Saturday, May 28, 2011

2011 Topps Tribute #13 Ryan Howard

Phillies 5, Mets 2
Game 52 - Saturday Night, May 28th in Flushing

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies turned it on late, coming from behind to defeat the Mets, 5-2.

What It Means:  The Phils improved their record to 33-19 and they now enjoy a 2 1/2 game lead over the Marlins.  (The Marlins are playing the Dodgers now.)  They'll go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon behind  Vance Worley.

What Went Right:  It looked bad with two outs in the top of the eighth as the Phillies trailed the Mets, 2-1.  At that point in the game, they had managed just three hits.  But Jimmy Rollins doubled off Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, chasing Pelfrey from the game.  Rollins stole second and easily scored when Chase Utley singled to left, tying the ballgame.  Following a walk to Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard doubled home both Utley and Polanco to give the Phillies the lead.

Cole Hamels (7-2) recorded his first ever win against the Mets in New York.  He pitched seven solid innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out a season-high ten.

Featured Card:  Topps Tribute is one of those hobby-only sets that exist solely to peddle cards featuring game-used memorabilia or autograph cards, with the base cards serving as glorified filler.  It blows my mind that the suggested retail price for a pack of five cards of 2011 Topps Tribute is $50!    A quick eBay search shows packs currently available in the range of $68 to $75.  I can honestly say I've never come close to paying that much for a pack of cards, let alone a pack with only five cards in it.  With all that being said, I think the base cards are actually pretty nice and I'm not opposed to adding them to the Phillies binder via eBay or Check Out My Cards.  This Ryan Howard card is one of seven Phillies cards found within the 100-card base set of Topps Tribute.  It's shiny, thicker than a normal card, and best of all, I didn't break the bank for it.

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