Mood swings and a box of A&G

Mood level: +10

Progress: Pack 2 of 24
Mood level: +10
Observation: Out of all of the base cards I wanted to pull in the box, this was the card. There is nothing more desperate than seeing someone beg for a card of their favorite player, having done that a few times and having to look myself in the mirror afterward. Kershaw looks borderline yokel-ish. Or he could be borderline psychotic. It’s a fine line.

Mood level: +7
Observation: At this point, I had a general idea of what A&G was offering this year. I have to admit, I need to get used to some of it. The pale blue background isn’t doing it for me. It reminds me of the color on Champs hockey and that color reminded me of the color once used to paint hospital walls. It’s not a happy color. Maybe that’s my own hang-up, but it’s there. Secondly, all of the people look like they’re wearing rouge. Thirdly, that rookie cup logo sure looks odd on a card that’s supposed to appear like it’s more than 100 years old. Finally, the feel of the front of the card is a little to slick for me.

Mood level: +8
Observation: This national animals insert set is pretty cool. I liked all three that came out of the box, but this one was the best.

Mood level: +2

Mood level: +3
Observation: In the category of the card that made me jump off the couch the highest, this card would have won, if not for second-to-last pack, when I pulled this:

Mood level: +5
Observation: This guy bears a faint resemblance to a man named Andre Ethier. I had to stare at it for a good while to make sure it was him.

Mood level: -1
Observation: I know the majority of the A&G cards are posed shots, so maybe Topps thinks it can get away with things like this. But there are obsessive, squirrely people in this hobby who go back into the recesses of their collecting mind and turn up this:

Mood level: -3
Observation: One thing that bothered me the last couple of years with A&G is how small the image is with the horizontal cards. It’s extremely noticeable this year, especially on the minis. Hawpe’s head on this mini card is about the size of a pebble. Some people of limited visual ability are going to have to hold it either 2 inches from their face or a foot-and-a-half away in order to see the image.

Mood level: -1
Observation: The “This Day in History” insert series totally rocks. I love “This date …” stuff, and to marry it with a player’s birthdate is an awesome idea. With one card in every pack, the design gets a little repetitive, but overall it’s quite cool.

Mood level: +2
Observation: Coolest card in the set? Maybe. The only thing holding it back is that the team Gonzalez plays for is annoying the hell out of me.

Mood level: +1
Observation: At one point, I thought A&G had finally come around on the musician front and issued a card of honky-tonk country & western/southern rock pioneer Gary Stewart. I should have known better. This Gary Stewart bounced up and down on a pogo stick the most times in a row. I am not impressed. I don’t watch “America’s Got Talent” either.