2019 topps series 2 obligatory post

i picked up some series 2 this weekend. i bought a blaster and one of those other hanger boxes. 166 cards in all, i believe.  3 of those cards were dodgers, which continues the lack of pack success i have had this year as far as the boys in blue are concerned.  i did find a different boy in blue in the last pack of my blaster though:

that's the no-number vladimir guerrero jr rookie card. cardboard connection notes that it is a short print, but not by much.  i was happy to find it, but it wasn't a card i was necessarily hoping for.

here are two of the dodgers i found - walker buehler and hyun-jin ryu

who form a sort of pitching bookend with their cards.  of course, both have photo variations in series 2.  i didn't stumble upon any of the variation short prints, but i did get a dodger insert - cody bellinger's home run challenge card:

i am a bit tempted to enter this contest since the prize is a trip to the 2020 all-star game, or at least the home-run derby. i missed out the last time the dodgers hosted the midsummer classic, although we did have some family friends who went and regaled me later with their tales of ken griffey vs. tommy john.  i didn't notice any cards from other teams with dodger stadium in the background, although there is an insert card that has, of all places, the los angeles coliseum where the dodgers played immediately following their move to southern california.  i'll be chasing that card down, for sure.

there are a few other cards i've seen that will fit in to my mini-collections, and i was fortunate enough to pull a couple of them.  first, this chance sisco tatooine card

jake cave is out, i believe.

next there is this kolten wong card

i toyed with the idea of creating a mini-collection of cards that show retired numbers in the background, but figured that the collection would mostly feature st. louis cardinal cards as they have admirably left the retired number murals on their left field wall.  instead, i focused on cards that show the retired number 42 and as a result, there are only three cards in that collection, including this one.  of course, in st. louis, that number is retired not just for jackie robinson, but for bruce sutter as well.

i had good fortune with my blaster-guaranteed commemorative patch card:

big daddy vladdy is one of the few player collections i have going.  he's also wearing the nick adenhart memorial patch in the photo used, but i have that covered in the mini-collection already.

series 2 is just what it is expected to be, so there's no room for disappointment or real excitement, either.  although, it is pretty exciting for me to know that there are some new, licensed gil hodges cards to chase.  i'll be tracking down those and some of the other inserts and singles that i want and will otherwise be waiting for update.