2006 Topps Bazooka
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
Bazooka Stamps - Brian Roberts, Justin Morneau, Ivan Rodriguez, Ichiro, Morgan Ensberg, Jim Edmonds, Chipper Jones,
Lance Berkman
Comics - Oakland Athletics, Miguel Tejada, Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Aaron Small, Manny Ramirez
4-in-1 Stickers - Gibson/Mantle/Rodriguez/Bonds, Verlander/Wood/Hernandez/Morris, LoDuca/Hall/Martinez/Lee,
Oswalt/Chacon/Benson/Beckett, Sizemore/Ford/Swisher/Giles, Sosa/Ramirez/Abreu/Pena, Garko/Koronka/Denrofia/Mathis,
Ramirez/Jones/Wright/Glaus, Rodriguez/Wagner/Street/Nathan
Mickey Mantle Box Topper - 1967
Relic Cards:
Bazooka Rewind - Christian Guzman bat, Nick Johnson bat
Bazooka Blast - David Wright bat
Review:
When the MLBPA instituted their new rules about sets and collectors, one of their reasons was to
entice the young collector to come back to the hobby. Well, Topps Bazooka is a product that will
certainly help bring youngsters back to collecting
Low price, lots of inserts, a one in eight chance of pulling a relic. How's that for the kids?
Let's be honest for a minute. Every year, when Bazooka comes out, hardcore collectors yell and
scream that the design is childish, that the inserts are silly and the player selection on the relics is
terrible. Well, these collectors clearly don't understand the purpose of Bazooka. This is a great "bang for the buck" set that
everyone should enjoy opening.
Every eight card pack comes with five base cards, a gold parallel, a blue "Fortune" parallel and an insert of
some sort. Packs that have a relic do not contain the gold parallel. The design this year is simple - big
picture, white border, red bar at the top with the players name in white and the team name in small black
letters. Simple, yes, but the Bazooka style writing is quirky and fun and the cards are very appealing to the
eye.
The inserts are also simple. The comics look like those that come in Bazooka gum. The stickers are mini
versions of each card. The stamps are simply a headshot of the player framed in a simple design, with a
brown tint. All very simple and very pleasing. The relics are also simple - no bells or whistles and, yes, a
mid-roster selection of players. But a child opening a pack for the first (or 100th time) will be pulled to a bat
from ANYONE, so that is the point here and I have no issues with that. The oversized Mickey Mantle box
topper is gravy, although I fear it will be lost on children. I don't have that fear, however, with the sticker album that is also
included as a second box topper.
NO matter how hard many collectors would love to rip this set, there is no way I can. I applaud it, in fact. This is exactly the way
to get today's youth back into the hobby. And I'm all for that. So, the report card give Bazooka the grade every kid wants to bring
home to mom and dad.......................
A
