Arracting Collectors and my meaning of "Hits"!

     I've been throwing a couple ideas/theories around in my head know for too long now.  I just watched the San Francisco Giants win the World Series.  I figured there would be no time like the present to write the blog I've been m mulling over and teasing those of you who have listening to my ramblings. I have been thinking about part of this blog since the Allen and Ginter retail baster boxes hit the shelves at retail stores.  The two main ideas of the blog are how retail is bring back the collectors and different meaning of the "Hit".  The blog may end in mid-thought or not.  It just depends on my progress and thoughts.  I am thinking this particular blog will be open ended so readers can add thoughts and so I can just pick where needed.      Collectors are coming back to the hobby.  I am one of them. They were flocking back with vengeance in June when Strasburg-Mania hit.  I went to several Wal-Mart stores when 2010 Bowman "supposedly" hit the retail store shelves.  I went to my local Wally-World the day I had heard that 2010 Bowman hit the retail stores.  I got to the card isle, #13, at my local WM.  They had one feeder box.  There was one other collector standing their thinking about how many packs to purchase.  I think there were about 15 to 20 packs left in the feeder book.  They had no blaster boxes or rack packs.  He took his 4 packs to check out.  I am still standing there trying to find the price per pack, so I would know how many pack I could by.  The other collected past and I stopped him..  I asked him what he was charged per pack.  The packs were $3.98.  As he walked off, he said, “I hope I pull a Heyward.”   I told him good luck and now with the price I could determine who many packs I could buy.  I had almost $15 on me, so I purchased four packs.  I got home and ripped through the packs like I missed Christmas three years straight.  Well, I did not get a Strasburg base or chrome.  I wasn’t disappointed, because it was my first four packs and I pulled Dustin Ackley and the Jason Heyward the other collect was looking for and I hope he did get one.  He probably got the Harper and Strasburg.  I went back to isle #13 about 4 or 5 hours later.  The packs were gone and even the feeder box was gone.  It was really strange.  It’s like they never had 2010 Bowman on the shelf.  I went on a mini-mission to other Wal-Mart stores in the surrounding counties in Northwest Georgia and the Chattanooga area.  None of the stores had even the hint of 2010 Bowman baseball at all.  Well that’s enough with the rant about 2010 Bowman Retail.  Most of the ’10 Bowman never hit retail stores.  It went straight to eBay at two to three times the retail price.
     The next release from Topps would be the 2010 Allen and Ginter.  I thought A&G would go the route of the 2010 Bowman.  After all, Topps included another Strasburg autograph and a hard to pull mini.  A&G did go the route of the ’10 Bowman retail for the first two weeks of the products release.  Which “by chance” was long enough for the code to be cracked.  When local retailors did get A&G feeder packs, rack packs, and blaster boxes, they had plenty and still do.  I bought two blaster boxes when they did hit the retail stores because I didn’t know if I would see anymore.  I noticed something with the first two boxes.  There was a jersey card in the first box and a Victor Martinez mini Bazooka back numbered to 25 in the second.  I chalked it up to just the luck of two boxes.  Next week, I purchased my third blaster box.  I pulled another jersey card from that box.  It got me to thinking maybe that Topps was trying to spread the wealth of the chase cards.  From accounts of other retail buyers, they were having the same kind of luck.  As Topps released product throughout the summer and into the fall including football, I noticed that I was getting a chase card per retail box.  I believe Topps is making the chase card more available in retail to make their product more attractive to casual and/or collectors on a budget.  Most of the chase cards I have seen in retail are of the non-auto variety, but autographs have popped from retail packs. 
     I would consider myself a collector on a budget and collector that is getting back into the hobby.  I read several blogs and message boards.  The word “Hit” is used mostly when autographs are pulled.  I believe “Hits” come in many forms.  An idea I think others share as well.  I actually think “hits” come anytime a chase card is pulled.  I think a numbered autograph would be a “Big Hit”, an autograph would be a “Hit”, and jersey, relic, #’d parallels, short prints as “Mini-Hits”.  The retail blaster boxes I have purchased have contained one “Mini-Hit”.  In past years, I don’t think I have seen with the regularity as I have this year the number of “Mini-Hits” in retail blaster boxes.  I think Topps is doing this to attract collectors to retail, bring back collectors to the hobby, and help spread the chase cards across Hobby and Retail buyers.
            As my stomach turns and head spins……….