1990 - 1994 Countdown: #21. 1994 SP

Yes, I can feel your stares on the back of my neck. And I’m ready for the comments expressing your incredulity at my not including this set in the top 20 of the early decade. First ’93 Upper Deck and now this? This one even has an A-Rod rookie! What, exactly, are you smoking?

Yes, 1994 SP was one of a handful of sets to including an Alex Rodriguez rookie card. Actually, it had four of them, plus a special autographed version available through Upper Deck Authenticated. But this is not the A-Rod Countdown, so I’ve approached sets with Rodriguez rookies like I did a few years back with those sets with Canseco, Clemens, Bonds and other hobby titan rookies (nice company, eh Alex?). This hasn’t been done to spread my personal dislike of Rodriguez, but because sets have to be rated objectively. Maybe you don’t agree with my rankings (and wait till you see who made the top ten!). That’s fine; let’s open the debate. I’m not doing this countdown to make friends (or really enemies, for that matter).

1994 SP was a beauty of a set. The cards weren’t the first to be printed on metallic stock, but they were the first to silhouette the players in such a way that they appeared grounded in reality, not floating through some Lawnmower Man alternative dimension. They were little pieces of gold, and packs were insanely expensive for the time (and today. Have you tried buying a pack? Forget it. It will probably run you $20 or more, and I’m guessing that it will keep going up as Rodriguez races towards the career home run mark).

I only bought one pack of these when they came out, and even though I got mostly commons—though check out the Delgado die-cut; yeahhh boy-eee—I coveted them like they were the treasure of the Sierra Madre.

But so what? As Upper Deck’s answer to the Finest and Leaf brands, SP may have been the popular choice as 1994’s king of the premiums, but that wasn’t exactly a tall order: Topps Finest couldn’t rebottle the magic of its debut set in 1993 and Leaf/Limited wasn’t that great (though it too had a Rodriguez rookie on its checklist). And besides, SP was the hot shit second fiddle to Topps Finest in 1993. That Upper Deck’s competitive fire was enough to turn the tables on Topps in 1994 was almost to be expected. That’s the way things work.

I’m not trying to come across as downplaying a set of SP’s caliber, but I… ah forget it. Call this set #17. Dammitt… now I have to rethink my top twenty.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #22. 1992 Studio

Hi there. I’m Gary Sheffield. I was just pomading my phat-ass Kid’N’Play hi-top fade. If you're wondering how I keep it so perfectly coiffed... well, let’s just say a couple drops of flaxseed oil under the tongue helps.



This is one of the most underrated sets of the early decade in terms of design and on-card content (as opposed to checklist, which was mostly a dud). 1992 saw Studio incorporate a warmly lit color headshot (less Herb Ritts and more… stock photography? The creativity of the headshot photography in this set was a little suspect) set against a larger black and white action photo. Its border design bears a strong resemblance to the same year’s Gold Edition from Leaf, though in its inverse (large gold border highlighted by a thin black frame). The thin gloss coat makes the colors pop on the front and shows off a classy ‘Studio’ watermark on the back.

Like the other Studio sets, what really gave this set oomph was the biographical data it gave on the back. While not as punchy as, say, 1992-93 Skybox basketball, the Studio sets provided more than enough unintentionally hilarious information. For a lesson in the power of juxtaposition, look no further than Paul Molitor: Intense Individual:

Hobbies are golf and racquetball… Favorite singer is Bruce Springsteen; actor is Robert De Niro; movie is Silence of the Lambs; book is the Bible.

…can you imagine being roommates with him on the road? Yikes.

All right, so this set is ranked probably a little too high. But tell me, why am I a sucker for Senior Superlative sets? Were the other brands really that boring by comparison? It’s fascinating that a brand like Studio could survive more than one or two years, and yet it effortlessly transcended its novelty status in 1991 to a real set, with real cards—produced every year—that carried weight in the Hobby almost until the end of the decade (the last Studio set was released in 1998). The brand even gave the Hobby one of its most memorable insert sets of the early decade in Heritage (debuting in this 1992 edition).

I should amend my thoughts at the beginning of this review. This set isn’t underrated: it has a weak base checklist and the design—while quality—is about on par with other sets one step up from the manufacturers’ respective flagships. What this set is is surprising. Surprising in that it’s surprising that it was made, surprising that the hobby, while reveling in its own bloated-ness, could float a set like this for more than just a year, and surprising that as a brand Studio flourished for eight years, mostly on the combined strengths of the emotional angle of the cards and the one, excellent insert set.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #23. 1992 Upper Deck

While other kids my age were busy doing whippets under the bleachers after school, I was at home, in my room, by myself, blowing my mind with the three-photo cards found in 1992 Upper Deck. Upper Deck debuted the gimmick in 1989, but it was hardly old hat three years later. I mean, did you hear me? Three photos on one card! And they all overlapped! The concept rocked then, and it still rocks today (I’ve stared at this card of Ken Griffey, Jr. now for at least five minutes straight and still can’t figure out if I’m looking at three or four overlapped photos).

With cards like these stealing the spotlight, you almost forget that 1992 Upper Deck had all the hallmarks of a great set: a fantastic design, memorable rookies, fun subsets and a checklist that didn’t turn anybody away at the door. Toss in a bizarre (yet timely) insert of Tom “Mr. Baseball” Selleck, an autographed Ted Williams Hero(es) Worship card and enough holograms to start your own hall of mirrors and you were looking at probably the best set Upper Deck had assembled up to that point. Taking nothing away from its landmark inaugural set from 1989, 1992 Upper Deck was great simply because it didn’t look cheap, with its bright colors, inviting graphics and thinly glossed stock, even though it was.

And that’s an important distinction to make. 1989 wasn’t a cheap set to buy into, even though it probably should have been: the cards, while totally revolutionary at the time, have not aged very well (outside of the Griffey rookie and two or three others). They feel flimsy, with dull, muted colors and photography that doesn’t jump as far off the page as it probably should, given the set’s stature in the hobby. But cards from 1992? Perhaps because it was never going to be (or intended to be) considered a Pillar of the Hobby-type set, it hasn’t had as far to fall. My argument’s coming out all convoluted, but the gist is that because 1990 Upper Deck missed out on one of the biggest rookies of the year (Frank Thomas) and 1991’s design can best be described as ‘eye-gougingly painful,’ the expectations for 1992’s set were very low. Obviously, Upper Deck learned from the previous two years’ mistakes and had a few tricks up their sleeves, but if anything the set’s goal seemed to have some fun out there. And it passed with flying colors (not to mention with a stash of three-photo motion cards).

I should probably also mention something about the ill-advised Comic Ball 3 set, as it featured much of the same design as 1992 Upper Deck. All I can say is that the Upper Deck writers must’ve been on something more potent than junior high-strength whippets in order to come up with coherent dialogue between Jim Abbott and the Tasmanian Devil. I mean, writing for Reggie Jackson and Daffy Duck is easy: they’re both obsessed with themselves. But Jim Abbott and Taz? First, I thought Taz could only shriek nonsense, and second, I didn’t realize Jim Abbott had enough personality to carry a conversation, much less one with a cartoon character.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #24. 1992 Score

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but lately I’ve been writing up a storm. There’s a reason: I’m moving and will have only limited access to a computer next week. Besides, I’ve made you wait long enough for more of the Nineties Countdown, right?


I should come right and say it: I was a Score Man in the early Nineties. After what I thought were ugly 1988 and 1989 sets, there was little the flagship could do wrong over the next five years (divided into two distinct parts: the free wheeling, massive mass-consumption trilogy from 1990 to 1992, and the more refined, scaled-back and grown-up sets from 1993 and 1994). That’s quite remarkable, especially for an era when the best description for the majority of sets was ‘treacherous.’

Score put the behemoths to bed in style: a futuristic base card design complemented by a handful of subsets (including the benchmark ‘Dream Team’), plus decent inserts, special factory set cards and a checklist of roughly six billion (alright, that’s a stretch, but I’m not off by much). And the best part of it all? It was easy to collect. Packs were cheap and if by 1992 putting together a set through packs wasn’t really your thing (and who can blame you, what with all the high-dollar inserts making pack buying more of a lavish exercise rather than a necessity), you could saunter down to your local drugstore and buy the whole factory set.

And the trick of it was that Score knew their sets were gigantic and that collectors would want a factory set option. Hell, they even encouraged such thinking amongst the rank and file (I bought the factory set from 1990 to 1992). Why else would they have included all those attractive factory set inserts (Cooperstown, DiMaggio, Yaz, World Series)? It was as if they were saying that the only thing you’d get from buying packs (besides possibly completing the set) was pack fatigue.

But the thing about buying the factory set that sort of ruined the experience was that you couldn't enjoy each card. A lot of kids I knew didn't even take the cards out of the box once they got it home. Not me. I dumped the set out and fully incorporated it with the rest of my collection. Today I still I have the empty factory set box, but damned if I know where its contents are.

And this was a set that was meant to be thumbed through, you know? Out of 893 base cards, there were 60 denoted subset cards (including the crazy, Cool World-esque mind-bending cartoons-in-the-real-world All Stars) and at least 141 rookies and top prospect cards. That's a quarter of the set right there. That most of them didn't pan out (or their 1992 Score incarnation wasn't their real rookie) hardly mattered in the end. Overall, a glorious, gluttonous set.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #25. 1993 Studio

While the countless other brands fought tooth and nail for a foothold in the hobby, GlamorShots, excuse me, Studio was the only set with a truly unique position: showcase the players as well-rounded individuals. And do so on great-looking cards. Instead of re-inventing the wheel each and every year, all they had to do was pull down a different backdrop: 1991 saw the classic charcoal, 1992 had a close up on a craquelure newspaper photo and 1993 gave us jersey detail. All that was missing was the hand-on-chin pose in front of the bookcase and soft-focus lighting on stars in the night sky.

For Studio, baseball was just window-dressing. The real focus was the emotional side of each player. From Curt Schilling: Hobbies are golf, war gaming and military history… Might have been a history teacher if he hadn’t been an athlete. And from Robin Yount: Hobbies are golf, motorcycles, cars and fishing… Might have been in professional racing if he hadn’t been a baseball player.

The key to this set was that players had lives off the field (who knew Curt Schilling liked to play Risk?), and were somewhat normal human beings with normal, everyday dreams. Robin Yount wanted to be the next Richard Petty? Me too. It’s the ‘me too’ aspect that takes down the wall between player and fan and endears them to us (damn you, psychological window dressing!).

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #26. 1992 Leaf

If we remove the overt references to astrology, 1992 Leaf is the baseball card equivalent to the premise of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. Struggling brand/team that nobody wants? Check. Hare-brained schemes crazy enough they just might work? Check.

All right, the comparison is a bit of a stretch, but let’s step back for a moment and take stock of where Leaf was heading into 1992.

With its spectacular mix of winning design, hot-ticket rookies and limited availability, Leaf’s re-birth from Canadian Donruss to full-bodied super-premium set was the talk of the hobby in 1990. On the heels of that unbridled success, something happened that should have been avoided, but also probably expected: 1991 Leaf was a bloated, ugly mess, not only devoid of rookies within the base set, but released in such mass quantities that it pushed the brand from thoroughbred to laughingstock overnight.

Faced with the harsh reality that nobody really looked to their product for hobby gold anymore, the company did something interesting. While other brands added scores of new bells and whistles to make their products stand out, Leaf managed to give their set relevance again by adding only one: the Gold Edition parallel. By simply seeding one gorgeous gold-foil-on-black-border card per pack, Leaf was back. Oh sure, it helped that 1992’s design was cleaner than the hideous cards from the previous year, but a parallel set was something entirely new at the time*, and no set had done black borders since 1987 Donruss, a design motif that added a certain emotional weight to the card.

Was 1992 Leaf a great set? Not really (it wasn’t ever really a powerhouse set). But what it lacked in pizzazz it more than made up for with a clean design and simple, forward-thinking inserts.


*1992 also saw the introduction of Topps Gold, though those were harder to find than Leaf’s one per pack. Leaf’s 1992 Gold Edition would be the brand's only base set parallel until 1996’s Press Proofs set.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #27. 1993 Upper Deck

I’ve always liked this set. Actually… how I feel towards this set goes a little deeper than just liking it. I like like this set (if you know what I mean). Is that embarrassing? Perhaps. But let’s just say that were I invited to Upper Deck’s house for a party in the basement and we just happened to play spin the bottle, and when I spun it just by chance pointed in 1993’s direction, well, let’s just say that I wouldn’t be against spending five minutes in the laundry room with the set. Alone.

Why? C’mon, do you even have to go there? Okay. Fine, I’ll tell you—but you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. And don’t expect me to make eye contact with you while I tell you this.

It’s because I’ve never felt ashamed of the fact that I bought the factory set and paid full retail price (at least $40 at the time). It’s because it was probably the best-designed Upper Deck set from their first five years (1989 to 1994). And yes, that includes both 1993 and 1994 SP.

It’s because 1993 saw Upper Deck fall in love with gold metallic ink, resulting in the super-attractive Top Prospects design, as well as the script player name (first use of script since 1990 Donruss) on the base card front. That script on the front was classy, especially when combined with the thick white borders, the warm, vibrant photography and the sheen of the UV gloss. And because it was classy, I was classy for appreciating it, elevating me from pimply, 14-year-old introvert to discerning Man Of The World.

But beyond design, I love the little things: the Peter Gammons ‘Inside the Numbers’ subset, the obvious Score/Pinnacle rip-off inserts like ‘Then & Now’ and the Iooss Collection, not to mention the unparalleled ‘Teammates’ subset, like this one of the Texas Rangers’ ‘Latin Stars.’ (Quite a group, eh? Also, Juan Gonzalez’s hand on Palmeiro’s shoulder kind of creeps me out.) Topps has tried to bring back this kind of subset with their ‘Classic Combos’ incarnation, but no subset since 1993 has outdone ‘Teammates.’ It’s definitely one of Upper Deck’s greatest contributions to the hobby.

Finally, I love this set because it’s Upper Deck like we’ve never seen it before: quietly putting out a great, no-real-frills set, the bombast of previous years replaced by a quality checklist and a great design.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #28. 1994 Donruss

This was a gorgeous set. Sure, some of the inserts were ugly (MVPs, Long Ball Leaders, Spirit of the Game, Elite, Award Winners), but others were fantastic (Decade Dominators, anyone?) and the base set was probably the nicest-looking Donruss design since… well, at least since the black’n’red of 1985.

But what really made this set unbelievable was that just three years earlier Donruss still held tight to their nerdy line motif. And yet, despite 1992 being one of the worst designs of the early decade, without it and the 1993 set, there’s a good chance that 1994 would look very different (this kind of design transition was nothing new to the hobby: in 1969 Topps released a minimalist set, then in 1970 did gray borders, setting up a short-lived design renaissance consisting of 1971’s black borders and 1972’s psychedelia). Let’s take a step back for a moment to note how 1994 Donruss came to pass (from a design sense).

1991 was the last ‘traditional’ Donruss issue, with thick patterned borders that completely surrounded the photograph on the front and came in two colors (green and blue), dependent on the series, not the team. ’91 also marked the last year of the pictureless, statistic-heavy two-color back (black for text and a border in the same green or blue of the front). 1992, while hideous in design, moved the set onto a better, more durable stock, with a four-color front and back, replete with a headshot. Because they added color (and thus photography) to the card backs, Donruss took a step away from showcasing row after row of statistics. 1993 saw more of the same: the borders on the front got thinner, the photography got more adventurous on both the front and back, and while they provided roughly 40% of the back for stats, gone was the always-entertaining ‘Career Highlights’ section (usually devoted to recounting a player’s freak injuries). For more on 1991, 1992, and 1993 Donruss, see earlier Nineties Countdown posts.

So then it made sense that 1994 would feature borderless photography on the front (it was next logical step). What was truly amazing was that Donruss made the backs borderless photos as well (with overlaid graphics); biographical information and statistics seemed as mere afterthoughts on these cards. And while I’m usually a proponent of full career statistics, the sparse use of typography (in any form) works well in this design.

Coupled with the more refined design was a refined checklist. 1994 saw the return to 660 cards, and the checklist had a ‘classic Donruss’ feel (despite there being no Diamond Kings in the base set, or, for the first time in 11 years, any Rated Rookies). And the set was not even really hurt by the fact that there weren’t Rated Rookies (though it would’ve been nice to have a 1994 Alex Rodriguez Rated Rookie, right?) or really any other, unmarked rookies to speak of. 1994 was all about veterans, doing veteran things, including a subset of cards celebrating various veterans’ accomplishments spread out over the checklist (many of them checklists themselves). There was even an insert of 1984 reprints.

I was 15 years old in 1994. And with greasy, matted hair, embarrassingly thick glasses, and a face full of pimples and a mouth full of braces, I was old enough to appreciate a thing of beauty.


These scans are from TwinsCards. Visit their great site if you get a chance.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #29. 1994 Upper Deck

There are a few things I’ve never been able to figure out: the inner workings of the female brain, the inherent difference between Go-Bots and Transformers and what the point was of the elongated black and white photo in the lower left of the 1994 Upper Deck design. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never understand women, and I’ve decided that even though I couldn’t tell them apart, I liked the Go-Bots almost as much as Transformers. But that little black and white photo? I think we should get to the bottom of this one together.

It’s a funhouse mirror? The misguided beginnings of a Fibonacci sequence? Oh wait, I’ve got it… It’s a waste of precious real estate! It’s as if Upper Deck’s design team, by 1994 in the middle of the pack in terms of overall design (1. Score/Pinnacle; 2. Topps; 3. Upper Deck; 4. Fleer; 5. Puke; 6. Donruss; that’s right, ‘Puke’ boasted a better overall design than Donruss prior to 1994), all ate brown acid in the photo lab and embarked on a bummer of catastrophic proportions, only to commemorate it with a bizarrely skewed Mini-Me photo in the lower left. Don’t worry, they told themselves. Ain’t nobody gonna care ’bout a little old photo.

Well, I care, and not only because I’ve been stumped by its significance for almost 14 years. I care because it ruined a pretty great design, and ruined a possible four-year run—from 1992 through 1995—of great design that rivals anything any of the other sets had put out since 1976. (But, ah, let’s put the little black and white photo to bed. It’s tired. And it’s gotten me all riled up…)

As for the rest of the design, it’s a winner. Full bleed photography on both front and back, silver foil logo and player name on front and copper metallic typography on the back. Not to mention ample statistics and no clutter. What can you say? Upper Deck rides again.

For your consideration: before Topps re-ignited its relationship with old flame Mickey Mantle, Upper Deck had him. And while they were not so bold as to ram him down collectors’ throats in the base set, Upper Deck gave him ample voice in the insert department, including a wet-your-pants-if-you-found-it dual autograph card with Ken Griffey Jr. And one last thing about this set before we move on: 1994 was the first year of base set parallels in packs of any Upper Deck product (in addition to flagship’s ‘Electric Diamond,’1994 also saw the ‘Silver Signature’ set in Collector’s Choice, the ‘125th Anniversary’ set in All-Time Heroes and the die-cuts in SP). It’s hard to believe that Topps had something two full years before their west coast rivals, but there you go.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #30. 1993 Fleer

Honestly, I didn’t think Fleer had it in them to create a well-designed set, but 1993’s offering was pretty great. Actually, I should probably amend that: the front of the card was great. The backs, not so much.

Coming off an unprecedented string of bad card design (1989 to 1992), the 1993 Fleer fronts were like a breath of fresh air: nothing competed with the photo for attention, borders were a dull metallic silver and name, team and position were relegated to the left vertical border. Even the Fleer logo was reserved. And everything was treated with a light gloss. In a word: nice.

1993 wasn’t the first year Fleer’s base set boasted a full-color back, but it was the first year you really noticed. With an action shot of the player silhouetted against a large graphic of their last name, the player’s stats and biographical information were mere afterthoughts. Sure, it was an ordered mess, but it always felt like they could’ve done more with less back there.

Like 1993 Donruss and 1991 Topps, 1993 Fleer can best be described as a transition set. 1993 was the first year Fleer applied any sort of gloss to the base set, and the last year the base set was free of any sort of foil stamping. Also, it wasn’t the first year the company included inserts (you’ll have to go back to 1986 for that), but it was the year Fleer took a moderate step towards their soon-to-be unchallenged position in the hobby as the House of 1,000 Inserts (128 to be exact, up from 100 in 1992). To be fair, 1994 was really the year Fleer went batshit crazy for inserts; ’94’s master set included—are you sitting down?—236 different insert cards.

And you know what? The various 1993 inserts were attractive additions to the brand. Hey, I don’t mean to imply that a lot of inserts automatically kill a set’s overall attractiveness. They can make a set better if they pull their own weight. And I think that’s the case here, with the possible exception of the Tom Glavine Hero Worship set, but even that one contributes a nifty autographed card.

No, what really sinks Fleer’s ship is the fact that there are so many cards on the checklist with very little going on (720 in the base set plus 310 in Final Edition, that’s 1,030 total base cards, plus 128 inserts… making it 1,158 cards for the 1993 Fleer master set. That’s a gigantic set with very little payoff. I say ‘very little payoff’ because of those 1,158 cards, none of them featured Derek Jeter. Or Chipper Jones. And out of the two rookie-centric insert sets, only a handful of the 56 players included were any good (even at the time). It boils down to a lot of nothing. Nice to look at, sure, but nothing nonetheless.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #32 - 31

32. 1990 Upper Deck
If you were Upper Deck, how would you have followed the seminal 1989 set? With an equally revered set in terms of design, availability and checklist, or by capitalizing on the hype surrounding your somewhat limited 1989 production run with a flood of product?

I haven’t looked at Card Sharks since reading it last summer, so forgive me if I paraphrase. The gist of the situation was that because the 1989 set took almost the whole hobby by surprise, everybody and his brother wanted to get in on the ground floor for Upper Deck’s 1990 release. Upper Deck, understanding the situation, was smart because they required dealers to buy in way in advance, guaranteeing a wide distribution. Then, as dealers realized en masse that the 1990 product was kind of a dud—and that the hobby was flooded with massive amounts of the product—Upper Deck was already laughing its way to the bank.

Why was it a dud? A couple of reasons. First, it wasn’t 1989 Upper Deck. The inaugural set was impossible to follow; any set in its wake was going to suffer. Second, the player that 1990 UD should have put on card #1 (Frank Thomas) wasn’t even included in the set (he wouldn’t find his way onto an Upper Deck card until 1991). Third, the stock was flimsy and the design seemed weak in comparison to 1989. I say that it ‘seemed’ weak because it actually wasn’t, it was just minimal to a fault. Fourth, there were so many of these cards that the special-ness of the Upper Deck brand seemed to evaporate.

But even though it was a dud at the time, the cards survive well. Sure, the stock is flimsy, some of the rookies have fallen by the wayside, and the design is a little boring, but it’s not a bad follow-up, especially when you take the situation into account. It bears repeating: any set would have had a hard time playing successor to 1989 Upper Deck.


31. 1993 Donruss
After creating birdcage-lining sets with ballooned checklists in 1991 and 1992, Donruss did something peculiar in 1993: they released a nice set that was worthwhile to collect. (They also did something interesting that didn’t seem so at the time: they released a set of 792 cards, the number of cards Topps practically trademarked in the Eighties. Why 792? It broke down nicely to two 396-card series. Ironically, though it didn’t feel that way, it was Donruss’ largest base set ever.)

It’s almost as if they frantically yelled ‘Wait! Wait!’ in vain as the trucks left the printing plant in 1992. Lesser companies would’ve turned to drink and vice, and probably closed up shop. Donruss just went back to the drawing board and came up with a somewhat attractive design, a balanced checklist worth buying into for both series, and inserts that felt more like true inserts rather than glorified subsets.

They also breathed new life into the by-then stale Rated Rookie subset by spreading the cards out over the entire set, and paring down the amount of them to 34 (from 40 in 1991 and 44 in 1992). By doing this, Donruss no longer felt naked without the Diamond Kings as a base set subset. It also allowed the Rated Rookie to become more of an event card (see the David Nied RR on #792, the last card of the set).

In addition to all the improvements on the base set, 1993 Donruss should be characterized as the brand’s transition set. It was the first Donruss set since 1981 without a puzzle. And even though they had separated the Diamond Kings into their own insert set in 1992, 1993 saw the brand put a greater emphasis on inserts (seven sets in all). The rest of the Donruss Nineties would follow suit.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #35 - 33

35. 1993 Leaf
I’m sorry, but even white boys have to shout: Even though this marked Leaf’s first foray into full-bleed photography, foil stamping and shiny hologram printing, the night skylines on the back outshined whatever bells and whistles they could throw in. It should have been the front design. With all apologies to Sir Mix-a-Lot, 1993 Leaf is the ‘Baby-Got-Back’ set of the early Nineties.

The checklist? A snooze, with no major rookies to speak of (unless you count Curtis Leskanic as a major rookie), and Ben McDonald slated on card #1. Also: 106 inserts seeded over three series, including possibly the first cross-brand cards: Frank Thomas Hero Worship. I remember these cards in 1993 Studio; they were in Leaf as well.


34. 1992 Stadium Club
It is for this set (and 1991 Leaf) that ‘sophomore slump’ applies the best. Oh sure, I’ve thrown the term around quite freely over the course of this Countdown, but it is the very definition of 1992 Stadium Club.

Coming on the heels of one of the most iconic sets of the early decade, Topps tried to make this edition even better than the previous one. Because we’re talking about 1992, that meant adding inserts and send-away offers, not to mention opening up the checklist to seemingly include every major leaguer, and everyone they went to high school with–a whopping 900 cards in all (up from 600 in 1991). And yet even with all these base cards, and in one of the best rookie crop years to boot, there are few (if any) major rookies in the whole base checklist.

Instead, they were lumped into the special ‘SkyDome’ box set, along with the other subsets that Topps should have included in the base set: All Stars, Draft Picks and World Series Highlights. Maybe these cards weren’t included in the regular set because of timing. I don’t know. What I do know is that this special 200-card set is more exciting than the 900-card behemoth it followed, and had Topps cut out 200 cards from the base to include these SkyDome cards, 1992 Stadium Club would have been a more logical follow-up to 1991.


33. 1994 Studio
It was hard not to like Donruss’ Studio brand: the photography was amazingly sharp, the checklist wasn’t bloated, the overall base design was attractive and for the most part, it seemed like the set had little if anything to do with baseball. Of course, it had everything to do with the game, but since its inception in 1991 with those hideous charcoal-background portraits, Studio was all about infusing the stars of the game and the game itself with an artistic sensibility, like Diamond Kings come to life.

And like every other brand in the early Nineties, Studio was not immune to the insert craze. But because the base design was so classy, naturally it rubbed off on the inserts (actually, I shouldn’t say ‘naturally,’ because even some sets with the best base designs had some terribly-designed inserts; 1993 and 1994 Donruss come to mind). Studio debuted the tiered Silver and Gold Stars sets, as well as the filmstrip ‘Editor’s Choice’ (the film strip design motif seemed to be a big deal in the early Nineties, probably because of the heightened emphasis on quality photography). 1994 also saw the continuation of the ‘Heritage’ insert (contemporary stars dressed in historic uniforms), a personal favorite.

So if this set is so great, why does it rank somewhere in the middle of the pack? Simply put: it’s fluff. 220 base cards hardly constituted a major issue, and if it was real statistics you were after, Studio was not the place to look. But if it was senior superlative, yearbook-type body copy and old-timey boardwalk dress-up you wanted, Studio was your set.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #36. 1993 Pinnacle

Black borders and a single white hairline surround crisp photography. Player name along the bottom, team name along the top. Thinly glossed. And a full-color back (de rigueur by 1993), featuring a simple, elegant headshot on what looks like a sponge-painted, GlamorShots backdrop. The only faults may be the choice of body copy font, the little dots that separate the information on front and back, and the Pinnacle logo itself. Otherwise, it’s one of the most striking designs of the early Nineties, and possibly one of the simplest.

You could characterize 1993 Pinnacle as a ‘sophomore slump’ set. The brand’s 1992 debut was a hard act to follow, and the by-then classic Score mindset took over for 1993’s checklist: choke ’em to death with subsets. Of the 620 cards in the base set, only 437 had no extraneous logos, and weren’t part of a subset. But it wasn’t only subsets that killed this checklist—it was an overkill of inserts. Though some of them were good, even great, and all of them of flawless design, there were just so many of them: 195 in all. That’s practically enough for a third series of cards!

Collectors harp on sets with a glut of inserts, not because we don’t like getting them in packs (we do). It’s because it’s a daunting proposition, as if the manufacturer understands neither the collector nor the climate of the hobby. A collector may like your product, even so much so that he or she decides to collect your set. But inevitably they will like other sets as well, so if you overwhelm them with inserts, you will most likely end up with a number of beleaguered collectors turned off by your product. This same thing happened to Topps recently with the Generation Now and Home Run History inserts. There were so many (seemingly) different inserts that collectors (or at least this one) were turned off to the product. But I digress.

Like 1992, this set was released in two series. Like 1992, the black borders and backs set off the clear, somewhat washed-out colors of the photos. The highlight of the set is without a doubt the “Now & Then” subset, horizontal cards featuring a slew of veterans shown in two photos: one taken in 1992, the other in their respective rookie years (like this one of Robin Yount doing his best early Larry Bird impression). It makes for a classy card, and I don’t think I’m too far off base by naming it one of the early decade’s best subsets.

I want to like this set more, but I just can’t. The rookie class is weak beyond Jeter, the Expansion Draft subset has a chokehold on much of the checklist, and the inserts, despite their overall quality, outweigh the base set. It’s really the Now & Then subset that keeps me coming back, and really only–you guessed it–now and then.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: 1991 Topps: The most important Topps set ever? No, but…

37. 1991 Topps

Though generally not that great and a little on the cheap side, excuse me, way on the cheap side, 1991 Topps should be remembered as a watershed for the company, a much-needed transition (read: mid-life crisis) set from the mealy-cardboard Eighties to the sleek, sophisticated Nineties.

It was the last Topps set without images or color on the back of the card, and the last to use straight, no-gloss cardboard. Also, it was the first set on which Topps did any kind of foil stamping, with a delicate gold-foil palm trees logo for the much-sought-after Desert Shield parallel set distributed to the troops in the Middle East.

It was the first set where Topps put a heightened emphasis on the photography, probably due to a combination of trickled down Kodak/Stadium Club quality and the sudden realization that Upper Deck and Score routinely–and handily–beat them on the photo front. (Granted, this photo-centric attitude only lasted through the 1992 flagship set, but it was important nonetheless.) It was important not only because the subsequent photos were of higher quality, but there were a few cards that featured photos which were obviously staged. I’m not talking about a sidelines shot of a pitcher at the end of his windup. I’m talking about a photo like this one of Benito Santiago. The photographer is sitting on a crane, or an especially tall ladder, Benito’s got his game face on, the lighting’s just right, and it’s not an in-game shot. It’s got a cinematic quality, and because it seems Topps didn’t have access to the three-frame, overlapping motion photography that Upper Deck was using, it was as close as Topps could get to a stunt card.

It was also the first set where Topps acknowledged their own place in history on each and every card (not just as a sidebar or for a Turn Back the Clock subset). With ’40 Years of Baseball’ emblazoned just below the Topps logo on the front of each card, the company was staking their claim as the baseball card company. It seemed a little stodgy to me at the time, but it makes a lot of sense: it was a way–perhaps the best way, as it didn’t really require very much–to distinguish the cards in a very crowded marketplace. And wouldn’t you know it? 17 years later Topps still clings to this angle. (It also made sense at the time because Topps released Archives: 1953 Topps that same year. As an aside, I’ve decided not to include the three mid-Nineties Archives sets (1953, 1954, Dodgers) in this Countdown. I didn’t think it would be fair to the other sets, as 1953 and 1954 are, in their original form, top 10 classic sets, and the Dodgers set was a compilation set.)


Is 1991 a pretty set? Hardly. It’s not as ugly as its evil stepsister 1990 Topps, but it’s up there. I guess I would call it ‘utilitarian.’ Thin lines rule in the front-of-card design (an obvious precursor to 1992), and actually the gaudiest contribution to the front is the ’40 years…’ logo. Also, team names are represented by a variation of their respective logos, sitting atop a pennant-style rectangle (the first pennant since 1980). I believe the team logo thing was the first time this occurred on a Topps design (and last, thank God). As you can see from this card of Larry Walker, anything that wasn’t a line or line-based in its design (like the Rookie Cup) seems disjointed and out of place with the rest. The icon floats, which can work (see 1978 Topps)—just not here.

The backs aren’t anything to write home about, but at least the writing’s legible on a light background underscored by a gigantic ’40 years…’ logo. (Jeez, Topps really beat us over the head with that ’40 years and a mule’ crap, didn’t they? Did they think we wouldn’t get it if they only mentioned it once on the card?)

But you know what? I don’t remember this set because of any of these reasons. I remember it because it was cheap, it was boring (for the most part), and there was a ton of it out there.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #38. 1994 Fleer Extra Bases

‘Tall Boy’ is an affectionate term usually reserved for the hallmark oversized Topps basketball issues from the Seventies, or Parkhurst hockey from 1964-65. But what about this mid-Nineties Fleer incarnation? Tall Boy is an accurate description, though there's probably not much affection behind its use here. The name ‘Extra Bases’ was probably meant to imply the collector was getting more bang for the buck (if you count getting a glorified bookmark as a bonus).

It’s not that I didn’t care for this set—I collected enough wrappers to send away for the Pitcher’s Duel mail-order subset—it’s just that I remember buying packs and thinking I was wasting my money. Turns out I was right. I mean, it’s one thing for Topps to unleash a slightly larger Bowman, as they did in 1989. It’s another thing entirely for Fleer to smugly release a gangly rectangular disaster and expect the hobby to cater to it. I don’t remember if Ultra Pro or any of the other archival/display plastics companies responded with a special top loader or pocket page to fit this set, but I sure as hell never found one.

In case you still don’t remember what set I’m talking about, the cards were long, thin, colorful rectangles. Like other Fleer sets at the time, packs included a hearty slew of inserts, some of which were die-cut.

Extra Bases was a set with a regular checklist (big stars, rookies, commons) but cannot in any way, shape or form be considered a mainstream set. It was a disposable, experimental product of the bloated hobby landscape at the time. And frankly, a set like this would not be made today.

I don’t really remember too much about this set (I was pretty strung out on the glorious 1994 Score set at the time), and I haven’t come across too many of these cards when I’ve gone through my collection. I do remember that Fleer carried the oversized theme throughout the four sports (or at least basketball and football) with Jam Session (basketball) and Game Day (football).

I can’t say that I know what they were thinking, unless these sets were their rather late contributions to the ‘let’s make baseball cards fun for kids!’ movement (Topps Kids, Donruss Triple Play, Upper Deck Fun Packs). This hypothesis makes the most sense, as Fleer sort of sat that one out until the release of Extra Bases in 1994.


Yes, I stole this image off eBay. But then I remind myself that stealing images off eBay is not that bad. Heck, The New York Times did this two weeks ago in their obituary for movie poster artist John Alvin (their crack team of photo editors pulled an image of Alvin's 'Blazing Saddles' poster right off the site. You can tell by the little camera watermark in the lower right corner).

2008 Topps Series 1: Collation Continued

As I began last night, here are the final 18 packs of my hobby box of 2008 Topps Series 1. But before I get to that, remind me that one of the things I'd like to address at the end of all this is the likelihood of getting a filler card within a pack.

Pack 19
158. Jose Bautista
40. Miguel Tejada
264. Byung-Hyun Kim
142. Chris Duncan
242. Manny Acta
INSERT: Year in Review Bartolo Colon
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
250. Jonathan Papelbon
210. Mark Teahen
184. Tadahito Iguchi
Only nine cards in the pack.

Pack 20
17. Cristian Guzman
254. David Murphy
61. AL Leaders: Home Runs
155. Carlos Zambrano
272. Anthony Reyes
127. Steve Pearce
INSERT: Mickey Mantle Story #50
INSERT: Trading Card History Teixeira/Francoeur
67. Wes Helms
237. Eric Wedge

Pack 21
134. Matt Stairs
105. Roger Clemens
330. Curtis Granderson
106. Josh Bard
149. Luke Hochevar
195. Todd Helton
INSERT: Gold Foil Zach Duke
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
176. Troy Patton
230. Roy Halladay
125. Tim Hudson

Pack 22
145. Magglio Ordonez
223. Odalis Perez
181. AL Leaders: Saves
197. Melky Cabrera
48. Zach Duke
INSERT: Year in Review Randy Johnson
INSERT: Gold Foil Melky Cabrera
Checklist 2/3
293. Gavin Floyd
102. Ross Ohlendorf
132. Ramon Vasquez

Pack 23
110. Justin Morneau
249. Chris Sampson
15. AL Leaders: Batting Average
265. Fredi Gonzalez
44. Jonathan Broxton
INSERT: Year in Review Jeff Kent
INSERT: Gold Foil Carlos Zambrano
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
277. Aubrey Huff
151. Adam Loewen
156. Brandon McCarthy

Pack 24
218. Clint Hurdle
101. NL ROY Ryan Braun
311. Jeremy Guthrie
186. Lastings Milledge
255. Brandon Phillips
INSERT: Own the Game Matt Holliday
INSERT: Gold Foil Steve Pearce
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
1. Alex Rodriguez
253. Bronson Sardinha
68. Kevin Millar

Pack 25
103. Jonathan Albaladejo
113. Kevin Frandsen
73. Mike Napoli
177. Josh Anderson
192. Jim Edmonds
69. Bobby Cox
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Darryl Strawberry
INSERT: Gold Foil Lastings Milledge
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
163. Doug Davis
318. Ned Yost

Pack 26
187. Dustin McGowan
120. Andruw Jones
160. Ben Sheets
282. Jon Lester
305. Carlos Delgado
47. Orlando Cabrera
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Brad Wilkerson
INSERT: Trading Card History 1983 Topps Tim Lincecum
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
96. Sam Fuld
221. Ian Snell

Pack 27
261. Josh Barfield
107. Shawn Green
98. Classic Combos: Howard & Utley
87. Maicer Izturis
274. Jermaine Dye
246. Jason Isringhausen
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Ichiro
INSERT: Trading Card History 1895 Mayo Cut Plug Roger Clemens
150. Alfonso Soriano
263. Nook Logan

Pack 28
190. Russell Martin
10. Miguel Cabrera
247. Edgar Gonzalez
216. Ryan Garko
20. Daisuke Matsuzaka
300. Chien-Ming Wang
INSERT: Fred Thompson Candidate
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
38. Preston Wilson
121. Mike Cameron
308. Felipe Lopez

Pack 29
94. Bud Black
4. Rick Ankiel
131. Norris Hopper
266. Ryan Doumit
214. C.J. Wilson
INSERT: World Champions Auto Relic Manny Ramirez (#40/50)
INSERT: Gold Foil Lenny DiNardo
Checklist 1/3
297. Jorge Posada
Pack contains eight cards.

Pack 30
209. Andy Phillips
251. Dan Johnson
12. Jason Bartlett
285. Tony LaRussa
91. Marcus Giles
INSERT: Year in Review Fred Lewis
INSERT: Gold Foil Brian McCann
Checklist 2/3
111. Ubaldo Jimenez
95. John Lackey
290. Edgar Renteria

Pack 31
108. B.J. Ryan
130. Justin Upton
287. Classic Combos: Morneau, Santana, Mauer
199. Adrian Beltre
30. Jimmy Rollins
89. Josh Willingham
INSERT: Mickey Mantle HR History #524
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
245. Dan Haren
329. Lou Piniella
212. Moises Alou

Pack 32
227. Alfredo Amezaga
35. Cole Hamels
58. NL Leaders: RBIs
14. Lenny DiNardo
173. Jamie Moyer
294. Brian McCann
INSERT: Mickey Mantle HR History #525
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
51. Erik Bedard
11. Yorvit Torrealba
36. Brendan Harris

Pack 33
153. Luis Mendoza
140. Brandon Webb
180. Jose Valverde
232. Clay Buchholz
191. Orlando Hudson
154. David Ross
INSERT: World Series Champions Red Sox Gold Bordered (#1450/2008)
13. Kendry Morales
193. J.J. Hardy
171. John Maine

Pack 34
208. David DeJesus
215. Bobby Jenks
63. Jason Michaels
203. Jason Tyner
133. Mike Bacsir
85. Jason Bay
INSERT: Lance Broadway Gold Bordered (#1953/2008)
138. Dan Wheeler
248. Jose Contreras
278. Xavier Nady

Pack 35
243. Akinori Iwamura
152. Bronson Arroyo
24. AL Leaders - RBIs
146. Aaron Hill
79. Omar Vizquel
165. Tim Lincecum
INSERT: Hillary Clinton Candidate
271. Chad Tracy
70. Dan Uggla
157. Tim Redding

Pack 36
100. Ryan Howard
295. Tim Wakefield
54. Victor Martinez
22. Ron Washington
84. Brian Fuentes
279. Damion Easley
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Francisco Liriano
INSERT: Gold Foil Anthony Reyes
Checklist 1/3
37. Jason Marquis
205. Gil Meche


I got 8 checklists, 9 Topps Rookie Vote cards and 10 Topps of the Class. So your chance of getting one of these three cards in a pack, per box, is

Checklist: 22%
Vote card: 25%
Class card: 28%

As far as overall box collation goes, I got 294/330 (89%) of the base set, with only 10 doubles. I didn't really expect to be able to learn very much about the actual order of card distribution, as one box is probably not the best population to work with. If I had opened two boxes, then this experiment would work (with at least a little bit more success).

The idea of collation has always intrigued me. As part of my old job I got to attend press checks at various printers around the New York City area, so I've become more familiar with the print process. Inevitably, on these visits I thought about card printing, cutting, collation and distribution. I've decided that Actual Card Distribution is not random. In fact, I'd hypothesize that it's very ordered. Cards are printed in large sheets, then cut down, so those cards printed next to each other are probably going to be found in packs together. If you get Card A, then you'll get Card B, Card C, and so forth. I know this is true for 1989-90 NBA Hoops Series I: if you got Larry Bird's regular card, there was a very good likelihood you'd also get David Robinson's supposedly short-printed rookie. Two summers ago I ripped a box of that set and pulled four Birds and four Robinsons. It's a little harder to pinpoint what inserts you'll get, but judging from the amount of supposed 'hot packs' for sale on eBay, someone thinks they've found a way. I don't condone feeling up packs for big ticket inserts, buying 'hot packs' on eBay or the dealers who sell them, but I've always found those who think they've found a way to beat the system interesting.

Getting to the Bottom of 2008 Topps Series 1

I'd already told myself that I wouldn't collect this set, that I'd focus on Heritage and let Flagship sail on by. Besides, I told myself, I really wanted to get my shit together and only collect pre-1980 cards. I mean, I've been mildly obsessed with buying cards and stickers from Topps' Venezuelan issues in the Sixties and Seventies. Alas, my addiction reared its ugly head this afternoon.

And I couldn't be happier. My fellow bloggers have expounded on their feelings towards the set's design, the inserts and the other cards they've pulled, so I'll spare you my thoughts (though I did get a Guiliani/Red Sox team card and a World Champs Manny Ramirez auto/relic (#40/50)). I'll also refrain from live-blogging the packs, as I've already live-blogged a pack over on A Pack A Day, as have most of our other great writers.

What intrigues me about this set, besides the stellar All-Rookie Team and Trading Card History inserts, is that I've opened about 38 hobby packs and one jumbo pack and I already have an idea about the overall collation (the sequence of cards throughout distribution). Granted, this would be harder to determine if Topps released all 660 cards in one series.


So here's a list of who I got in each pack, in order (within the pack; packs may not be labeled in actual box-seeding). I'll list 18 packs tonight and the rest tomorrow.

Pack 1
233. NL MVP Jimmy Rollins
128. ALCS Kenny Lofton
231. Casey Blake
229. Dustin Pedroia
303. Jose Lopez
259. Emilio Bonifacio
INSERT: Mickey Mantle HR History #526
204. Rafael Furcal
283. Jorge Sosa
226. Kurt Suzuki

Pack 2
225. Hunter Pence
77. Angel Guzman
220. Roy Oswalt
188. Kei Igawa
175. Delmon Young
INSERT: Own the Game Prince Fielder
INSERT: Jamie Moyer GOLD FOIL
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
126. Brandon Jones
314. Ian Kinsler
9. Randy Wolf

Pack 3
19. Robinson Tejeda
206. Geoff Jenkins
112. Jacque Jones
291. Eugenio Velez
202. Mike Lamb
109. Joe Nathan
INSERT: Candidate Ron Paul
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
43. Ryan Dempster
31. Ronny Paulino
75. Felix Hernandez

Pack 4
284. Lance Broadway
179. NLDS Chris Young
327. NL Leaders - Strikeouts
53. Hank Blalock
269. James Loney
INSERT: Year in Review Tim Lincecum
INSERT: Tim Lincecum GOLD FOIL
Checklist 2/3
292. Mark Loretta
83. Mark Reynolds
21. Edwin Encarnacion

Pack 5
286. Jeff Clement
16. Kevin Gregg
326. NL Leaders - Batting Average
194. Chad Billingsley
291. Eugenio Velez - My first double. Let the fun begin!
INSERT: Own the Game Jake Peavy
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
114. Mike Fontenot
43. Ryan Dempster
31. Ronny Paulino

Okay, so now we know that if you get Dempster, you'll get Paulino. You'll also probably get Velez.

Pack 6
19. Robinson Tejeda
206. Geoff Jenkins
112. Jacque Jones
23. Chin-Lung Hu
196. Ross Gload
5. Scott Kazmir
INSERT: Joseph Biden Candidate
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
159. Luke Scott
307. Shawn Hill
281. Carlos Ruiz

Cards listed in bold italic are those that show up in sequence for a second time.

Pack 7
141. Ryan Klesko
257. Classic Combos: Kearns & Young
324. NL Cy Young Winner Jake Peavy
139. Johnny Estrada
50. Jake Peavy
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Roger McDowell
INSERT: Trading Card History Alfonso Soriano Hires 1958
34. Aaron Cook
33. Joe Mauer
280. Willie Randolph

Pack 8
286. Jeff Clement
16. Kevin Gregg
322. AL Leaders Strikeouts
135. Brad Penny
219. Kevin Kouzmanoff
222. Mark Grudzielanek
INSERT: Own The Game Fausto Carmona
INSERT: Josh Bard Gold Foil
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
168. Phil Hughes
174. Julian Tavarez

Pack 9
288. Classic Combos: Verlander and Rodriguez
25. NLDS Kaz Matsui
7. Mickey Mantle
306. Scott Olsen
262. Brett Myers
299. Cesar Izturis
INSERT: Gold Border Jose Bautista (#1955/2008)
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
39. Yovani Gallardo
325. Jim Leyland
78. Radhames Liz

(I'm pretty sure Gallardo/Leyland/Liz is a sequence I received in another pack outside of this box. I can't readily prove it because I've already mixed those cards up in a box. Oh well. Pressing on.)

Pack 10
26. ALDS Manny Ramirez
3. Jeff Suppan
59. ALDS Grady Sizemore
166. Andy Sonnanstine
124. Bob Geren
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Roy Oswalt
INSERT: Dmitri Young Gold Foil
Checklist 1/3
267. Chris Burke
55. Chris Young
81. Ray Durham

Pack 11
45. Dontrelle Willis
258. Classic Combos: Ramirez & Youkilis
56. Seth Smith
235. Rich Harden
2. Barry Zito
228. Geoff Blum
INSERT: Year in Review Rafael Furcal
INSERT: Andy LaRoche Gold Foil
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
241. Ervin Santana
316. Scott Hatteberg

Pack 12
28. Kyle Kendrick
117. Boof Bonser
234. WS Red Sox Champs
260. Chad Cordero
49. Orlando Hernandez
INSERT: All-Rookie Team Hanley Ramirez
INSERT: Trading Card History 1962 Topps Justin Upton
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
147. Marlon Anderson
189. Esteban German
200. Manny Ramirez


Pack 13
99. ALCS Ortiz & Ramirez
256. AL MVP Rodriguez
298. NL Leaders: Home Runs
88. Jack Cust
6. Felix Pie
321. J.R. Towles
INSERT: Own The Game Brandon Webb
INSERT: Gold Foil Rafael Soriano
Checklist 3/3
90. Vladimir Guerrero
313. Kameron Loe

Pack 14
207. Jeff Kent
65. Billy Wagner
217. World Series Josh Beckett
198. Shannon Stewart
167. Jason Hirsh
185, Yunel Escobar
INSERT: John Edwards Candidate
18. J.D. Durbin
182, Billy Buckner
80. Alex Rios

Pack 15
289. Justin Ruggiano
302. Horacio Ramirez
129. Kevin Hart
273. Rafael Soriano
162. Andy LaRoche
252. Dmitri Young
INSERT: Gold Bordered Miguel Tejada (#1663/2008)
TOPPS ROOKIE VOTE FILLER
320. Ichiro
136. Robinson Cano
42. Corey Hart

Pack 16
INSERT: Gold Foil Damion Easley
76. Ivan Rodriguez
71. Jarrod Washburn
161. Matt Garza
238. Shane Victorino
82. So Taguchi
296. Paul Konerko
INSERT: Mickey Mantle HR History #523
104. Kevin Youkilis
41. Rich Aurilia
92. Ross Detwiler

Pack 17
62. Rich Thompson
116. Chuck James
143. Willie Harris
315. David Weathers
172. Chris Ray
INSERT: Own The Game Mike Lowell
INSERT: Gold Foil Brandon Phillips
Checklist 3/3
57. Wladimir Balentien
137. Jamey Carroll
317. Cliff Lee

Pack 18
304. Jose Vidro
178. AL ROY Dustin Pedroia
275. AL Cy Young C.C. Sabathia
123. Terry Francona
32. Howie Kendrick
164. Nate Schierholtz
234. World Series Red Sox Champs (with Guiliani)
INSERT: Gold Foil Ron Washington
TOPPS OF THE CLASS FILLER
169. Adam Lind
119. Jeremy Hermida


So even though Topps is not calling the Guiliani card a flat-out insert, that's the way it's being seeded within packs (fifth or sixth card in the pack). Checklists are seeded in the 'filler' spot, between the sixth and seventh cards. I found League Leader cards seeded in the number 3 spot, and really I think we can open this up to include all subset cards, and Seeds 1, 2 and 3.

Through 18 recorded packs, here's a guesstimate on how seeding works:

Card 1: Subset or Base (I think Pack 18's Gold Foil Easley was a mistake in collation)
Card 2: Subset or Base
Card 3: Subset or Base
Card 4: Base
Card 5: Base
Card 6: Insert
Card 7: Insert
Filler
Card 8: Base
Card 9: Base
Card 10: Base

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #39. 1994 Flair

By 1994 the novelty had worn off. It was inevitable. The thick cards, the crisp photography, the glossy stock, the delicate gold lettering, the four-color backs—Fleer either had to build on the laurels of its 1993 debut or it had to write the brand off as a one shot deal. Since that wasn’t really an option—Flair was Fleer’s mega-ultra high-end product line, after all—Fleer infused it with all the trappings of a major, mid-Nineties issue: it was released in two series of 225 cards (1993’s set was 300 cards total), had a few rookies* within the base set, and was complemented by a boatload of insert sets. In fact, if you went for the master set (base set plus all the inserts), we’re talking about 510 cards (that’s 60 inserts, for those of you bad at math). And at $4 a pack, that was not exactly a cheap proposition.

But that’s not to suggest $4 a pack wasn’t justified. Prestige. Privilege. That’s what this set came to represent, which was no small feat considering 1994’s crowded hobby landscape. The cards stood out because they were chunky, understated in their design, and totally different from anything Fleer Labs had coughed out before. I mean, it’s still hard to believe that Fleer was only five years removed from ‘Fuck Face,’ you know?

In terms of design, the clean, almost atmospheric photography of 1993 gave way to a busier front: a more elaborate gold foil bookplate frontispiece for name and team, plus two distinct photos (headshot/close-up to the left and action shot to the right). After a while it got to be monotonous, which is why I have only one piece of Flair in my collection (Eddie Murray) and have chose not to add more.

If we carry this critique to its end, can we qualify this set as Flair’s ‘sophomore slump’? I’m going to say ‘no.’ This isn’t ’94 Topps Finest we’re talking about. If anything, 1994 Flair should be remembered as ‘Flair Hits Puberty.’ Not exactly grown-up yet, but not exactly cherubic either.

*Everyone knows that Alex Rodriguez was one of the ‘few rookies.’ But can you name the other four? Overall, it’s here where sets from 1994 falter: the year’s rookie crop just wasn’t that great. In hindsight it’s a real shame, because 1994 was the sophomore effort for the ‘premium’ brands like Topps Finest, Fleer Flair and Upper Deck’s SP, and the premiere issue for Leaf Limited (reviewed previously at #43), sets that would be remembered in a better light if only their rookie crop had been more promising.

(The other four Flair rookies are Brian Anderson, Kurt Abbott, Chan Ho Park, and William Van Landingham. Quick: Can you name their teams?)

Only You

Dear Baseball Cards,

I know I don't tell you this often enough, but, well... it's not something I can easily put into words. It's something about the way you look, and you're always there for me when I need you. It's just that, well, we've been through a lot together, you know? And I can't tell you how much that means to me.

I think about you all the time... Just now I was thinking of a way to come and see you. You know, make it look like I was just in the area... What can I say? I like being with you, I like your smell, the way you feel when I hold you. It hurts me every time others beat up on you--the way they tear at you, throw you against the wall, tape you, punch holes in you, or give you unnecessary tattoos.

I know you've been with others, but I see past all that when I look at you. Past the dings, the creases--your age doesn't scare me off (if anything, it only excites me more).

And it's not like I don't have my flaws--I do. Plenty. I admire that you don't ask me to change. But I will change for you if you ask.

I want us to grow old together, get a house somewhere and just fill it up. I want you in every room. Up against the walls and on the desk, in the bedroom and out in the garage. When I get home from work, when I wake up in the morning.

What can I say? I love you. I think I knew it the moment I first laid eyes on you, over 20 years ago. Why couldn't I say it before? I've thought about telling you many times, but the time never seemed right. I dunno, I guess I was nervous about how you'd react.

I couldn't keep it inside any longer. I understand if you never want to see me again. This is a lot to lay on someone seemingly out of the blue. Just know that there's no one else out there for me. I've done a lot of thinking about this and there's no one I'd rather be with. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. There's only you.

Yours,

Ben

Regarding Links & The 792

Thanks to those of you who have sent in links. I'm just now putting the new list together (so far it's 76 links of sportscard-related reading goodness, and counting), so please check back at the end of today when the new list goes live.

To address comments regarding The 792: Thanks for letting me indulge my checklister introspection. I'm almost done with this project. And I won't post the other checklists I'm working on (I'll save those for The Baseball Card Book.

I Want My... I Want My... I Want My Seven-Nine-Toooooo

If I may be so bold as to request a few words before I transcribe the next fifty cards of our Eighties homage:

My links section sucks. I've decided to do an overhaul, with the new and improved links section including links to every baseball card related blog and site (non-commercial only) out there. (And yes, I plan on creating an "Approved by The Baseball Card Blog" jpeg for site owners who might want one.)

By the way, if you're not reading Josh Wilker's Cardboard Gods, you're missing out on some of the best writing out there, baseball card or otherwise.


The 792: #651 - 700

651. Rollie Fingers, 1980
652. Mario Mendoza, 1980
653. Kevin Mitchell, 1987 (RC)
Kevin Mitchell was always one of my favorite players. He seemed so bad-ass, it's amazing he didn't segue his career into the wrestling ring, if not for the WWF, then definitely greco-roman style.

654. Roger Craig, 1988 (MGR)
655. Amos Otis, 1984
I always imagined Otis toured with Jethro Tull during the off-season. I mean, can't you see him growing out a baggy mustache, donning bell bottoms and playing the flute?

656. Larvell Blanks, 1980
657. Mike Cubbage, 1981
658. Robby Thompson, 1987 (RC)
659. Brewers Team, 1980
660. Tony Gwynn, 1985
661. Roger Clemens, 1986
This is one of my favorite cards, despite my personal misgivings towards the whole Clemens debacle. I saw a stack of this card at a show last weekend and came very close to emptying my wallet for it... all $6 that was in it. Man, remember when this was $3 a card?

662. Frank DiPino, 1987
I don't need to consult the Mob Nickname Generator for Frank DiPino. I already know it's 'The Lip.'

663. Angels Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
664. Gil Hodges Turn Back the Clock 1969, 1989
665. Don Mattingly, 1985
666. Tigers Leaders, 1984
667. Royals Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
668. Dale Murphy, 1982
669. Ron Cey, 1986
670. Jose Cruz, 1987
671. A's Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
672. Mariners Team, 1981
673. Jim Kaat Super Veteran, 1983
674. Pat Tabler, 1986
675. Jim Rice, 1988
676. Brian Giles, 1984
677. Dave Schmidt, 1989
678. Astros Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
679. Dodgers Team, 1981
680. Andre Dawson, 1983
681. Mets Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
682. Jimmy Key, 1988
683. Marty Barrett, 1984 (RC)
684. Cardinals Future Stars, 1980 (RC)
685. Bert Blyleven, 1982
686. Doyle Alexander, 1987
687. Alan Trammell, 1987
688. Kiko Garcia, 1981
689. Red Sox Future Stars, 1981 (RC)
690. Ryan Sandberg, 1986
691. Dave Parker, 1987
692. Rawly Eastwick, 1980
693. Steve Howe, 1981 (RC)
694. Sparky Lyle Super Veteran, 1983
695. Carlton Fisk, 1989
696. Pirates Leaders, 1982
697. Ed Lynch, 1987
The 792 wouldn't be complete without this card of Ed Lynch.

698. Brad Komminsk, 1986
699. Lee Smith, 1983
700. Eddie Murray, 1985
A vertical ring of hair: The Maddox. A horizontal ring of hair? The Murray.

1990 - 1994 Countdown: #40 1993 Bowman

40. 1993 Bowman
I’ve been trying to come up with a metaphor to help better my understanding of how this set fits in the early Nineties Bowman lineage. The best that I’ve been able to come up with is that 1991 Bowman is John Lennon, 1992 is Paul McCartney, and 1993 is George Harrison (and if we follow this line of thinking, 1990 Bowman is Ringo Starr and 1989–Bowman’s mostly forgettable re-introduction–is Stu Sutcliffe).

As a collector at the time, 1989 Bowman was a dud of a set. The nostalgia of larger cards was lost on me (was this truly the first ‘Heritage’ set?), and my ten-year-old brain couldn’t make heads or tails of the statistical grid on the backs. And yet, though it didn’t fit in the hobby’s landscape then and stands out as a sore thumb today, the Bowman brand wouldn’t be the same today without it.

It’s very clear to the casual observer that they took a step back after 1989 bombed and shifted the brand’s focus to rookies for 1990 (Starr). And while that set is fairly uninteresting, it’s loaded with rookies, assuring it inevitable staying power, deserved or not.

Though not as universally popular as the Hobby Titan/McCartney issue in 1992, Bowman really hit its stride in 1991 (Lennon), prompting an endless debate of which is the greater set. Combining just the right mix of minor and major league rookies with a winning design and loads of stars, 1991 felt like a real set, without a hint of the novelty that pervaded the oversized ’89s or the tweening bland puberty that plagued the ’90s.


Like Harrison’s role within The Beatles, 1993’s set is ‘The Quiet Bowman.’ There is plenty within this set that makes it memorable, and you even get the feeling that Bowman was restraining itself a little, even though the released the set in greater quantities than 1992.

With the gentle foil, the understated front-of-card design that took nothing away from the clean photography, not to mention the full-color backs (if still promoting a slightly convoluted system of statistical analysis), and the standout rookies of Pettitte and Jeter, you almost forget that set's overall rookie class is much weaker than years before. The key word there is almost.

Oh, How I Wish There Were CBA Trading Cards

There aren't (as far as I know). But I wish there were. It would be the second step towards a real public relations effort by the league (the first being smart redesign of all the team logos). After trading cards, trucker hats; after trucker hats, bumper stickers and over-sized t-shirts, squirt bottles, seat cushions, cellphone wallpaper, et cetera. Then we'd have a real rivalry in the making, maybe not on the court, but in food court fashion to be sure. I'd bet that those crazy emo kids would go nuts for an Atlanta Krunk–or is that Atlanta Krunk Wolverines?–team emblem jean jacket, were it to exist.

Atlanta Krunk team site.

Best of 2008 (so far)

I came out from under my rock yesterday for the good of some new cards. A few quick thoughts: Topps flagship disappoints in terms of photography and overall base card design. Also the incessant need for them to include a bounty of checklists, when really they should seed them one or two to a box. Also, a number of their inserts strike out, notably Own the Game, Mantle Home Run History (seriously, let's put this one to bed, Topps), and a needless gold foil parallel (I think I got a gold foil card in my pack, but I can't really tell the difference between the regular silver and special gold foils).

I like the gold-bordered parallel, as the gold helps balance the photograph on the front--much better than the regular white. Also winners: 50th Anniversary Rookie Team and Trading Card History inserts. The store where I got my cards had packs of TCH cards 26 - 30 (including the Ryan Howard 1982, above).

I also picked up a pack of the new Upper Deck, and I have to admit: I like the idea of getting 20 cards in a pack. I'm not so much a fan of paying $5 for a pack, though. Take it down to $3 per and I'm on board. Unlike my card blogger counterparts, the delicate silver foil name doesn't bother me so much, though I feel like UD has got to put more thought into the backs; they land somewhere between Fleer and a CBS Sports graphic. And you can count me as an early fan of the photography. This one of Jake Peavy is a contender for Card Photo of the Year.


For a full pack breakdown, see my post on A Pack A Day.

I Just Called, To Say, '792'

We're heading into the home stretch here people. And speaking of home stretch, I'll be at home for a stretch so look for little changes to The Blog that aim to increase your enjoyment (and its resourcefulness).

#601 - 650

601. Dave Dravecky, 1989
602. Gary Carter NL AS, 1987
603. Joe Morgan, 1983
604. Gary Pettis, 1986
605. Dennis Boyd, 1986
Why didn't Topps ever refer to him as 'Oil Can'? I could never figure that one out.

606A.+B. Don Mattingly AL AS, 1987
607. Tony Bernazard AL AS, 1987
608. Wade Boggs AL AS, 1987
609. Cal Ripken, Jr. AL AS, 1987
610. Jim Rice AL AS, 1987
611. Kirby Puckett AL AS, 1987
612. Dan Quisenberry, 1989
613. Lance Parrish AL AS, 1987
614. Roger Clemens AL AS, 1987
615. Robin Yount, 1989
616. Dave Righetti AL AS, 1987
This is Righetti in his full Muppet glory: mouth slightly open, eyes slightly closed, bushy hair; all that's missing is a Gandalf mustache and he's Floyd Pepper.

617. Willie Wilson, 1985
618. Lamarr Hoyt, 1983
619. Sergio Ferrer, 1980
620. Dwight Gooden, 1985 (RC)
621. Frank Howard, 1984 (MGR)
622. Glenn Braggs, 1987 (RC)
623. Floyd Rayford, 1986
624. Fergie Jenkins, 1982
625. Eddie Murray, 1989
626. Tigers Team, 1980
627. Eric Davis, 1985 (RC)
I always forget that this card was a juggernaut for most of the Eighties. I even forgot about mentioning it in my review of the 1985 Topps set in the 1980s Countdown back in 2006.

628. Kirk McCaskill, 1986 (RC)
629. Charlie Lea, 1983
630. Steve Carlton, 1981
631. Bob Forsch, 1985
632. Bryan Harvey, 1989 (RC)
633. Jackie Gutierrez, 1986
This was one of the first cards I ever got.

634. Rafael Palmeiro, 1987 (RC)
635. Bobby Bonds, 1981
This is probably one of the best photos ever. You know, the 1981 set is chock full of fantastic candids of guys on the bench.

636. Phillies Leaders, 1982
637. Bip Roberts, 1987 (RC)
638. Mike Pagliarulo, 1985 (RC)
639. Bo Diaz, 1986
If I remember this card correctly, Diaz is spry after a foul ball, replete with shadows lit for dramatic effect.

640. Dave Parker, 1981
641. Ed Kranepool, 1980
642. Mike Scioscia, 1982
643. Lloyd Moseby, 1981 (RC)
644. Terry McGriff, 1988 (RC)
645. Matt Nokes, 1988 (RC)
646. Mike Moore, 1986
647. Randy Johnson, 1989 (RC)
648. Barry Larkin, 1987 (RC)
It's funny about Larkin. He's clearly one of the most overlooked rookies from the heralded 1987 rookie class, and yet he's probably one of the only guys who's a lock for the Hall of Fame.

649. DeWayne Buice, 1988 (RC)
650. Carl Yastzremski, 1982
Speaking of Yaz, for a guy only represented in four sets in the 1980s, he's all over The 792.


Give the Cardboard Junkie a little time, but he'll get the scans up. It'll be worth the wait, oh yes, quite worth it indeed.

Yaz ain't for kids

Granted, I am out of touch with the outside world most of the time, but is it common knowledge that when 'Yaz' is brought up in conversation amongst ladies, it should be assumed that they might not be talking about the likelihood of someone repeating the Triple Crown?

Yaz

The 1990 – 1994 Countdown: 42 - 41

42. 1994 Bowman’s Best
I never collected this set. Not when it first came out, and not any time since. My collection does not have one single card from this set. Chalk it up to lack of interest, I guess. So then why do I have it tucked into the middle of this Countdown? It’s because of my interest (bordering on obsession) with the art of checklisting.

This first edition of Bowman’s Best is a landmark in the way Topps divided the checklist, as well as in card distribution within packs. That they seeded two 90 card sets–red for stars and blue for promising rookies–within the same packs marks the first time in company history (as far as I can tell) that this was done (and that neither was an insert set). It’s a remarkable achievement. I’m not so sure you can say the same thing about the cards themselves.


41. 1994 Finest
In 1993, Topps Finest was something of a pioneer. It was one of, if not the first of the ultra-luxury sets. The checklist was limited to 199, with room only for the upper echelon of players (though guys like Dave Fleming and Mike Devereaux snuck in somehow), not to mention that the quality of the cards was staggering: the backs featured a full color gloss and the fronts resembled pressed beer can art. Everything about the set breathed ‘fine art a la baseball,’ and the quantities available and pack and individual card prices only reinforced that idea. And I haven’t even mentioned Refractors yet.

This background is important because without it, you can’t begin to understand why 1994 Finest was a major letdown. Finest’s debut the year before had got a lot of things right; the bar was set high, but not impossibly so. The limited checklist and quantity available allowed Finest to cater to a higher-end customer, and limiting the number of insert sets down to just the Refractors parallel set—especially in the context of insert mania in the early Nineties—gave the brand a refined air. Packs were expensive, there weren’t that many cards per pack, and the Refractors were scarce. In other words, everything fed off each other to create a perfect storm of collector buzz.

So why didn’t Topps follow the same game plan for 1994? Were they frightened of possibly appearing staid in the overwhelming hobby environment of push-push-push? It’s hard to say. Instead of taking the lead from the previous year, 1994’s Finest was bloated: With a total of 440 base cards—more than twice the amount from the previous year—it became just another ‘premium’ set without much substance.

One Collector's Gold is Another Collector's Smackdown

Brought to The Blog's attention:

Baseball Card Collector?

From Craigslist.org NYC.

Will You Ride The 2008 Giuliani/Topps Ticket?

I know other blogs have beaten me to the punch (as per usual), but frankly this is a little too inane to render analysis (even by Topps's ever-diminishing standards). This being a slow Wednesday morning, let's do so anyway.

If you've read the advertorial, excuse me, story on the AP wire or in yesterday's New York Post, you already know that Topps's gimmick this year has to do with the Red Sox team card: the Topps photo doctors have inserted Rudy Guiliani into the World Series celebration scrum. Clay Luraschi at Topps has already announced the odds of getting one of these cards in a pack (1:70), and didn't correct the Post when it called the card 'gimmicky.' This is an about-face from this time last year, when Topps's official line on 2007's flagship Jeter/Bush/Mantle gimmick card was that it was an 'error in production.'

Last year I heard stories from friends who rushed out to get a copy of the Jeter card, a) because it worth something (I'll get into this regarding the Guiliani card in a moment), b) because it was fun, and c) because it was the biggest (perceived) fluke in Topps's history.

But knowing that Topps is allowing the Guiliani to be called a gimmick and not an error, and already establishing odds of receiving it in a pack, is it setting itself up for a fall? Or worse--indifference from collectors? Sure, it's an SP (short print), but so what? There are a ton of SPs included in sets every year. And if it's a true error card that you want, well, just wait until the product is actually released. Topps and sloppy, uncorrected errors go hand in hand.

The thing about this is that Topps couldn't openly call it an error. That would make it three straight years with a high-profile 'error' (Alex Gordon, 2006; Jeter, 2007; Guiliani, 2008), which some might call a pattern of 'enterprising showmanship' and others (presumably at Upper Deck) might call 'a desperate cry for help.'

Another thing to keep in mind: If memory serves correct, the Jeter card's existence was made known after the 2007 product was released. What makes it interesting is that Topps timed this year's press release, sorry, story--why do I keep confusing the two?--not only to run a day before the official release day for Topps 2008, but to run on Super Tuesday. What makes it unintentionally funny is that it was probably the most publicity Guiliani received yesterday.

The real question in all of this is not if collectors will eat it up (surely they will, as its presence, and high-dollar command on eBay already suggests), but what the card's existence says about the state of Topps. Fake error cards? I would've thought that Eisner would want to distance his new company from that old practice. Apparently he saw the dollars rolling in and that was enough to let it continue. (At least long enough to help finance his Bazooka Joe aspirations.)



From The Baseball Card Blog Archive:

The Trouble with Topps
2007 Topps Review

Hardest Working 792 in Show Business

Some great things this Monday night:

1. Light snow in the NYC
2. The Iron Man spot during the Super Bowl
3. Another installment of The 792


#551 - 600

551. Carl Yastzremski Super Veteran, 1983
552. Ken Singleton AL AS, 1982
553. Dave Winfield AL AS, 1982
554. Carlton Fisk AL AS, 1982
555. Cecil Cooper, 1981
556. Jack Morris AL AS, 1982
557. Rich Gossage AL AS, 1982
558. Greg Gagne, 1987
559. Ken Williams, 1988 (RC)
560. Rock Raines, 1989
Speaking of Iron Man, after the 1988 season, Tim Raines disappeared into the depths of Montreal's underground city, only to re-emerge four months later as 'Rock.' Cocaine reference? Maybe to you, but to me I always associated his nickname with his appearance.

561. Cardinals Leaders, 1983
562. Bryan Clutterbuck, 1987 (RC)
Why haven't they updated The Magnificent Ambersons yet as The Magnificent Clutterbucks? That's what I want to know.

563. Jose Guzman, 1988
I find it incredible that certain guys work their whole lives for something, only to have it thwarted by things completely out of their control. Poor Jose was destined to be confused with the much superior (and far uglier) Juan Guzman.

564. Ron Hassey, 1981
565. Leon Durham, 1984
566. Alfredo Griffin, 1986
567. David Wells, 1989
568. Willie Hernandez, 1983
569. Willie Randolph, 1982
570. Darryl Strawberry, 1985
571. Billy Ripken, 1989
572. Jack Morris, 1981
573. Jim Abbott #1 Draft Pick, 1989 (RC)
574. Manny Lee, 1987
Just for the record, I had about fifteen of this card.

575. Tony Perez, 1981
576. Frank Robinson, 1983 (MGR)
Have you noticed that Robby's always real close to the camera (and his mouth is open with teeth bared) in his managerial cards? Take a look at his cards from 1975, 1983, and 1989. It's a little unnerving.

577. Blue Jays Team, 1980
578. Bill Gullickson, 1981 (RC)
579. Mets Leaders, 1988
580. Nolan Ryan, 1980
581. Tom Seaver Super Veteran, 1983
582. Gaylord Perry, 1981
583. Junior Ortiz, 1987
584. Kurt Bevacqua, 1980
585. Garry Maddox, 1986
586. Frank Viola, 1983 (RC)
587. Rafael Santana, 1986
588. Luis Alicea, 1989 (RC)
589. Steve Crawford, 1987
590. Jim Palmer, 1980
591. John Lowenstein, 1981
592. Shane Rawley, 1983
593. Broderick Perkins, 1983
594. Bobby Valentine, 1988 (MGR)
595. Keith Hernandez NL AS, 1987
596. Onix Concepcion, 1986
597. Mike Schmidt NL AS, 1987
598. Ozzie Smith NL AS, 1987
599. Tony Gwynn NL AS, 1987
600. Dave Parker NL AS, 1987
Nothing says #600 like Dave Parker in a warm-up jacket. Inexplicably one of my favorite cards.


Scanning for the visual? Cardboard Junkie will help in that department.

Gimme a 7! (7!) Gimme a 9! (9!) Gimme a 2! (2!) Whaddaya Got?Uh... 18?

Because I'm a man of my word (most of the time), here's the next 50 numbers from The 792.

#501 - 550

501. Rod Carew In Action, 1982
502. Braves Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
503. Mike Fitzgerald, 1986
504. Dale Murphy, 1981
505. Pete Rose, 1989 (MGR)
I think this is Pete's final Topps card. Here he is, glancing over his shoulder with a hint of paranoia, as if he can smell Giamatti lurking just out of frame.

506. Kurt Manwaring, 1989
507. Ray Fontenot, 1985
508. Alan Wiggins, 1986
509. Lou Whitaker, 1983
510. Fernando Valenzuela, 1982
I picked this card of Valenzuela for two reasons. First, his head is gigantic. Second, he's got some mighty fine penmanship, with nice, thick lettering. You don't see that too often, like he was signing with a paintbrush or calligraphy pen. (That's probably what it was: Fernando had just finished a few studious hours with his calligraphy geisha when in walked the Topps man with his damned contract.)

511. Tug McGraw Super Veteran, 1983
512. Dave Magadan, 1987 (RC)
513. Dave Beard, 1984
514. Jeff Cornell, 1985
515. Robin Yount, 1981
516. Larry Bowa In Action, 1982
517. Milt Thompson, 1986 (RC)
518. Greg Walker, 1984 (RC)
519. Mariners Leaders, 1988
520. Steve Rogers, 1980
521. Nate Snell, 1986
This was always one of my favorite cards. Not sure why.

522. Paul Molitor, 1985
Paul Molitor never got any love from the Topps checklister in the 1980s. He's his generation's Roberto Clemente. That's not a comparison of statistics, but of checklist numbers. It took Clemente literally forever for the Topps checklister to reward his star power with a 2nd tier number. Similarly, here's a 7th year Molitor, toiling away on card #522.

523. Carney Lansford, 1983
524. Tom Brennan, 1983
525. Mike Torrez, 1981
526. Phillies Team, 1980
527. Doug Rau, 1980
528. Luis Medina, 1989 (RC)
529. Marc Sullivan, 1986
530. Rich Gossage, 1986
531. Astros Leaders, 1987
532. Dave Stewart, 1983
533. Jesus Figueroa, 1981 (RC)
534. Pete O'Brien, 1984
535. Lance Parrish, 1982
536. Kirby Puckett, 1985 (RC)
537. Mark Salas, 1986
538. Dennis Eckersley, 1986
539. Rodney Scott, 1981
540. Pete Rose, 1980
541. Cecil Fielder, 1989
It pained me that Fielder's 1986 rookie didn't make it into The 792 (it was bumped out by Rod Carew's 1983 All-Star card, #386). Actually, I'm going to make a change. I'm going to reverse that decision (not something I would generally recommend for would-be checklisters) and re-instate the Fielder rookie. My initial thoughts had been that the Fielder 1986 card didn't become iconic until after the decade ended, but who cares, right? I mean, is the world going to be worse off with one less Rod Carew All-Star card?

542. Paul Noce, 1988 (RC)
543. Damon Berryhill, 1989
544. Rick Sutcliffe, 1980 (RC)
545. JImmy Key, 1986
546. Reggie Smith In Action, 1982
547. Pete Rose, 1985 (MGR)
548. Shane Mack, 1988
549. George Brett AL AS, 1982
550. Carl Yastzremski, 1983


Visuals to be available at Cardboard Junkie.

792 Ways to Say I Heart Baseball

I'm gonna put The 792 to bed this weekend, just in time for that annual moment when all of America pauses to lavish attention on their baseball card collections: The Super Bowl. Er... right. Anyway, here's the next 50 cards.

The 792: #451 - 500
451. Bruce Hurst, 1985
452. Lee Smith, 1982 (RC)
Within all the talk lately about Gossage's Hall of Fame bid, one thing keeps coming up: A lot of writers/fans are downplaying what Lee Smith did in his career. If I understand their argument correctly, it's that guys like Fingers, Sutter and Gossage deserve enshrinement but guys like Smith don't because Smith didn't have to work hard for his wins and saves. But I don't think you can discount Smith out of hand that easily. If that's the case, then will critics apply that rule to guys like Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera? Like Smith, both were completely dominant in their primes. Is it more that Smith never really played for a perennial contender and therefore his saves weren't worth as much? Lee Smith was a great player who, in my humble opinion, never got enough credit for his accomplishments.

453. Steve Jeltz, 1986
How come it seems like there are more memorable Phillies cards from this decade than any other team? Is it just that the Phillies poached their team from the cast of Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo?

454. Bob Welch, 1983
455. Rick Burleson, 1981
456. Jeff Reardon, 1981 (RC)
457. Mackey Sasser, 1989 (RC)
458. Kevin Bass, 1986
459. Dennis Eckersley, 1987
460. Ryne Sandberg, 1985
461. Dwayne Murphy, 1980
462. Domingo Ramos, 1986
463. Fred McGriff, 1988 (RC)
I gotta tell you, I still find it shocking that it took so long for McGriff to find his way onto a regular-issue Topps card. Considering Donruss had him as a Rated Rookie in 1986, Topps really dropped the ball by not including him until three sets later (his XRC is in 1987 Traded). By the time 1988 rolled around and McGriff finally got his FTC rookie, he was already destined to be a minor/semi star for his career. I think that if his extended rookie card (XRC) had come in the 1986 Traded set, and his first Topps card rookie (FTC) in 1987, he would have enjoyed greater success and a larger fan base in the hobby.

464. Gaylord Perry Super Veteran, 1983
465. Mark Grace, 1989 (RC)
I distinctly remember an ad that used to run in Beckett Baseball Card Monthly of a little kid with five McGwire Team USA cards fanned out in one hand, and I remember thinking 'Shit! If only I was a year older, then that would be me with those five McGwires!' I also remember that I did the same thing--fanning out cards in one hand--only I did it with this card of Mark Grace. I was ready for my closeup and the untold riches and girls in bikinis that came with it. Needless to say, I'm still waiting.

466. Kal Daniels, 1987 (RC)
467. Bob James, 1986
468. Darren Daulton, 1988
469. Storm Davis, 1986
470. Nolan Ryan, 1984
471. Dick Howser, 1984 (MGR)
472. Dyar Miller, 1981
473. John Lowenstein, 1983
474. Kurt Kepshire, 1985
475. Cesar Geronimo, 1980
476. Danny Tartabull, 1987 (RC)
477. Mike Easler, 1986
478. Juan Eichelberger, 1981
479. Expos Future Stars, 1981 (RC)
If Tim Raines somehow defies the odds and makes it into the Hall of Fame, does that open the door for Kenny Lofton, should Lofton decide to ever retire?

480. Carlton Fisk, 1981
For some reason I had an overabundance of 1981 Red Sox cards when I was growing up. I had the Coke team set, but also just a lot of the regular cards. This is weird because I was two years old in 1981. This card of Fisk (his last as part of the Old Towne Team) was always my favorite of him (until I got a copy of his card from 1977; that one kicks some major ass).

481. Chris Brown, 1989
482. Rickey Henderson, 1980 (RC)
Speaking of guys who will never retire...

483. Fergie Jenkins, 1984
484. Ivan DeJesus, 1982
485. Garry Templeton, 1981
486. Otis Nixon, 1987
487. Bret Saberhagen, 1986
488. Ray Knight, 1987
489. Dodger Leaders, 1988
490. Chris Sabo, 1989 (RC)
I'd like to see a show of hands of those who rooted for Chris Sabo simply because of his Kareem goggles. Keep 'em raised if you thought Sabo's head looked a little like Mr. Met.

491. Jim Palmer Super Veteran, 1983
492. Tucker Ashford, 1984
493. Orel Hershiser, 1985 (RC)
494. Gary Roenicke, 1986
495. Eddie Murray, 1988
496. Bruce Bochte, 1987
497. Kevin Mitchell, 1988
Mitchell's Giants cap in this photo is up there for Achievement in Airbrushing. Coupled with the Dave Dravecky card from this year, it's almost as if the Topps editor woke up in the middle of the night and realized they'd forgotten to include cards of the Giants in the 1988 set, so they had to improvise. Fast.

498. Wade Boggs, 1983 (RC)
499. Bruce Ruffin, 1987 (RC)
500. Jose Canseco, 1989
Could #500 really have been any other card? The answer, of course, is 'No.'


Looking for scans? Cardboard Junkie's got you covered.