Friday, May 27, 2011

Boston Bruins defeat the Tampa Bay Lighting, moving on to face the Vancouver Canucks for the Stanley Cup. Final Totals for our Playoffs Contest.


The Stanley Cup Finals starts Wednesday in Vancouver and the team heading to the Northwest will be the Boston Bruins.   Thanks to Nathan Horton’s third period goal, the Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lighting at home.  But we knew that would happen because our second blaster of 2010-11 Pinnacle Hockey predicted it.

But we still have some unfinished business, the final totals for our Stanley Cup Playoffs contest.  So here they are listed from most to least entries.  We will announce our three winners on Wednesday.

Matt Pederson – 3 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 8 Total Entries
BigD - 2 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 6 Total Entries
Michael Rubin - 2 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 6 Total Entries
Nathan – 2 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 6 Total Entries
Michael - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Greg Zakwin - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Mariner1 - 1 point + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
David H. - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
The Lost Collector – 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Ransom – 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Ryan LaMonica - 3 points + 1 bonus entry = 4 Total Entries
JLee - 4 Points = 4 Total Entries
Rob L - 4 Points = 4 Total Entries
Stonenuts - 2 points + 1 bonus entry = 3 Total Entries
Dennis Lake – 3 Points = 3 Total Entries
Kazi - 0 points + 2 bonus entries = 2 Total Entries
dawgbones -  0 points + 2 bonus entries = 2 Total Entries
Mark – 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Trey J – 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Dan - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
BA Benny - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
FubarMMA – 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Martyn - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Matt Hickes - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Warlord - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Captain Canuck - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Fuji – 0 points + 1 bonus entry = 1 Total Entry
Bench57108 - 1 Points = 1 Total Entry
Nadeau_d - 1 Points = 1 Total Entry
Rob-AKA “VOTC” - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
RollinRick - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Horcoff619 - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Danny Green - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Tunguska - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Bryan – 0 Points = 0 Total Entries

2011 Topps UFC Title Shot. An All About Cards Review

MMA is hot, so hot that news out of Las Vegas is that MMA has surpassed Boxing in popularity.  UFC 130 is about to play out as is the final match to determine The Ultimate Fighter so the timing is perfect for 2011 Topps UFC Title Shot. 

This set falls under our classification of trading cards.  With retail two configurations and hobby boxes of 12 – 16 card packs, 2011 Topps UFC Title shot is accessible to all.  With the Hobby box you’ll get 2 autographs and 2 memorabilia cards and in some boxes there is a box topper with a WEC Jumbo Mat card that measures 5 3/4 by 8 inches.

Lets take a look at some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.


 Georges St-Pierre base card front and back

Gold parallels of the base cards

Silver/Onyx/Black version of the Yoshihiro Akyama base card #/188

UFC unlocked code cards

Front the inserts

 Legacy cards including Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz and Jens Pulver

 Top 10 Title Fights

 Championship Chronology cards including Georges St-Pierre and Chuck Liddell

UFC Contenders including Nate Marquardt #/88 and Dan Hardy

Here are the hits of the box

 Brian Stann Fighter Memorabilia 

 Rousimar Palhares Fighter Autograph Memorabilia 

 Bas Rutten UFC Replica Title Belt #/25

 Jake Shields UFC Contenders Auto

Ramsey Nijem The Ultimate Fighter On Card Auto

So as you can see, we got one more autograph card then was promised.  Sweet!

Overall Look
The photography on these cards stands out.  You definitely feel part of the action, inside the octagon.  Sometimes the foil lettering is hard to see which means adjusting the card to reflect light.  The backs are full of great info.  The legacy cards have a cool retro look and the contenders cards are the sport’s version of chrome.

Quality and Variety of Players and Subsets.
There is a good variety of base cards but the inserts make this product.   You might ask why the Top 10 UFC Title Fights insert set is 30 cards.  The answer is there are 3 cards for each fight.  Add 46 Championship Chronology, 25 Legacy and 25 Contenders cards, there are almost as many inserts as there are base cards, so there is a lot to collect here.

Do the hits hold up?
The hits are great.   A mix of on card autos, fighter worn memorabilia, mat swatches and the ultra cool UFC replica title belts, you’ll be happy will all of them.

Will you want to collect them all? 
You’ll want the entire base set and for the adventurous collector, you’ll chase the entire insert set too.

Rating
4 out of 5

2011 Topps UFC Title Shot is a fun set to chase with some cool hits to match.

The Chicago Bulls fall apart. The Miami Heat advance to the NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks

 Sometimes in sports you feel certain teams are doomed.   The Chicago Bulls fit that bill perfectly last night.   Even with a substantial lead late in the fourth quarter there was still an unsinkable feeling that things would fall apart.   Normally it starts with a small breakdown but last night the Bulls just shut down, or, to give them credit, the Heat just flipped their switch into the on position.  With about three minutes left, Chicago saw a 12 point lead destroyed after two – three pointers by Lebron James and a three pointer by Dwayne Wade that turned into a four point play thanks to Derrick Rose’s foul. 

So Miami will be looking for it’s second NBA Finals championship.  Dallas will be going for their first.   The question is...  who is going to win?  Should we consult a blaster to find out?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Will the Mysterious Powers of Pinnacle Hockey Blasters Hold Up? The Winner of the Lighting/Bruins 7th Game Predicted.

We've already established that 2010-11 Pinnacle Hockey has mysterious powers.  For those of you that saw our box break of a blaster of the cards, you witnessed Pinnacle Hockey Blasters can predict the outcome of games with incredible accuracy.

With the Lighting/Bruins series tied at 3 games a piece, we felt a responsibility, an obligation to prove to the world, once again, the magic contained inside of these small boxes.

You've seen the cards in a break before (and if you haven't, you really should check it out using this link) so let's just give you the results.

First for the visiting Tampa Bay Lighting, here are the cards we pulled.
 Simon Gagne

 Martin St. Louis

Steven Stamkos

Some very nice pulls.  Now for the home team, The Boston Bruins.

 Mark Recchi

 Nathan Horton

 Milan Lucic

Marc Savard

So there you have it.   According to this 2010-11 Pinnacle Blaster, the final score will be...

TAMPA BAY - 3   BOSTON - 4

There is one small caveat.  As you will remember, the last prediction that was made picked the winner correctly, but to get the score correct AND the order in which the goals were scored, it required removing any player who did not see ice time.   We already know that Marc Savard is out for the season.  Remove him and you have a 3 - 3 tie.   So it is possible that the game will end in regulation with a 3 - 3 tie and Boston will win it in OT.   We will see what happens tomorrow night, because as they say, its all in the cards.

By the way, here is our hit for the blaster.

Cody Bass City Lights.   A great looking card.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2011 Topps UFC Title Shot Hobby Box Break, another All About Cards SPEED-break™

We had good luck with our 2010 Topps UFC Knockout box break.  See if that luck continues with this SPEED-break of 2011 Topps UFC Title Shot.

Collectors get to choose the design of an insert card for Panini 2011-12 NBA Hoops

Panini has been polling collectors, seeking their help in designing an insert card for the upcoming release of 2011-12 NBA Hoops.  Out of the many themes available, collectors chose to create an insert based on outstanding single game player achievements.   The name “A Night to Remember” was chosen for the insert set.

Now Panini is polling for opinions of one of the most important aspects of any card, the design.  There are the five designs under consideration.

 Design Option 1

Design Option 2

 Design Option 3

Design Option 4

Design Option 5

Lots of collectors like to voice their opinions about the design of cards after their release, but seldom to they get a chance to directly affect the outcome of which card makes into packs.   Every vote counts so head on over to The Knight’s Lance to pick your favorite.   And while you are there you’ll be able to leave a comment if you would like to see Dirk Nowitzki’s NBA Playoffs-record 24 free throws made without a miss against Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals added to the set.

Here is a checklist of the cards that will be included in this insert set.  As you can see, it’s some heavy-duty players and accomplishments.

Regular Season: Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game scoring record
NBA Finals: Dwight Howard’s single-game blocks record
NBA Finals: Magic Johnson’s single-game assists record
Regular Season: Kobe Bryant’s single-game 3-pointers made record
NBA Finals: Bill Russell’s single-game rebounds record
Playoffs: Magic Johnson’s single-game assists record (tie)
Regular Season: Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game rebounds record
Playoffs: Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game rebounds record
NBA Finals: Ray Allen’s single-game 3-pointers made record
NBA Finals: Elgin Baylor’s single-game points record
Playoffs: John Stockton’s single-game assists record (tie)
Playoffs: Hakeem Olajuwon’s single-game blocks record (tie)
NBA Finals: Dwyane Wade’s single-game free throws made record
Playoffs: Ray Allen’s single-game 3-pointers made record (tie)
Playoffs: Bob Cousy’s single-game free throws made record
Regular Season: Scott Skiles’ single-game assists record
Playoffs: Mark Eaton’s single-game blocks record (tie)
NBA Finals: Rick Barry’s single-game field goals made record (tie)
Playoffs: Jason Terry’s single-game 3-pointers made record (tie)
Playoffs: Vince Carter’s single-game 3-pointers made record (tie)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Vancouver Canucks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Early points totals are in for our contest.

In a bizarre ending to an amazing double overtime game, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks and will move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. With this win the Canucks took the series in 5.

But tonight is not all about Vancouver. Edmonton comes into play too because there is a 2010-11 Donruss Jordan Eberle Rated Rookies Autograph on the line along with other great cards thanks to Panini America and we are able to determine at least half of the outcome of our contest entries.
Anyone who guessed the Canucks in 5 games get 2 points. Those who guessed Vancouver to win in 4, 6 or 7 games will get 1 point. Guessing San Jose to win gets you 0 points.

Our Early Adopters received 2 bonus entries and double their points. After that, anyone who got his or her guess in before 7:00pm EST on May 17th received 1 bonus entry.  There are a few of you that will be very happy that you got your guesses in while we were still giving away bonus entries.

So here is an update of the point totals so far in our Stanley Cup Playoffs contest and how many entries you've received in our Random Drawing.

Matt Pederson – 2 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 6 Total Entries
Nathan – 2 points x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 6 Total Entries
Michael - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Greg Zakwin - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
BigD - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Michael Rubin - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
David H. - 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
The Lost Collector – 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Ransom – 1 point x 2 + 2 bonus entries = 4 Total Entries
Kazi - 0 points + 2 bonus entries = 2 Total Entries
dawgbones - 0 points + 2 bonus entries = 2 Total Entries
Mariner1 - 0 points + 2 bonus entries = 2 Total Entries
Mark – 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Trey J – 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Stonenuts - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Ryan LaMonica - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Dan - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
BA Benny - 1 point + 1 bonus entry = 2 Total Entries
Dennis Lake – 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
FubarMMA – 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
JLee - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Matt Hickes - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Rob L - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Captain Canuck - 2 Points = 2 Total Entries
Fuji – 0 points + 1 bonus entry = 1 Total Entry
Bench57108 - 1 Points = 1 Total Entry
Nadeau_d - 1 Points = 1 Total Entry
Rob-AKA “VOTC” - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Warlord - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
RollinRick - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Horcoff619 - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Danny Green - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Tunguska - 1 Point = 1 Total Entry
Bryan – 0 Points = 0 Total Entries
Martyn - 0 Points = 0 Total Entries

We will update this list at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Mailday - 2011 Topps Black Diamond Wrapper Redemption Cards

A while back we told you about the wrapper redemption that Topps is doing for hobby boxes of 2011 Topps Series 1 Baseball Cards.   We just got a pack of them in. Since we haven't shown you any of them yet, here is a quick mailday video.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

2011 Topps Attax Baseball Game. An All About Cards Review

For some, mostly here in the United States, Topps Attax was a somewhat ignored insert card found in packs of last year’s Baseball cards.  For the rest of the world, it was and continues to be a sensation.  If you didn’t take notice of Attax in the past, this year’s Topps Attax Baseball is worthy of attention.  With expanded play, it has evolved into a true role playing game.

2011 Topps Attax Baseball Cards falls into our fun cards category perfectly. The cards are available in 12 card booster packs, 30 card value packs and a 60-card starter box that includes 2 ready-to-play 30-card packs, 2 deck storage boxes and a deluxe playmat.  The checklist for the starter box is standard so here are the cards you will get in every starter box.

Team 1
Albert Pujols, Alfonzo Soriano, Andres Torres, Aroldis Chapman, Brian McCann, Buster Posey, Carlos Lee, Carlos Quentin, Chase Headley, Chris Carpenter, Chris Coghlan, Corey Hart, Dan Uggla, Derrek Lee, Erick Aybar, Gaby Sanchez, Garrett Jones, Ike Davis, Juan Pierre, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, Kendry Morales, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Kemp, Michael Bourn, Miguel Tejada, Shane Victorino, Wandy Rodriguez, Athletics Mascot, Yankee Stadium

Team 2
Alex Rodriguez, Andrew Bailey, Brandon Phillips, Brett Gardner, Chipper Jones, Chris Young, Colby Rasmus, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Franklin Gutierrez, Geovany Soto, Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, Ian Stewart, Jason Bay, Jason Heyward, Jered Weaver, Jose Bautista, Josh Willingham, Kosuke Fukudome, Lance Berkman, Luke Scott, Mark Teixeira, Pablo Sandoval, Phil Hughes, Rickie Weeks, Robinson Cano, Yadier Molina, Orioles Mascot, Nationals Park

So lets compare the changes between the 2010 and 2011 Topps Attax Cards

 As you can see the 2010 Attax card, on the left, has the one game element, the three pitch rankings.  Game play revolves around who has the higher ranking, nothing else, so there are only two possible outcomes, the offense hits a home run or the defense gets an out.  The 2011 version, on the right, has the pitch elements too, but also comes with the ability to use the card for defensive play, indicated by the red square.  Other cards have offensive abilities, indicated by a green arrow and as you will see with the Derek Jeter and Buster Posey cards, some cards can be used or both offense and defense.   The green infield diamond shows the type of hit the card generates.  In the case of this Kinsler, it produces a double.

These are the backs of the cards.   The 2010 version had the player’s team logo on it.  All of the 2011 cards look the same so they can be use like a regular deck of cards, enabling the all the details of the card to be hidden until exposed.  And just like a regular deck of card, the corners are rounded and coated to allow a lot of handling and shuffling without damage, great for repeated play.

The collecting element of these cards lies in the diamonds on the lower right hand of the cards.  The 98/258 on the Ian Kinsler cards does not indicate there are only 258 of these cards in existence.  That means the card is number 98 of the 258 different player cards.   The rarity of the card is indicated by the color of the diamond.

This Aroldis Chapman black diamond card is considered a common.

This Corey Hart silver diamond card is the next level up and considered uncommon.

This Buster Posey gold diamond card is considered rare.   White diamond cards are considered ultra rare and we didn’t get any in the starter box.

For this year's game, two other types of cards come into play.

Mascot cards can be used by players to change the game.  Included in the starter box are the Orioles and Athletics Mascots.

At the beginning of the game, a coin is flipped to determine who is the home team and the winner get to use their stadium, which also changes up the game.  Included in the starter box are Yankee and Nationals Stadium cards.


In the back of the Starter box you'll find is this deluxe playmat.

A playmat was not necessary in the past and you could probably still get away without it, but game play is definitely better with it.   

As you can see there is plenty of play space, a brief summary of the rules on the play surface and an easy system to keep track of the innings, outs and score.  It also has all the rules in detail printed on the back of the playmat.

Also included in the kit, two of these deck holders.

Great for keeping you current deck of cards organized.

The other elements to chase for collecting sake are foil cards and we got two of those.

Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter foil cards.  It's a little hard to tell from the scan but it’s obvious in person.

Overall Look
We really like the overall redesign of these cards.  There are sharp looking cards this year.

Quality and Variety of Players
When you narrow down the all of the Major League Baseball players to 258 you wind up with quality players and still have plenty of variety.

Are these cards fun? 
Absolutely.   The game play is great with this year’s added elements.  Really young children may find the new game is too complex, but that’s not a problem because they can still play last year’s game, now referred to as the Home Run Derby, by just using the three pitch rankings.

Will you want to collect them all?
Most definitely.   The two teams included in the starter box are great and specifically designed to be balanced for easy, fair play right out of the box, but you’ll want the flexibility to fashion your team to your tastes and for that you’ll need more variety than what is provided in the starter box.  That’s why there are booster packs.

Rating
 4 1/2 out of 5

2011 Topps Attax Baseball is a great role-playing game for card collectors, the great hybrid.  For a more on the details and complete rules for both Topps Attax Baseball games, use this link to go to the Topps web site.


Review box provided by Topps