I Hate Allen. I Hate Ginter.

I think I just hate set collecting. 

Self-assessment is often a good thing. I took a good long look at my collecting habits recently and decided that I am really not a set collector. I don't care about a lot of the subjects of the cards I collect. I like the cards of the guys who played for the team that I like, and that's mostly it. Still, the collecting urge is a strong urge, and I'll never stop being interested in what Topps does with its Heritage line (still the best, even as the years drag on.)

I was ready to give up Allen & Ginter.

Before I get to that, I have to confess that I am giving up on something. I'm taking a baby step. I really like this year's Stadium Club design (apparently, I'm in the minority), and in a different time I probably would be working hard on this thing. Instead, I'm letting the cards pile up before I send them all off in trades. I don't need them. I also don't need any of my 2015 Stadium Club cards, a set I had semi-sorta stealth collected for awhile, until I realized that unopened product would never be affordable on the secondary market because of stupid Kris Bryant.

One of the things I hate so much about this hobby is that it only takes one player these days... one card, even... to ruin it for everyone.

I'm breaking up my feeble attempt at the past Stadium Club set, and possibly looking to thin out some of my other side pursuits. Unfortunately, for the time being anyway, my pursuit at 13 straight years of Allen & Ginter is continuing onward. I think I'm just going to buy stuff a lot more cautiously this time around.

The only thing I've purchased so far is one of the 3-pack rack packs. It did contain a Cardinal card, which is nice. Unfortunately, it's one of these landscape oriented insert designs that tends to bore immediately. Also, the idea of Bob Gibson getting behind the idea of fantasy baseball, let alone existing in a period of time when someone might have drafted him for their fantasy team, is a bit laughable. I dare you to go back in time and tell Bob Gibson what his WAR is!

As for the base cards this year, the overall design isn't my favorite, but the color is interested. They are as dark colored as they've ever been. The mini parallels are much closer to the standard white color, though.

I do appreciate that these cards are often educational. I could currently tell you absolutely zero facts about any moon outside of the Earth's orbit.

A couple of complaints here, while I'm in that sort of mood: One, I miss Old Planter. Doesn't everybody? What the hell is this logo?

My other complaint is that, strictly for the mini cards, they moved the team name below the player name. I have no idea why they did this, but it looks off.

Those 3-pack retail rack packs come with gold parallels once again this year. I never saw a single one of these packs last year, and fully expect that by the time I return to the Target where I purchased this, they will all be gone. And that's probably just fine, because I should stop spending money on this set.

I just can't quit it, though.