Happy Halloween!

Thursday, 31 October 2013

If we're being perfectly honest, October 31st is one of the most exciting days of the year. It's the day we all embrace our spooky sides and celebrate with costumes (who doesn't love dressing up?) and candy (who doesn't love sugar?). To get your day started, I suggest curling up with a blanket and a mug filled with your favourite morning beverage and reading the Halloween issue of Underneath the Juniper Tree. All those fantastic pieces of art above? They're just a sample of what you'll find in the magazine. Not only is the art extra special, but the stories are spooky and spectacular.

Have a fear-filled day of terror, readers.

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UBS mais saúde para Sarandi .....................

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

 Hoje ao chegar em casa me deparei com esse panfleto informativo , levei até um susto
 e comecei a achar que esse o Papai Noel vai trazer presentes para mim.
 Como vão fazer todas essas UBS(Unidade Básica de Saúde)  se não tem médicos para atender      na UPA.
 Não seria mais facil investir todo esse dinheiro nos prédios que ja existem que são destinados a      Saúde  Publica.
 Mas como as eleições estão ai , tem que aparecer com novidades e ilusões , apenas ludibriar o  povo.
 Fico triste em saber que possivelmente esses mesmos políticos que ai estão , vão estar  novamente  cumprindo novos mandatos e usurpando a dignidade do Povo Sarandiense.

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State Prints in Chois Gallery Magazine

Monday, 28 October 2013

I accidentally came across my own work in magazine in Berlin bookshop today. It's a two page spread of State of America prints in Chois Gallery a Shanghai based design magazine. They requested images over the summer, which I sent in and then forgot about it. It's an impressive publication but I hope there is a complimentary copy in the mail because it's a bit pricey (but beautifully produced). The prints are available from Print Collection here.

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Re-Drafting the Rockies - Part 1 (1992-1994)

Throughout the history of the Colorado Rockies, several big personnel mistakes have been made such as the Darryl Kile/Mike Hampton/Denny Neagle signings, the trading away of Jake Westbrook and Chone Figgins for scraps, and the endless loyalty to below average General Manager Dan O’Dowd.  However, the mistakes that stick out more than any for this franchise and many others are the major flubs made on draft day.

I am going to begin a 7 part series in which I “re-draft” the Rockies.  I will go back and decide whether the Rockies selection was good or not and then decide who the Rockies should have selected instead.  My one caveat is that the updated selection must have been drafted within the next 10 picks after the Rockies own selection.  This means I am not going to say that a 35th round pick should have been the Rockies 1st rounder because that would not have happened, but pick #25 going at slot #15 COULD have happened.  I will be reviewing 3 picks per year, no matter the round and I will be drafting in a vacuum, meaning I will take the best available player no matter the positional need or positional abundance.  Join me to see whether we have a NEW PICK or a STICK.

1992

Pick #27 John Burke

NEW PICK

 #35 Johnny Damon

How great would it have been had Johnny Damon been the first pick of the Rockies franchise?  Actual pick John Burke did make the majors, but didn't do much in 2 years in the Rockies bullpen.  We all know what happened with Damon, but I prefer to think of him in his Kansas City days before I really disliked him.

Close choices to make the majors - #28 Charles Johnson (future Rockie), #29 Jeff Schmidt

Pick #65 Mark Thompson

STICK

Mark Thompson was one of the reasons that I started following the Rockies to begin with.  As some of you know, I am from Kentucky.  Mark Thompson was a star pitcher for the University of Kentucky before being drafted by the Rockies.  He wasn't a great player in the majors, ut he did stick around for a few years unlike many of his fellow draftees.  Chosen at pick #55 by the Padres was future Rockie Todd Helton.  Happily he chose to go to college and was selected by a real team three years later.

Close choices to make the majors - #69 Chris Holt, #70 Jon Nunnally, #71 Everett Stull, #74 Brian Powell

Pick #95 Roger Bailey

STICK

Much like Burke and Thompson, Roger Bailey was also a pitcher that hung around the majors for a handful of years.  In Bailey's case, it was 3 years with the Rockies.  His final 1997 season was actually pretty good with a .500 record and an ERA around 4.00, but an unfortunate injury ended his major league career.  He attempted a comeback in the minors, but never rejoined the majors.

Close choices to make the majors - #98 Matt Williams, #101 Eric Owens, #102 Mike Buddie

1993

Pick #28 Jamey Wright

STICK

Jamey Wright is one of those guys that have hung around forever.  He actually pitched in this year's playoffs with Tampa Bay.  He pitched okay in two separate stints as a starter in Colorado.  More recently he has become a well-traveled relief pitcher having pitched having pitched with 10 different teams since he joined the majors in 1996.  There were quite a few major league players drafted after Wright, but none with his resume in the big leagues.

Close choices to make the majors - #29 Kevin Orie, #30 Mike Bell, #32 Pat Watkins (future Rockie), #34 Jermaine Allensworth, #35 Todd Dunn, #36 Willie Adams

 Pick #70 Bryan Rekar

STICK

The Rockies drafted Rekar and he proceeded to make the majors for a couple of years, but never really made a huge impact with the Rockies.  He did remain a starter for a few years with the Devil Rays after being chosen in the expansion draft.  This is another example of Rekar being the best of a lousy lot.  He wasn't great, but was better than the surrounding picks.

Close choices to make the majors - #75 Matt Perisho, #79 Ryan McGuire, #80 Mike Welch

Pick #100 Joel Moore

NEW PICK

#108 Billy Koch

Now we come to the first (but unfortunately not last) high Rockie draft pick to NOT make the big leagues.  Moore actually had a really good start to his minor league career, good enough to warrant his inclusion in the Bowman set which was much pickier about player selection in the 1990s.  He was 14-6 in AA in 1995, but arm troubles did him in and he peaked at AAA in 1997 and 1998.  Billy Koch was a very good closer for a few years before his head and his massive ego did him in.  Seriously, go read the Wikipedia entry on this guy.  It is very entertaining.

Close choices to make the majors - #102 Nate Bland, #103 Andrew Lorraine, #106 Jay Canizaro

1994

Pick #7 Doug Million

NEW PICK

 #12 Nomar Garciaparra

This is one of the more tragic picks in Rockies history.  For those of you that don't know the story, Doug Million passed away at age 21 from an asthma attack.  He was well on his way to the big leagues at the time.  Who knows how his career would have turned out?  He may have been even better than Nomar, but I can only go on the actual data.  So for this pick I am going to choose the 1998 AL Rookie of the Year.  Although that would probably cost him his cherry ESPN gig because he wouldn't have played for the Sawx and therefore ESPN wouldn't have ever noticed him.

Close choices to make the majors - #8 Todd Walker (future Rockie), #9 C.J. Nitkowski, #10 Jaret Wright, #13 Paul Konerko, #14 Jason Varitek, #17 Ramon Castro

Pick #126 John Slamka

NEW PICK

#135 Tim Byrdak

The Rockies lost their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks due to free agent signings (which I will delve into below), so their second choice in 1994 was 5th round selection John Slamka.  Of the 9 Rockies selections that I am discussing today, Slamka is probably the least successful.  After four years in the Rockies organization, the highest Slamka was able to climb was low A Asheville.  He was out of baseball by 1997.  Byrdak was not exactly a huge success, but after being out of baseball in 2003 he made a comeback and continues to be a successful reliever in the majors.  The best career from that round was that of #140 Javier Vazquez, but he was selected more than 10 choices after the Rockies pick.

Close choices to make the majors - #131 Brian Barkley

Pick #154 Luther Hackman

NEW PICK

#161 Joe Mays

Like John Burke earlier, Luther Hackman is another Rockies selection that made the majors but is being replaced.  Hackman only pitched in 5 games for the 1999 Rockies and allowed a lot of runs.   He hung around the majors for four more years with both the Cardinals and Padres.  Joe Mays was the epitome of the "career year" pitcher.  If you take away his 2001 season, Mays was a career 38-57 pitcher with an ERA well over 5.00.  However in 2001 he was 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA and made the All Star team.  That season alone makes him the proper choice for this pick.

Close choices to make the majors - #160 Eric DuBose


I am normally not going to include picks lost due to free agent compensation, but 1994 was kind of a weird year in that regard due to the Rockies losing three picks.  The second rounder went to the White Sox for Ellis Burks.  The third rounder went to the Marlins for Walt Weiss, while the fourth rounder went to the Mets for Howard Johnson.  I am just going to see who the Rockies could have had without those free agent signings.

2nd round - #50 Jed Hansen
3rd round - #71 A.J. Pierzynski
4th round - #101 Danny Graves

Only one of the players actually selected with the real Rockies picks made the majors, #70 Brian Meadows selected by the Marlins.  Despite the pedigree of Pierzynski, I am extremely happy that the Rockies signed those free agents. 

Number of picks to make the majors 
This week - 6/9 = 67%
Total -         6/9 = 67%

Number of STICK picks 
This week - 4/9 = 44%
Total         - 4/9 = 44%

Thanx for reading.

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Aimer l'automne ...

Saturday, 26 October 2013

J'ai toujours aimé l'automne, ses couleurs et sa mélancolie ...

Le temps des citrouilles et autres cucurbitacées battant son plein, j'ai cédé à une tentation toute simple, une petite déco couleur campagne ...

...

(Les citrouilles sont du supermarché mais le kaki du jardin !)

Pour rêver :

http://www.pinterest.com/reverausud/lautomne/

(image du net)

Souvenirs, souvenir ... ce poème est l'un de mes préférés, peut-être parce qu'il évoque un temps qui n'existe plus !

BON WEEK-END A VOUS QUI PASSEZ

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Rating the Rookie Cups - 1989

Friday, 25 October 2013

Since we are in the middle of the 2013 World Series, I figured it would be appropriate if this week's Rating the Rookie Cups featured a team with both a Red Sox player and a Cardinals player.  However, I am a stickler for my own rules and am going in the original order that I have set out.  Therefore, this week's 1989 team does not feature players from either Boston or St. Louis (but the trivia question features them).  One change that I have made this feature has been inspired by the welcome comments of Dime Box Nick.  Since this is primarily a card blog, I am now going to include the categories of "Best Card" and "Worst Card" in with the usual categories. 

Damon Berryhill - Chicago (NL) - C -          (Rookie)   5   (Career)  3
Mark Grace - Chicago (NL) - 1B -              (Rookie)   6   (Career)  7
Ron Gant - Atlanta - 2B -                             (Rookie)   6   (Career)  6

Chris Sabo - Cincinnati - 3B -              (Rookie)   7   (Career)  4

Walt Weiss - Oakland - SS -                (Rookie)   5   (Career)  5

Jay Buhner - Seattle - OF -                             (Rookie)   5   (Career)  5

Cecil Espy - Texas - OF -                               (Rookie)   3   (Career)  2
Dave Gallagher - Chicago (AL) - OF -            (Rookie)   4   (Career)  3

Tim Belcher - Los Angeles - RHP -         (Rookie)   6   (Career)  6
Paul Gibson - Detroit - LHP -                 (Rookie)   3   (Career)  2




Strongest Team Members (in 1992) - Chris Sabo, Ron Gant, Mark Grace

Strongest Team Members (Career) - Mark Grace, Ron Gant, Tim Belcher

Weakest Team Members (in 1992) - Paul Gibson, Cecil Espy, Dave Gallagher

Weakest Team Members (Career) - Paul Gibson, Cecil Espy, Dave Gallagher

Rockies on the team (Present and future) - 2 (Ron Gant, Walt Weiss)

Best Card (IMHO) - Damon Berryhill (best of a mediocre lot)

Worst Card (IMHO) - Mark Grace (looks like a minor league card and not in a good way)


Overall Team Rating (1-10 compared to other RAST teams)    2

Following the fantastic rookies of the 1987 season, this team is full of mediocre players.  The outfield is one of the weakest ever with a half season of Jay Buhner far and away the best year produced.  There are a few solid careers that came out of this group, but by and large this was a very forgettable year for rookie classes.

WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA

Here are the players I feel should have been on this Rookie All Star Team.  This is based on rookie year data only.


Catcher - Damon Berryhill - Chicago (NL)
This was a difficult choice because Berryhill had almost identical stats as Nelson Santovenia of the Expos.  The only stat that was slightly different was batting average and Berryhill was a bit higher.  Neither player was a very strong candidate though.

First Base - Mark Grace - Chicago (NL)
This was a pretty easy choice with Grace the only rookie to play a full season.  I did give consideration to Philadelphia's Ricky Jordan who had a very strong half season, but not nearly as strong as Grace.

Second Base - Ron Gant - Atlanta
The toughest battle by far was this position with Gant versus future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar.  I stuck with Gant due to his better power numbers and relatively even numbers everywhere else with the exception of defense.   If only Gant had played 1 game in the outfield, where he would play exclusively later in his career, I would have put both players on the team easily.

Shortstop - Walt Weiss - Oakland
Another tough battle featured the 1988 AL Rookie of the Year, Weiss, against a very strong competitor in Jody Reed of Boston.  Their stats were very similar, but I chose Weiss for better defense and more games played over Reed's higher average.  I never forget that a player's most important ability is availability.

Third Base - Chris Sabo - Cincinnati
In pure contrast to the middle infield, this was the easiest selection to make.  1988 NL Rookie of the Year, Chris Sabo was the strongest rookie at any position and his only competition was a half season of Rene Gonzales of the Orioles.  Advantage: Spuds.

Outfield - Jay Buhner - Seattle, Dave Gallagher - Chicago (AL), Cecil Espy - Texas
This was quite possibly one of the weakest outfields in All Star rookie history.  Buhner had the best career, but his rookie half-year was nothing to write home about.  Gallagher makes it on the strength of a .300 season and Espy with 33 steals.  The only other rookies under consideration were half seasons of Baltimore's Brady Anderson and Darrin Jackson of the Cubs and they weren't even starters on their own teams.

RHP - Tim Belcher - Los Angeles
This was another tightly contested position in 1988.  Belcher's 12 win 152 strikeout season for the Dodgers was a bit stronger than Don August of the Brewers, California's Bryan Harvey, and Melido Perez of the White Sox. 

LHP - Greg Cadaret - Oakland
This was one of the weakest positions not only in 1988, but it was weaker than every single year that I have studied so far.  In a battle of middling middle relievers, Oakland's Greg Cadaret had a better year than Paul Gibson and should have been rewarded with a trophy on his card.

LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA ANSWER

As of 2013, how many members of the Topps All Star Rookie teams are enshrined in the Hall of Fame?

Answer:    18

Willie McCovey - 1960

Ron Santo - 1961

Billy Williams - 1962

Tony Perez - 1966

Joe Morgan - 1966

Rod Carew - 1968

Tom Seaver - 1968

Johnny Bench - 1969

Carlton Fisk - 1973

Gary Carter - 1976

Jim Rice - 1976

Eddie Murray - 1978

Andre Dawson - 1978

Paul Molitor - 1979

Ozzie Smith - 1979

Cal Ripken - 1982 & 1983

Ryne Sandberg - 1983

Kirby Puckett - 1985

 ROOKIE CUP TRIVIA QUESTION

Name the Rookie All Star Teams that have featured at least one player from both the Red Sox and the Cardinals.

NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW

The 2010 team appearing on 2011 Topps.


Thanx for reading.

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Opening Tonight in Berlin!

I have work in a collaborative group show that opens tonight in Berlin (info below). The I was invited to take part in the show by the Philosophical Farmers (Die Philosophischen Bauern). I'm going to explain what this show is all about after I have installation images, it is quite complicated. 


Observer of the Impending Change
October 25 – November 1, 2013   
Spor Klübü Freienwalder Str 31, Berlin-Mitte (Wedding) U8 Pankstr. / S Bornholmerstr.

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On the Shelf: Worst. Person. Ever.

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

WORST. PERSON. EVER. | Douglas Coupland | Random House Canada | October 2013

Meet Raymond Gunt. A decent chap who tries to do the right thing. Or, to put it another way, the worst person ever: a foul-mouthed, misanthropic cameraman, trailing creditors, ex-wives and unhappy homeless people in his wake. Men dislike him, women flee from him. Worst. Person. Ever. is a deeply unworthy book about a dreadful human being with absolutely no redeeming social value. Gunt, in the words of the author, "is a living, walking, talking, hot steaming pile of pure id." He's a B-unit cameraman who enters an amusing downward failure spiral that takes him from London to Los Angeles and then on to an obscure island in the Pacific where a major American TV network is shooting a Survivor-style reality show. Along the way, Gunt suffers multiple comas and unjust imprisonment, is forced to re-enact the 'Angry Dance' from the movie Billy Elliot and finds himself at the centre of a nuclear war. We also meet Raymond's upwardly failing sidekick, Neal, as well as Raymond's ex-wife, Fiona, herself 'an atomic bomb of pain'.

Oh man. This book is cringe-worthy. Coupland has somehow indeed crafted the worst character to ever grace the pages of fiction. There's nothing redeeming about Raymond Gunt. Everything he thinks, everything he does, everything he says is terrible. I doubt there was a time I wasn't staring at the pages in shock while I read Worst. Person. Ever. This book will make you feel uncomfortable, but remember: just because you're reading it (from Gunt's horrible point of view) doesn't mean you agree with anything going on.

I'm pretty sure this book is supposed to be humorous. I don't think I laughed out loud because I wasn't sure I was allowed to. My reaction to this book was mainly me trying to suppress any urge I had to smirk or laugh because Raymond Gunt really is that dreadful. He's crude and selfish. He treats everyone around him with zero respect. Even the people he associates with aren't all that great of human beings. But I guess that's the point. Are any of us really that great if we bear our secrets and inner thoughts?

The plot of Worst. Person. Ever. is insane. Raymond Gunt's word spirals out of control and he goes on a completely unrealistic adventure filled with bad luck and necessary karma. Everything that can go bad does go bad. The book is completely original. You'll have no idea where the plot is going and it's a great, fast-paced, crazy ride.

Worst. Person. Ever. is also filled with well-placed pop culture references and passages similar to footnotes that explain the most random of people, places, and things. These 'footnotes' were my favourite part of the book: informative, but filled with Gunt's detestable wit and humour.

Warning: This book isn't for the faint of heart.

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Top 10 & Bottom 5 - 2013 Topps Update Hanger Pack

Monday, 21 October 2013

Last week I started this feature with a repack which showcased  a variety of sets and designs.  This week I am going modern with the newest release upon the masses, 2013 Topps Update.  The 2013 set has me very confused.  It is one of my favorite Topps sets of the 2000s, but it is also the flagship set I have purchased the least amount of since I got back into collecting.  It has one of the best designs of the 21st century, but it also has some of the worst photos as well.  My use of the term worst will not appeal to some because for some people they are great photos.  For me, they are not very good at all and in some cases they are really bad.  I did get one example of that phenomenon in this package and you can judge whether I am fair or unfair in my assessment.  Just like last week's (and every week's) installment, I am going to begin with the bottom 5.  Let's get started.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

#5) Postseason Heroes #PH-19 Jim Palmer

This is not an indictment of Jim Palmer in any way because I have nothing against him.  This is more of a shot at this particular insert set in general.  It has no meaning to me in any way and the use of retired players in all of these insert sets has become overused and tiresome to say the least.

#4) #US251 Aaron Harang

Let's now have an appearance from a player that could easily be the title character of the Walking Dead.  He really does look like a zombie.  If you don't believe me check out this card.  Harang spent about 5 days this season as a member of the Rockies purely on paper before being traded to Seattle, but that is not the reason for his inclusion.  The reason is he is now a member of the Mets, so this Update card needs updating already.

#3) #US89 Michael Pineda

Why is this man that has not made a single big league pitch in TWO! full seasons on a 2013 Update card.  What exactly are they updating here?  It is stupid that there are several dozen worthy players that could have been included in this set, but Topps chose to give Pineda a card in Update again.

#2) #US173 Reed Johnson

This is the card that I was referring to in my first paragraph.  I really do not like these multiple player cards being used as a solo base card.  Other offenders this year I have seen are Brandon Inge, Ryan Ludwick, and even the great Todd Helton in his probable final Topps card among many others.  I like the photo and I think this would make an excellent Braves team card should they ever bring those back.  However, a solo base card should focus on the individual.  This one is not AS bad because Johnson is the person in the middle, but there were other photos of just Johnson that could have been used here.

#1) #US254 Brian Wilson

How do you make the most despised (in my opinion) baseball player of the last few years even worse?  You move him from Hated Team #1 to Hated Team #2.  Normally moving him from my least favorite team to my second least favorite team would improve his standing, but no.  Simply because the Dodgers have regained their rightful place at #30 on my team hierarchy.  

My only happy statement for this section is that I did not get any of the 745 Yasiel Puig Update card variations in this pack.  Okay enough of these guys, let's get to the good stuff.

THE TOP TEN

#10) Making Their Mark #MM-33 Starling Marte

This is the only insert out of 4 that I received in this pack that features a current player.  Just for that this card deserves a spot in the top 10.  But irregardless of that, this is a good card.  I like the MTM "crest" along with the basic, yet somehow complex, design.  Marte is also a good young, although he is probably one of the worst baserunners in the league among speedsters.

#9) 1971 Topps Minis #TM-27 Stan Musial

Now I railed a little earlier about the many retired players being included in the insert sets.  I am going to keep that stance, but this is a great photo of one of the greatest players of all time.  If it had been included in a set like Archives then it would be much higher on this list though.  As far as the 71's go my question is, what happened to the 1972 minis?  

#8) #US278 Jose Alvarez emerald parallel

In 1989, a guy like Alvarez with a fairly boring photo and not much of a chance to be in the majors for much longer would have been quickly put into a box or a page and forgotten about by me.  After all according to the back of this card Alvarez is only 511 wins away from tying Cy Young's record of 511 wins.  Of course this is 2013 and this card now stands out because it has been Bedazzled by Topps.  If you don't think the Bedazzler and baseball have anything in common then you obviously haven't seen this advertisement yet.

#7) #US230 Scott Kazmir

One of my favorite stories of the 2013 baseball season has been the complete resurrection of the career of Scott Kazmir.  This guy looked like a great player 6-7 years ago in Tampa, but the wheel just kind of fell off in 2009 and then came a couple of bad years with the Angels.  In 2012, Kazmir was plying his trade with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters, which also famously served as Roger Clemens comeback team in 2012.  Kazmir came back strongly with Cleveland this year and if he is not the AL Comeback Player of the Year then they should just stop giving that award out.

#6) #US219 Pedro Alvarez

Normally I am not a fan of cards which do not feature either a baseball cap or a batting helmet.  I don't care to see a player's expensive hair cut on a card.  However like the Musial card above, there are room for exceptions in my worldview.  There is one reason I love this card and that is the appearance of the gold baseball which only comes out of hiding for each player's last out of the HR Derby.  I'm sure it has been shown on a card before, but I don't remember seeing it.

#5) #US91 Prince Fielder gold parallel #0310/2013

I mentioned above that Puig has many variations in this set.  Not to be outdone, Prince Fielder appeared three times in this particular pack for me.  First with this gold parallel (which I still love), then with the base version of this card, then with his base All Star card.  Normally that would bother me and I would go a rant about the 100 middle relievers that didn't get a card this year, but I actually like this card.  The thing I love about this card is the "Fruit Stripe" batting glove that Fielder is sporting.  I would pay many dollars to get a relic card featuring that glove.

#4) #US189 Kyle Lohse

The idea of the throwback jersey for me is a double-edged sword.  Part of me is really cynical in knowing that the only reason we keep seeing these jerseys pop up every year is so teams can sell them and continue making obscene amounts of money off the backs of fans.  The other part of me just wants to be happy that I am seeing one of the best uniforms of all time on this card.  The Brewers "baseball glove" logo is the best of all time and this Harvey's Wallbangers era uniform is right up near the top as well.

#3) #US22 Carlos Beltran

This card is included on this list for one reason alone and that is the fantastic photo.  I believe every color ever thought of, with the exception of yellow, is included in this picture.  Not only that, but it is also an underused angle as well.  This is just a great card.

#2) #US247 Casper Wells

I mentioned earlier during my assessment of Aaron Harang that I am not a fan of an Update card that still needs updating.  This Casper Wells card is another example of a card that needs updating because he ended the year as a member of the Phillies.  Much like my other exceptions, the photo on this card was just too awesome to ignore.  The concentration on his face, the appearance of a towel bar, and the low camera angle are good, but what makes this card great is the faces behind the cage.  They look a little spooky and this is the perfect time of the year for that.

#1) #US206 Reid Brignac Wal Mart blue parallel

This is my only Rockie so naturally it is number one, but it is also my first ever card of Reid Brignac as a Rockie.  He nearly fell into the category of a Update card needing an update, but after he was traded to the Yankees in May he was released a couple of months later and rejoined the Rockies AAA club.  Therefore, he is still a Rockie and now he is forever a Rockie in my binder.  He is one of 4 Rockies (Oswalt, Ottavino, and LeMahieu are the others) that got their first ever Colorado card in this set.  That brings the current total to 332 different Rockies appearing on a solo Rockies card.  By the end of this week, I will have 329 of them.

I was surprised that I only pulled 1 Rockies card because the Rockies do have a heavy presence in this set.  I am thrilled with pulling the Brignac because it is the first ever retail parallel I have pack pulled for my team.  That is so much more satisfying than just buying it.  I am probably going to go with something less modern next week, but I do have to say I enjoyed this pack more than I expected to.

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