Nostalgic Box Break: 2002 Topps Total (Part One)

So...obviously this month hasn't exactly gone as planned.

Most obviously, there won't be baseball for a bit because of this virus. Cards are still gonna happen, Topps won't get rid of those, but it's gonna be...weird. Lots more airbrushing, lots more estimated guesses as far as rookies are concerned.

Plus, customs are gonna be more spread out, because all the ones i had left were from Spring Training, which isn't happening anymore, and now it's a bit awkward. It's hard to know when to start  'em up again because they're supposed to lead up to the season, and we don't know when the season is.

It's been frustrating. Not gonna lie there. And I'm doing the best  I can with scrounging for content. But aside from the occasional preview custom, I'm gonna be strapped, so I'll just have to roll out old Nostalgic Box Breaks I haven't posted.

And...2002 Topps Total seems like a cool one to dive into.

This is the first-ever Topps Total set, and the way it revolutionized this type of set was huge in  the hobby for a bit. 990 card set, every team's 40-man roster was taken into consideration, prospects and all. Guys who didn't usually wind up in Topps products, mostly relievers, made it in comfortably. Upper Deck would try a similar strategy with UD 40-MAN, but that was a lot more short-lived. Topps Total is still beloved among collectors, and it PAIIIINS me how dumb the new, online-only version is.

So, we're gonna break this open 9 packs at a time. 9 11 card packs per post, 99 cards either way. Take that, modern seeding.

 Pack 1-
Extremely 2002 Middle Infielders: 3/11
Steroid Abusers: 2/11

 These are our base cards. Simple design, classic Topps Total. This is the kind of star fare you strive for- two guys who were decent for a while. Eddie nearly got a ring, Melvin took over for the great one.

 A lot of the inserts in this box had badly-applied foil, and you can see on this Aurilia award-winner insert that some of the foil had peeled up from the bottom of the card. Not a good look, 2002-era Topps.
A-Rod's a checklist.

And...one pack in and we've got a early-era card of one of the only people who was still active when I broke this box. Gotta love pulling CC cards.

 Pack 2-
Unnnngh: 2/11

 Phil Nevin was coming off some strong early-2000s numbers. Jose Valverde was just breaking into the 40-man, and would eventually become a relief weapon for AZ. Before becoming a heel in Detroit.

AND SPEAKING OF HEEL...A total production insert of the MLB's biggest heel of the 2000s, not counting Jose Canseco.

 Pack 3-
Unnngh: 1/11

 ANOTHER BONDS INSERT, cause he also won an award in 2001. Jeez.
On a  lighter side, a Todd Helton checklist and a young Orlando Hudson card.

 Pack 4-
AL East Rivals: 5/11
2004 Sox: 1/11

NOMAH  is the checklist here, but Wakefield actually stayed to get a few rings. Good on him. Rey Ordonez is also in here, a few packs after his DP partner Eddie Alfonzo

 Pack 5-
DUPES OF ITSELF: 2/11 [Toby Hall]
Perennial Strong Arms: 3/11
Hall of Famers: 1/11

 Pedro Feliz got a ring with the Phils, Wade Miller had a few good years, Barry Zito got 2 rings with  the Giants.

KEVIN APPIER AS AN ANGEL. *THAT* is weird. Not only that, but  a 2001 Angel, right at the tail end of those late-90s uniforms. That's an odd one.
Larry Walker just got into Cooperstown, and it's a welcome sight, too.

 Pack 6-
Intriguing names: 1/11
Outspoken Critics of High-Schoolers: 1/11

 Benito Baez looks intimidating for a guy  I've never heard of.
Nelson Cruz is a NAME I've heard of, but he's clearly not Mr. Boomstick, rather a Houston reliever.

Some 2001-era star cards- Brian Giles was great for the majority of the decade, Tim Hudson would continue to have another 14 years of dominance, and Aubrey Huff...is a tool.

 Pack 7-
Eventual Team Favorites: 2/11
Hall of Famers: 1/11

 Couple signs of the times. David Segui was in  the middle of a run in Baltimore as a DH-type thing. Jason Schmidt was starting a run as the ace in SF.

Thome's is a checklist, Chavez' is the true base.

 Pack 8-
Snazzy Uniforms: 1/11
2000s Faves: 2/11

 That is a very cool Amezaga card, regardless of how much of a fringe player he'd be.

 Floyd was 2 years away from the WS win. Eric "The Human Crash Test Dummy" Byrnes was starting a reign over the Moneyball A's teams.

 Pack 9-
Hall of Famers: 1/11

 In a reversal, Kerry Wood is the checklist here while A-Rod's is the real deal.

And we end with a relatively intact Topps Total insert of Mariano Rivera, which I'll always be down for.

That's the first nine. Ideally, the next selection would be up tomorrow, though no certainties here.