The Padre Pocket

Pack 77: Greg Minton, Tim Blackwell, Lloyd Moseby, Tommy John, Cliff Johnson

Pack 78: Steve Trout, Richie Zisk, Terry Kennedy, Darrell Porter, Larry Bowa

Pack 79: Dennis Leonard, Tommy John, Gary Matthews, Gary Lucas, Dave Concepcion

Pack 80: NL All-Star Andre Dawson, Tommy John, 1981 World Series Game 6, Jack Clark, Willie Stargell

Pack 81: Larry Herndon, George Foster, NL All-Star Steve Carlton, Cesar Cedeno, Frank White

Pack 82: Hubie Brooks, Broderick Perkins, Ron Oester, Juan Eichelberger, Chris Speier

Pack 83: Enos Cabell, 1981 World Series Game 5, Andre Thornton, Roger Erickson, Bert Blyleven

Pack 84: Ellis Valentine, Johnny Bench, Rollie Fingers, Al Cowens, Darrell Evans

Pack 85: Rick Burleson, Toby Harrah, Dick Tidrow, AL All-Star Jerry Remy, Rick Camp

Pack 86: Neil Allen, Billy Martin Highlight, Jerry Reuss, Ozzie Smith, Fernando Valenzuela


Notes. 39/50 new stickers. That's right, 39 new stickers. Of those, five were Padres. Also of note, besides the three All-Stars, two World Series stickers, and the Billy Martin Highlight, all of the stickers were of individual players. That means that 36 of the stickers were for individual sticker spots on team pages.

So I am surprised? Not really. I mean, I knew that the Padres had to be lurking somewhere. The real question is, will the remaining 14 packs contain the other three Padres that I need to complete the team page? With pocket pack cycles of roughly 10 packs, compounded with the fact that I didn't receive a single Padre in the first 77 packs of the box, could mean that I won't see another Padre in the box.

Moral of the Story Hypothesis: There's evidence that supports taking packs from the top and the bottom of the box.

Choose Your Own Adventure... Card 540

Warning: Parental advisory for violence, blood, foul language, and Bud Selig. This is a set of Choose Your Own Adventure cards by PunkRockPaint. If you have reached this page by accident and want to start at the beginning of the story click here.

You feel yourself float toward consciousness from the black void of slumber as you wake, “What a dream!” you think, as your eyes slowly flutter open. “I feel like I’ve been asleep for a million…,” you think to yourself as you attempt to sit up and are assaulted by the pain that seems to come from every muscle and joint at once. You clench your teeth as you stand, noticing the soft white of the padding that lines the room you are in. “Where am I?” you ask yourself, then out loud. There is no answer. You take faltering steps toward the door. You yank on the handle, but it doesn’t budge. Looking through the small window, you see people in containment suits walking the halls. The window has a label on it. It takes a second to make out what the writing says in reverse, but the picture is instantly recognizable...



Start over at the beginning.

The Tao of Fred McGriff - Day 5

A job I've always enjoyed is planning. In college I did the advertising and promotional planning for my school's campus movie theater, and one of my responsibilities at my old job was media planning for a variety of the firm's clients (media planning refers to deciding where and when an ad will run). In my new job I'll be doing more of the same, which is fine by me. There's just something about planning an event and then sitting back and watching it be a success that is exciting to me. I guess I've got a behind-the-scenes streak.

You could make an argument that McGriff's career was all about excelling behind the scenes. Before winning the 1995 World Series as part of the Atlanta Braves, McGriff's defining achievement came in 1990, when he was traded by the Blue Jays to the Padres (with Tony Fernandez) for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. That was, without a doubt, one of the premier trades (if not the trade) of the early Nineties. And it wouldn't have happened without Fred McGriff.