Turk-Off 2 Finale: Packs 21-24

Well, here it.... the end of yet another Turk-Off. Motherscratcher has already declared himself the loser, which is impossible. NO ONE loses when there's Turkin' goin' on. The dude pulled 4 freakin' hits so you know he's not a deadbeat. From the box breaks I've seen, we were each lucky to have pulled 3, but he got a 4th, AND a gold parallel. To bust a box like that, and still lose.... it should be illegal. Fortunately for him, he hasn't lost just yet, and there are still 4 more packs to be posted. Not just any 4 packs, but the final 4 packs to ever be posted during this historic Turk-Off 2. Motherscratcher, thanks for the opportunity to post last. The drama factor is all mine, and the Shakespearean hammer is about to be dropped.

PACK 21
#478 Huston Street
#517 Jose Castillo
#352 Jason Schmidt
#432 Matt Holliday
#339 Carlos Delgado RED AD BACK +6 points
#353 Jeff Weaver
#342 Aaron Rowand
#457 Lance Berkman

PACK 21 TOTAL: 6 points

PACK 22
#507 Dan Johnson
#490 Matt Murton
#587 Jim Palmer ORIOLE RETIRED PLAYER +4 points
#483 Angel Berroa WHITE +5 points
#490 Matt Murton RED +2 points
#329 Chris Ray ORIOLE +2 points
#325 Magglio Ordonez
#547 Chris Duffy

PACK 22 TOTAL: 13 points

PACK 23
#502 Randy Winn
#460 Randy Johnson YANKEE -1 point
#572 Pujols At Bat Checklist STAR PLAYER +2 points
#502 Randy Winn RED +2 points
#524 Adrian Gonzalez SHORT PRINT +5 points
#320 Craig Biggio
#504 Victor Martinez TRIBER +2 points
#433 Brian McCann

PACK 23 TOTAL: 10 points

PACK 24
#570 Gustavo Chacin
#553 Kazuo Matsui RANDOM NEGATIVE POINT DUDE -1 point
#440 Brian Giles
#534 Doug Mientkiewicz
#495 Carl Everett RED +2 points
#413 Aaron Miles
#394 Eric Chavez
#415 Aaron Hill

PACK 24 TOTAL: 1 point

Boxtopper:

#TR-BB Barry Bonds Cabinet card

You can't tell by looking at it here, but this card is huge. As if Barry's head wasn't big enough already!

Wow, the pack that ended in a tie ended up being the difference for me. Without it, I lose this in the same fashion as the OG Turk-Off. Hmmm... imagine that.

Motherscratcher, it's been a blast. I am honored to have defeated the finest card blogger from the Cleveland suburbs. You can still tell Grady you won if you want. I'd hate for him to grow up knowing his father couldn't even beat Beardy in the Turk-Off rematch. On the other hand, if you do tell him, maybe he'll launch a lifelong vendetta against my family, which just might lead to Grady vs. Orpheus Beardy Jr. facing off in Turk-Off 27.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to follow this shenanigans. I'll bet you couldn't wait to see who would win. Have you been on the edge of your seat all afternoon? Sit back, and think good and hard about my big victory today. At the end of the day, it's all about keeping you entertained. Hopefully Motherscratcher and I were able to take care of business.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I would like to thank the 8 people who voted for me in Motherscratcher's poll. You willed me not only to a popular vote victory, but Turk-Off 2 victory as well. I vow to be a champion of the people, which is more than I can say for my opponent.

Expect me to get pack into my normal posting routine post haste. You know the routine, a few trades, a few box breaks. Maybe even some stuff I bought on eBay, but only if you eat your vegetables first.

And another thing, ALL cards from this break are for trade, including the McCann. It'll cost ya though.

Turk-Off 2 Packs 17-20: A New Hope

Well. there you have it. I have come from behind, and now hold a slight lead. Motherscratcher already gave me a heads up, and let me know he has some "cool stuff" coming up, which most likely means a second consecutive loss for the Beardmaster. I already know for a fact there's nothing "cool" left in my box. That beautiful McCann on-card auto was about as "cool" as this box would get.

Will I get Jeffrey Maier'ed like it's 1996, or can this lead hold up? There's only 8 packs to go, and four of them are already here.


PACK 17
#495 Carl Everett
#373 Carl Crawford
#580 Jeter Steals Third Checklist YANKEE -1 point
#408 Jamie Moyer
#414 Jon Lieber RED +2 points
#514 Mike Cameron
#526 Jeff Kent
#326 C.C. Sabathia TRIBER +2 points

PACK 17 TOTAL: 3 points

PACK 18
#428 Dmitri Young
#454 Miguel Cabrera
#442 Jose Lopez
#355 Adam Dunn BLACK +10 points
#403 J.D. Drew RED +2 points
#521 Ervin Santana SHORT PRINT +5 points (nothing like getting a short print double in the same box. At least I need the points)
#560 Vernon Wells
#568 Gary Carter RETIRED PLAYER +2 points

PACK 18 TOTAL: 19 points

PACK 19
#563 Steve Finley
#327 Oliver Perez
#574 Breaking Up Two Checklist
#528 Joe Crede WHITE +5 points
#396 Jack Wilson RED +2 points
#TRR-CBA Clint Barmes BASE RELIC +8 points
#362 Mark Loretta

PACK 19 TOTAL: 15 points

PACK 20
#371 Ivan Rodriguez
#600 Val Majewski ORIOLE +2 points
#530 David Wright
#623 Kenji Johjima
#433 Brian McCann RED +2 points
#468 Curtis Granderson
#366 Reggie Sanders
#331 Paul Konerko

PACK 20 TOTAL: 4 points

I think things should remain as they are after this round, with me still clinging to a one pack lead. I just saw Motherscratcher's post, and initially thought I was in big trouble. Thank goodness for short prints!

Stay tuned for the finale! If memory serves me well, I'm going to need as much of a lead as I can get, because the last 4 packs are pretty lame in the points department.

Turk-Off 2 Packs 13-16

While I'm certainly over the Turkey Red design after having it shoved down my throat for the past 5 years, these cards sure are nice looking. Some of them are even borderline beautiful, especially the ones featuring retired players. In the heat of battle, it's easy to overlook the fact that you're still busting wax, and the experience is to be savored, and each card deserves your undivided attention, even if only for a brief, fleeting moment.

Motherscratcher still holds a one pack lead as we enter the second half of Turk-Off 2. It would be a disservice to not only myself, but to all 6 of the people who have voted for me in his poll, if I don't find a way to come back, and win this shenanigans. Right now would be an ideal time to start doing just that. None of these packs are particularly weak, and hopefully my opponents packs are. Weak that is.


PACK 13
#548 Bengie Molina
#584 Duke Snider RETIRED PLAYER +2 points
#423 Vinny Castilla
#383 Austin Kearns RED +2 points
#325 Magglio Ordonez AD BACK SHORT PRINT +15 points (boo-yah!)
#387 Armando Benitez
#380 Kevin Millwood
#568 Dave Bush

PACK 13 TOTAL: 19 points

PACK 14
#589 Stan Musial RETIRED PLAYER +2 points (what a nice looking card)
#598 Josh Barfield
#546 Vincente Padilla
#395 Greg Maddux RED +2 points (I really like Maddux's pose, it's old-timey, but then again, so is he)
#532 Scott Rolen SHORT PRINT +5 points
#533 Edwin Jackson
#545 Raul Ibanez
#618 James Loney

PACK 14 TOTAL: 9 points

PACK 15
#477 Carlos Beltran STAR PLAYER +2 points
#591 Prince Fielder STAR ROOKIE +2 points
#543 Russ Adams
#511 Matt Clement
#460 Randy Johnson RED YANKEE +1 point
#555 Brady Clark
#425 Vladimir Guerrero
#583 Carl Yastremski RETIRED PLAYER +2 points
PACK 15 TOTAL: 7 points

PACK 16
#386 Cliff Lee TRIBER +2 points
#324 Jimmy Rollins
#622 Drew Meyer
#372 Jason Bay WHITE +5 points
#515 Barry Zito RED +2 points
#354 Rocco Baldelli
#343 Richie Sexson
#529 John Smoltz

PACK 16 TOTAL: 9 points


Respectable point totals here. I still need Motherscratcher to stumble like the Browns on Sunday for me to be able to put this one away. I'm predicting 3 out of 4 wins for me, and a tie game, but I am no prognosticator. Nor am I a psychic, nor do I have any psychic friends. I do however enjoy the show Psych quite a bit. We'll see how far that gets me.

Turk-Off 2 Packs 9-12

It is time for the bearded one to mount a comeback. Let's see if packs 9-12 agree with that sentiment.


PACK 9
#625 Nick Markakis FAVORITE ORIOLE +5 points
#559 Edwin Encarnacion
#319 Daniel Cabrera ORIOLE +2 points
#336 Mike Sweeney
#430 David Ortiz RED +2 points
#606 Ryan Zimmerman STAR ROOKIE +2 points
#596 Ryan Spilborghs
#475 Michael Young

PACK 9 TOTAL: 11 points

PACK 10
#424 Tom Glavine
#323 Cliff Floyd
#322 Mark Kotsay
#361 Frank Thomas WHITE +5 points
#518 Andy Pettitte RED +2 points
#581 Nolan Ryan RETIRED PLAYER +2 points
#566 Brandon Phillips
#463 Mike Lowell

PACK 10 TOTAL: 9 points

PACK 11
#328 Orlando Hudson
#537 Alex Rios
#567 Shawn Chacon YANKEE -1 point
#513 Mike Mussina RED YANKEE +1 point
#375 Derrek Lee SHORT PRINT +5 points
#436 Brad Lidge
#447 Edgar Renteria
#427 Ronnie Belliard TRIBER +2 points

PACK 11 TOTAL: 7 points

PACK 12
#359 Javier Lopez ORIOLE +2 points (somehow wasn't scanned, but trust me)
#604 Sean Marshall
#597 Chuck James
#556 Willy Taveras
#552 Juan Pierre WHITE +5 points
#453 Jake Westbrook RED TRIBER +4 points
#519 Wily Mo Pena
#TRA-BM Brian McCann RED AUTOGRAPH #366/475 +25 points
#522 Juan Pierre

PACK 12 TOTAL: 36 points

I'm bringin it now! Being able to close the gap here would be nice, and I'm hoping for at least 3 packs out of 4, if not a clean sweep. We've never had a clean sweep in the history of the Turk-Off. It would take a considerable amount of luck for it to work out for me, but it's not unreasonable. Only time will tell. For now, I feel better knowing my numbers are once again respectable.