World Series Update: This Could be it Edition

Tonight, in LA, Game 6 of the World Series begins. If it's anything like the last few, we're probably going to be watching until 6 AM ET.

I can't even begin to describe how insane this series is, but...to be honest, these are the two best teams in baseball. So it's kind of expected that they keep ping-ponging back and forth for all 10+ innings every time. One moment Yasiel Puig's hitting a home run, the next minute Brian McCann's responding with another one. The pitching has been exemplary, the lineups have been ferocious. The only weakness has been the Dodgers' bullpen, and that keeps doing them in every time.

Still, the Astros could finish things out tonight, with Justin Verlander on the mound, and Jose Altuve surging...

But you can never count out the Dodgers. Not with Enrique Hernandez on the bench and Yasiel Puig waiting on deck. Plus, tonight they'll be starting Rich Hill, and he's been fairly awesome at keeping down surging offenses lately...but tonight could be his breaking point.

It could honestly go either way, but...I'm expecting something truly scary to happen tonight in Game 6.

World Series Update: Forget Yu Edition

Remember back in April when we thought this guy would have a disappointing season?

Now it's October and he's just put his team ahead of the Dodgers at home. He, McCullers, Altuve and Gattis were having great nights last night, especially considering that the bulk of the work was at the expense of the still-failing Dodgers bullpen. Tonight, they'll have to contend against consistently-strong Alex Wood, which could be tricky for them, but with what they've done under pressure (like Yu Darvish), I'm not terribly worried.

The Series So Far

We're two games in, and already I'm getting some serious 'one for the ages' vibes from this World Series.

Maybe it's the pitching, that can stymie teams for 6 innings. Maybe it's the defense, that make leaping catches and keep the score even. Maybe it's the excessive amounts of overpowered hitters, leading to an 8-home run game last time (thanks mainly in part to Yasiel Puig).

Maybe it's the fact that, for the first time in a while, these are, in fact, the two best teams in baseball getting to match up against each other, and the results may have one of the most evenly-matched world series' in years. Either way, it's exciting as all hell.

I say this mainly because I have no idea who's going to win, even after 2 games. It could be either of them. It could be the Dodgers and their wealth of great hitters and young stars, or it could be the Astros and their speed, force and endurance. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are playing like royalty, while Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig are fighting furiously. And the games have been insanely fun to watch.

Tonight's matchup is Yu Darvish vs. Lance McCullers. I have no doubt in my mind that it'll be a truly great one.

A Hanger Box of 2017 Topps Update

I broke the rack packs over the weekend, and never got around to the hanger box. Well, on the day of the beginning of the WORLD SERIES...let's dig into this thing..

32-Luis Torrens, one of the Padres' rule-5 callups that...sank quickly.
149- James Pazos
267- Jhoulys Chacin, who had a better season as the ace of a pitiful Padres team.
255- Stefan Chrichton
283- Adam Eaton. I imagine he'll be fantastic with the Nats in a full season next year, though he'll be turning 30 next season...which is kind of alarming.
284- Peter Bourjos
6- Ramon Torres. Again, thanks to the early print date, ton of rookies that didn't really factor into this season.
142- Tsu-Wei Lin
219- Paul DeJong, finally a relevant rookie from 2017.
13- Brian McCann, finally someone playing in the World Series this year.
34- Nelson Cruz ASG
A bunch of duplicates from Saturday's.
38- Cody Bellinger ASG
Postseason Celebrations of the Royals
Postseason Celebrations of the Mets. 2015 WS theme with those inserts.
84- Michael Brantley AS. A shame he still can't stay healthy.
44- Cubs CL
145- Dillon Overton
222- Jose Ramirez AS
18- Mookie Betts AS
291- Andrew Miller AS. I'll give credit, once again, for whoever's been doing the AS photo selection for this set. I kinda hope it's the same person who was doing it a few years ago.
166- Aaron Judge AS. And, as an added bonus, more Judge.
241- Ryon Healy RD
175- Jose Altuve AS. Soon to be a World Series hero?
137- Daniel Hudson
154- Franklin Gutierrez. Okay, a Dodger...but one that's not really on the team anymore.
148- Judge and Bird combo. Nice.
299- Charlie Blackmon HRD
67- Avisáil Garcia AS
265- Eric Young Jr., who had a nice little season standing in for Mike Trout
23- Derek Holland, a testament to the awfulness of the White Sox rotation
40- Pat Neshek as a Phillie. Well, at least this exists.
122- Darvish and Aoki combo
79- Nick Goody
68- Jered Weaver, in his last card, as a Padre.
242- Mike Hauschild
263- Brian Duensing
190- Brad Goldberg
229- Tyson Ross, who was...alright this year. Not great.
165- Boone Logan
155- Votto and Hamilton combo
202- Kenley Jansen AS, there's one for the Series
70- Josh Reddick AS, there's ANOTHER one for the Series..
61- Matt Szczur
4 dupes from the rack packs
121- Daniel Murphy ASG GOLD #D TO 2017
Topps Salute of Anthony Rizzo
270- ....DON MATTINGLY VARIATION SP. That is pretty nice, especially after the Gehrig one I pulled this weekend. Great photo, too.
Untouchables of Warren Spahn
297- Two Astros rookies combo.
278- Rajai Davis on the A's...cept he's on the Red Sox now...
111- Conforto and Flores combo
147- Rays rookies
195- Fernando Rodney. Glad he had a nice enough season in Phoenix.
150- Alex Bregman RD
157- Corey Dickerson AS
114- Pat Neshek AS. Cool, now I've got both of them.
207- Kurt Suzuki
100- CHRIS SALE. Okay, at least they actually made a card of him as a Red Sock. That I'm fine with.
117- Neftali Feliz
300- Cody Bellinger HRD
191- Corey Knebel AS
99- Aaron Judge RD. Okay then.
116- Tyler Glasnow RD
270- Gary Sanchez AS. At least this pack wasn't short on Yankees.
180- Mike Moustakas HRD

So...that was definitely something. Still not in love with the set, but it has its moments.

Sounds About Right

...Yeah, I would have called something like this. Dodgers-Astros. Not necessarily a bad thing. I just wouldn't have called the route we took to get there. I wouldn't have called how unlikely of a choice this matchup would have been.

But still, with the amount Evan Gattis and Jose Altuve were able to take us, and the dominance displayed by a rejuvenated Justin Verlander, it's pretty obvious that the Astros deserved to win this series, and...might make this World Series one for the ages. If anybody can take the Dodgers 7 games, it's the Astros.

As...for the runners-up here...

As much as I wanna be a numbskull and brag that this was our year, and say that the Astros had no right...that's not it at all. We had a very lucky October, one that should have ended long before it got going, and the fact that we were able to chase the Astros for 3 games back there is pretty marvelous. I kinda knew this outcome would happen, as optimistic as I am usually, and I was still perfectly alright with it happening, as the Astros are likable, if still ferocious, team.

So yeah...as sad as my Yankees' departure is...we've got an Astros-Dodgers World Series coming up. That's a nice matchup. Especially considering the fact that the Astros have never won a World Series, and haven't been since Roger Clemens was their top ace...and the fact that the Dodgers haven't been to a World Series since Kirk Gibson was their DH.

Fun times are ahead. Very, very fun times.

Three Rack Packs of 2017 Topps Update

I was mad...but not deterred.

I promised to refrain from dropping 60 or so dollars on a hobby box of a set that had pissed me off by its sheer existence, in not having any cards of trade-deadline dealt stars, and having weird specifications for rookies. This set isn't really updating people on the year, they're just updating themselves on solvable mistakes they made with their first two flagship releases.

Today, they had some in Target...and I got some. Mainly because this might be all I get of the stuff all year, and I wanted to just get it all out of my system at once. I got 3 rack packs and a hanger box. I'll reveal the hanger box tomorrow, and today I'll bust the rack packs. 

Pack 1-

211- Rookie Davis, one of the many disappointing Reds starters

279- Franklin Barreto. Highly touted, but had a disappointing 2017

167- Drew Smyley. Why do people still think this guy is good???

228- Wade Davis. At long last, someone who's relevant this year.

71- Junichi Tazawa

126- Austin Slater, who had a good enough debut in SanFran.

182- Jaime Garcia. Again, this is TWO TEAMS AGO for him.

264- Boog Powell. Now on the A's, thanks to the Yonder Alonso trade. Finally playing well, too

12- Lisalverto Bonilla

289- Sam Travis, potentially impressive future Red Sox infielder

25- Christian Arroyo. Another prospect that didn't fare well in 2017.

37- Ian Happ RD

250- Daniel Robertson

204- Chris Heston, who's probably not gonna be trusted with a starting spot anytime soon.

109- Ben Revere. Marginally better year, but still worrying.

200- Yoan Moncada, one of the best rookies in baseball

48- Ariel Hernandez

600- Yoenis Cespedes PHOTO VARIATION. Not a bad one, either.

Untouchables Insert of Roger Clemens. Wonder why he's untouchable..

Postseason Celebrations of the A's...BLUE BORDERED, #D to 500

Postseason Celebrations of, of course, the YANKEES

251- Daniel Descalso

'287- Mark Leiter Jr. rookie. Could be a good starter for Philly

19- Eric Skoglung

7- ChiSox combo

8- Yuli Gurriel RD

174- Brandon Moss, who had a less than perfect season in KC.

168- Michael Conforto AS. Nice photo, there.

269- Craig Kimbrel AS

76- Miguel Montero

162- Sean Newcomb

55- Luis Severino AS. Hell of a season, Sevy. Rooting for you tonight.

141- BRYCE HARPER AS

9- George Springer AS

1- AARON JUDGE AS. Yeah, even as a Yankee fan, I'm still happy to get cards of this guy.

161- Justin Haley

Pack 2-

256- Mike Ohlman

210- Sammy Solis

281- Luke Volt, one of the many pesky Cardinals infielders from this year.

138- Logan Verrett

127- Antonio Senzatela, one of the more prominent fireballers for the Rockies this year.

170- Cameron Maybin. I'd say 'now playing for the Astros', but...well, they're not really *PLAYING* him, are they?

199- Brett Cecil. [hollers] OVERPAAAAAIIIIIDD

74- Ryne Stanek

238- Chris Bostick

29- Drew Streckenrider. I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY OF THESE ROOKIES!!!!

184- Jean Segura, looking great in teal.

16- Rafael Bautista

221- Mark Zagunis.

38- Cody Bellinger ASG. THERE'S a rookie I've heard of.

64- Corey Kluber AS. Hopeful Cy Young candidate.

33- Salvador Perez AS. Great hair, too.

214- Cody Bellinger RD. TWOOOOO BELLINGERS, AH-AH-AAAHHHH!

105- John Brebbia

259-....oh, crap, this is a LOU GEHRIG VARIATION SP! This is pretty freaking awesome, especially for the Yankees fan.

Untouchables of...Roger...Clemens. I JUST GOT THAT ONE, THOUGH. This version has him on the Yankees. Did this insert set really need 2 Roger Clemenses??? AND DID I HAVE TO PULL BOTH OF THEM????

42- Seth Smith...PINK PARALLEL...NUMBERED TO 50. HOLY CRAP. A relevant player for a team I enjoy...and a pretty low number. This is awesome.

Superstar Celebrations of my beloved Phillies

DISCOVER TOPPS BUYBACK OF...A 1988 Harold Baines. I have like a dozen of these at home.

160- Phils rookie combo

81- Clay Buchholz. Hey, remember when people thought THIS deal would go well???

294- Bobby Wahl

57- Blue Jays combo ft. a dabbing Roberto Osuna. Uuuuuggghhhh.

60- Kyle Freeland, another rookie Rockie.

134- Justin Bour AS

209- Josh Hader.

249- Alex Reyes RD

159- JT Riddle

15- Kyle Higashioka. WE...DID NOT...NEED A CARD OF HIM. He never even got a HIT.

208- Randy Rosario

112- Ryan Zimmerman AS

268- Miguel Sano HRD

31- Danny Santana

Pack 3-

59- Matt Joyce

10-....IAN HAPP ROOKIE CARD. OKAY THEN.

188- Trevor Plouffe

231- Reynaldo Lopez RC

217- HOWIE KENDRICK AS A PHILLIE. Even if it was short-lived, I'm happy this card exists.

50- CODY BELLINGER RC. ALRIGHT THEN. THIS IS NICE.

189- Chad Bell

212- Jose Quintana as a Cub, the only deadline deal that actually made it into this f--king set...

115- Combo card

253- Matt Belisle

35- Dinelson Lamet

4- Matt Chapman, who had an AWESOME rookie season.

132- Dallas Keuchel AS and his epic comeback...just, like, not against the Yankees.

43- Joey Votto AS, still one of the best 1st Baseman in the game, even 10 years after his debut.

47- Yadier Molina AS

34- Nelson Cruz AS

36- Adam Lind, who did well as a bench player for Washington.

281- Luke Volt GOLD #D TO 2017

Topps Salute of Andrew Benintendi

180- Shiny Parallel of Mike Moustakas HRD

Postseason Celebrations of the Pirates

186- Jose DeLeon

75- Jake Buchanan

121- Daniel Murphy AS

58- AWESOME ERVIN SANTANA Checklist PHOTO

130- Zack Greinke AS

158- Philip Ervin

63- Andrew Cashner

129- Brooks Pounders

92- Anthony Alford

280- Brett Anderson

156- Yu Darvish AS

164- Carlos Martinez AS

237- Buster Posey AS

232- Marcell Ozuna AS

22- Hunter Renfroe RD

So, those were some rack packs. I just got a bit tired towards the end. Tomorrow, I'll post the hanger box.

29 Years Later...

For a team that's been in the conversation a TON in the last 30 years, it's honestly kind of weird that it took them that amount of time to get back to a World Series. Plus, this is a new kind of Dodgers team, steeped in youth, rather than established dynasties. There is a Hershiser-esque figure in the rotation, and there are similar pillars of postseason success (Utley is the new Kirk Gibson?), but this is still a ferocious Dodgers team, one that EARNED its spot in the World Series, even after a September drought.

Whoever's gonna have to play them next week...goooood luck.

As for the departed...

It's sad that the Cubs couldn't muster any of their 2016 energy in this series, but for a team that was counted out for simply not being as good as last year, they came a long way, got to another NLCS against the odds, and hustled when they could have coasted. They put in effort in a year where they didn't have to, and that may help them fare better in 2018. I also hope this means Kyle Schwarber is gonna get back to hitting for average one of these days.

Tomorrow night, in Houston...hopefully we get to find out who the Dodgers are gonna be playing.