Today, while reading the 2011 Gint-A-Cuffs RULES page, which I read on a daily basis, I noticed that today is the deadline to post your point total to the website. With only 12 packs ripped and 90 points I am not even close. I know I don’t qualify anymore, but I am committed to post these packs and I will continue.
Here is pack #13, which was a great one, for points…
I started off by finally pulling a card of my FAVORITE PLAYER!!! Card #61 of Brian Roberts, good for 4 points. I had a tinge of regret for choosing BR as my favorite player immediately after I typed it, but I really wasn't sure if Jonny Gomes, Ben Zobrist or Wade Davis would have cards. For the record, my TRUE favorite player wasn't in this set, but does make an appearance on my blog header... Yes, I am being sappy. IF my wife read my blog this might score me some points (with her) ha.
Either way, I am glad I pulled a card of my 2011 GAC favorite player. I really hope BR is healthy for 2012 and can start hitting 50 doubles a year again. Still, I get me 4 points, count ‘em!
Up next is a nice horizontal card, #48 of Twins hurler Francisco Liriano. The lefty was the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2010 when he topped 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career and he pitched a no-hitter this May...
That makes this a pretty awesome pull... Does anyone know why there is a TC in the team logo corner?
He is followed by another horizontal card of another pitcher, a short print of a pretty popular dude, the 2X Favorite Player Jon Lester on card #320.
I get 2 points for pulling an SP and ANOTHER 2 points for pulling a FAVE PLAYER. Awesome! I feel as though I should get double the FP bonus since Lester is the FP of two bloggers. That would be more awesome...
Next up we have a trio of basecards with no point value…
Card #37 of Fausto Carmona, #100 of Albert Pujols and #189 of Dexter Fowler… I'm somewhat surprised that Pujols didn't make the FP cut, but hey, at least he doesn't wear pinstripes…
My 7th card is one of my non-official favorite players and fellow Floridian and springtime neighbor Andrew McCutchen on card #HH12.
Another point for the Hometown Heroes insert.
The last card in the pack is a mini, a black bordered mini, card #198 of Mr. Freddie Freeman. 
Good for 3 points for black bordered mini and hopefully good as some trade bait… I have been told folks are plunking down ten dollar bills for this card. Crazy.
Anyway, my lucky 13th pack yields me a total of 12 points and I get to break the century mark, so I am pretty happy about that. I have a total of 102 points, an average of 8 points a pack… If you follow averages, after 24 packs I would likely have 188 points. We will see. Like I said, whether I qualify or not, I am loving the Gint-A-Cuffs and I intend to keep on posting… Thanks for reading. The Freeman is up for offers…
Since no one has yet to claim the FREE, NO STRINGS ATTACHED short print of Orlando Hudson, card #323, it is still up for grabs.
Follow the rules in yellow or orange at the end of the previous post and it will go in a top-loader and into a PWE and head to your address... Please someone claim it, I am getting depressed that I don't have enough readers to give away a FREE short print...
The next 3 cards didn’t yield me any points either, but just you wait… Featured here are card #94 of Josh Rodriguez, #84 of Gregory Infante and card #167 of Adam LaRoche.
I lose a point because CC is a stupid Yankee, but I gain 2 points cuz it is a short print. I still get 1 point total from this card and I am not done with the short print goodness.
Another freaking short print and they came back to back! I don’t get the Yankees penalty on this one, just 2 points for being a short print. Not too shabby…
I am still in shock that I got 2 short prints consecutively… One of a current Brew Crew hurler, one of a past… But wait, there is more!
A Home Town Heroes card of 
Like Raymond, everybody loves Jon Lester and I get a total of 3 points for this piece of cardboard and I am not finished cuz there is one mini left in the pack…
Another freakin’ short print, but this one is an even tougher pull… The regular short prints are 1 in two packs and I got two in one, but the mini SP is 1 in 13 packs, so this could be my one and only in this box…. 
Plus 3 points for the Troll, woo hoo!
We start out with a horizontal (and really blurry) card, #289 of one of the most underrated and overlooked sluggers in all of baseball. White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko has topped 20 homers for the 9th straight season and 13th time overall. Oh, despite the horrible scan, this IS a Ginter Code card which nets me 3 points, ha ha!
When the wife pulled this card she said “hey doesn’t that look like Billy C?” Billy is a mutual friend of ours who is OBSESSED with cornhole. 
Awesome. I HAD to scan the back of the card because I never thought the word cornhole would appear on my blog, especially not 6 times in one post…
One of them brings me nothing, the other costs me, but the cards look really cool scanned next to each other. Both look really excited, as though they were a part of a 20-point pack… They are card #234 of Iron (wo)Man Chrissie Wellington and #40 of John McEnroe. Chrissie doesn’t bring me anything (points wise), but Johnny Mac costs me a point for being a jerk…After Konerko this pack had 4 consecutive non-baseball playing people… The next one is card #159 of Shawn Michaels. A quick glance at the front and I thought he was a country singer or perhaps a NASCAR driver, but it is actually 
The same Shawn Michaels who I watched as a kid when he was a member of the Midnight Rockers with Marty Jannetty. I don’t think Marty Jannety’s star burns that bright these days, but Shawn Michaels has made some serious money in the sports entertainment biz…
I took a semester of Psych and Sociology in comm34 of Iron (wo)Man Chrissie Wellington and #40 of John McEnroe. Chrissie doesn’t bring me unity college, so of course I am an expert on all things Freud. More importantly I used to watch Cheers and later Frasier quite often and Kelsey Grammer’s character referenced Freud often. I guess you can say I am a student of Freud and have continued his research throughout my life… 
You can read the back of the card and become an expert just like me. Even though his expertise wasn’t in mathematics, I am aware that this card scores me 2 points, ha!
It is card #HH22 of White Sox starter 
I don't if Anderson has what it takes to replace the 2007 Eleanor Roosevelt in my Frankenset... BA is 3-6 in 13 starts for Oakland this season. Ironically he came to the A’s a few years back in exchange for Dan Haren… It is a normal, not a short print and he isn’t anyone’s 
The 
Plus Jurrjens is having a fantastic season - his 2.71 leads all starters on a very good Atlanta pitching staff. 
The same Troy Tulowitzki from the fabled 
I didn’t even check the 
No points, but I will never complain about pulling an Upton… 
Yep, I said Rays – my FAVORITE team!!! Add 1 point to that total! I saw McGee pitch for the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs in a game in 2009 and was left unimpressed, but he made it to the big leagues that same year. He has split time in the bullpen in 2011 between the Bulls and the Rays. I am pretty sure this is my first card of his. Awesome! 
Being a short print gives me plus 2, plus another extra 2 points for being on the 
Chalk up 2 more points for this one! 
The final card in the pack is a mini, card #293 of 2 non sports, completely insignificant people. It was a great pack up to this point. 
Oh well. I still get 9 points for this pack. It brings my total up to 78. Not bad. Stay tuned, I will try and obey the Commissioner and continue to post… Gint-A-Cuffs rocks! Go Rays! Troll out. 
The one thing he is missing is a ring. He was always one of Houston's few brightspots in the postseason, but he only made it to the Series once and it didn't work out so well but the Philadelphia juggernaut might deliver that ring for him in 2011. 
Desmond commits his share of errors and his batting average is a bit low, but I think he has a long career ahead of him. Maybe my glasses are rose colored because he was born, raised and lives in the same town as I work in (Sarasota, FL), but I am a fan of him and dig this horizontal card… 
Pointless no longer – I pulled card #329 of the second overall pick in the 2005 draft 
He has improved so much this season, I think next year he has a shot to be on next years 
The next card I pulled is #FF12 of La Gloire from the Floating Fortresses insert set. It’s good for 2 more points!
The last card in the pack, yep I actually got the advertised 8 cards in this pack, is a MINI! From the Step Right Up insert set it is card #SRU2 featuring Fire Breathing. 
From the first card I saw I fell in love with this set. I really love side shows and carnival art and I have actually finished the 10 card set, so this is a dupe for me. I should mention, although it has been years since I have done it, I have done fire breathing and fire swallowing without lighting my hair on fire... Maybe someday I will try it again cuz it's pretty cool. 
I am happy, but it was somehow anticlimactic. Always is. Anyway, the card is good for an extra 3 points AND it is available for trade. It brings my pack total up to 7 points. 
Even Nick Swisher looks cool with the horizontal layout…
His 8-11 record doesn’t impress, but he has kept his ERA below 4 which ain’t bad… From a mediocre starter to the best this year… Card #275 of Detroit Tigers ACE 
Again, how is this dude not on the
A Baseball Highlights sketch card celebrating 
Chalk up an extra 3 points for me for pulling a Sketch card. No bonus for 
A Hometown Heroes, number HH64 of Giants starter Matt Cain, the pride of Germantown, Tennessee.
Plus one for me!
Dude put up MVP type numbers last year. This season, not so much. I do score a point for the Ginter ad back which brings my pack total up to 5 points, minus a point for pulling a Yankee, so 4 points in this one. After 8 packs your friend the Troll has 62 points. Woo hoo!!! I suppose I should get to work now… Look for pack #9 late tonight or early tomorrow… I hope to post my 12th pack (the halfway point) by midnight Sunday. Stay tuned! Go Rays! Troll out.
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