TTM Return: Max Scherzer

• Max Scherzer 1/1- Max personalized his 09 Topps card from Detroit in about 3 months. I'm hoping that I can still hit the 150-card mark for this set by the end of the year. Only 10 more to go! Sent 7/3 (87 days)
  

TTM Return: Ryan Church

• Ryan Church 3/3- The well-traveled outfielder from the Diamondbacks signed cards from the 09 Topps, Updates & Highlights, and Upper Deck sets. Sent 9/21 (8 days)
  

TTM Return: Nick Green

It's been a pretty long drought from TTM returns, but I finished off the week with a nice return on Saturday:

• Nick Green 2/2- The former Red Sox utilityman signed cards from the 09 Topps Updates & Highlights and Topps Heritage sets. I sent these cards to the Albuquerque Isotopes back in April when Nick was playing for the Dodgers' AAA farm team. The envelope was postmarked from Georgia where he lives during the offseason. He was always a very friendly guy in person when he was with the Sox, it's too bad he didn't catch on at the major league level this year. Sent 4/26 (149 days)
  

Orioles @ Red Sox, 9/21 & 9/22

My last two games of the season were Tuesday and Wednesday. It's disappointing how the season turned out for the Sox, but it was nice to see them win with a Papi home run last night. I picked up a few autographs inside the stadium.

Tuesday:

• Robert Andino- 08 Topps
• Ken Burns- blank card
• Jake Fox- 09 Topps Updates & Highlights

Wednesday:

• Brandon Snyder- Orioles team card
• Josh Bell- Orioles checklist
• Brian Roberts- 09 Topps
  

Topps 206 Pack Update

TTM returns have been nonexistent this week, so I figured I'd review a few more packs of 206.

Pack 1:

• Carl Crawford
• Magglio Ordonez
• Carlos Beltran
• Alice Stebbins Wells mini, World's 1st female cop in 1910
• Aaron Harang gold- Zombie face! Getting ready for Halloween early this year
• Josh Johnson
• Adrian Beltre
• Pablo Sandoval
• David Price

Pack 2:

• Shin-Soo Choo
• Geovany Soto
• Josh Johnson mini- Polar Bear back
• Bengie Molina
• Roy Oswalt
• Howie Kendrick
• Matt Cain
• Prince Fielder
• Mike Pelfrey

Do the last 4 cards in that pack look familiar? I pulled the exact same 4 cards in the exact same order of a pack I reviewed last week. Topps doesn't seem to be a big fan of quality collation.

TTM Return: Adam LaRoche

• Adam LaRoche 1/1- Mr. LaRoche signed his card from the 09 Topps set. I'm unsure when I sent this card, but I think it was sometime towards the end of spring training.
  

Hats Off to 206! Pack Breaks/Review

I've purchased several packs of the new Topps 206 recently, and decided to review my packs here. For those of you that haven't seen them, almost every player is pictured with their hat off in the tradition of the original 206 cards.

Pack 1:

• Tommy Hanson
• Pedro Feliz
• John Maine mini- Baseball Caramels back
• Glen Perkins gold
• Howie Kendrick
• Matt Cain
• Prince Fielder
• Mike Pelfrey

Pack 2 (Rangers Crazy!):

• Jose Lopez
• Josh Hamilton
• Ian Kinsler
• Julio Borbon- only player I've seen in the set with a hat on
• Babe Ruth mini- Baseball Caramels back
• Tommy Manzella RC gold
• Cole Hamels
• Justin Morneau
• Johnny Evers

Pack 3:

• Vladimir Guerrero
• Kyle Blanks
• Joba Chamerblain gold
• Chipper Jones
• Tommy Hanson mini- Gold Chrome #28/50
• Adam Wainwright
• Rick Ankiel
• Scott Sizemore RC
• Alexei Ramirez

Pack 4:

• Wade Davis RC
• Joe Mauer
• Alex Rodriguez mini- Piedmont back
• Barry Zito gold
• Daniel Murphy
• Kevin Kouzmanoff
• Adrian Gonzalez
• Chris Iannetta
• Drew Stubbs RC

Pack 5:

• Cliff Lee
• Jacoby Ellsbury
• Neftali Feliz mini- Baseball Caramels back
• Travis Snider gold
• Kosuke Fukudome
• Ian Desmond RC
• Andre Dawson
• Travis Hafner
• Matt Garza

Pack 6:

• Josh Beckett
• Carlos Zambrano
• Gordon Beckham
• Jeff Franis gold
• Rick Porcello mini- Old Mill back
• Justin Verlander
• Cody Ross
• Hunter Pence
• Chase Utley

The Hanson gold mini is a really pretty card, the scan doesn't do it justice. At the same price per hobby pack as Allen & Ginter, you get one more card per pack and less random cards of ancient Greek gods and animals. Some of the backgrounds on the cards are plain solid colors, but others have great postcard-like pictures of historic building and stadium structures that stay true to the traditional roots of the T206 cards.