Finally Got Me Some 2011 Topps

After reading post after post of various bloggers busting packs of 2011 Topps, I HAD to get some for myself. On the way home from work, I picked up four rack packs and a blaster from my local Wal-Mart.

Now, I'm usually a set collector, especially with Topps' main issue, and I know that the blasters are horrible for that purpose, but I LOVE the manu-patch cards Topps puts out. I pulled a few from 2010 and I think they are really good looking cards and add a little bit extra to the collection. Last year's issue had players from the past (and a few from the present) along with a patch related to an All-Star Game or World Series they played in. 2011 goes in a different direction, taking present-day players alongside a "throwback" patch of their team. My blaster gave me an Evan Longoria. A great player, but it does seem weird that a team which has only existed 13 years has a "throwback" logo.

There's also a special diamond anniversary parallel that appears to be seeded one-per-pack, whi9ch quite a few people seem to be going after. While I didn't get anything special here, I did get a Stephen Strasburg Wal-Mart black bordered card. Now that Strasburg-mania has died down, I'm getting these cards all over the place.

There are also a couple of other inserts I'll be collecting. The Kimball minis look amazing, and should be a fairly easy set to complete, and just like last year's CYMTO, the 60 Years of Topps cards will be a fun set to complete, as will the similar Lost Cards set.

Those all came from the blaster, and here's what I pulled from the rack packs