Your 2018 Boston Red Sox, Courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik!

With the 2018 ALCS kicking off tonight, it seems like the perfect time to show off the contents of a much-appreciated PWE that I received recently from Joe of The Shlabotnik Report.

We'll start off with a card that I knew was on the way at some point, as Joe had reached out to me a while back after pulling it from a pack.  I love these inserts, based on the Transogram cards, and since Joe sent me the Mookie Betts earlier this year I now have a complete Red Sox team set of these inserts with this Devers in hand.

Here's a 2017 Opening Day insert showing the silly post-game celebration the Red Sox outfielders perform.  The rest of the cards from here on out are from 2018 releases; either Joe found a dime box at a show somewhere, or he's had tremendous luck pulling Red Sox this calendar year.

Let's start with some 2018 Opening Day.  From the "Before Opening Day" insert set this PWE included Andrew Benintendi...

...tonight's starter Chris Sale...

...and catcher Christian Vazquez.  I already had the Mookie Betts ping pong card from this insert set, and this trio gives me the balance of the Red Sox cards.  That's two insert team sets completed in this one envelope alone.

Oh boy.  I suppose as a team collector I had to end up with this one eventually.  Truth be told, the whole Sweet Caroline thing kind of drives me nuts, but to each his own.  I guess if it helps people enjoy the game so be it, but if they ditched this for next season I wouldn't complain.

It wasn't just inserts from 2018 Opening Day, as I got this Rainbow Blue Foil parallel of Christian Vazquez as well.  A very nice card, though the parallel that ends this post is even nicer.

Here's a Longball Legends insert from the 2018 Topps flagship set.  In an effort to give us even more versions of each card, Topps apparently printed different color versions of these inserts, with this one obviously being the blue variant.  I can't say I support that decision, but a new Ted Williams is a new Ted Williams I suppose.

Believe it or not, this Mookie Betts All-Star card is actually the very first base card from 2018 Topps Heritage to enter my collection.  I know Topps didn't exactly knock it out of the park with these as far as comparison to the original cards, but I still think that's a great looking piece of cardboard.  The Red Sox really need Mookie to pitch in a bit more in the ALCS here, as he hit just 3-for-16 in the ALDS against the Yankees.

Finally, here's a beautiful Independence Day parallel from the 2018 flagship set.  I honestly had no clue that these existed at all, but I love the appropriately patriotic look of these parallels.  They're fairly rare as well, with each being serial-numbered to relatively scant (and fitting) /76.  A very, very solid addition to an already awesome PWE.

Joe, thanks so much for the great batch o' Sox!  I shipped a return PWE last week, but I felt in retrospect like it was a bit on the weaker side, so there's actually another one destined for you sitting in my mailbox at this very moment with the flag up!