Thursday, August 7, 2014

Blaster War!

I'm enjoying my new job, but it is all-consuming right now.  Transitioning from one of the troops to a supervisor is great, but challenging.  I'm still working nights until my position gets filled and that means hanging around some during the day as well while I learn the ropes.

Tuesday I stayed for a couple of hours and stopped by Target on my way home.  I wanted to pick up another blaster or two of Ginter.   Target only had one Ginter blaster left so I decided to pick up a blaster of Panini's Golden Age.  I saw a couple other people post Golden Age packs and even though I really don't like Panini products, Golden Age looked pretty interesting.

I decided to test Golden Age by putting it up against the Ginter blaster.  I really like the design of this year's Ginter base cards so it shouldn't be much of a contest.

My scoring system will be completely fair and unbiased (translate that to mean completely biased and fair as I see fit).

Ginter Pack 1



Wade Boggs - +1 for eating chicken, +1 for being one of the most feared hitters of my youth = +2
Sandy Koufax - +31 for general awesomeness, +5 for horizontal greatness, + 5 just because = +41
Field of Yore Astroeome - +5 since I got to go there, +1 for being the 8th Wonder of the World, -3 for being ugly as sin = +3
Brett Lawrie - = +1 for coming back from the DL on Tuesday, -47 for probably being out 3-6 weeks after hurting his little oblique = -46
Victor Martinez SP mini - +10
Koji Uehara - -25 for being great for Boston, but being a total headcase when he pitched for Texas.  I think he missed his mommy

Pack Total = -15
Running Total = -15

I think I'll start Panini off with a -10 for overall "panini"ness

Golden Age Pack 1




Baseball Hall of Fame - +10 for general greatness
Jorge Velasquez Historic Signatures auto - +10 for being on card, -5 for not knowing who he is, +10 for winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 1981 = +15
George Gervin - +5 for Iciness
Artis Gilmore - +5 cause I'm down with that 'fro
Jim Thorpe brown Hindu mini - +5 for overall great athleticism
Orson Welles - -10 for scaring my grandma with that War of the Worlds stunt

Pack total = +20 (counting the initial 10 point deduction)
Running total = +20

That gives Panini a pretty good lead to start, but we all know Ginter = Greatness and Panini = logoless crap so we'll see how it ends.

Ginter Pack 2



Carlos Gonzalez = -1 for toiling in anonymity in Colorado
Al Kaline - +11 because as a child, an old man in our neighborhood gave my friend a Kaline model bat he'd had in his house for years.
Bob Gibson - +10 because he might kick my ass if I don't give him +10
Madison Bumgarner Pastime's Pastimes - -3 for a stupid insert name, -15 for being a stupid Giant = -18
Polar Bear WDP mini - +14 for being a badass Polar Bear
Alex Avila - +1 because this pack could use some help.  Like 1 point is going to help this pack.

Pack total = + 17
Running total = +2

That's not going to cut it unless I really start hating this product.

Golden Age Pack 2


Tony Dow - +4 for growing up around THE Beaver
Bob Hayes - +10 for being the Bullet, +10 for being a Cowboy BEFORE Jerry Jones bought the team = +20
Doc Holliday - + 5 for being a badass, -1 for having Tuberculosis = +4
Frank Robinson - -10 for reminding me about Panini and their lack of logos
Zack Wheat - +1 for being a Brooklyn Dodger, -1 for making me want a sandwich, +4 for his postseason jobs as a farmer, police officer and bowling alley operator =+4
Junior Johnson - + 2 for looking like a big old goober

Pack total = +24
Running total = +44

Ginter is getting smoked by 42 points so far, but we have a long way to go.

Ginter Pack 3



Prince Fieler  = +5 for being a Ranger, -45 for being out all season and sucking even before his injury = -40
Bryce Harper = +3 for horizontal, +3 for no eye black, -2 for the general feeling of douchiness I feel when I see him =+4
Table Moutain - +1 for being sorta cool looking, -4 for being in South Africa = -3
Victor Martinez - -3 for general blah feeling I get when looking at this card
Jordan Oliver mini - +4 for being little, -5 for showing your armpirts = -1 total
Jenny Dell - +74...hey, it's my blog, I can distribute points however I see fit

Pack total - +31  That Jenny Dell really saved Ginter's day!
Running total - +33

Golden Age Pack 3




Bob Lemon - +10 for being in the US Navy during WWII
Marta Kristen - +8 for her role as Judy Robinson in Lost in Space
Dom Dimaggio - +3 red Hindu back mini
Tatum O'Neal - +4 for being Tatum, -1 for marrying John McEnroe =+3
Dizzy Dean - + 1 because I said so
King Kelly - +4 for being a catcher,+1 for playing for the White Stockings =+5

Pack total =+30
Running total = +74

Is it possible for a blaster of something Panini churned out to beat a blaste of Ginter???? Oh, the humanity!

Ginter Pack 4



Jedd Gyorko - -1 for being named Jedd Gyorko
Pablo Sandoval - -5 for being a Giant, -3 for stupid insert name, +2 on account I like pandas = -6
Kennedy and Lincoln Coincidence - +55 coolest card I've seen this year.  The back says both were succeeded by a Johnson.  I don't know about Andrew Johnson, but I do know Lyndon Baines Johnson was a dick.
Aramis Ramirez mini - +5 for being a mini, -5 for a faux black border = 0
Austin Wierschke - -20 for being known as a fast texter, - 5 for Ginter making a card of you = -25
Vince Gilligan - + 5 for being named after a great TV show, +10 for writing what was apparently a great TV show that I've never seen = +15

Pack total = +38
Running total = +71

That was a comeback pack for Ginter.

Golden Age pack 4




Willis Carrier - +100 for inventing the Air Conditioner, -110 because you shouldn't have a card for that = -10
Star Stamps + 3 for general quirkiness
Farrah Fawcett - + 18 for general hotness, -3 because the lady at the yard sale when I was 10 wouldn't let me buy the one-piece bathing suit Farrah poster.  Yes, that poster. = +15
Lindsey Wagner - +6,000,000 for being Bionic, -5,999,999 for not being as hot as Farrah = +1
Phil Niekro - +2 for general greatness, -2 for the deer in the headlights look = 0
Eddie Gaedel - +3 cause he walked on 4 pitches

Pack 4 total = +12
Running total = +86

Halfway through the blasters, Golden Age has a slight edge at 86 to 71.  Ginter has plenty of time to make up the difference, especially with my liberal use of points for some cards.  I'll post the other half of the blasters soon.


8 comments:

  1. I like the Golden Age set. I've been thinking about opening a box. It will be hard to beat A&G, but I'm calling an upset!

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  2. I think I like the Golden Age cards more. Pretty cool you got an auto out of a blaster. Too bad it was a horse rider.

    If you end up parting with the Red Sox and Boxers I'm interested.

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  3. glad to see the Bullet back on cardboard.

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  4. Those Golden Age cards are growing on me. It's nice having the old-timey design while having real photos.

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  5. If you don't want the Dell I'll give it a good home.

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  6. Great post! At least Velasquez is in "a" hall of fame. Great signature, too.

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  7. +9001 for being one of the funniest posts I've read in a while!

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  8. "+14 for being a badass Polar Bear"

    Seems like a fair scoring system to me.

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