A random card show pickup - Shohei Ohtani

At a random table off a card show I went to a couple of weeks ago, I leafed through a stack of Ohtani cards and relented to spend $15 for a 2018 Topps Shohei Ohtani Fire Flame variation [?] - I could be mistaken, but the card looks a little shinier than the base version, so I figured why not?

If nothing else, maybe a bit of FOMO reaction on the hype he has generated this season - there is something about seeing him being pushed through the fire, where he is competiting in the MLB Home Run Derby, penciled into the starting lineup as a DH for the American League All-Stars and also serving as the starting pitcher.

I'd be curious to see if there is any 'let up' just because of his schedule on the baseball field - but Ohtani has proven that he's been up to the challenge, where he is going to push himself to the limit.

A farewell to Garrett Richards

As he has moved on and signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Padres, I don't know if I had any particular attachment to Richards as a pitcher on my local big league team - he'd pitched about 138 combined innings his last three seasons with the Angels, so arm injuries really robbed him of some prime years.

Richards was Mike Trout's best friend on the Angels and it might have been nice if he could have stayed healthier - now he looks to rehab and make a comeback from Tommy John Surgery sooner than never, even if it takes a couple of years to be back on the mound.

2018 Topps Fire blaster recap

This was probably my best pull out of a random blaster box of 2018 Topps Fire - this is from the 4-card Gold Minted bonus pack included in each blaster.

I've tried to stay away from blaster box purchases, because they seem like a tease of miscellaneous cards rather than something relatively fulfilling - as is, I kind of liked what these cards looked like, particularly the parallels that seem to pop.

Impulsively, maybe what I’m looking for is a product that reflect the here and now - I want something that looks a little different, a little spacey as opposed to a product that uses a retro design [Topps Heritage, Topps Gypsy Queen, Topps Allen and Ginter, Topps Archives] and/or a product that doesn't really stray from what a baseball card looks like [Topps Flagship].

Topps Fire will never be the product of the year or anything - but maybe worth at least a couple of more looks.