Six team sets for the collection

Six team sets for the collection

You have to give it up for your local card shop. While I enjoy trading, much more than having to pay for Pads cards, you have to love your local brick and mortar card shop. My favorite in the Des Moines area is The Rookie. Where else can you go when you have to satisfy that Padres itch?

My latest purchase was a great addition to my Padres collection. For $1 apiece, I was able to get six team sets -- the 2005 Topps, 2006 Topps, 2007 Topps, 2008 Topps, 2008 Upper Deck, and the 2008 Upper Deck First Edition.

I had to put my sunglasses on when viewing the Peavy card from the 2008 Upper Deck. I love the cards with the old unis. While this one has more gold than brown, I wish they'd go back to the brown and gold, rather than sport that "Dodger Blue" they've been wearing. Hoffy has always been one of my favorite players and I can't hear AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" without thinking of him. Seeing his stance on this 2007 Topps just brings back the memories. Finally, there's something about the layout of the 2008 Topps that I like. Koooz, now with the Marlins, may be best known for hitting a grand slam on the first major league pitch he saw as a member of the Indians. He made the record books as a Pad in 2009, earning the highest fielding percentage by a third baseman, but boy, could he hit into inning-ending double plays.