Pack(s) of the Day 5: 15 Packs of 2013 Topps Series 1

I opened up fifteen packs of 2013 Topps Series 1 that I got for $1 each at the Target sale. I didn't think I had enough in them to warrant 15 posts, so I am combining them. First up is a few base cards of players I like. I decided not to scan all of the base cards because that would be tedious and everyone pretty much knows what they look like.

Up first we've got Max Scherzer, who throws a lot of strikeouts. I didn't get him on most of my fantasy teams this year, but in leagues with a low inning limit, guys with a K-rate like his are golden. Burnett isn't quite the flamethrower that Scherzer is, but he's having a pretty good year. Marte has been pretty valuable, and his first name is Starling. I like Anthony Rizzo because his name reminds me of the Muppet, Rizzo the Rat.

McCutchen and Dickey are favorite players of mine, and Wilson and Saltalamacchia make this list because of the beard and the hair, respectively. Also, I hear Wilson is back in MLB now. We'll see how he does. I like the aggression on Dickey's face when he throws.



I pulled a couple of those Million-Dollar Chase code cards, but all I ever see on the internet about that game is a bunch of frustration and teeth-gnashing. I like to enter the codes to see which players I get assigned, but I haven't tried playing the game.

I pulled a couple of the Calling Card inserts. They're all right, but I don't see myself trying to accumulate many of the insert offerings from this set. Fielder is a pretty big dude.

I got a couple of green Emerald parallels. They are nice and shiny, but don't appeal to me as much as the Blue parallels from Opening Day. I think part of it is that on these green ones, the green color is bled out into the background, while the blue cards limit the shiny color to the border.

These Chasing History and Chasing the Dream insert are also pretty boring to me. I started to get a little bogged down opening these packs, as there wasn't much inspiration to be found in the 'hits.' I did enjoy flipping through the base cards, though.

I like these '72 Topps minis, although I don't collect any of the players I pulled. If I were going to work on an insert set from this offering, these would be the ones I'd go after, I think. There was one final pull that really made this break for me, and that was...

...a Mark Reynolds Out of Bounds SP variation. His base card features what I think is a pretty good picture, and the variation shows off a good over-the-fence extra-effort moment. I always like the faces of the crowd in this kind of shot. On this card, we have Cupped-hands Guy and Nervous Kid.

Overall I was pretty happy with the base cards, the inserts were meh, and the variation was awesome. I know some of the variation-type stuff is a little gimmicky, but I like the little Easter Eggs that get you to take a little closer look at the base cards instead of flipping through them looking for the hit.