Yo ho ho and a pack of lamesauce (Packs 13-16)

Well, things have been going fairly well so far. Lets see what kind of momentum we can keep up going into the second half...

Pack 13:

Jackie Robinson
Dexter Fowler
Joey Votto +2 Other FP
Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas
Across the Years: Chris Sale +2
Frame Miniature Autograph: Brian Kelly +10
Regular Mini: Jon Niese

Pack Total: +14

Running Box Total: +113

Well, there goes our last hit, and it is at least a very solid hit! Ink is pretty good, and it isn't some scrub baseball player. Not that some scrub Notre Dame coach is much better.

Pack 14:

This is bologna.

Rod Carew
Dustin Pedroia
Adam Jones
Dan "Ugh" Uggla
Brandon Beachy
Across the Years: Ryan Howard +4 (+2 AtY, +2 Other FP)
Regular Mini: Mike Schmidt

Pack Total: +4

Running Box Total: +117

HEY! Where the heck is my 8th card!? One awesome card, but I sense I'm missing an insert here.

Pack 15:

 Chris Sale
Ardolis Chapman
Frank Robinson
Nick Swisher
Ty Cobb
Martial Mastery: Vikings +3
Alex Rios SP +2
Regular Mini: Andre Ethier

Pack Total: +5

Running Box Total: +122

Well. It could be worse. I could be missing a card.

Pack 16:

Mike Minor
Justin Upton
Jared Weaver
Jacob Ellsbury
Andre Dawson
Across the Years: Dylan Bundy +2
A&G Ad Back Mini: Corey Hart +2

Pack Total: +4

Running Box Total: +126

AHHHHHH! TWO packs that are missing cards!? Are you effing serious!? I'm probably missing two Jon Jay cards or two inserts. This is absurd.

By far the most disappointing round simply because I'm missing cards. Ink is cool. I'm still missing cards.

Until next time, and even after that, keep it in the family.

-GG

My dog ate all of the favorite players and Cardinals (Packs 9-12)

I'm getting a little unnerved by the lack of favorite players and Cardinals in this box. I think my dog snuck into the box, ate the cards, and then resealed the packs to factory condition. I also think this is one of those Curious Cases cards to be found somewhere in the set.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Pack 9:

Trevor Cahill
Mike Trout
Jeff Samardzija
Robin Ventura
Todd Frazier
One Little Corner: Neptune +3
Adam "OH MY GOD I FINALLY GOT A CARDINAL!" Wainwright SP +3 (+2 SP, +1 Favorite Team)
Black Bordered Mini: Edinson Volquez +3

Pack Total: +9

Running Box Total: +82

OK, so I think we may have disproved the conspiracy theory about my dog. But you never know. With a face like that, she may just be throwing us a bone to knock us off her scent. Heh, I'm punny.

Pack 10:

Joey "OH WHAT THE HELL NOW MY CONSPIRACY THEORY IS SHOT" Votto +2  Other FP
Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas
Bobby Doerr
Alfonso Soriano
Ernie Banks
Michael Brantley

Across the Years: Willie Stargell +2
Regular Mini: Willie Stargell

Pack Total: +4

Running Box Total: +86

Ouch, that one hurt. Not so much on the helping of the going up of the total box score. Damn that dog...

Pack 11:

Edwin Encarnacion
Derek Holland
Matt Moore
Lance Lynn +1 Favorite Team
Dan Haren
Civilizations of Ages Past: Vikings +3
Kevin "Cravin' Eyeballs" Youkilis SP +1 (+2 SP, -1 Yankee)
Codes, Cypers & Cryptographs: The Phastos Disc +3

Pack Total: +8

Running Box Total: +94

Well, we get a Cardinal, a Yankee, and some Vikings all in one pack. Boy oh boy.

Pack 12:

Colby Rasmus
Matt Harrison
Enos "I'm going to" Slaughter "Yankees"
Allen Craig +1 Favorite Team
Elvis Andrus
Ian Kinsler +2 Other FP
Across the Years: David "Big Papi" Ortiz +2
Regular Mini: Scott "Shine Bright Like A" Diamond

Pack Total: +5

Running Box Total: +99

Ungh! Just shy of 100 total points and we're halfway through. I expect things to slow down considerably here in the last half of the course, and hopefully we finish below par... or do we want to be above par, since low scores in Gint-A-Cuffs is bad?

As always, keep it in the family.

-GG

They're clearly bringing a whale (Packs 5-8)

Well, after a somewhat-solid Round 1, we're off to Round 2. I'll save you any unpleasing images of Zombies wearing Yankees apparel and just get straight to the whoopin'! I mean, Gint-a-Cuffing!

Pack 5:

Carlos Santana
Cecil Fielder
Bert "Be Home" Blyleven
Ted Williams
Manny Machado
Palaces and Strongholds: Neuschwansten Castle +3
Brandon Phillips SP +2
Heavy Hangs the Head: Constantine +3

Pack Total: +8

Running Box Total: +55

So, all in all not horrible. Still no Angels, an no Favorite Players. This is a little disheartening. But a solid showing!

Pack 6:

Will Middlebrooks
Starlin Castro
Jay Bruce
Bob Feller
Doug Fister
Carlos Gonzalez
Across the Years: Jordan Zimmerman +2
A&G Back Mini: Ken Griffey Jr. +2

Pack Total: +4

Running Box Total: +59

I think this is our worst pack thus far. Next to nothing. Griffey saved the pack from being more than simply mundane. Good work, Ken!

Pack 7:

Ernie Banks
Jim Johnson
Will Middlebrooks
Starlin Castro
Jay Bruce
Civilizations of Ages Past: Indus River Valley +3
Wade Miley SP: +2
Black Bordered Mini: Michael Young +3

Pack Total: +8

Running Box Total: +67

BUH! Wait a minute... didn't I get THREE of those base cards in Pack 6? WTF! None of them are Cardinals, Favorite Players, OR Yasiel Puig. This is bullcrap. I guess I should be thankful that none of them were Yankees.

Pack 8:

Brandon Morrow
Amelia Boone
Denard Span
Penny Marshal +1
Byamba
One Little Corner: Scattered Disc +3
Henry Rollins SP +2
Regular Mini: Paco Rodriguez

Pack Total: +6

Running Box Total: +73

OH BOY! What a stunning pack. What a lackluster round. +73 is respectable after 8 packs, however, so we've got some momentum going for us. Lets just hope we can keep it up. I still have managed to dodge every favorite player and every Cardinal. This is amazing.

But lets keep it in the family.

-GG

And they're officially off! (Packs 1-4)

With the starting pistol sounded and the bullet missing the brain of every undead Yankee, Gint-A-Cuffs V has officially begun!

Ah crap, we lost George already...

Well, I've alluded to the fact I've already opened some of my packs. So without further delay, lets get to it! 

 

Cabinet Card: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus +5

 

 

Oh snap son, this place is brimming with Zombyankees waiting to eat your brains.

 

Running Box Total: +5

 

Pack 1:

 

 

John Smoltz

Paul Goldschmidt

Albert Pujols

Jackie Robinson

Dexter Fowler

Omar Infante SP +2

Palaces and Strongholds: Leeds Castle +3

Allen and Ginter Back Mini: Daryl Strawberry +2

Pack Total: +7

Running Box Total: +12

OK, so, we dodged any really horrible cards, but other than a mini and an insert, not so much on the positive side. Could have been a better start.

Pack 2:

 

 

Abe Vigoda +1

Ziggy Marley

Phil Heath

Matthew Berry

Nana Meriweather

Palaces and Strongholds: Summer Palace +3

David Price SP +2

Black Bordered Mini: Adrian Gonzalez +3

Pack Total: +9

Running Box Total: +21

Hey, this pack turned out pretty decent. Always good to get a bonus point from some guy named Abe Vigoda, and an insert, SP, and black bordered mini are nothing to shake a stick at.

Pack 3:

 

 

Fergie Jenkins

Duke Snider

Jim Rice

Frank Robinson

Across the Years: Jose Bautista +2

Full Sized Relic: Scott Rolen +10

Regular Mini: Evan Longoria

Pack Total: +12

Running Box Total: +33

Ugh. Almost blanked except for our first of three hits, and it was a weak hit at that. Was hoping for a Jon Jay relic or bat, or a Cardinals, or a printing plate, or a Pee Wee Herman DNA Relic, or something. At least it wasn't part of  Robinson "Eat Yo Brains" Cano's entail-stained pants or anything!

Pack 4:

 

 

Mike Richter

Grand Central Terminal

Bobby Bowden

Jordan Zimmerman

Across the Years: Robinson "Eat Yo Brains" Cano +1 (+2 for AtY, -1 for Yankee)

Framed Miniature Relic: Jared Weaver +10

Short Print Mini: Rickey Henderson +3

Pack Total: +14

Running Total: +47

Bleh. I'm not mentioning anymore Zombyankees by name. Then they'll pop out of these delightful wrappers and try and eat me.

That wraps up the initial unwrapping. Current box total is +47, with a projected total of (+42 from packs, divided by 4 packs, times 24 total packs, +5 from the cabinet card) +257. I can guarantee you that won't happen, that would imply I get 12 hits in the box or get crazy mad inserts and favorite players and stuff. Not. Happening.

Lets keep this in the family.

-GG

Descent into Madness

"THIS... IS... GINT-A-CUFFS!"

OK, so lets hope that my pack ripping skills are better than my graphic design skills. Points for effort are not awarded that I am aware of in Gint-A-Cuffs.

Without any scoring and the official start date 6 days away, the need to open packs got the better of me. I really wish now that I hadn't, because this round of Gint-A-Cuffs could be terribly anti-climactic. I'll save pictures and do them in groups of 4 packs to save time/effort/whatever. But here's a taste of the Ginter Godfather's Gint-A-Cuffs V box:

Box Topper: Masoleum at Halicarnassus

Pack 1:
Mike Richter
Grand Central Terminal
Bobby Bowden
Jordan Zimmerman
Rickie Henderson SP Mini
Across the Years - Robinson "Eat Yo Brains" Cano (boo hiss! First pack and a Zombyankee. Not a good sign)

And...

Jared Weaver Framed Mini Relic

Pack 2:
Fergie Jenkins
Duke Snider
Jim Rice
Brooks Robinson
Evan Longoria Mini
Across the Years - Jose Bautista

And...

Scott Rolen Full Sized Relic

So, if Gint-A-Cuffs was won in the first 2 packs, I might have a shot. As it is now? Yeah... The Zombyankees are going to overrun this blog. Great.

2 hits down, 1 to go. Here's hoping for a Ginter Miracle.

Until next time,

Keep it in the family

The Yankee-pocalypse is almost upon us...

Family, friends, enemies, children and pets!

The day we have all been waiting for is neigh! We are all but a few precious hours away before the dreaded Yankee-pocalypse that will require all of the initiative, guts, brains, and courage we can muster to repel the awful horde...

Oh, and 2013 Allen and Ginter is being released, too!

Yes folks, it is that time of year again. Retail sightings have already occurred and FeeBay is flooded with overpriced singles and molested "hot packs." (Hey, if I found a pack of cards so attractive as to use the adjective 'hot' to describe them, I probably couldn't keep my hands off, either!)

This blog will hopefully be used to document my journey into the depths of 2013 Allen and Ginter, most successfully at least than 2012 Allen and Ginter's lame attempt. Oops.

One thing that IS for certain - Gint-A-Cuffs V: The Commissioner Strikes Back! Yours truly has thrown my metaphorical hat into the actual ring and will duke it out with the fine citizens of the blog-o-sphere to see who can unwrap the greatest boxed champion of all time! I'm trying to see how I might be able to do this via video to make it more interactive, or something. But we'll see!

Until tomorrow... keep it in the family.

-The Ginter Godfather

(AND THANK GOD GREG GUMBEL IS NOT RETURNING EVEN FOR A CAMEO)

Ahhhh, spring is in the air!

Greetings Ginter Mafia!

It's been quite some time since since our last post, and with baseball season now in full swing it seemed an appropriate time to reassemble the Ginter Mafia. If you're reading this... you are the Ginter Mafia. Congratulations on your appointment to such an esteemed post!

Hopefully this season we can start to revamp the Mafia a bit to include more breaks, trades, mail days, oddities, stories, and the like. Quite frankly there should be no other place to go for Ginter related mania.

A few things! I'm currently in the process of pursuing a master set of autographs, relics, minis, base, and inserts of 2011 and 2012. I've got a long ways to go, and won't be anywhere complete by the time 2013 rolls around, but I'd like to try and get close on the minis/base/inserts. The autos and relics are going to be long-term projects, but worthwhile ones at that.

So! I'll keep it short for now, but I look forward to seeing you all around here in the future.

Keep it in the family

-The Ginter Godfather