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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

DIGGING ON SWINE
The Card: Parker The Rally Pig 2012 Grandstand Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Buzz On This: This guy has more than a few baseball cards, believe it or not, and this isn't the only time I've grabbed one for the ballpark star who was born in 2010 and retired by 2015. He was named after the team's previous venue, Parker Field, and "literally ate himself out of Double-A," according to this piece. Do I have all of the Parker cards now? Maybe ... I need to research this one further and then check my archives. I have to be close.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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HER TIME IS NOW ... 
The Cards: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: Less than some of your new boxes out there
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is more of a long-term buying project for me as I think Ripley has the potential to be an all-time great in the WWE's women's ranks. She's only 26 and has literally been wrestling half of her life, already has held WWE gold and this is her premium-brand Rookie Card (gaming cards don't count in my world) that has an iconic pose and is limited to only 50 copies. This one also is easily among the priciest of the unsigned cards in this pricey set that was made to be broken up. Only three of these are new additions for me but I had to take a pic of all five together as a bit of a brag -- I don't do that a lot and I don't like to give the prices when I spend big on stuff -- but this is a card I like ... and I'm definitely not done yet. She has other Rookie Cards (with logos ... this set didn't use them) from 2020 but this one will always be the best in my book and we know exactly how many exist and that it cost plenty for somebody else to land one. She's got another WrestleMania match against an all-time great, Charlotte Flair, here soon and I don't know exactly how that might go ... but I do know she's definitely worthy of a long and dominating title reign and a smackdown of a great would solidify her place. I think her time is now.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes can be found here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The boxes: 2018 Boys of Summer repack (MJ Holding)
Where to buy: Walmart and other retail chains ($9.98)

Keep reading for a breakdown of what was in this one along with a small gallery.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there's a little bit of everything.

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BUZZ IS FINE WITH NINES
The Card: Nick Chubb 2018 Donruss Optic Blue Prizm (/149) Rookie Card parallel (BGS 9)
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy was the top RB in the NFL in Week 4 with a monster game (and this one was purchased before that) but I'm thinking that he's among the better buys for last year's rookies right now because of where he's playing and the potential. If the Browns win big or at least improve impressively and have some moments, the 2018 RCs of Baker Mayfield and Chubb will arguably be the cards looked at first -- and Mayfield is already expensive so this guy might have more potential of the two. The basic versions of his cards are pretty easy finds, even when graded, so parallels are the way to go first in my mind. I grabbed this one since it was a tad cheaper than other versions but perhaps lower than it might be if it had been graded subgrades. (I'm fine with this type of BGS card as long as there's no obvious flaw showing to make you wonder.)
Grab a box right here: 2018 Donruss Optic NFL (a few formats)

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

The Card: 2018 Donruss Optic Red & Yellow #153 Baker Mayfield (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I found this one in a Mega Box and it was by far the best highlight of the bunch there so that's why you see it here. Mayfield has shown himself to be a spark plug among a good rookie crop since back when I pulled it, so that's another reason. A third? This brand is one that I like more than others. The color scheme of this card, a retail-exclusive, also looked good, so I figured I'd slab it up and see how it looked when it came back. These were very pricey when they first started arriving on eBay but I'm sure they have settled down by now -- still an impressive card to me either way and I'll be tucking this one away in my stash alongside my Bowman Chrome Tom Brady RC for the simple long-term appreciation. (Mine, not financial.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: At the point I submitted this one, there was at most one graded and I'm still surprised that there are so few slabbed. I also was surprised with the grade figuring I'd check in at a likely BGS 9 but I'll take it. I think high-grade copies of retail-only parallels found in certain formats could be tougher future finds than people might think.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? We recently launched 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. This is a faster break in that style — but not the launching of a new 12 in 12. We'll have another marathon this coming week. (Click the logo below to see the previous posts in the series.)

The box: 2016 Topps Archives baseball cards (blaster box)
The cost: $14.99 (originally $19.99)

What’s inside this box? Keep reading …

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Now that 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter has arrived, we get our second of the Kevin Costner autographed movie cards released by Topps this year.

While his Allen & Ginter card is not branded as a Field of Dreams card on the front, it does list (Ray) Kinsella as his name on the front. His 2016 Topps Archives card is clearly a Bull Durham card for the memorable Crash Davis character.

Both are memorable movies, which leads to a question of pure curiosity here ... which one would you want? Tell Buzz here on the poll or via Twitter.

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[polldaddy poll=9483080]

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Scenes inside fan caves, Topps NBA chips, big breaks, big blasters & the National Sports Collectors Convention.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big breaks, The National and Preacher.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2016 Topps Archives baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 192
Base set completion: 
175 of 300 (58 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Buster Posey, Albert Pujols, Satchel Paige, Carl Yastrzemski, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Trout, Stan Musial, Bryce Harper, Madison Bumgarner, Kris Bryant, Ted Williams, Carlos Correa, Stephen Strasburg, George Brett, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Eddie Mathews, Clayton Kershaw, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Aaron.

Rookie Cards (25) – Kaleb Cowart, Corey Seager, Michael Conforto, Miguel Sano, Colin Rea, Kyle Waldrop, Zack Godley, Jose Peraza, Trea Turner, Henry Owens, Zach Lee, Matt Reynolds, Mac Williamson, Jorge Lopez, Kyle Schwarber, Ketel Marte, Miguel Almonte, Aaron Nola, Brandon Drury, Peter O'Brien, Raul Mondesi, Travis Jankowski, Jon Gray, Socrates Brito, Gary Sanchez.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Prospecting disappointments, 2016 Topps Archives, big NFL breaks, comics and ongoing NSCC chatter.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2016 Topps Archives baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 80
Base set completion: 
74 of 300 (25 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Stephen Strasburg, George Brett, David Wright, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Eddie Mathews, Clayton Kershaw, Jose Bautista, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., Jose Fernandez, Yasiel Puig, Frank Thomas, Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams.

Rookie Cards (12) – Greg Bird, Henry Owens, Zach Lee, Brian Johnson, Miguel Sano, Kyle Waldrop, Colin Rea, Tom Murphy, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Raul Mondesi, Brandon Drury.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Behind the scenes at Topps in the early 1990s, The National autograph tickets, 2016 Topps Archives, I got you Babe and ... four 1/1s in one case?

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If you're looking for Bull Durham cards, this is definitely the brand -- but if you're looking for a gallery of the Durham autos and all the basic info about them known so far on release day, you'll need to click here.

This one's all about the quirks and the fun stuff found in 2016 Topps Archives, which officially arrives in hobby shops today with two autographs per hobby box but a nostalgic twist with past designs and today's players (and some legends, too).

What's been pulled so far? Keep reading ...

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It's been nearly 30 years since the arrival of Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh and on Wednesday he gets his first baseball card in a fully licensed MLB release.

The set, of course, is 2016 Topps Archives and the star brought to life by Tim Robbins is just one of the Bull Durham cards to be found inside packs. In all, there will be nine certified autographs to chase and seven unsigned cards along with any parallels.

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Annie Savoy, Bobby, Crash Davis, Jimmy, Larry Hockett, Millie, Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, Tony and Bull Durham creator Ron Shelton.

Those are the Durham autographs set to arrive in 2016 Topps Archives when it arrives on June 1, which is one week from today.

For those not familiar with the characters of the memorable baseball film, that's all of the main stars -- Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, Robert Wuhl, Jenny Robertson and a few others who helped bring the film to life.

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What: 2016 Topps Archives baseball cards
Arrives: June 1
Box basics: Two autographs in every 24-pack hobby box (10 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: All these years later, Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh makes it to The Show -- on Topps cardboard, that is -- as the stars of Bull Durham, are among the surprises in Topps' newest edition of the retro-themed brand. Previously teased were Kevin Costner's autographs but now we know it's potentially more than just Crash Davis coming to packs.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2016 Topps UFC Knockout MMA trading cards
Arrives: Spring 2016
Box basics: Two hits per pack with four 10-card packs per box, 12 boxes per case

What's buzz-worthy: The UFC women's division has faced some changes of late with Holly Holm dethroning Ronda Rousey as the champ so changes to the format of UFC Knockout also seem appropriate and seem just as big. This time around, there are two hits in every pack instead of one and there are just four packs in a box instead of 10. There will be at least one autograph per pack.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Crash Davis finally makes it back to The Show -- at least in packs of baseball cards.

Topps teased one inclusion coming in its 2016 Topps Archives set on Tuesday morning and it's a Kevin Costner certified autograph in a Durham Bulls uniform -- you know, the team that took center stage in Bull Durham.

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