Ten in a NO.

I stand by my theory that every June, the Blue Jays have to get inexplicably hot. I don't know why it happens, especially this often, but it does. Right now, the Jays have won nine in a row, fueled by awesome baseball from Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, and all the usual suspects. So now, naturally, all the sportswriters and fans and common folk are going "HEY! LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT THE BLUE JAYS! THEY'VE WON NINE IN A ROW! They could be legit this season!"

And, at the same time, they neglect the fact that the Jays have had this same kind of surge three years in a row now, and absolutely nothing has come of it every time. I mean, do they expect this time to be different? What do they have now, besides Donaldson and Martin, that they didn't have before, that can push them over the edge and catapult them into the playoffs?

Nothing. This is basically the same kind of formula they've been using, emphasizing mega-hitters like Bautista and Edwin, and not especially emphasizing defense, with the exception of a few of the younger players. They tried to improve the pitching by putting Drew Hutchison at the center of the rotation,  but that didn't work, and R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, guys who are older but still really good, went back to playing well, despite nobody else in the rotation really doing anything.

So...what are the sportswriters expecting to happen? Do they honestly think that they're gonna stay this good for the next 3 months. Do they think that somebody like Tampa or the Yankees can't get back into that 1 spot for a while? Do they think that the guys who are hot now will STAY hot? I honestly don't get it. It baffles me.

Here's what I think's gonna happen- they win their tenth, today. And they lose the eleventh, and lose a bunch more, and sink back into the #3 spot, and stay there for the rest of the year. The Blue Jays are not a playoff team. Not now, at least.

Allen and Ginter- So much for the same old thing

One of my favorite summer releases from Topps is Allen and Ginter. Mainly for the great brush-filled paintings of my fave players, big hits, and many inserts and minis.

One of the things I don't like is that Allen and Ginter has no originality when it comes to design. Case in point-

2006- Player portrait. No background. Allen and Ginter logo
2007- Player portrait. No background. Allen and Ginter 2007 logo
2008- Player portrait. No background. Allen and Ginter 2008 logo.
2009- Player portrait. Colored background. Allen and ginter 2009 logo.
2010- Player portrait. Colored background. Boxed Allen and Ginter 2010 logo.

As you can see, it's pretty much the same thing every year. And A&G is one of the only sets that can pull that off. Let me give you a few examples of sets that have been popular with collectors without changing their design much yearly.

• UD Masterpieces. Probably the most notable of the bunch. Masterpieces lasted two great years, and the design was practically the same.
• Bowman. Yes, even Bowman is a victim of this. For the past few years, there hasn't been much change with the base set. Also not changing- collectors interested. I haven't bought the product since 2007.
• SP Authentic. Most people don't attribute this set to the rule. SP Authentic really is the same concept every year. It's a offwhite/gray background, team colors, a few wavy lines, or circles and shapes. Still, it's the same thing, but that doesn't mean it sucks.
• UD Ovation. You know, it was all right at first, but then collectors began to tire the 3D circles on the cards, and things.
• Upper Deck X, and SPX for that matter. Basically, every year it's pretty much a teched up iffy little crapfest that never works. UDX more than SPX...could you find any differences between 2008 and last year's sets?
• Topps 206- well DUH!

Allen and Ginter is popular among collectors not because of the design. That's why Topps keeps it going-- it's one of their better throwback sets.

Now when the hell's it gonna hit the street?