Back with two more videos. These represent packs 9-12 and 13-16 in the box, so eight more to go. I have pretty much decided just to chase Reds, Orioles, Mariners and most likely White Sox and Athletics from the set, which means most everything else you see will be up for grabs. After I've busted the whole box I'll create a Heritage "Wants and Haves" page for your trading enjoyment.

The third video represents pretty much the nadir of the box. Not exciting at all. I wouldn't blame you if you skipped this one and just watched the fourth video.



The fourth video is light years better. But then again, that's not a hard task. It didn't get off to the best of starts, though. Please excuse the swearing. I can't remember if I swore or not but if I did, I'm sorry.

And by free, Joe means free. He's busting the following six boxes:

1992 Score series 1
1996 Emotion-XL
1997 Metal Universe
1998 SPx
2002 Upper Deck Vintage
2003 Topps Chrome

If I had known about it earlier, I could have gotten the Reds. Or the Mariners. Or the White Sox. But I did get the Orioles!

There's still about half the teams available. The sign-up page is here. Go on, what are you waiting for? It's free!

I'm a third of the way through my 2010 Heritage box, and I must say, I'm fairly indifferent about the whole Heritage concept. There's been a lot of talk in the card-o-sphere about how the 2010 Heritage cards are boring. That's not my main concern. My main issue is, basically, that I don't really care for the set.

Look, a lot of the appeal of baseball cards, especially to adult collectors, is the nostalgia aspect. Whether it's re-building or completing sets we had as a kid, or just enjoying that thrill of opening up a pack in the hopes of that big hit or favorite player, we do this because it takes us back to fond memories. Why else would I have gnawed on four eight sticks of truly horrible bubble gum? (Officially, it's so the dog couldn't find it and chew it when he was rooting through the garbage.)

By its very definition, the Topps Heritage set is supposed to invoke loads and loads of nostalgia. With its sticks of gum (thankfully shrink-wrapped so they don't damage the cards), wax packaging, and plain cardboard stock, Heritage gives you the things you loved about the cards of your youth. Even if you don't have fond (or any) memories of the 1961 series, there's plenty to remember when you open a pack of Heritage.

Trouble is, I find that I don't really care about any of it.

It's been said many times before, but Upper Deck really did revolutionise the way trading cards were made, from their very first baseball set. High-quality cardboard, holograms (which showed you could put shiny things on a card), short prints, and, later on, relics and autographs revived a stagnant industry that have been doing things the same way for quite a while. I left the hobby around the time Upper Deck was getting in, but I loved getting UD cards. They seemed just that much more substantial. They were almost like little works of art, not pieces of crappy cardboard. And they didn't have gum stains, which was a plus.

Twenty years later, and I find that Upper Deck's formula is now the standard. Base sets are produced on quality card stock. The 2010 Topps base set has photos on the front and back. For the first time, I am trying to build sets instead of buying them complete, and I'm storing them in a binder instead of a box because I want to look at them again and again. They are, much like the '89 Upper Decks, little works of art.

Which is why 2010 Heritage is a disappointment for me. The very things that are its selling points (gum, wax, and cardboard stock) are characteristics that it turns out I don't want my cards to have any more. They seem like a step backward. The card stock is cheaper (and more prone to dings) than the base set. The colors aren't as vibrant. The cards just don't feel the same in your hands. I'm simply not getting the rush opening the packs as I did when I opened Series 1, or as I'm sure I'll get when I start on Series 2. I'm just not feeling it.

So, eight packs in, I'm pretty confident I'm not going to try to complete the Heritage set. At 500 cards (plus who knows how many inserts), it's going to take two or three hobby boxes to get me close to where I'm already at with my other two sets. And I just can't see myself spending that kind of money on a set I really don't want. I'll probably end up collecting teams and players I care about, and making the rest available for trade. We'll see what I end up with (I've got at least two cards from each team I collect so far) but I think I might be making some trades, or send out some unsolicited packages. I'll post the videos for the breaks, as promised, but I can't see myself too terribly excited about the series, either this year, or in the future.

What do you think? Am I right to bag on Heritage? Or am I giving up on it way too soon?

The first two videos from my 2010 Topps Heritage break:

Part One:


Part Two:

My first short print of the 2010 season is fitting, because it's the guy who shares card No. 125 with one of my all-time favorite players. It's George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns, the man who held the single-season hits record until Ichiro broke it in 2004. That act forever cemented the two players in history, and if I had to guess, this Legendary Lineage card is not the first, nor will it be the last, to feature these two players.

Sisler is largely forgotten to fans today (at least, he certainly was until 2004, and has since faded back into obscurity). It didn't help that he played for the St. Louis Browns, perennial doormats of the American League. But Sisler's feats were remembered for a while after he left the game, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

Sisler was signed as a pitcher, but, much like another George of the same vintage (Ruth), he was converted to a position player so that the Browns could have his potent bat in the lineup as much as possible. It certainly worked, as during his record-setting 1920 season (when he took the hitting crown from that bastard Ty Cobb), Sisler played not just every game, but every inning. He also finished second to that "other" George in home runs. With a career that spanned the dead ball and lively ball eras, Sisler proved himself to be a speedster on the bases (Ichiro still hasn't caught up to him in stolen bases) who could also hit the ball out of the park if need be.

I'm glad to have this as the first short point in my collection for a couple of reasons. First, there is the connection with Ichiro. I targeted this card because of it, I won't lie. But secondly, George Sisler played for the St. Louis Browns. Leaving aside how good the Browns' logo and orange-brown swoosh look on that card (and they look damn good), there's a more significant reason. In 1954, the Browns left St. Louis...

...and became the Baltimore Orioles.

So there you go. A short printed card of one of the great "forgotten" Hall of Famers, a player who will forever be linked to the greatest hitter of all time (and Ichiro is the greatest hitter of all time - sorry, Pete), and the best player in history for the team that would go on to become the Orioles. And, frankly, it's just a great looking card. I can't wait for it to get here so I can add it next to Mr. Suzuki.

By the way, I also tried to get a Joe Morgan short print, but got outbid at the end. Since the auction ended when I was in the middle of teaching a class, not much I could do about that. Oh well. My time will come.

Chris over at Nachos Grande is having his second-ever group break. There's still a fair few number of slots available for some good squads. He's going to be busting five boxes of various boxes from 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Having been in one of his breaks before, I know you'll get plenty of base cards, and there's quite a few hits available. I was lucky enough to score one in my last break with him. I've already snagged the Mariners, but the O's, A's, White Sox and a bunch of other teams are available, so check out his sign-up page with all the details.

According to the last White Sox game I watched, Omar Vizquel is one hit shy from tying Luis Aparicio for second all-time in hits by a shortstop. I knew Vizquel was getting up there, but I had no idea he was 43, or that he's the oldest position player in the majors.

I'm trying to remember a time when Vizquel wasn't playing in the majors. It seems like the guy was around forever, and that's probably because he has been. He showed promise in his stint with the Mariners, but is it any coincidence that Vizquel's arrival in Cleveland was start of the Indians' resurgence? He was the final piece of the puzzle in breaking the curse of Rocky Colavito.

Like many Venezuelan shortstops, Vizquel wore the number 13 throughout his career. He and his current skipper, Ozzie Guillen, both wore the number in honor of Dave Concepcion. Now, a new generation of players, such as Asdrubal Cabrera, wear lucky 13 in their honor. But of course, Vizquel couldn't wear it when he came to the Sox, because Guillen's already got it.

The solution? Ask Aparicio if he could wear number 11. Only Vizquel would have the cojones to do that. And Luis said yes. So now, for the second time in team history, a number has come out of retirement. The first was Harold Baines's number 3, and it was unretired so Harold could use it again when he came back from the Orioles.

But it's fitting that these two great shortstops are now linked with a common uniform. It's hard to find a better pairing than those two. They are each other's statistically most similar batters, and heroes to generations of Venezuelans. Aparicio is the only Venezuelan in the Hall of Fame, and some day Vizquel (and Concepcion) should join him.

Vizquel is scheduled to start Saturday's White Sox/Yankees game. Let's hope he gets hit number 2,673 today.

Is there a Legendary Lineage card in the 2010 Topps set with Vizquel and Aparicio? If so, I want one. If not, then why the hell not?