allen and ginterings

How do I prepare for the release of the 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards? Well, for starters, I like to look back at the previous sets and marvel at what a fantastic product it is. Tired and in need of being retired? I think NOT. These cards are smokin’!

Of course, we’ve all seen them, and most even have the majority of at least the base cards. As such, plain ol’ base cards don’t merit scanning and posting here. Instead, here are scans of the various Topps Allen & Ginter cards I have gotten autographed in person over the past three months.

Jeff Weaver – 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 167

It sucks that I’ve only gotten one card from the 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter set autographed in person this year. Of course, that is the main drawback to a product with a relatively small number of players included in it- most of them aren’t going to be appearing in many minor league games.

Greg Reynolds – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no.139

Greg Reynolds applied his fantastic signature to his 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter card recently while passing thru town with the Colorado Sky Sox. In spite of how often I rant and rave about other baseball cards that I like to collect, I would be hard-pressed to name another product that “takes” an autograph as well as the Allen & Ginter cardstock.

Jason Schmidt – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 337

Jason Schmidt has been rehabbing with the Isotopes for a short while. If you aren’t sure what he looks like in street clothes, I suggest looking for the 6’4” dude surrounded by a group of people seeking autographs.

Rich Thompson – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no.291

Rich Thompson was “down” with the Salt Lake Bees when they swarmed the Duke City earlier this season. Thompson is nothing short of all-serious on the mound, but an extremely pleasant player to talk to before he puts on his game face, or after his work is done for the evening. If you are wondering what the mini version of Thompson’s 2008 Allen & Ginter card would look like signed, here you go.

Rich Thompson – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 291 mini

Brandon Wood – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 312

For those of you who track such things, Brandon Wood seems to have doubled up and is now willing to sign two items per fan. I didn’t ask him why he had changed his routine when he was here with the Salt Lake Bees. I also saw him sign the sweet spot of a baseball this year. I found that significant because I once watched as he refused to sign the sweet spot for a fan during Spring Training in Tempe, Arizona, explaining that the sweet spot is reserved for the manager’s signature.

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22

Hold onto your caps, it’s a Chin-Lung Hu trifecta! First, a regular sized card signed in English then a second signed in Hu’s native Taiwanese. I’ve heard several people ask Hu to sign in Chinese, and the end result is the same. Listen, I’m a baseball card collector, not an orthograpist, so I don’t know which is correct. For all I know, asking a Taiwanese person to write in Chinese may be equivalent to calling a square a rectangle. Sure, I could ask Chin-Lung at some point, but I would rather congratulate him on a game well played while he is signing my cards.

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22 (Taiwanese auto)

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22 mini

Obviously there isn’t a heck of a lot of time for chitchat when Hu stops to sign his mini version of his 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter card!

Although I will be collecting the 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards, I am undecided whether I will bust out of the gates with the new product, or wait and attack it with blaster boxes once they begin to filter into Target. More than likely I will invest my blaster box funds on a couple of Joel Rosario mounts at Hollywood Park Thursday in an attempt to parlay it into a hobby box.

– Kris

Tags: Albuquerque Isotopes, Allen & Ginter, autographing, autographs, Kris, minor league baseball, Topps Baseball Cards