99 Bowman Conclusion

2010 Bowman has hit the shelves this week, or so I hear. I'm actually more interested in this year's release than normal, mostly due to the lack of competing products out there this year. I've read a few fairly discouraging reports about the set, however, so I don't know if I'll buy much. If I buy any, it won't be because I'm trying to chase some red hot rookies. I just like opening packs and, hopefully, collecting the Cardinals.

Meanwhile, I have the last 8 packs to go through from the 1999 Bowman Series 1 box. I suppose it's time to go shopping for new boxes.

Pack 17:

74 - Matt Clement

126 - Freddy Garcia (not the pitcher)

160 - Armando Rios

116 - Juan Melo

156 - Terrence Long

150 - Scott Schoenweis (his last name is spelled wrong on the back)

187 - Nate Cornejo

167 - Clayton Andrews

189 - Wes Helms

173 - Chip Ambres International (His photo looks extremely bizarre when the outfield fence is cropped out.)

Pack 18:

49 - Bobby Higginson

62 - Chuck Finley (Finley spent some time with the Cardinals briefly. I need a Chuck Finley Cardinals card if such a thing exists.)

34 - Barry Bonds

70 - Shane Reynolds

17 - Travis Lee

94 - Vernon Wells (I heard that he was signed to some sort of contract or something.)

182 - Ryan Glynn

149 - Victor Valencia

33 - Jeff Cirillo

167 - Clayton Andrews International

Pack 19:

98 - Ruben Mateo

134 - Jason Tyner

37 - Ivan Rodriguez

87 - Mike Frank

24 - Curt Schilling

147 - Dan Reichert

97 - Kevin Barker

164 - Jason Standridge

120 - David Riske

87 - Mike Frank International

Pack 20:

21 - Todd Walker

48 - Jorge Posada (Posada wasn't even drafted.)

214 - Alex Escobar

60 - Mike Mussina

169 - Alex Ramirez

86 - Rod Barajas

123 - Michael Barrett

125 - Mitch Meluskey

5 - Cal Ripken

5 - Cal Ripken International (Back-to-back Ripkens. It's too bad that Billy Ripken isn't present and accounted for.)

Pack 21:

218 - Dernell Stenson

45 - Eric Young

23 - Barry Larkin

122 - Corey Lee

54 - Matt Williams (Williams had an extremely large head if I remember correctly.)

152 - Odalis Perez

162 - Jason Conti

145 - Ryan Bradley

13 - Chuck Knoblauch

4 - Sandy Alomar International

Pack 22:

57 - Ray Lankford (First Cardinal in quite awhile...)

183 - Calvin Pickering

175 - Pat Burrell (Here's a bona fide Pat Burrell rookie card.)

11 - Gary Sheffield

201 - Alex Gonzalez

133 - Carlos Febles

196 - Scott Hunter

195 - Chris George

107 - Matt Burch

190 - Nelson Lara International

Pack 23:

119 - Glenn Davis (Not the same guy that played for the Astros in the '80s.)

39 - Brian Hunter

59 - Brett Tomko (Every team goes through that phase where they need Brett Tomko on the staff for some reason.)

15 - Rusty Greer

18 - Jose Cruz Jr.

197 - Ryan Brannan

154 - Milton Bradley (Yep, quite a character...)

194 - Ben Petrick

128 - Jeff Liefer

124 - Lariel Gonzalez International

Pack 24:

51 - Trevor Hoffman (It figures that the one year that I actually am okay with picking Hoffman for my fantasy team that he completely loses it and can't pitch decently anymore.)

141 - Grant Roberts

82 - Jeff Urban

91 - Arturo McDowell

155 - Josh McKinley

140 - Brad Penny (Penny hit a huge grand slam last night but then left the game shortly after with what is being called a "strained lat". Yikes!!!)

185 - Nick Johnson (Here's another "rookie card".)

81 - Seth Etherton

203 - Scott Williamson

118 - Jared Sandberg International (Here's a Collective Troll favorite. I had no idea this guy existed or that he was actually the nephew of Ryne Sandberg until recently.