2020 Insanity! (Also known as Bowman baseball)

We still don't have a season. Judging by the behavior and greed of MLB and the MLBPA, we may not get one.

But, we still have baseball cards. 2020 Bowman came out recently here. There was a wee delay in getting it across the border. But it's here.

Or at least it is in some shops. The complete insanity over it has caused many shops to sell their allocations to dealers in the U.S. at absurd prices.

My local shop kept theirs. I did not buy a box. $750 for a jumbo box and $385 for a hobby box is out of my league. Those prices did not stop anyone else as they sold out of their cases of jumbos within a couple of hours....

I did manage to scrounge up a few Braves from the scrap pile as wrappers and boxes flew everywhere.

Here is my first, and quite possibly last, taste of 2020 Bowman.

Acuna Jr. is from the veterans part of the set.

 Young Jasseel here made it as high as 'AA' Mississippi last season. He started 16 games, going 4-7 with a 3.83 ERA.

My man Drew made it to 'AAA' Gwinnett last year, getting into 26 games. Smacking 2 homers with 11 RBI's and hitting .271
He also managed to hit .167 in 15 games during Spring Training before the world ended.

This is the Chrome version of the previously shown paper Jasseel. But this is NOT Bowman Chrome. Or Bowman Draft, or Bowman Draft Chrome. It's just chrome in Bowman. Not Bowman Chrome.

Here we have another chrome in Bowman that isn't Bowman Chrome. This one featuring Shea Langeliers. This Baylor grad made his debut in 'A' ball last season for Rome.
During Spring Training, he got into 8 games, batting .429 with a homer and 5 RBI's.

So there it is. I'm not seeing the fuss. But I like pulling cards out of packs of players that I know and can see on TV. The youngin's aren't really my thing until they've made it.

Did any of you jump on Bowman?

A Cardboard Bowman...

My buddy Marie sent me a nice stack of cards a couple of weeks back. And with Marie, you can always be assured of getting a good helping of Bowman. Which is cool, because I happen to like Bowman. I know a lot of you don't... but when you compare it to Topps, it comes out on top quite easily.

The only gripe I have is I can never figure out what subsets go into what year.... it gets confusing when you have a stack of black border and white bordered Bowman cards from the last 4 years....

But then again, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed either.

So if you will I'll show you a smattering of what Marie sent. And no, it's not all Bowman. Promise.

First up some Bowman Chrome Braves

 these chrome don't curl up like pringles... which is nice.

I always wondered why companies show a guy who always hits 40+ homers fielding on his baseball card... I guess it's like showing Greg maddux batting...

 I may be in love with our pitching staff this year. Just sayin'... Good Luck Cleveland.

 My boy Kimbrel!

 And again! This time in Topps Finest. Except it's not..... finest. I miss Finest from back in the day. Bring back the Electric Boogaloo colour schemes that made your eyes bleed.

 Fabulous Freddie

 Julio... I don't know if that's a schoolyard in the background...

 Our pitching is soooo good. Randall may not make the team.

 the best catcher in the game, BMac!

 and of course, CHIPPAH!!!!

 Yes Craig, you just struck out another one.... BTW, since I do read the backs of my baseball cards, I hope you do, too.... This one told me that Craig set the Braves record for K's per 9 innings with 17.42.
That, my friends, is sexy. Forget about the long ball.

A 2011 shiny Chip, not from Topps Chrome or Bowman Chrome.....  uh, ok.

 My very first liquorfractors!!!!

 There's my boy again! I think I may have to start a pc of Kimbrel. Yeah, I know. That's just what Canuck needs. Another pc.

 The lefty version of Kimbrel. Jonny Venters. I hope the coach takes it a little easier of the bullpen this year.

 A Bowman Platinum Matt Lipka. One of two SS hopefuls in the pipeline. I think the job has been given to Tyler Pastornicky already. Hey. He can't be worse than SeaBass was last year. Good Luck Milwaukee.

 Tier One Chipper. Wow. Glad I didn't break any of this stuff. But it still goes perfectly into the Chipper binders. Yes, I said binders. Plural.

 And this little beauty reminds me of old school Finest. It looks like one of those weekly giveaways from your local cardshop. Your local cardshop, not mine. Mine gives away Tim Thomas.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end... and thanks for the cards Marie!