2009 Goodwin Hobby Box Break

Goodwin or Badlose?  You tell me.

2009 Goodwin Champions Hobby Box.
20 packs, 5 cards per pack.
A combination of 3 hard-signed autos, memorablilia cards, printing plates, and original 1888 Goodwin cards.

Here are some of my favorite base cards pulled:

The backgrounds really make this set striking.  Colorful sunsets galore.  Hey look it's Richie Allen!  How unusual.  I'm a big fan of Mr. Allen.  He was a dominate force in what was basically a pitcher's era.  He reportedly used a 44 ounce bat.  That's Babe Ruth heavy.  Also, Mr. Allen was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1972.  Sure that's nice on its own, but what he was doing was priceless.  He was juggling baseballs while a cigarette dangled from his month.  And this was during a game!  What?  You don't believe me?

I believe that is starting catcher Ed Herrmann behind Allen.  It's great how Herrmann is fiddling with his shin-guard, all serious and focused, while Allen is creating as bizarre an image as one could imagine.  Allen whacked 37 home runs that year (.308 ba, 113 rbi, 1.023 ops) and won the American League MVP.  If Allen isn't cool then cool doesn't exist.  Back to the box...

I really like retired player retro cards.  And that Ichiro card has a unique look.  Goodwin knows how to make clouds look purdy.  Clouds and sunsets.  That's their thing.  One day I will write about Eckersley's feathered hair.  He's been feathering for about twenty years.  That's top notch.  He probably ranks as one of the least valuable Hall of Famers with respect to card prices.  Same with Gossage.  And Rollie Fingers.  And Hoyt Wilhelm.  And one day, Trevor Hoffman.  The Hall of Fame voters may be giving more respect to closers but the collectors sure aren't.  Fingers forever, I say.

In fact, here's a mini-Fingers!

That Markakis made me clap.  Fingers, Markakis, Sizemore, Jenks, and Rivera.  Hey, three mini black framed relievers.  How odd.  I wonder if the White Sox front office will announce that Jenks is fat again today.  They did it twice so far this off-season.  Guillen and GM Ken Williams are loose cannons.  Some of the things they do and say makes it seem as if they are speaking from the tail end of a bender.  One thing is for certain, they have a passion for the game.

More minis.  Palmer!  Right on!  And that looks like a 1966 era picture.  Soak in that Sandberg.  The must see movie of the summer:  'Mustache In The Ivy'.  Great card.

It's hard to tell, but that is a foil mini of Aaron Cook.  Print run of 88 (no serial number however).  Aaron probably assumes he is in a white frame or perhaps black.  No, Aaron, you silly silly pitcher...you are bordered by shiny foil.  

Eagle, meet Ivan.  Ivan, meet Eagle.  As soon as I saw Eagle it reminded me of this Rodriguez card.  Holy cripes they look the same.  Whatever team ends up signing Eagle is gonna have one heck of a catcher.  And unlike Rodriguez, Eagle is just entering his prime.  I love Eagle.  I've always loved Eagle.  Eagle, like Eckersley, has feathered hair.

I got some decent non-baseball cards.  I don't collect cards that aren't baseball, but I know some people really enjoy them.  Thanks to tips and advice from Mr. Collective Troll I will be getting some supplies for shipping in a week or so.  Then I will be ready to trade with you kind folks.  If you want to work out a trade for these let me know.

I'm also willing to trade a lot of the other cards from this bust.  Orioles and retired players are generally off-limits, but anything can happen because I'm WILLLLLLLDDDDDDDD KENNNNNNY!  I'm not really wild.  And Ken isn't even my real name.  Well, it's my middle name.

Oh, and if you want Eagle you will have to admit that you too love Eagle.  And whether you want Ivan or not, he goes where Eagle goes.

Mini-Lebron!

Wow!  Joe Louis the famous boxer!  No.  Joe Lewis the famous martial artist.  He was twice voted the greatest karate fighter in history.  He was the World Heavyweight Karate Champion.  This is a pretty cool card, however I am sure there are fans of Mr. Lewis that would appreciate this more.  It needs a loving home.  I am hoping to get a baseball auto for it.

Now we're talkin'.  Orioles fan makes good.  Unfortunately, as you can see, the lower points on the M are damaged.  They were both mashed downward and I scraped them back up.  It looks worse in person, trust me.  I guess I could contact Upper Deck and get it replaced, but the cost would basically be the same as buying one off Ebay, probably.

From my perspective, this is the best card in the box. A very nice looking card for sure.  I don't have any memorabilia cards of Bo so this is a nice get.

What do I think of this break?  I'm disappointed.  I am not a snob or someone who expects the world from boxes.  I am very happy breaking 1995 Pinnacle boxes (which I'll do next week - stay tuned for an old school memory walk).  I even like opening 1990 Topps.

I think for the price I can expect a bit more from Goodwin.  I got a non-baseball auto and a damaged memorabilia card.  That is a negative in my book.  Also, there are so many cards that aren't baseball related that I can't give this product a thumbs up.  Now I realize it shouldn't surprise me that I am getting a lot of non-baseball cards because that info is out there, but they are still a factor in whether or not I enjoy this set.  I did know what I was getting into.

The things I do like are all the baseball base and baseball mini cards.  Those cards will look nice in the binders.

I have a box of 2009 Upper Deck 'A Piece of History' to break next.  I read Mario's review at Wax Heaven and he isn't a big fan of these cards.  He did mention you get a lot of serial numbered cards though.  I'm a sucker for serial numbered cards so I have a feeling I will enjoy it more than Goodwin.  We shall see!  Thanks for reading.