As though I needed to see more snowflakes and Christmas pack #2

Along with many other bloggers, if I look outside I'll see plenty of snow. I really shouldn't have come home from Christmas in Arizona!

Upon returning home, I was given a present from my roommate who winds up seeing cardboard all over the house. I guess while Christmas shopping he came across a Topps Holiday Box in an Ottawa Wal-Mart and decided to pick it up for me.

Although I really don't collect baseball, I do buy packs or blasters on occasion to see what they look like (although now with reading so many blogs I often see them before buying any), or just to see what I get. I had picked up a Holiday Box on many occasions, only to come to my senses and put it down. My roommate has saved me buying one, and I guess I don't really mind seeing these snowflakes.

Let's see what I got!

Pack 1:
HMW109 Miguel Sano - Twins
HMW4     Michael Pineda - Yankees
HMW25   Mike Trout - Angels
HMW52   Odubel Herrera - Phillies
HMW13   Manny Machado - Orioles
HMW65   Felix Hernandez - Mariners
HMW55   Jose Abreu - White Sox
HMW33   Carlos Martinez - Cardinals
HMW67   Jesse Winker - Reds
HMW121 Jay Bruce - Mets

Happy to see a Mets card. I'm curious as to where Jay Bruce will wind up in free agency.

Pack 2:
HMW19   Buster Posey - Giants
HMW2     Reynaldo Lopez - White Sox
HMW85   Stephen Piscotty - Cardinals
HMW126 David Dahl - Rockies
HMW41   Joey Gallo - Rangers
Metallic Snowflake HMW120 Cody Bellinger - Dodgers
HMW23   Jeff Hoffman - Rockies
HMW81   Aaron Sanchez - Blue Jays
HMW100 Jose Altuve - Astros
HMW173 Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals

Do you think I put the Dodger next to the Giant just to annoy Night Owl?  ;)  (N.O., I can't remember. Do you need the metallic Cody?)

Pack 3:
HMW46   Joe Musgrove - Astros
HMW3     Sean Newcomb - Braves
HMW66   Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
HMW51   Daniel Murphy - Nationals
HMW194 Sean Manaea - A's
HMW164 Danny Duffy - Royals
HMW167 Franklin Barreto - A's
HMW127 Jon Lester - Cubs
HMW129 Mitch Haniger - Mariners
HMW161 Ryon Healy - A's

I still like Daniel Murphy, even as a National. I don't know why the team didn't think he was worth keeping. I often joke that he's the only National I like, but I'll tell you I was very impressed watching Bryce Harper's interactions with the fans at a game I went to in Cincinnati. He always tossed the ball to a different fan each inning, including one fairly high up in the outfield bleachers that seemed to be calling for one. It was a long toss but Harper pretty much had it right at the guys chest. He dropped it.

Quite the A's hot pack.

Pack 4:
HMW171 Luis Severino - Yankees
HMW116 Yoenis Cespedes - Mets
HMW22   Christian Yelich - Marlins
HMW49   Jorge Bonifacio - Royals
Metallic Snowflake HMW66 Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
HMW151 Gary Sanchez - Yankees
HMW138 Steven Matz - Mets
HMW182 Marcell Ozuna - Marlins
HMW79   Salvador Perez - Royals
HMW125 Mookie Betts - Red Sox

Good to see two more Mets. This made me look to see how many are in the checklist...nine. Okay, not going to get them all.

Pack 5:
HMW50   Zack Greinke - Diamondbacks
HMW44   Starling Marte - Pirates
HMW165 Michael Fulmer - Tigers
HMW117 Marco Estrada - Blue Jays
HMW58   Nolan Arenado - Rockies
HMW166 Jean Segura - Mariners
HMW103 Billy Hamilton - Reds
HMW186 Ben Zobrist - Cubs
HMW38   Jason Kipnis - Indians
HMW11   Robbie Ray - Diamondbacks

I saw both Diamondbacks pitch this summer.

Pack 6:
HMW97   Kevin Kiermaier - Rays
HMW24   Kyle Schwarber - Cubs
HMW168 Aledmys Diaz - Cardinals
HMW83   Sam Travis - Red Sox
HMW187 Kyle Seager - Mariners
Metallic Snowflake HMW48 Yasiel Puig - Dodgers
HMW124 Dallas Keuchel - Astros
HMW135 Max Scherzer - Nationals
HMW89   Alex Gordon - Royals
HMW82   Lewis Brinson - Brewers

Okay, I think my roommate found Night Owl's box for metallic snowflakes.

Pack 7:
HMW180 Chris Davis - Orioles
HMW6     Hunter Renfroe - Padres
HMW30   Kyle Freeland - Rockies
Relic card R-WC Willson Contreras - Cubs
HMW123 Jharel Cotton - A's
HMW93   Robert Gsellman - Mets
HMW61   Curtis Granderson - Mets
HMW139 Orlando Arcia - Brewers

I guess a grey piece of fabric is better than white.

Two more Mets from the set.

Pack 8:
HMW118 Elvis Andrus - Rangers
HMW175 Carlos Correa - Astros
HMW200 Bryce Harper - Nationals
HMW111 Kenta Maeda - Dodgers
Metallic Snowflake HMW51 Daniel Murphy - Nationals
HMW110 Corey Seager - Dodgers
HMW32   Masahiro Tanaka - Yankees
HMW17   Jake Arrieta - Cubs
HMW98   Robinson Cano - Mariners
HMW94   Joey Votto - Reds

Completed the Seager brothers subset. Also nice to get a card of the best Canadian in the game right now in Votto.

Pack 9:
HMW119 Eric Thames - Brewers
HMW88   Didi Gregorius - Yankees
HMW106 Albert Pujols - Angels
HMW73   Maikel Franco - Phillies
HMW148 David Price - Red Sox
HMW27   Kyle Hendricks - Cubs
HMW155 German Marquez - Rockies
HMW29   Yu Darvish - Rangers
HMW183 Dee Gordon - Marlins
HMW87   Domingo Santana - Brewers

Pack 10:
HMW37   Christian Arroyo - Giants
HMW26   Todd Frazier - White Sox
HMW142 Dexter Fowler - Cardinals
HMW174 Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies
HMW169 Chris Archer - Rays
Metallic Snowflake HMW133 Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox
HMW140 Andrew Benintendi - Red Sox
HMW91   Nelson Cruz - Mariners
HMW96   Amir Garrett - Reds
HMW197 Carlos Santana - Indians

Not one of the Garrett rookies or Cleveland cards that I was really looking for this year.

The box was worth seeing, especially as a gift, but it isn't a set that I would try to put together.

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Before getting to the second pack of Christmas cards to open, I'll just add another reminder to the contest that I have going.

The second Christmas pack is something we've seen plenty of this year: 1987 Topps! The funny thing with it is that I doubt I've opened more than a few packs of it in my life. I remember completing the 1987 O-Pee-Chee set, but it was only 396 cards so I'm sure that I don't know all the images.

Here we go!

 Wow! I had forgotten Joe Hesketh, but remember seeing him pitch in Montreal.

The gum didn't stick to the card. Nope, I'm not trying the gum.

I'm not even going to pretend that I've ever seen Benny's card before, or have any memory of seeing or hearing his name. I feel bad about that. Anyone making the Show deserves credit.

Darn, the contest has expired. Not that it mattered, I am not, and was not a U.S. resident and wouldn't have qualified for it anyways.

Hey, I remember all of these guys! And good to see a Met in the pack.

I miss seeing Record Breaker cards in sets.

There we go. When I was younger, I probably would have been happy with this pack - it had a Met, an Expo and a Blue Jay.

The Pena card was the last card in the pack. I'll show it's back so you can see the wax stain isn't too bad.

Since I'm scanning one back I might as well scan the back of the Ron Cey card so we can all learn some very important information.

"The Penguin." Who knew?

If anyone is interested in any cards in this post, please let me know.