5 on the 5: 2011 Topps Series 2

Hey! There's this new thing called Topps Series 2 that is so... well... two or three weeks ago. Here's my first five packs as found in a Target store in the suburbs of Portland.

Pack 1:

411 - Josh Bell (Here's my first Series 2 card of the year, and I know zilch about him. Apparently Bell was plucked from the Dodgers system.)

659 - Clint Barmes (As seen here.)

510 - Jason Heyward (I'm not very impressed with Jason Heyward. I guess I've made no secret of that. He also has really stupid nicknames.)

458 - Javier Vazquez

552 - San Francisco Giants (Sort of a "team facts" card.)

511 - Philadelphia Phillies

RDT16 - Adrian Gonzalez Red Diamond (This is one of the Target exclusive parallels. I'm not much of a fan. Their past exclusive inserts have been much better.)

KC-52 - Sandy Koufax Kimball Champions (I haven't really decided if I am collecting the Kimball minis or not. I am not impressed with how thin the cards are, but the idea of minis coupled with some retired players is intriguing. My scanner ate the border.)

60YOT-64 - Mickey Mantle 60 Years of Topps Original Back (I thought this was one of those Mickey Mantle Story things they've been doing since like 2005, but it's something else... and... whatever... who cares? I'm totally desensitized to The Mick now.)

358 - Paul Janish

489 - Marc Rzepczynski (This guy is giving Grudzielanek a run for his money.)

495 - Shane Victorino

Pack 2:

355 - Justin Verlander

454 - Alberto Callaspo

613 - Dexter Fowler

522 - Asdrubal Cabrera (Highlight machine!)

385 - Ichiro Checklist (I don't think I've ever purchased 5 or more packs in my life without getting at least one Ichiro card, at least since he became an MLB player.)

563 - Josh Rodriguez

568 - Kansas City Royals

441 - Rafael Furcal

DD-9 - Adrian Beltre / Elvis Andrus Diamond Duos (Another holdover from Series 1.)

TT2-2 - Mark Reynolds ToppsTown (ToppsTown cards are now seeded at one in six packs all of a sudden. I'm not complaining.)

629 - Ivan Nova

498 - Scott Feldman

Pack 3:

593 - Francisco Cordero (So... many... Reds.)

367 - Hiroki Kuroda

351 - Jacoby Ellsbury

639 - Pedro Beato (I have no idea who this is, but I'm a fan of his name!)

617 - Joel Zumaya

644 - Joel Hanrahan

60YOT-112 - Alex Rodriguez / Derek Jeter (Yeah... these guys.)

T60-54 - Ryan Zimmerman Topps 60 (It seems like everyone wants Zimmerman to be a big star because people feel sorry for the Nats.)

515 - Carlos Beltran (Great looking shot.)

541 - John Jaso

353 - Cliff Pennington

382 - Travis Snider

Pack 4:

472 - Jason Kendall

393 - Jake Arrieta

586 - Carlos Lee

512 - Octavio Dotel

491 - Fernando Abad

350 - Francisco Liriano (Good to see Liriano rebound from injuries and other struggles.)

481 - Randy Wells Bedazzled Sparkly Useless Parallel (I'm really not a fan of these. This is something I would expect to come out of a vending machine at a grocery store for a couple of quarters.)

DS-12 - Alex Rodriguez Diamond Stars (Here's a new insert set for Series 2 and I don't really feel any better about it than Randy's card up there.)

452 - David Freese (On a positive note, Freese began his rehab stint tonight and hopes to reclaim his spot as the Cards starting third baseman soon. I am crossing my fingers right now, believe me.)

660 - Ryan Zimmerman

384 - Nick Hundley

565 - Mark Teahen

- Topps Attax ad

Pack 5:

428 - Brett Myers (Kind of a jerk.)

446 - Brandon Beachy (Headline writers probably have a field day with this guy.)

391 - Phil Coke

655 - Starlin Castro Rookie Cup (Rookie Cup cards are a subset now, but are otherwise indistinguishable from base cards. This means more cards of guys like Castro and Buster Posey, and fewer middle relievers.)

614 - Minnesota Twins

RDT21 - Evan Longoria Red Diamond

KC-68 - Reggie Jackson Kimball Champions (Again, the scanner ate my borders. I was a big Reggie fan when I was a little kid. I'm glad to see that some other retired legends are getting a shot in these Topps inserts instead of the same dozen or so players we keep seeing over and over again.)

60YOT-69 - Stan Musial 60 Years of Topps (Nice!)

571 - Jeremy Affeldt

642 - Jason Hammel

383 - Ryan Ludwick

357 - Mike Cameron

I'm only collecting the Cardinals so far (and maybe the minis?) so if anyone is still actually working on this set or just need cards for your player/team, please let me know.