
out! 

You’re the owner of K Access. What can you tell me about that venture?  

I have been in the events & entertainment industry for most of life. So naturally, lots of people come to me for help with connections & booking things ect. I started this business to give people ACCESS to all things Vegas! I focus mostly on events and real estate, but we can get people access to a lot more.  

You’ve been able to do some modeling. What do you enjoy about being in front of a camera? 

When I am modeling, I am only thinking about THAT particular moment. My mind gets to take a little break, which is actually super relaxing for me. 

What is your personal fitness routine? 

I try to follow the 5am club outline, 20 mins of physical activity, 20 min. of journaling, 20 min. of learning something new). So I will try to do a min. of 20 min of exercise a day and more when we are closer to a pageant. I enjoy doing yoga, lifting weights, zumba/ dancing and roller skating! 

If you could be a Disney character for a week, who would you choose? Why? 

(I used to work at Walt Disney World) I would love to be Moana for a week. When I look at her, I see bits and pieces of myself, which is super cool! And her home and friends are amazing, I'd love to live in Paradise! 

If you had an extra ticket to see a LA Dodgers game, who would you take with you? Why? 

My friend Yvette. We grew up in LA together and played softball together for most of our childhood. Then we moved to San Francisco together for college. Whenever we went to a Giants game, it just felt so wrong! We were born and bred to be Dodger fans! 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience? I would either like to throw a first pitch at a Dodger game, but softball/ underhand style or experience what it feels like to hit a home run over the fence! 

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Hitting a home run would be a pretty cool feeling!

As usual, I want to thank Kirsten for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

I also want to wish Kirsten luck when she competes for Miss Nevada USA! It would be fantastic to have the first Section 36 Forever wear that crown.

I'm sure you'd like to follow along with Kirsten during her journey as Miss Las Vegas USA. You should be sure to check out her Instagram account. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on.

Thanks again Kirsten, and good luck!

2021 Topps Series Two Big Blaster Break!

It's time to open another one of these! I know. I just opened a 2022 blaster. Why am I going back in time? Well, because that's what I had sitting around to open. So there. Again, I'm guessing that these aren't called "big blasters" but I don't know what else to call them. So, that's what I'm going with. You know what the cards look like, but not what I got this time!

Let's see how it went!

Once again, here's the box showcasing the motorcycle stunt man.

See? It really is one of the bigger blasters.

Packed in such a weird way.

A shot of Chris Sale will all the computer graphics threatening to attack him. Maybe that's how he broke his rib.

Number 36 will always have a special place on this blog.

When I opened the 2022 blaster, I mentioned that I didn't mind the insert sets being throwback designs. I think they're much better/cleaner than most of the insert designs and themes that might be used otherwise. I'm perfectly happy with this different looking Dalbec RC. I don't need an overdone "Smoke and Fire" theme or whatever garbage they come up with. It would just be nice if they mixed up the designs a bit. With 70 to choose from, you think they could have lots of variety.

Nice action shot here.

Chavis holding at second. A different sort of action shot. Not batting, not fielding, not running...but still action.

Not the best shot of Houck here. 

Much better photo for a RC. And, a great example of using past designs. Honestly, if every year there was an insert set showcasing the 20th, 40th, and 60th anniversary sets I think that would be great. Let archives use the 10th, 30th, 50th, and 70th. Then there would always be variety and players wouldn't be repeated on designs as much.

Bogaerts defying gravity. How can you not extend a guy who can fly?

Glad he's back. Excited to see what role he fills on the team.

Love this celebration shot.

See? This is great. Ortiz on a '94 design. I have no problems with this. Not sure Topps has used this design very much either. It's the third retro design of the box, and I'm not tired of them at all.

Speaking of players whose role I'm excited to see...will Barnes be back to all-star form?

So, there you have the results. 

What do you think?

Emma Gibney Visits Section 36!

Steve Smith Photography

Section 36 had another visitor! Emma Gibney is passionate about suicide prevention, a talented speaker, and the current Miss Worcester County's Outstanding Teen. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So, let's see what happens when Emma Gibney visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Worcester County’s Outstanding Teen crown?

How did I celebrate winning the MWCOT crown? That's a really good question. I'm actually still quite in shock from my win. I have only started in the Miss America Organization about 7 months ago but the first thing I did to celebrate this amazing accomplishment was go out to dinner with my family after. It was kind of crazy to actually go to a restaurant and get stares and wonder why everyone was looking at me remembering that I had a crown on my head but I kept it on the whole time. 

Do you have a specific goal you’d like to accomplish during your time as MWCOT?

A goal that I would love to be able to accomplish during my time as MWCOT would be to bring awareness to my Social Impact Initiative. By going into as many schools as possible and promoting "Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma". I would love to show other teenagers like myself the importance of taking care of your mental health and all the reasons to stay!

What has been the biggest surprise about your time as MWCOT?

So although I’ve only been MWCOT for a very short amount of time there have already been some surprises on the way by having the amazing opportunity of being able to go out into the community and be hands on with the community and its members. It's shown me that there are many things to be done with my social impact and many other things. It has opened my eyes to all that I can do for the time that I have this title.

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma”?

I selected my Social Impact Initiative entitled "Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma” becuase of my close relation to the topic. Sadly a few years ago I lost my cousin to suicide, and being on the other end of that news and being the family member and feeling; and knowing that something like this could be prevented with the right knowledge and the right education on the topic of mental health and its importance to take care of your mind is vital and thats why I chose this topic because knowing that even if my SII can help just one person feel less alone then my job as a titleholder has been fulfilled. 

What do you enjoy most about performing your talent on stage?

Something that I enjoy most about performing my talent is actually something that comes after I perform it. My favorite part is the amount of people that come up to me after and express to me how much they needed my poem or how it deeply connected to them and how it was in some ways inspiring. Because that is why I get up on the stage and face my fears, in hope that I can connect with the audience. 

How would you complete the sentence, “I get great satisfaction when ___”?

I would finish the sentence "I get great satisfaction when.... I help others". Volunteerism and community service are both two really vital aspects in the MAO and so helping someone not only is helping them and the community but it makes me feel good about myself and the things that I am doing.

If you could be a Disney character for a week, who would you choose? Why?

If I could be a Disney character for a whole week I would choose to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Not only do I believe that I deeply connect with her personally, we both share a love for reading and gaining as much knowledge as possible. In addition, I would like to say a kind heart, but I feel like she represents everything the organization and a Miss America's Outstanding Teen or Miss America should be. She is kind, smart, witty and extremely independent.  

If you had an extra ticket to see a WooSox game, who would you take with you? Why?

If I had an extra ticket to a WooSox game I would take my dad. My dad loves everything sports and even though he doesn't know much about tennis, the sport that I play, you will see him at every single one of my matches without fail, and always trying to give pointers. He's my best friend and that's why I believe that I would take him.

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience?

Steve Smith Photography

An activity or feature that I would love to experience would be throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game. I have always seen other people doing it on TV and I think that it would be such a cool thing to experience. 

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Agreed, that would be an amazing experience!

As usual, I want to thank Emma for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

I also want to wish Emma luck when she competes for Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen! It would be fantastic to have the another Section 36 Forever wear that crown.

I'm sure you'd like to follow along with Emma during her journey as MWCOT. You should be sure to check out her title's Instagram account. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on.

Thanks again Emma, and good luck!

2022 Topps Blaster!

 I finally got my hands on one of these, so of course just had to open it and share. 

Here's what the box looks like. 

And the packs. I can't decide if I like the fact that the "patch" card isn't in its own pack anymore...or if I dislike it...or if I don't care.

But here it is. I will say that I like the look of the card. Wonder if there's a number 36 out these somewhere.

The first Red Sox card if 2022! What do I think of the design? I'm a fan. I like that we're sticking with the full borders. And even though the sweeping line design still has a "modern" feel, it seems less "computery" if that's a word. I love that I can read the player name again. I could use a touch more color...but overall I like it a lot.

Nice action shot of Duran here. Hope to see big things from him.

For all the people who complain about all the insert sets being recycled old designs...I'd take another 1952 style card over this. 

Or this. I mean, "Stars of MLB"? That's what people were longing for?

Another rookie card. I feel like the cropping is better this year. I don't feel like I'm standing too close to the player on this card.

Even this card of Mr. Shaw here. It's close, but not uncomfortably close. 

A fun, somewhat different, shot of Renfroe here. The yellow jersey is still overwhelming, especially with the added socks, but it's a nice picture. Looking in the background, looks like everyone else is already in position. Wonder why he's leaving the dugout so late.

So, there you have it. Not a bad collection of Sox cards., I think I'll enjoy collecting them this year.

How did your box go?