Second Look: 2011 Bowman Baseball
Finally…..
Bowman Baseball has come back to Tar-get! Sorry, that was a Rock (WWE) reference.
Today when I went to Target they had 2011 Bowman Baseball rack packs strewn on the shelf, and a shipment box on a register with a sealed gravity box, which I opened and took 8 packs and 3 blasters which I also snarfed for safe keeping. I honestly don’t know what to do with the blasters, I may only open one and sell the others. What do you think?
I opened the 8 loose packs and I scanned the prospects and inserts to show you what you can get from a random bunch of packs. Here we go!
You might be wondering why I included 2 base cards, but I hate these two cards. Not that I hate the players by any means, but honestly why use a photo of a pitcher hitting? Not a fan. Also, I don’t like these goofy angles of a guys swing on a card. Sooz was right that many of the pictures on the cards are terrible, these were just my two worst ones.
Gold parallels
Orange parallel, Aaron Hill
Some sort of state insert that is actually part of the regular set. Card is numbered within the set, no idea what purpose they serve.
Base prospects
Chrome prospects
Purple Chrome /700
Topps 100 Which are coincidentally 100 times better than last years.
Finest Futures These are really nice looking inserts, these along with the 100 and Best would have been sufficient inserts for this set.
Topps of the Class
Bowman’s Brightest
Bowman’s Best (Best insert if you ask me.)
I had a good time opening these, but I think it was more fun finding a whole shipment box filled with unsearched goodness in Target. It felt like Christmas morning, only with way more baseball cards.
What insert do you like best? The Finest Futures and Bowman’s Best may be my two favorites.
Sign up for the Card Chat newsletter here!
Those are strange shots of the pitchers. Bowman fever has hit ebay
Like the look of those Finest Futures. The Bowman's Best has kind of a 90s look to it, but still cool. Finding the shipping box at Target is always fun – I got lucky and got my first Gypsy Queen and Heritage that way when they first arrived. I was trying to figure out if it makes their job easier (less cards to put away) or more difficult (as in "Why am I missing 2 boxes and 6 rack packs of these Gypsy cards?").
Oh yeah, so collecting the Bowman's Best inserts. As for what to do with the rest… my birthday is just a little under 10 months away. 😉
Looks like Posada asked out of being posted this time…
Serious now: Topps issued cards like that state card in the late 90s. I think it was 1997, which would make sense because the Bowman's Best insert uses the same design as 97 Bowman's Best. I have a few Red Sox state cards but I am too lazy to drag them out just to figure out what year they are for a comment.
The international cards are AWESOME, everyone needs to stop hatin' immediately
Bowman's Best – I think those are modeled from the 1994 set.
Bowman International – I those are from the 1998 product, where they actually had players associated with states instead of just nations.
I've always liked non-traditional photos. One of my favorites from the junk wax era shows Cubs reserve outfielder Doug Dascenzo during one of his four career appearances as a pitcher. I'm fine with the occasional shot of a pitcher batting – even better if it's an American League one.
I hate the base card design this year, but the international parallels make it a bit more palatable.
The Topps 100 inserts are the only ones I really like, though the "Finest Futures" design is nice too. (The concept is too nebulous though.)
Cards of pitchers hitting is totally cool. Just posted about that a couple weeks ago. Hamels can actually hit a little so that's not too far-fetched.
Looks like the 90's are back in style. I will buy a box of that like I do every year. Bowman needs to stand out. Not sure it is with those designs.
have to agree, the Posey looks really cool.