Box Break: 2017 Topps Stadium Club (Part 1)

Round Four of the biggest, baddest brand revival of them all.

I'm kinda surprised that I haven't seen a ton of SC on the blogs, so I figured that, as the blogosphere's chief Stadium Club anthologist, I should probably open the floodgates. Plus, it's the tail end of the All Star Break, no sports are in session...this box break might be nice bit of levity, a jolt to the system.

Plus, I had some PayPay money burning a hole, so there's that. 16 packs, 8 cards a pop. 2 on-card autographs in every box, and my luck with SC has ranged from fantastic (Julio Teheran, Chase Anderson) to middling (Tony Cingrani, Matt Adams) to...who the hell are you? (Trevor May, Carson Smith). So I'm not really in it for the hits.

Enough talk, let's dive in.

 Pack 1-
I dig the design. It's very 00's Fleer Ultra, but in a way that isn't a complete ripoff. In terms of the four post-revival designs, I feel like this one tops the 2014 design and the 2015 design...maybe not last year's.
The photos are still really cool and full-bleed. There's a way of even making commonplace photos look cool by making you see the full picture.

 JA Happ's card would be commonplace if it wasn't for the huge blur of the baseball in the foreground.
Mattingly's is a very cool, very casual shot. Reminds me of Erasmo Ramirez' card from last year's set.

 Okay, first of all, ZOMG AARON JUDGE AAAAAH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. It's a really cool card, too.
Justin Upton's is a nice, zoomed-in bubble gum card, reminiscent of 90's-era SC

And the two inserts-esque things.
Jeff Bagwell's, which is a frigging AWESOME card, is a CHROME VARIATION, which falls one-per-box. Nice we got that out of the way early, and even nicer that it's a HOFer like Bagwell.
My Scoreless Streak insert is hometown hero Aaron Nola, one of the few reasons remaining to go and see the Phillies. Also, the Scoreless Streak inserts are cool, and look like they're shot against the architecture of the Fortress of Solitude.

 Pack 2-
Brad Ziegler's posed in an incredibly awkward photo day shot. AJ Reed and Renato Nunez are still kinda mulling around in the minors. Robert Gsellman, the one-per-pack gold parallel,

 Two impressive shots- Adam Duvall's reminds me a great deal of 2007 Ultra, which, again, isn't a bad comparison. MOOSE has a great one, complete with a helmet case background. There's some character in there.

This is getting some 'card of the set' claims from people, because A.) It's a great sunset shot for Big Papi, and B.) THERE IS A FLAVA FLAV CLOCK AROUND PAPI'S NECK. Plus, Robbie and Nellie look like they're having so much fun. Maybe not as much as Nellie was having with the ump last  night, but still.

There was one more card in this pack, and it happens to be our first hit.

Well, I'm conflicted.

On one hand, Luke Weaver's been called one of the best prospects in the Cardinals' farm system, and has been prime for a call-up recently. On the other hand...I pulled an autograph of a Cardinal, a member of my least favorite team. So while Luke Weaver, who's only spent a bit of time in the majors so far this year, may be a decent pull if you're a Cards fan...I'm not loving it. Like yeah, it's someone I've heard of, and it's a great on-card auto, but...it's a Cardinal.

Anyway, on with the rip..

 Pack 3-
Three of the best pitching prospects in baseball, none of whom have actually done anything substantial at the ML level. Rodon has a chance to be great this year, though.

 Again, the attention to detail in this set is brilliant. The Kiermaier's great because it zooms you in, and you get all the minute details.
The Donaldson is great because, hey, RED CANADA DAY UNIFORM!

Teddy Ballgame, black and white, stealing. How do I not love that one?
And the Zo is great because it represents a really cool moment, probably in the postseason.

Contact Sheet, to be honest, is underwhelming this year. It looks more like a Topps Flagship insert, with no real flashy touches or design elements. Even worse, it's a card of Jose Bautista.

Pack 4-

Another awkward Zeigler, and three awesome pitchers. Nola's a welcome pull, the Smoltz is a really nice mid-90's shot, and the Cole Train keeps on rolling. Cole's reminds me a bit of late-00s Upper Deck, too.

 Benintendi reaches over a wall in...I'm gonna guess the Rays' Spring Training stadium? I don't think that's Tropicana Field.
Stroman's is great, but...again, Blue Jays stigma.

THIS SUMMER: JASON KIPNIS IS...ROCKY BALBOA.

LUIS PERDOMO IS...APOLLO CREED.

(Seriously, that Perdomo card is really, really cool.)

 Pack 5-
Jorge Soler looks really happy to be hitting below the Mendoza line.
Zach McAllister looks really happy to not be that big of a part of this Indians team.

 Love both of these, the shadows and mound aspect. Gray's might have the edge, though.

 Nothing too flashy about these, but the SC-ness of it boosts it a bit.

 AWESOME CARD #1- OH MY GOD THIS PHOTO CHILLS ME.

AWESOME CARD #2- Perfect. A full view, an amazing perspective, and...oh gosh that's incredible. 

 Pack 6-
Kinda odd that Derrek Lee has a card in this set, but okay.
Yelich's is just really cool, and really fun.

 Putting the Carter card in greyscale makes it even more powerful, even more emotional.
Mark McGwire...at least he's wearing a really cool throwback.

 Two fairly middle-of-the-road shots, but it's SC, so they're still cool.

 Another unmemorable contact sheet insert, but Carlos Correa is a far more favorable pull than Joey Bats.

NOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS...

This is a Scoreless Streak BLACK PARALLEL (I believe), that is numbered to 99 copies...and it's of Jake Arrieta, one of the best pitchers in baseball. Plus, even better, it's a nice numbered card of a Cub...and NOT A CARDINAL.

 Pack 7-
A gold dupe, an A's rookie, and Scooter Gennett. Talk about a grab bag.

 Two hard-hitters. Stephen Vogt's now backing up Manny Pina in Milwaukee, and Joe Mauer's still a really nice hitter in Minnesota.

 Two Yankees. Austin's still struggling to hit his stride, but Ellsbury's having another fantastic year in the Bronx.

And we've hit our second and final hit, annnnnnddd...

...WHO?

So here's the story. Tim Cooney was a fantastic prospect in...sigh...the CARDINALS organization. He missed all of 2016 with a shoulder injury, and was dropped by them. The Indians picked him up, and he's been in their minor league system ever since. 

So Topps thought it a wise idea to package an auto of this guy and send it my way. I mean, unless the Indians eventually bring him up...this is kind of a shitty hit.

 Pack 8-
Commonplace base cards ahoy.

 Two jubilant guys named Gordon who...to put it frankly, didn't have terrific 2016s.

 Some tastes of the 70s- Braun's uniform is a terrific throwback, and Winfield in a Padres uniform is a sight I rarely get to see these days.

Jonathan Lucroy's shot is truly awe-inspiring. So much going on in the background.

In addition, Cutch's card is a BLACK parallel, and a pretty cool shot, at that.

I'll post the other 8 packs soon, but fun stuff still awaits.