Breaking Mega Boxes - Episode Two

Amidst the frenzy surrounding the Bowman Mega Boxes, I found a Target that hadn't been completely pillaged. There were two boxes still on the shelf, so I decided to drop the $30 on what may be my last chance to rip some of these packs. For a split second, I thought about flipping at least one of the boxes, but by the time I was driving out of the parking lot, that thought had passed. As soon as I got home, I tore into the boxes like the Tazmanian Devil. Once again, no base Bowman in the scans.

I was fortunate to pull three of the bigger prospects that I hadn't already found in the first few boxes. Not too bad... The inserts were a little better to me though.

I've really been digging the Talent Pipeline insert in regular Chrome and these 'mojo' refractors. I was thrilled to pull the Yankees from one of the boxes. I'm thinking about trying to get in-person autos of all three guys on it. It would be quite the challenge, but I think it would be pretty awesome if I was able to pull it off. The Cubbies Pipeline and the Moncada insert were nice bonuses. There was one more pretty great card in one of the boxes.

I definitely didn't expect to see an auto as I was flipping through the packs and I certainly was thrilled that the ink was from a Yankees prospect! As great as it was to pull this auto, it still wasn't the highly sought after Shohei Otani that has caused the clamoring for this product. Since I figured my chance to pull one had passed me by, I turned my attention to the secondary market, not really expecting I'd find one for a decent price. Diligence paid off though(and came with a pretty sweet bonus).

I found a guy in a FB group that was selling this for $60 or best offer. He had a few other cards that he was 'listing' as well. I found a second card I had been wanting to add for some time and sent a PM to the guy making an offer on both. We countered back and forth and he decided he could accept my second offer. I sent payment and he quickly shipped the two cards out. I received them yesterday. Here was the second card I got in the deal.

The best part is that I got them both for $50. I know sets a lot to pay for only two cards, but considering the Otani has been regularly selling for more than that, I figured it was a good deal. Of course, that may change if Trout's injury alters the trajectory of his career path. Here's hoping that it won't and he'll pick back up where he left off, being one of the best players in baseball. Thanks for reading.

Congrats to Brett Gardner, AL All-Star

I was thrilled to hear that one of my favorite current Yankees was named to the All-Star squad yesterday. I had been voting for him as my Final Vote candidate. In the absence of The Captain this year, he has really been the heart of a team that is exceeding expectations at the halfway point of the season. His drive and work ethic are unmatched plus he's been an underdog for his entire career which makes it all the easier to pull for him. In honor of his first All-Star Team selection, I wanted to share the only 'rainbow' that I really feel I've completed.

2005 Bowman

2005 Bowman Gold

These two are the paper varieties.

2005 Bowman Chrome

2005 Bowman Chrome refractor

These are the non-serial numbered Chrome versions.

2005 Bowman Chrome xfractor

2005 Bowman Chrome blue refractor

Finally, these are both serially numbered. The xfractor is #/250 while the blue is #/150. Granted, I didn't have to track down any 1/1's here, but this 'rainbow' has more of a place in my collection than any I could try to put together of these more modern day products with a dozen or more variations I'd have to get.

Congrats on the awesome achievement Gardy!