Break: Gems of the Game

So, this will be the first meaningful post on here in over a year. I'm Chuck. I collect cards. Let's begin with a terrible blaster I bought at Target because I'm a rube.

Gems of the Game, 20 Assorted NBA Packs...retail $24.99.

I haven't had a chance to splurge on some new hobby boxes, so this had to tide me over. I figured it would make a terrible box break and I could just complain. Wish fulfilled.

Pack 1: 2007-8 Fleer Hot Prospects
#23 Michael Jordan (wow, a hit base with the first pack)
#57 Zydrunas Ilgauskas ...the slowest man in the league
#22 Elton Brand
#ST-13 Stat Tracker insert Daniel "Boobie" Gibson

OK, pack one was a retail hit.

Pack 2: 2007-8 Fleer Hot Prospects
#6 Michael Redd
#59 Marcus Camby
#19 Ben Gordan (will he ever be a legitimate star?)
#SC-8 Supreme Court insert Adrian Dantley (features a paler than normal Stockton in the lower left)

Wow, two packs, two inserts...we're doing really well.

Pack 3: 2006-7 Upper Deck UD Reserve
#115 Rashad McCants (I sure hope he does well someday, since I have a /15 AUTO card that I'd love to make a profit on)
#UD-TC Tyson Chandler Game Used JERSEY! (Unbelievable, is there such a thing as a loose retail pack blaster hot box? Other than the ones that have the Ultimate or Triple Threads packs?)
#127 J.R. Smith

OK, three packs, two inserts, and a jersey...I'm hoping for a rookie auto next!

Pack 4: 2003-2004 Upper Deck Standing "O"
Wow...Lebron rookie year...what a stupid product name.
#24 Steve Francis
#77 Morris Peterson
#82 Jerry Stackhouse mini
#25 Yao Ming

These are some hideous looking cards. The front features a huge basketball and the player in the foreground. A lot of white on the borders. The back isn't bad, but they abbreviate the first names. Why? Terrible...especially seeing Stacklouse in a Wiz jersey...I hate that guy. Oh, and a game piece "The Game" with a Sorry, Try Again scratch off. Yippee. 3/4 good packs isn't bad.

Pack 5: 2007-8 UD Artifacts
#53 Kevin Garnett (says Celtics on the card, but image is during the Twolves tenure)
#60 Peja Stojakovic (is it weird that I like this player?)
#24 J.R. Smith...again
#28 Baron Davis
#76 Shawn Marion (this guy won me a couple of fantasy titles...now he's a scrub. Weird.)

3/5 ain't bad.

Pack 6: 2007-8 UD Artifacts
#32 Tracy McGrady
#83 Kevin Martin
#98 Gilbert Arenas (Hooray, I hope he comes back healthy)
#48 Jason Kapono (Isn't it strange that this guy might have a longer career than Adam Morrison or J.J. Redick combined?)
#68 Grant Hill

That was a terrible pack. 3/6.

Pack 7: 2007-8 SPX
#95 Grant Hill (He looks so happy when healthy...Gil, aspire to be Grant!)
#104 Rookie Authentics Thaddeus Young (hey, a RC!)
#26 Jason Richardson
#32 Kevin Martin
#69 Andrea Bargnani (Is he a bust?)

These are some good looking cards...I'm going to count the RC as a winner. 4/7.

Pack 8: 1994-5 Fleer Series 1 JUNK WAX SPECIAL!!!
Holy crap, there are 21!!! cards in each pack.
#201 Willie Anderson (I had a friend in Jr. High who loved Willie...when we would play basketball, he'd always hoist up clanker threes while saying "Willie to win the game!")
#39 Brad Daugherty (Oh, these Cavs broke my heart)
#174 Danny Ainge (Suns uniform...looking old)
#20 Frank Brickowski (I don't remember this guy but what a name)
#204 Vinny Del Negro (He's a coach, Danny's a GM...feeling old)
#150 Patrick Chewing!
#118 Glen Rice
#178 Kevin Johnson
#24 Hersey Hawkins (This guy should have retired a Sixer...seeig him in a Hornets jersey seems wrong)
#207 J.R. Reid
#11 Rookie Sensation Lindsey Hunter (not a bad career. Ugly, ugly card)
#112 Sedale Threatt
#82 OMG Carl Herrera
#227 John Stockton (HOFer)
#4 Duane Ferrell
#73 Keith Jennings
#108 Floppy Divacs
#213 Shawn Kemp (I saw him recently on Pros vs Joes. He can still kinda make it drizzle)
#91 Derrick McKey (he had a solid career)
#221 Tyrone Corbin

If anyone wants these cards, let me know, otherwise I'm dumping them all except the Stockton and Ewing.

Pack 9: 1994-5 Fleer Series 1
I'm not going to open it because I don't want to type them in. Ugh.

Pack 10: 2007-8 Topps
#85 Jamal Crawford
#8 Mike Miller
#43 Paul Millsap
#GN18 Generation Now Monta Ellis (Another Fantasy stud from years past...I hate these GN cards. They're ugly and don't serve a purpose in a Topps set. Save these sequential event cards to something like Moment and Milestones. Ugh)
#126 Nick Young rookie card (I hope he turns into something decent for the Wiz)
#133 Wilson Chandler ugly blurry throwback card. Terrible.

I'm going to call this one a fail. 4/10.

Pack 11: 2007-8 Topps
Gotta love the variety
#38 Andrea Bargnani
#40 Chris Paul (CP3!)
#109 Randy Foye (I like this guy mainly because he doesn't have a NBA name)
#20 Kevin Garnett (going finger roll!)
#133 Wilson Chandler rookie card
#111 Greg Oden old ugly blurry throwback. Also terrible.

4/11. I should have removed the packs in a different order. Suckage is back heavy.

Pack 12: 2007-8 Topps
#39 Luol Deng (should've gone to Duke, punk)
#26 Peja (shooting a prayer over Nazr Mohammed)
#1 Amare Stoudemire (love the shot)
#GN15 Marvin Williams Generation Now (bustoroni, right?)
#112 Kevin Durant rookie card (that's a hit)
#132 Jared Dudley ugly blurry throwback. Yuck.

That's going to go as a hit. Nice Durant. 5/12.

Pack 13: really? Thanks for the variety, 2007-8 Topps
#96 Zydrunas Ilgauskas
#55 Smush Parker
#104 Kevin Martin
#58 Jason Richardson
#10 Elton Brand
#49 Chris Wilcox
#31 Shawn Marion
#OTG1 Mikki Moore Own the Game (he was the FG% leader? Did he shoot enough baskets to qualify?)
#135 Aaron Brooks rookie card
#116 Yi Jianlian rookie card
#104 Kevin Martin ugly blurry throwback card.

I refuse to say this is a good pack, though it was stuffed with rookies, inserts, and a bunch of horizontal cards. 5/13.

Pack 14: 2007-8 UD First Edition
#18 Hakin Warrick
#56 Brad Miller
#55 Kevin Martin (I could start a player collection of Kmart with all these base)
#21 Bobby Jackson
#DN19 Draft Notices Jason Smith (a military motif for basketball players drafted...I think this makes me angry)
#229 Carl Landry rookie
#167 Antonio Daniels
#113 Morris Peterson
#130 Chris Webber (maybe his last year in the NBA...too lazy and tired to look it up. Will this not end?)
#103 Samuel Dalembert

Bad pack. 5/14.

Pack 15: 2008-9 UD First Edition
#65 Yao Ming
#73 Al Thornton (nice)
#44 Kenyon Martin
#250 Chris Douglas-Roberts rookie
#242 J.R. Giddens rookie
#133 Carlos Arroyo Gold Parallel
#SQ-28 Starquest Brandon Roy (that's going to count as a hit just to keep myself interested in this thing)

6/15

Pack 16: 2007-8 Fleer
#3 Richard Hamilton
#30 Kirk Hinrich
#63 Kyle Korver
#178 Deron Williams
#171 Bonzi Wells
#156 Lamar Odom
#RS-14 Rookie Sensations Rodney Stuckey (anyone else think of pecan rolls)
#86R-151 Joakim Noah 1986 Fleer style (this guy is a douche)

Bust. 6/16.

Pack 17: 2007-8 Upper Deck
#134 Jeff Foster
#123 Zydas Ill (I just don't care anymore)
#173 Pau Gasol
#65 Mike James
#78 Damien Wilkins (who???)

6/17

Pack18: 2007-8 Topps Chrome
#73 Jameer Nelson
#32 Shaq...finally, a Shaq
#160 Al Horford rookie card
#84 Sebastian Telfair

Not bad, we'll count that as a hit. 7/18

Pack 19: 2005-6 Upper Deck
#76 Shaun Livingston (it's a shame about him.)
#170 Big Shot Bob
#107 Kevin Garnett
#218 David Lee rookie (please, Free Lee from NYC!)
#79 Kobe (three nice cards in a row)
#55 Baron Davis...not shabby
#110 Wally Szczerbiak...and it ends at four.
#146 Steve Nash
#RS23 Monta Ellis Rookie Scrapbook (good card)

Hit me baby. 8/19.

Pack 20: Ending how we started, UD Reserve
#132 Channing Frye
#149 Shavlik Randolph
#MVP-DN Dirk Nowitzki MVP Watch (nice insert)

Hit. 9/20.

So, was it worth it? No. Not for the price of some nice hobby packs. Skip it, don't be a sucker people.