Could you clear something up for me? I am confused about this year’s Upper Deck Artifacts line. I’ve purchased a couple blasters of 2008 UD Artifacts at the big boxes already, but just last week I was in one of the local Hobby stores that was hocking boxes and packs of 2008 UD A Piece of History. I was confused. They appear to be the same card. Are they? Have Artifacts gone the way of the dodo? Is “A Piece of History = Artifacts” the new math?

I’d investigate this further on Upper Deck’s website, but it’s so woefully unusable that I’d rather eat a handful of mulch than look for anything useful there. I’m counting on you, my smart, intelligent readers to clear things up. I haven’t been following this very closely, so I may have missed a glaringly obvious announcement. Any help is appreciated.

97 – Hank Blalock: Hmmm, Blalock isn’t bad, but this certainly isn’t the greatest start to our first bust here on the site. Things can only go up from here.

6 – Brandon Webb: Okay, that’s better. Webb finished 2nd in the NL Cy Young voting. That’s got to count for something, right?

73 – Vladimir Guerrero: Vlad the Impaler is one of those guys who is easy to root for. No complaints here.

39 – Ian Snell: I’m going to have to plead ignorance here. I don’t think I could name two Pirates players, and that includes Snell.

AP-2 – Albert Pujols: The insert of the pack, kind of a meh from me. Not a fan of Pujols.

To recap:
Pack: 2007 SP Authentic Baseball
Price: $7.00

97 – Hank Blalock
6 – Brandon Webb
73 – Vladimir Guerrero
39 – Ian Snell
AP-2 – Albert Pujols

Verdict: Uninspiring.