2008 Bowman Baseball
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
Blue Parallel - Eric Chavez (#492/500)
Blue Prospect Parallel - John Raynor (#133/500)
Orange Prospect Parallel - Joseph Martinez (#147/250)
Prospect Refractor - Brian Barton (#558/599)
Gold Prospect Refractor Autograph - Julio Borbon (#15/50)
Review:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Bowman is one of the signature Topps brands and annually provides collectors with one of the best
breaks of the year. So, Topps has smartly, year-in and year-out, done very little to change the formula,
giving Bowman loyalists something to look forward to every year. And once again, Bowman does not
disappoint.
With the MLBPA’s changes to the rookie card rules, this is a set that could have dies a very painful death.
But with Topps allowed to include prospects in each pack (two regular cards, two chrome), collectors will
never be disappointed. The old tradition of all-black borders, color coded by veterans, prospects and
rookies is gone, with the prospect cards now carrying a while border (and a different design this year),
while the veteran cards still have the tradition black frames.
Aside from that minor change (the border colors actually changed last year, while the design differentiation
makes its debut), this is business as usual for Bowman. The regular cards each carry multiple colors of
parallels. The chrome cards (prospects only, with veterans all appearing in the forthcoming annual
Bowman Chrome release) come with Refractors and multiple colored Refractors and Xfractors. There is
also one chrome prospect autograph per box. All the parallels are numbered, as always, giving player
collectors the opportunity, as always, to chase the “rainbow”.
Bowman is always an anticipated release. Why? Consistency from year to year, making it one of the
staples of Topps’ stable of brands. It is that simple........................
B+
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
Blue Parallel - Eric Chavez (#492/500)
Blue Prospect Parallel - John Raynor (#133/500)
Orange Prospect Parallel - Joseph Martinez (#147/250)
Prospect Refractor - Brian Barton (#558/599)
Gold Prospect Refractor Autograph - Julio Borbon (#15/50)
Review:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Bowman is one of the signature Topps brands and annually provides collectors with one of the best
breaks of the year. So, Topps has smartly, year-in and year-out, done very little to change the formula,
giving Bowman loyalists something to look forward to every year. And once again, Bowman does not
disappoint.
With the MLBPA’s changes to the rookie card rules, this is a set that could have dies a very painful death.
But with Topps allowed to include prospects in each pack (two regular cards, two chrome), collectors will
never be disappointed. The old tradition of all-black borders, color coded by veterans, prospects and
rookies is gone, with the prospect cards now carrying a while border (and a different design this year),
while the veteran cards still have the tradition black frames.
Aside from that minor change (the border colors actually changed last year, while the design differentiation
makes its debut), this is business as usual for Bowman. The regular cards each carry multiple colors of
parallels. The chrome cards (prospects only, with veterans all appearing in the forthcoming annual
Bowman Chrome release) come with Refractors and multiple colored Refractors and Xfractors. There is
also one chrome prospect autograph per box. All the parallels are numbered, as always, giving player
collectors the opportunity, as always, to chase the “rainbow”.
Bowman is always an anticipated release. Why? Consistency from year to year, making it one of the
staples of Topps’ stable of brands. It is that simple........................
B+
