Box Break: Topps 2007 Allen and Ginter Hobby

In trying to complete my set of A&G, I broke down and bought a hobby box. The details of the inserts and whatnot have been features so many other places, it's common knowledge what the contents of this set are. So I'm going to go right into the stats

Base Set: 144/350
Doubles: 0
Dick Perez Sketch Cards:24/30
Dick Perez Doubles: 0
Short Prints: 12
Short Print Parallel: 2 (Alex Rios, Michael Barrett)
Allen and Ginter Back Parallel: 4
Black Bordered Parallel: 2 (Victor Martinez, Adam Wainwright)
Black Boardered NNO Short Print: 1 (Jason Isringhousen)
Flags of All Nations: 2 (Brazil and Nigeria)
Relics: 2 (Aramis Ramirez jersey, Chad Tracy bat)
A-Rod Road to 500: 1 (HR# 274)
Hobby Box Topper: National Pride Puerto Rico

While I was hoping for some sort of autograph or printing plate in this box, I'll take what the box gave me. Set wise, this is one of the best boxes I've ever opened getting no doubles whatsoever. I really think this is the best set of the year by far. It's affordable, there are great inserts and the card design is spectacular. However, on these Dick Perez sketch cards, it looks like Dick should have taken maybe a bit more time on some of them. Is it just me or did Jim Edmonds turn out looking like Carson Daily? Also I've never really been a fan of inserts that run between series like the Mickey Mantle home run set or the A-Rod road to 500 set that is in this set and pretty much every other set that Topps puts out this year and maybe next year. It almost seems like they're doing inserts for the sake of doing inserts. But the inserts, along with the solid base set that includes people and monuments other than baseball players, are what drive this set. If there's one flaw with the way this set was handled, it would be neglecting to put a Perez sketch card in every pack in retail packs like is done in the hobby packs. This makes pack searching at the retail stores very easy and since the relics, autographs and printing plates are around the same thickness of the sketch cards, you can easily tell which retail packs has a sketch card or something better in them. So at the retail level, go pack searching and the worst thing that happens is that you end up with a sketch card and not a higher level of insert.
If you look on the back of the relics it says that whatever the game used memorobilia is is not from any specific season or game. But I really wish Topps would start putting what game and season the piece of whatever is from. Wouldn't it be much cooler that way? Yes they'd have to print different cards, but I mean why not? I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard for them to do this. But this box did help me get closer to my goal of a complete set. After 1 hobby box, 7 blaster boxes, and 15-20 retail packs, I still need 82 cards for the base set and one sketch card for that set. I do have lots of doubles so if anyone is interested in a trade, e-mail me.