Author: deftone20@bellsouth.net

I wanted to continue along the theme from a few weeks ago, Every Card Has A Story, but wanted to talk football in this post.  See, I’ve been all over the map with collecting since I started back in 88-89.  I’ve collected football, baseball and basketball at the same time for almost 30 years.  The sport seasons change and so does my collecting focus.  I even collected Hockey for a couple of years when Lindros, Lemieux and Jagr were young studs.  But if I added up all of my cards, I probably have more football than any other sport.  Football has always been my favorite sport to watch and collect but it’s always been pretty close with baseball and basketball.  Now, collecting football is a year round task with all the products that Panini puts out but I tend to focus on a few favorites and keep it under control.Back in 1989, there were only a few products, with the main manufacturers being Topps, Score and Pro Set.  Pro Set was always comparable to Donruss in baseball for me.  I really liked Pro Set as a teen but it really was way overproduced and error filled.  They were clean and crisp though back in the day.  They still are the most colorful set from my early football collecting days but they are a dime a dozen like other Junk Wax Era cardboard.  When I started this post, I had almost 30 cards on a list that were favorites from when I was 12-13 but I had to pare that down because I didn’t want this post to take 3 days to read.  So I knocked it down to 10 (in chronological order) and they are really special to me as it relates to nostalgia and forming my collecting habits as a youngster.  Most of them are pretty obvious too but I try to put my own spin on why I liked them.1987 Topps Randall Cunningham – My first favorite quarterback was QB Eagles.  Yeah, back to Tecmo Super Bowl we go but hey, it was a HUGE part of my childhood and my introduction to football.  Cunningham was deadly with his legs and his arm.  He threw for almost 30,000 yards and ran for almost 5,000 in 16 seasons.  He also added 35 rushing TD’s.  He remains the all time leading rusher among QB’s to this day.  And to add one more stat to the legendary status, he is #3 on the all time longest punt list with a 91 yarder against the Giants in 1989.  Talk about versatile!  This ’87 is his rookie card and one of my all time favorites of my football collection.1989 Pro Set Barry Sanders – Another absolute legend from the NFL and Tecmo Bowl.  I shouldn’t have to tell any of my readers who Barry Sanders is.  Barry played 10 NFL seasons and went to the Pro Bowl 10 times.  That’s a 100% all-star ratio.  He was also a 6 time 1st Team All-Pro, 4 time rushing leader and touchdown leader in 1991.  He ran for over 15,000 yards in that 10 year career and averaged 5 yards per carry behind a less than pro bowl offensive line most of his career.  Barry retired somewhat early and was still on top of his game at the time.  He retired as the 2nd leading rusher of all time behind Walter Payton and now sits 3rd behind Emmitt Smith and Payton.  This 89 Pro Set was a classic card with Barry in his OK State uniform, which matched the Pro Set border.  1989 was a huge rookie year for the NFL with Sanders, Troy Aikman, Neon Deion and this next guy.1989 Pro Set Derrick Thomas – I’ve mentioned before that I’m a sucker for cards with players in their college uni’s and this one is no exception, even though it’s Bama.  Derrick Thomas is a player that absolutely dominated his position for several years and was taken from this earth way too soon.  I like Thomas so much, I’ve considered several times making him my football PC.  I guess that can still happen but I’ve let a lot of time go by and there are probably a lot of cards out there.  Who knows, it could still happen.  I couldn’t decide between the 89 Pro Set or the 89 Score for this piece.  The Score holds more value but the Pro Set is more nostalgic and loved in my collection.1989 Score Bo Jackson – Who doesn’t remember this card?  Score did a baseball version as well and an image of that can be found on @beansbcardblog‘s avatar!  These cards are iconic for my generation.  Bo was the 1st highly touted 2 sport star and he was dang good at both of them.  His athletic career was cut way short with his hip injury in January 1991.  He only played from 1987 to 1990 but amassed 16 touchdowns, almost 3,000 yards and a Pro Bowl without ever playing more than 11 games in a season.  Sports fans around the globe were robbed of ever seeing him at full strength on the football field for 16 games!  He did play 16 games on Tecmo and averaged about 3,000 yards per season.  This 1989 Score is only one great card in one of the greatest football sets of all time.  It’s easily the best set of my generation!1989 Topps Herschel Walker/Eric Dickerson – There were several Walkers I could have included in this post.  I have his USFL cards, his NFL Rookie’s, Ground Force and an 89 Pro Set auto but this card sticks in my mind the most.  This is one image I see when I think back to my original collecting days.  Herschel, the Georgia Dawg, in his Cowboys gear and Eric Dickerson with no helmet and the goggles.  Herschel did not have the pro career that many thought he would but he more than made up for that at UGA and that’s what really mattered to me.  He was a Heisman winner and a National Champ in Athens and remains the most beloved Dawg of all time.  Dickerson was no slouch either as a member of The Pony Express in college.  Dickerson had the better career in the pros and even played for the Falcons late in his career.  In 1988, they each led their respective conferences in rushing and thus, they were commemorated on this memorable card.1989 Topps Traded Deion Sanders – There are so many things to like about this card.  First, I loved the 89 Topps design with the team color bars on either side.  Second, it showcases the old red helmets the Falcons wore, which are still my favorite.  Finally, it’s a Deion Sanders rookie card!  Prime Time was another two sport star and played for my Atlanta teams at the same time.  He had a much longer career than Bo but may not have been quite as dominant in both sports.  He was very good at baseball but his football career was clearly the better of the two.  He did manage to win a World Series and multiple Super Bowl’s in his career.  Deion has always been a flamboyant superstar and this card has always stuck out in my collection!1990 Pro Set André Rison – This is one of the wildest cards of my youth.  First off, I should have had stock in 90 Pro Set as much as I bought it over the years.  It is probably the most purchased card product in my card collecting life.  And yet, still never pulled the Santa Claus autograph.  I’ve been watching one for months on eBay but have never been able to pull the trigger.  It would really set off my early football collection.  One day, I suppose.  But back to the Rison card.  He had 4 versions in the Pro Set product that year.  The first was the Colts base card.  The second was the Colts card with the Traded banner in the bottom corner.  The third was the Colts card with the Traded banner in the corner and the redemption language on the back.  The final was the Falcons version.  I owned all of them at one point but can’t seem to place the redemption version now.  Maybe I’ll have to buy another box or two of 90 Pro Set.  “Bad Moon” Rison was a stud in Atlanta but had his issues from time to time.  He’s still a favorite of mine and so is this card.1990 Pro Set Emmitt Smith – This card was the first trade I ever made.  I don’t remember what I gave up but I got Emmitt’s rookie in return.  It was in poor condition and I still have it in a toploader but I have added several other copies that are closer to mint.  I will always keep that poor condition card though because it’s an important one in my collection.  Emmitt went on to have a stellar career and remains the all time leading rusher in the NFL.  He did have 5 more seasons than Barry but that’s not a knock on Emmitt as much as continued disappointment in not getting to see Barry play longer.  This is the gem of the 90 Pro Set collection (until I get Santa) and makes the cheap boxes still a worthwhile purchase in 2017.1990 Pro Set Super Bowl Joe Montana – As if the base set of 90 Pro Set weren’t enough, I remember investing heavily in the Super Bowl mini set they produced that year.  The set was loaded with artist sketch cards and images from Super Bowls past.  My favorite of the bunch was this Joe Montana and it sat on the first page of my football binder for many, many years.  Montana had several cards in this set but this one was always my favorite.  I would literally lose my mind if Pro Set came back in a couple years and made a retro set using these designs and sketches.  I love 90 Pro Set more than anyone should love an inanimate object.1991 Pro Line Walter Payton – I have a couple of vintage Payton cards that are in reasonable condition but this one always jumps out at me.  When you see it, it’s pretty obvious why.  The design of the 91 Pro Line set is still an odd one and was explained very well by David Wright (@LongFlyBall) on the Beckett Radio podcast in February.  This was a card produced after the legend’s retirement but is still a cool retro card of him.  It just screams 1991!  The racing jacket, the debonair pose and the gold Rolex oozes “Sweetness”.  If Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith are on this list, I had to make room for Payton.  I have a couple of the autographed Pro Line cards (Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith) but not Payton.

So here’s 10 cards from my collection that will always have value to me regardless of the production runs or availability.  These are cards I picked up in the heyday of my youthful collecting and I will always hold onto at least one copy of them.  Fortunately, I have multiples of many of them, thanks to the aforementioned production runs.  What are some of the cards that hold that special place in your collecting heart?

J-Dub

I was 14 years old in 1991 and I was really hitting my stride in the card collecting hobby.  Gone were the rookie days of having my card collection seized by a teacher in class to be held until the end of the semester.  I had matured beyond letting some overzealous nut rip my Ken Griffey Jr. Diamond King in a fit of revenge.  I was growing into a serious collector.  I was toploading and binder organizing and trading like a broker on Wall Street.  Baseball fever had been revived for me with the Braves rising from worst to first that year.  Times were good.Baseball cards were maturing a bit during this stretch as well.  In 1990, Leaf and Upper Deck established themselves as premium card sets for the serious collector.  In response to the success of those companies, Topps launched a product named Topps Stadium Club that was advertised as being produced with “Kodak Imaging Technology”.  The cards also set the hobby on its ear with its first set that had a  full color, borderless front, which allowed for total use of the card for images.  And the images produced in this set were unlike any that had ever come before.  I had really forgotten just how groundbreaking the images were until I ripped through this box again for the first time in some 25 years.  This post will likely be photo heavy but I think it’s the only way to do the set justice.  But, these cards look much better in person!First, some stats on the set itself.  The set was broken up into two series’ with most of the rookie crop coming in the second series.  There are plenty of stars in Series 1 but high profile prospects like Jeff Bagwell and Phil Plantier are found in 2.  Each series is made up of 300 cards for a total 600 card set.  The wax (that’s a stretch) box had 36 packs with 12 cards in each.  There were no inserts in Series 1, just base cards with great photos.  The packs themselves were a cello type pack that were very difficult to open 26 years later.  There was an extra card in each pack of 2 variations.  One invited the collector to become a “Stadium Club Member” and the other explained the new statistical reference on the back of the card, BARS.  Becoming a Stadium Club Member was very enticing in those days but was out of my price range.  For $29.95 or $19.95 and 10 pack wrappers, you would be issued a card and member #, a members only set, a Stadium Club Medallion and periodic cards in the mail that celebrated events during the season.  That sounds a lot like “Topps Now” without the internet.At the time, the cards had a different smell than the typical card pack but I don’t remember it being just God-awful.  It is God-awful in 2017 my friends.  I can only imagine that if I had busted a Series 2 box in the same sitting, I may have been found slumped over the kitchen table passed out from the fumes.  They were that bad.  Another knock on this set is that the cards stick together.  The cards are very glossy (I mean, serious gloss) and when stored in humid temperatures, they stick together.  That gloss/UV coating may have been slick and good looking but it came with a price.  That price was a foul odor and damaged cards.  But I’m not going to knock the set too much because it really did set a pretty high bar during a time of baseball card innovation.The backs of the cards featured another interesting element that was a first.  Besides the odd BARS stats and “Evaluation” section, it provided the standard background info on the player.  The stats were limited to 1990 and career to make room for the new stuff.  But the cool part to me was that instead of featuring a profile picture of the player on the back of the card, it included a picture of the first issued Topps card for the player.  There were some really cool cards there when you looked at players like Ozzie Smith, Nolan Ryan and Dave Winfield.  Of course, some of the players had 1991 Topps as their first issue.  There was no visible markings on the card that referenced a rookie other than the back of the card reading “Insufficient Data” in the BARS section indicating that the player had not played in enough games.

Enough about the set, let’s take a look at some of these beauties, hand selected by yours truly.  Shawon Dunston – This card made the step up in photography evident.Dwight Smith – Stadium Club featured several horizontal action shots that made you feel like you were really close to the action.  This is a great example of that.Al Newman – This card was a precursor to the Ken Griffey Jr. bubble gum card that would come later.Omar Vizquel – A classic pose from the vintage card days.  Big smile and up close.Alan Trammell – A beautiful post-swing horizontal action shot.Chris Sabo – Another cool horizontal action shot of a celebration at home plate with Eric Davis and Todd Benzinger.Harold Reynolds – An action shot of Reynolds caught in a rundown with Carlos Baerga.  Reynolds lost his helmet and Baerga is losing his hat.Shane Mack – I don’t know how to explain this one other than maybe he was providing the pitcher a target during warm ups ?Wade Boggs – Boggs is zeroed in on this batting practice pitch.  This is not a welcome sight for a pitcher.Ken Griffey Jr – One of the big cards in the set features Jr in the dugout in front of a bat rack.  Great photo!Frank Thomas – This was a pretty standard looking photo for this set but it was another of the major hits in 1991.Barry Bonds – What is this?  Part 1Orel Hershiser – What in the hell is this?  Part 2Eric Show – Dear God, make it stop!!  Part 3Dave Stewart/Nolan Ryan – This pair of cards were highly sought after in 1991 as they featured both aces in tuxedos in front of a backdrop.Sammy Sosa – Odd looking Sosa photo for sure!  Is that a pinky ring?Ozzie Guillen – As was standard with the White Sox cards, he’s featured in the Nice Sox throwback and is in a pose reminiscent of vintage cards.Gary Sheffield – This was one of my favorite cards in 1991 and it showcases Sheffield’s rarely used bunting skills.Bo Jackson – This action shot looks eerily similar to that of his famous 1987 Topps Future Star.

You don’t have to take it from me as you can see the pictures here.  This was a very cool set for photography and innovative card design.  The set has its flaws too, which will drag down the overall score for this review.  The box was affordable and I put together 289 cards of the 300 card set from one box.  Would you believe that one of the 11 I’m missing is Gregg Jefferies??  What does it take to pull a Jefferies?  Despite the affordability, the chances of pulling many Gem Mint grades from the box are slim with the UV coating issues.  And the noxious fumes were quite distracting at times.  Still, I think a 4 is a fair score for the box.  The positives outweighed the negatives and I did enjoy putting the partial set together.  I will probably buy another box but will likely buy a face mask as well.  That may bring it down to a 3.5, but look at that Ozzie Guillen and tell me it isn’t a 4!

Dub-Score – 4

Scoring Scale

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards.  Just read the post and thank me later.
2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did!  It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking!  What are you waiting on?

My little town in Southwest Georgia had some shortcomings when it came to eateries.  There were a couple of local joints that were pretty good but they had weird hours.  Then there was a Krispy Chik, Pizza Hut and Hardee’s.  The McDonald’s and Subway came in my early teens.  But my favorite place to eat in town was always Dairy Queen.  I knew the owner and his family, the food was great and their ice cream was a kid’s dream come true.  One of my fondest memories of Dairy Queen was the nights after city league softball or baseball when we would stop by and get a vanilla scoop in a mini batting helmet.  Companies try to replicate that from time to time but nobody does it like DQ did in the late ’80’s!In addition to their mini batting helmet promotional, DQ also partnered with Topps to release a baseball card set for the upcoming 1992 Team USA.  In the set, they commemorated the 1984 and 1988 teams as well.  The 1984 team produced one of the most sought after and memorable cards from my youth while providing a couple more star power cards.  The team also won a Bronze Medal.  The 1988 team had several hot rookies that would show up in 1989 Donruss and be hot commodities for a while.  They went on to win a Gold Medal.  The ’92 squad did not provide the same level of stars as the previous two teams but had some names that were very collectible at that time.  Unfortunately, they didn’t Medal, finishing 4th with a 5-2 record.The cards came in a 33 card set and had a very classic Topps look with a white border and red trim.  At the top of the card, a Stars and Stripes banner read “Team USA”.  The bottom of the card had the age old Dairy Queen logo and then a name box in the bottom corner with the players name, position and the year he was on Team USA.  I really like the back of the cards.  They continue the red, white and blue theme and provide all of the vital personal info at the top of the card.  The bottom of the card includes a highlight from their time on the team.  But the best part is how the stats are broken down.  There are actually three separate stat boxes; (1) the complete MLB stats up until 1991, (2) the complete stats for the Team USA tour and finally (3) the complete stats for the Olympic Games.  Topps did a great job with the breakdown.  Let’s take a look at some of the big names.Mark McGwire 1984 – This is the card mentioned in the opening that was so iconic when I started collecting in the late 80’s.  The original McGwire Team USA card was right there with the Canseco ’86 Donruss on most collector’s want list.  McGwire started his MLB career on a tear with 175 home runs in his first 5 seasons.  But he was only getting started and was a key part of the great homerun race in 1998 with Sammy Sosa.  Despite all of his faults when it came to his association with PED’s, I think baseball owes a lot to McGwire for bringing a level of excitement to the sport that had been missing since the ’94 strike.  The homerun chase was one of the most exciting events I can remember in sports.  He probably won’t ever get into the Hall of Fame unless the writers opinions of that era change but he was a tremendous boost to the game when it really needed it.  And while I still don’t own the ’85 Olympic card, I at least own the ’92 reprint.Will Clark 1984 – One of McGwire’s teammates was another 1B that would go on to have a very good MLB career.  While McGwire had a good Tour in 1984 with a .391 average and 6 home runs, “The Thrill” bested him by .001 in the average (.392) and more than doubled his home runs with 13.  McGwire really struggled in the Olympic Games with only a .190 average and no home runs.  But Clark actually improved from the tour and hit .429 with 3 home runs in 5 games.  These two stars would go on to face each other in the famous 1989 World Series that was delayed by an earthquake in California.  Oakland would sweep the Giants to take the series 4-0.  Barry Larkin 1984 – Another star from the ’84 team was Barry Larkin.  However, Larkin did not have an original Olympic card in any previous sets.  Like McGwire, Larkin played extremely well on the Tour with a .328 average and 3 home runs but really struggled in the Olympics with a paltry .143 average.  However, Larkin is the only one of the three who has made it into the Hall of Fame at this point.  Larkin is a 3x Gold Glover and 9x Silver Slugger to go along with his 12 all-star appearances.  He was also the NL MVP in 1995 and won a World Championship in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds, the only team he would ever suit up for in the majors.  Larkin is one of the greatest middle infielders to ever play the game!Jim Abbott 1988 – Abbott was well known for his rise to major league fame despite only having one hand.  His pitching style was analyzed by many and displayed a quickness that was often missed with the naked eye.  He got his start with Team USA in 1992 and was stellar in that run with a 7-1 tour record with a 2.59 ERA and then pitched a complete game win with a 2.25 ERA in the Olympics to finish 1-0.  Abbott would go on to have a good, but not great, MLB career that included a no-hitter in 1993.Ben McDonald 1988 – Big Ben (6’8) was one a hot 1990 rookie that everybody wanted a piece of.  Part of that was because of his dominance in the Olympics with a 2-0 record and 1.00 ERA.  He gave up 5 runs in 18 innings and pitched 2 complete games.  His prospects never translated to the big leagues where he would finish his career with a 78-70 record and a 3.91 ERA, which was cut short by a rotator cuff injury.Robin Ventura 1988 – Mr. Ventura was a highly touted ’89 rookie and actually turned in a solid career, which is sort of rare for the ’89 highly touted.  A few had stellar careers but more than a few totally bombed.  Ventura would go on to play in 2 All-Star games and win 6 gold gloves at 3b.  He hit nearly 300 home runs (294) and hit .267 over a 16 year career.  My favorite card of Ventura is his ’89 Topps where he is pictured in his college jersey.  Unfortunately, he may be most known for the poor judgment he showed on the night of August 4, 1993 when he decided to physically challenge The Ryan Express after being walloped with a fast ball.  He was then walloped by a few overhand rights and the video will live forever.  Still, I always liked Ventura.Charles Johnson 1992 – Johnson was another one of those prospects who had very hot cards when he was brought up to the big leagues.  He was a terrific defensive catcher with a rifle for an arm but could also hit for power, as evidenced by his 26 homers as a freshman and sophomore at Miami.  He would go on to play 12 major league seasons and average 23 home runs over his career.  But his .245 career average was a killer.  Still, he won a World Series ring in 1997, played in 2 all-star games and won a gold glove 4 times.  Solid career but not what may have been expected in 1992.Jason Giambi 1992 – The final player I’ll profile here was no stranger to the long ball.  The Giambino, as he was frustratingly called in NY, hit 440 home runs over a 20 year career, including 3 seasons of 40+.  Unfortunately, he was unable to do it without the allegations of steroids dragging him down.  He went from a scrawny 6’2, 195 as an Olympian to a 6’3, 250 pound major leaguer that was mashing balls out of stadiums.  But even as an Olympian, he hit .323 with 2 home runs in 8 games.  He even had a triple in there.  Makes you wonder what he could’ve done if he had stayed clean.  

Team USA has produced a large amount major leaguers over time, and even several superstars.  There are also many memorable cards that show players donning the red, white and blue.  This set by Dairy Queen commemorates the teams from my youth and was filled with nostalgia.  It was also very cheap as I purchased it for $2.75 plus shipping on eBay.  It’s probably over produced much like the rest of the products from 1992 but I think it’s a fine add to the PC at that price.  Overall, I’ll give it a 3 on the Dub-O-Meter for value and some star power.  If the set came with a helmet sundae, it would have easily been given a 5.  Speaking of, I’m going to get a blizzard!

Dub Score – 3

Scoring Scale

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards.  Just read the post and thank me later.
2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did!  It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking!  What are you waiting on?

My cousin had a house fire when he was a youngster.  The house was destroyed along with all of his youthful possessions.  Among those possessions was his baseball card collection.  He lost a nice vintage Harmon Killebrew in that fire.  Though not the most important issue he had at the time, I’ve always wondered what I’d do if I lost my cards to a fire or flood or some other act of God.  I have a ton of years in this hobby and I have a ton of cards that are worth next to nothing on the open market but are invaluable to me.  There’s no way I can protect all of my cards but I do try and look after some of them.

I have a small fireproof box where I keep my favorite cards.  My hope is that the box would survive a tornado or fire and I’d have my cards.  Kinda sad when I put it in those terms.  They aren’t even my most expensive cards as much as they’re just special.  I have baseball, basketball, football and two autographed baseballs in this magical case.  I also have my newly purchased Cuyler Smith cards in there.  The selection may change from time to time but about 80% of the cards in there will always be in there.  These cards are the PC items that I’d never let go of and hopefully my daughter feels the same about them because they’ll be hers one day.  All of these cards have some sort of story; either the card itself or the player featured.  Let’s take a gander at a few.2012/13 Exquisite Endorsements Michael Jordan/Larry Bird Dual Autograph #d 14/15 – This is one of my prize pieces, top 5 no doubt.  As a child of the 80’s and a teen of the 90’s, it didn’t get better than Bird and Jordan, unless you threw Magic in there too.  I don’t care what today’s fans say about LeBron, he’s not Jordan.  He’s unbelievably talented but there will never be another Jordan.  And Bird was one of the best sharpshooters in basketball history.  Plus, he played defense, rebounded, dove for loose balls and fought for teammates.  Jordan and Bird are the reasons I played basketball in high school.  I wanted to be these guys, just like every other 13 year old that played basketball.  Two legends, on the same card, autographed.  This one stays in the fireproof until I’m dead and gone!2015 Leaf Buyback Bo Jackson Auto #12/40 – Another 80’s legend!  I’m a southern boy and a UGA fan.  But, I can appreciate otherworldly talent when I see it, even if it comes from Auburn.  We did have Herschel though!  But Bo was a beast in baseball and football.  There are so many cool stories I’ve heard about Bo when he was at Auburn.  Bo was so easy to pull for.  He was a terrific athlete and had a great charisma in front of the camera.  Not only did I love Bo Jackson, I also loved 1990 Leaf so when I saw this card, I had to have it.  It’s the only Bo auto I have and it’s another that will never see the outside of the fireproof unless I’m holding it.Panini HOF 75th Anniversary Satchel Paige Emerald #6/10 – I looked at these boxes for months on www.dacardworld.com before I finally pulled the trigger.  I pulled a few nice autos in the box but my favorite card was this Satchel Paige with the Emerald.  I don’t own any Satchel Paige original cards so this is the best I can do.  Paige is in 3 separate Hall of Fames and is remembered by some as possibly the best pitcher ever.  Being numbered to 10 and having a gem in the card makes it a very nice keepsake for me!1989 Upper Deck TTM Nolan Ryan Auto – This is a recent addition to the fireproof.  I sent this off to the Nolan Ryan Foundation back in November and got it back in early February.  The ’89 Upper Deck was my favorite Nolan (that I wanted to mail) but I was a little concerned at how dark the photo was when I mailed it.  I was pleasantly surprised when it came back and he used a nice blue ink for the auto.  It came out great and is the only Ryan auto I have.  There isn’t much I can say about Nolan Ryan that you don’t already know.  You don’t read my blog for me to tell you that Ryan was a good pitcher.  But he was a man’s man and personified the force on the mound that you wanted to be as a pitcher.  I remember during 8th grade, I spent the summer reading his book and following his arm workouts in hopes of picking up some velocity on my fastball.  It definitely helped but I wasn’t really throwing that much harder.  It was cool doing it though.  And who can forget what he did to poor Robin Ventura when he charged the mound that fateful night?  A Ryan Express auto was a huge get for me!!1992 Donruss Elite Ken Griffey Jr PSA 8 – I didn’t buy this card because of the grade.  I bought it to own it, plain and simple.  When Donruss Elite hit the scene, I can remember me and my friends losing our minds trying to pull one of those.  Twenty-five years later and I still have never pulled one.  I did pull a Robin Yount Legend Series card a couple years ago that was very similar to the Elite but no such luck with the original chase card.  I remember one of my best friends pulling an André Dawson.  I’m not being dramatic when I say that it was the equivalent of pulling a Mike Trout auto today for us.  We went nuts!  And then, the jealousy set in.  I wanted one!!  So, when I grew up and started earning an income, I bought one.  It’s not the same as pulling one but I have a Ken Griffey Jr Elite Series and that’s all that matters to me!Nick Chubb Leaf Army AA Patch Auto#20/25 – This one is going to be a bit regional for some but trust me, you’ll be seeing Nick Chubb on Sunday’s very soon.  Nick Chubb is the kind of kid that every fan appreciates and pulls for.  This is a kid who dominates on the field and is a rock star on campus but skips spring break to work out at his old high school.  Instead of partying on the beach, he’s running sprints in Athens alone.  He is humble, speaks highly of his teammates and never blames anyone for a loss.  Plus he’s an absolute stud with a football in his hands.  He’s #2 on the all time rushing list at UGA and isn’t mathematically eliminated from passing the greatest ever, Herschel Walker. You may not like UGA, but it’s hard not to like Nick Chubb!  We love him and he’s a Damn Good Dawg (DGD).2015 Panini Contenders Todd Gurley Auto – Speaking of DGD’s, there’s Herschel Walker and then there’s Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb.  Chubb passed Gurley on the rushing list this past year but Gurley missed quite a bit of collegiate time with a couple of knee injuries.  He could rush for 100, catch 5 for 100 and return a kickoff 100 in the same game.  He was as smooth a runner as I’ve ever seen in person.  Chubb and Herschel run you over, just ask Bill Bates. But Gurley can run you over or run around you and take it to the house.  But more than that, Gurley made a great impression on me and my family when we met him before the draft in 2015.  We went to a meet and greet where we were able to take pictures with him and then we got in line for autographs.  The downfall of getting the picture and auto ticket was that we had to go to the back of the line after the picture as the auto line was filling at the same time.  The auto line took hours.  We even had a chance to grab a bite to eat at the Dave and Busters while we waited.  Even after that loooong wait, when we got up to Gurley for the auto, he remembered my 9 year old daughters name!  He posed for another picture, even though he wasn’t supposed to.  One of the most soft spoken and humble superstars I’ve ever met.  I love Herschel!  I love Nick Chubb!  And I love Todd Gurley!  Please don’t ever ask me to rank them in order because I don’t know if I can.So there are the first 7 items from the fireproof.  There are more where those came from.  I’ll come back for a part 2 when the time is right and I’ll pick 6-7 more to share.  Thanks to @camp2x for the inspiration on this one.  Do you have items locked away that you’ll never consider getting rid of?  I’m sure we all have players and cards that are near and dear to us.  These are mine and I’m doing the best I can to keep them safe!

J-Dub

Revco was a pharmacy that originated in Detroit MI in 1956. They were found through out the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United Sates. In 1986, Revco was the largest drugstore chain in the United States with 2,049 stores in 30 states. I always wondered where the name Revco came from but found out in my research that it was originally Registered Vitamin Company. There was a Revco located about 30 miles from our house so we didn’t go often but I was very familiar with the store. We had a Big B Drugs in my hometown, along with Rite Aid and some local shops. Revco shuttered its doors in 1997.In 1988, Revco joined other retailers such as Rite Aid, Kmart, Woolworth’s and others by teaming up with Topps to create a baseball card set for their store. Revco decided to go with a League Leaders theme and included some very different names for an oddball set at that time. We’ve discussed some of the mainstays in those sets from Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Kirby Puckett, Tim Raines and Tony Gwynn. The names we haven’t mentioned though are Kent Tekulve, Juan Samuel, Brian Downing and Mark Eichhorn. I can’t wait to see what they led the league in.As for the set, it was pretty standard for Topps to go with a 33 card set for the oddballs while Fleer went with 44. This set included 18 hitters and 15 pitchers, a much more even breakdown than some others I’ve opened recently. The cards had the same high gloss that KayBee and Kmart sets had and were on reasonably sturdy card stock. The design was a bit funky with the Revco logo taking up 2/3rd of the top border and the Topps League Leaders logo was in bright yellow in the top right. The bright yellow immediately gave me flashbacks to ’91 Fleer a couple of nights ago. The bottom right of the card has a diagonal name banner that includes the team name and the position. Again, there is that yellow! The backs of the cards used two shades of red (pink) and again show the Topps and Revco logos. Only one year of stats (1987) is included along with the career line. The text box center-right of the card provides the league leading stat category for the player.Let’s take a look at a few of the cards and the stats that led the league in 1987.Would you be surprised if I told you that Tony Gwynn led the National League in batting average? He hit a solid .370 in 1987 and also led the league with 218 hits. By 1988, this was his 3rd season leading the league in hits and 2nd season leading in average.In the American League, Wade Boggs led the way with a .363 batting average. He finished with an even 200 hits, his 5th consecutive season of such a feat. He would also do it again in 1988 and 1989.Two players split the AL lead for hits. Kirby Puckett and Kevin Seitzer led the way with 207 hits. Puckett is a Hall of Famer but Seitzer was always a bit underrated to me. He didn’t have a lot of pop (13 was his season high in home runs) but he did hit .295 over a 12 year career and did not strike out much at all.Vince Coleman led the majors in stolen bases with 109. This actually still stands as the 10th best stolen base season in major league history but it’s not even Coleman’s best, as he had 110 in 1985. Rickey Henderson had 93 in ’88 but no one has even come close since then with the best being Marquis Grissom with 78 in 1992.Andre Dawson was the king masher in the NL with 49 home runs. This was a career high for the Hawk, who would finish with 438 home runs over 21 years. He also led the majors with 137 RBI that year, another career high.In the AL, Mark McGwire burst onto the scene as a home run king with 49 home runs as well. Everyone knows that this was not his career high as he would best that 4 times with seasons of 52, 58, 65 and 70. The amazing thing about 1987 was that it was his first full season. He finished with 49 bombs, 118 RBI and a .289 average.George “Taco” Bell led the AL in RBI with 134, 3 off the Hawk’s pace. This was Bell’s career high but he did have 4 seasons (12 total) with 100+ RBI. He finished with 47 home runs, just 2 behind McGwire.Nolan Ryan led the NL with 270 K’s and a 2.76 ERA. I have found that he is not always included in these oddball sets so this was a pleasant surprise. He’s in the Astro’s uniform as well, which is a plus. The amazing stat for Ryan that year was that even after leading the league in K’s and ERA, he would finish with an 8-16 record, the worst win/loss ratio of his career.. Man, the Astros were bad!In the AL, Roger Clemens set the pace with 18 complete games and 7 shutouts. Those numbers are astronomical by today’s standards. I was just having this conversation with Ryan (@basecardhero) on Twitter over the weekend. The MLB leader in complete games in 2016 was Chris Sale (6) so Clemens threw more shutouts than the CG leader in today’s game. I know that the game has changed but complete games are really a forgotten stat. Clemens got a ton more run support than Ryan. His ERA was higher at 2.97 and he finished with a 20-9 record, which also led the AL.And of course, Jack Clark would lead the league in Slugging. Curse him and his deceiving stat line! He had a .597 slugging percentage but also led the league with 136 BB’s. I have nothing else to add here.As for the otherwise random oddball inclusions, Kent “Science Teacher” Tekulve led the league in games pitched. I was curious as to why he was included but this makes sense. He didn’t lead in wins or K’s but he did pitch in the most games so there’s that. Mark Eichhorn led the AL with 89 games pitched.Juan Samuel led the NL in triples with 15. Not a huge season for triples as this was good for 414th all time.Finally, Brian Downing led the AL in BB’s with 106, 30 off the pace of Jack Clark in the NL. This was also his best home run season with 29. Downing had consistent power with 5 consecutive 20+ home run seasons from 1984-1989.

This was a really cool little set that included some players that normally didn’t get the honor of being in a 33 card set. Of course, the argument can be made that the checklist isn’t as strong as others but if you are including all of the leagues leaders, it is pretty representative of that moment in time. The design was classic 80’s and the cards were in good condition. The cost of the set is below $5, so its a very easy add to the PC if oddball’s are your preference. I’ll give this one a solid 4 on the Dub-O-Meter and recommend that you take a look if you’re in the market. Revco may have gone out of business but they did put a good oddball set on the market before they did.

Dub Score – 4

Scoring Scale

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards.  Just read the post and thank me later.

2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did!  It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking!  What are you waiting on?