Aubrey Huff, 2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #342

Prepare yourselves...it's coming.

What did you say? What's coming? Seriously, have you been living under a rock? Gint-A-Cuffs is coming.

For the uninitiated, Gint-A-Cuffs is an annual contest that pits willing and hearty card bloggers from all ends of the earth against one another in feats of box-breaking supremacy. Started way back in the year two-thousand-and-nine by fellow Oriole fan Beardy, this hullabaloo goes as follows:

1. Challengers contact Beardy and Mark A. (the GAC Commissioner) to throw their names in the ring. A favorite team and favorite player must be listed in the entry. FYI, I listed the Orioles (of course) and Adam Jones (Brian Roberts was already taken).

2. Challengers purchase one (1) hobby box of the current year's Allen and Ginter cards.

3. Challengers rip open all 24 packs, and post the results on their blogs by the end of August.

4. Scores are tabulated according to the rules posted by the commissioner. This year's scoring criteria have not yet been determined, but traditionally points are awarded for special cards (inserts, short prints, autographs, relics, whathaveyou), cards of the challenger's favorite team, and cards of any challenger's favorite player. Points may also be deducted for cards of certain players, as chosen by the commissioner.

5.When the dust settles, the challenger who is verified as having the highest score is declared the winner of Gint-A-Cuffs and wins a super-special prize. This year, the prize is a shiny new hobby box of 2011 A&G, provided by Topps, who is officially sponsoring Gint-A-Cuffs!

This is the first time that I've stepped up to the plate as a Gint-A-Cuffs competitor. It seems like a lot of fun, and I'm all for anything that makes collecting more enjoyable. Plus, it's the perfect opportunity to talk a little trash to my contemporaries.

You hear that, dayf? Show's over. You might as well wave the white flag now, Night Owl. You're going down, Commishbob.

Bring on the Gint-A-Cuffs.