Author: deftone20@bellsouth.net

Mail Day from Shane Katz

I received a fine mail day from Shane Katz (@shanekatz73 on twitter) and I have to share these additions to the PC.  Shane also has a blog that’s found at www.otwbbcards.wordpress.com  Shane is a Boston guy and collects Red Sox if you have any to deal.  He’s a great trade partner and responsible shipper.  Check him out!  My mail day was heavy on the Ron Gant cards, which is really the best kind of mail day.  Shane also tossed in some extras that are really cool that are worth sharing.  Shane sent 13 Gant’s and I needed 12 of them.  I am thin on Gant in the late 90’s-early 2000’s and that’s where he came through.  The stretch I received covered Gant in 6 uniforms.  I did not have any from his Rockies season so that was a nice addition.  I won’t discuss all of them but here are a few highlights.Of course, one for nostalgia was the 1989 Topps Glossy Rookies card #9.  Ronnie looks like they caught him right after BP.Then, representing the Reds, we have the 1996 Topps card #70.  He only played one full season with the Reds as he spent 1994 on the disabled list.  In ‘95, he hit .276 with 29 home runs and 23 stolen bases, good enough for his second National League Comeback Player of the Year award.  He looks a lot like Reggie Sanders in this picture.Next, he appeared twice in the 1999 Topps set.  Once in the base set in his St. Louis uniform and then in the traded set after his move to Philadelphia.  In St. Louis, he played 3 seasons with 73 total home runs and 35 stolen bases.  He endured a very tough stretch in batting average never topping .246 in that as a Cardinal.  He also had a career high 162 strikeouts in 1997.  In Philly, he rebounded a bit in the average department but the home runs dipped to 20 and 17.  Stolen bases had also reached a career low with 5 in ’99 and 1 in 2000.The next stop was Colorado for a partial season in 2001 as shown on the 2001 Topps here.  A forgettable stop in Colorado with a .257 average and 8 homeruns.  He would finish the season in Oakland, playing 34 games and compiling a .420 average and 2 home runs.Ronnie’s final full season in the majors was with San Diego in 2002.  The 2003 Topps would be his final of the set as an active player.  He would go on to appear in Archives and other products as a retired player.The last two cards are from the 2014 Topps Archives set and are a couple of my favorites.  The first is the ’69 Deckle Mini with the facsimile autograph.  There is a ’69 Deckle in the set with a true autograph and I have tried to snipe it from time to time on eBay.  The second card is the 1987 Topps Future Star and is hands down my favorite Gant.  First you have the 1987 Topps design and then you have the sweet Future Star logo that I have raved about in several blog posts.  You really can’t beat a card like this and it was the best card in the mail day!  Also, both in Braves uniforms.The extras included this sweet 1984 Ralston Purina Dan Quisenberry.  I have been eyeing this set for a future oddball set post.Next up are four awesome 1980-1981 Topps Basketball cards from Shane’s youth.  He even made sure they were all Atlanta Hawks.  I do not own enough early 80’s basketball.More oddballs with Steve Garvey and Don Mattingly from the 1987 Fleer Exciting Stars set.  Mattingly was exciting but Garvey was pretty bland for a set title like that.The final piece of the mail day was another oddball with the 1986 KayBee Young Superstars of Baseball, Alvin Davis. 

All of these cards are right up my alley and made for a very exciting early week mail day.  I need to get to work on another trade with Shane because he provides some sweet returns.  I will no doubt have to step up my game on the next mailing though.  Thanks Shane!

J-Dub

1991 Fleer – Don’t Look Directly Into The Card

In 1990, Fleer was a pretty bland set in a fresh new 90’s world.  Upper Deck continued what they started in 1989 with a continued high quality look.  Donruss and Topps on the other hand, burst onto the 90’s scene like Kelly Kapowski through a Tigers banner at a Bayside pep rally!  Donruss introduced their bright ketchup red with spots and squiggles and Topps broke out vibrant neon yellows, oranges, blues and reds.  Meanwhile, Fleer used a boring white border with team colors sprinkled throughout the set.  That’s not to say that I didn’t like the ’90 Fleer set but my positive memories of it may be more about the time period of my life and certain cards I enjoyed from the set.  Needless to say, Fleer missed an opportunity in 1990 to be flamboyant and get away with it.When 1991 rolled around, they were hell bent on not being the bland set in the group.  No, they turned it up a notch or twelve and broke out what many consider to be one of the loudest, most retinal intrusive designs in cardboard history.  And it seemed to be totally out of the blue (or yellow – waka waka).  If you go back and look through the history of Fleer, there was never any indication before or after 1991 that this design would ever be a consideration.  In movie terms, 1991 Fleer was Halloween 3.  There are a handful of events throughout history that I wish I was present for.  And I am not joking when I say that one of those events is the marketing/design meeting where this was approved.  I have to know if it was a resounding yes or if it won by a single vote or if they just decided to flip a coin and go with a random option.Nevertheless, this was the option chosen and this is the set we were given when Saved By The Bell, Full House and Fresh Prince were giving us all the loud colors and designs we could stand on television.  For 1991, I don’t suppose this set was all that out of place.  Although, Topps had gone back to its more classic white border and Donruss toned it down quite a bit with their new blue border, the opportunity Fleer missed in 1990 was more than made up for in 1991.  A set that will forever be marred by that taxi cab/mustard/Big Bird yellow border in what otherwise would have been a fairly promising set.The set itself is made up of 720 cards, as was the norm for the 80’s and early 90’s sets.  That sounds like sooo many cards now.  The insert sets that year included All-Stars, Team Logo Stickers, World Series cards, box bottoms and my personal favorite, Pro-Visions.  To this day, the Pro-Visions remain one of my favorite inserts of all time.  According to www.tradingcarddb.com, there are also 55 errors or variations.  Though many were uncorrected, it does still allow for somewhat of a chase so many years later.  The wax box came with 36 packs of 14 cards and 1 logo sticker.  Fleer’s box advertised “Full Color Backs”, “2 Player Pictures Per Card” and “Improved Action Shots” which while all factual was very much debatable as well.Base Cards – The checklist does have some strong names that include Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, Don Mattingly and of course, Ron Gant.  But the checklist is loaded with guys I don’t even remember; Jim Vatcher, Kelvin Torve and Troy Afenir??  720 cards was way too large of a checklist for Major League Baseball in 1991.  I can’t put a positive spin on this, not even with Ronnie Gant in there.  I did choose the Tom Gordon for a reason though.  A friend of mine who played softball with me for many years was in the Royals farm system with Gordon.  He played right field and says that Gordon would turn and look at him almost every time the ball was going to be hit to him.  That’s how good Gordon was in the minors.  He could almost predict where the hitters were going with the pitch he was about to throw.  I thought that was amazing but it’s probably fairly common with major leaguers.Rookie Cards – As was normal with Fleer, they didn’t have any unique designation for a rookie card in the set.  The rookie cards looked just like the veterans.  No Future Star, Rated Rookie, All Star Rookie or even just “Rookie”.  The rookie checklist may be one of the worst I’ve ever seen.  The best rookie in the entire set was Luis Gonzalez and he won by a landslide over such names as Carlos Garcia, Randy Tomlin, Terry Lee, Jeff Gray and Tom Edens.  I didn’t just go through and pick bad names for effect either.  Take a look at the rookie checklist when you have time.  It’s truly abysmal.  One name though that brought back memories was Phil Plantier.  He was Kevin Maas-light in 1991.Inserts – Not much in the way of inserts besides the Pro-Visions which we’ll discuss in a moment.  The main cards in the set that differed from the base cards were “Leader” cards.  These included Home Run leaders, Saves leaders, etc.  There is also a card made just like the leader cards called “Second Generation Stars” that pictures Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds.  I’ll take what I can get at this point.Pro-Vision – Alas, the main reason I wanted to revisit this set.  I pulled three of the Pro-Visions in the 32 packs I opened.  There are 4 packs that are left over that are going to be randomed to a VERY lucky winner!  The Pro-Visions I pulled were Jose Canseco, Ruben Sierra and Don Mattingly, all players I liked in 91.  Canseco is holding a bat that is being struck by lightning under a cloudy night sky.  Ruben is wearing his Sheriff badge and standing in the desert.  Finally, Mattingly is holding 3 bats and standing in front of a full pinstripe backdrop.  These cards were so cool to me.  They are truly the only thing that saved this set from the lowest possible Dub Score.

MiscellaneousSeriously, what is Jeff Treadway doing here?How about mixing up the font mid sentence on the back of the card?I’m guessing this is one of the few times Tony Gwynn got caught looking?Here is Steve Avery on a high school baseball field in front of a crowd of zero!I really want to know what Fleer considers a “Card Accounting System”.And if you needed any more reasons to dislike this set, how about a Jack Clark?

I think you know where I am going with this score.  I can’t give it a 1 simply because of the Pro-Vision cards.  I can’t have a set with one of my favorite inserts be a 1.  I can have it be a 2 though.  The set is honestly worse than I remember and is only held together with nostalgia and Pro-Visions.  The card stock is bad, the photos are bad, the lighting is bad, the checklist is bad and the rookie crop is bad.  I’m really not trying to be too harsh but I really can’t find much to like about this set of than one insert set.  My advice is to look elsewhere when wanting to travel down memory lane in 1991.

Dub Score – 2

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?

Pet Peeves – Collector’s Edition

You may have skimmed through my previous pet peeves post and understand where I’m going with this one.  For those who haven’t, I’ll lay out some basics up front.  As with my previous pet peeve post, I’m not calling anyone individually out, although I do point a finger at some companies.  These are things that rub me the wrong way in my daily walk through collecting.  Some of it is part deception on seller’s parts, some is manufacturer greed and some is just nonsense in general.  I imagine that as you go through this list, you’ll be nodding your head in agreement because you’ve likely dealt with these issues yourself.  You may even have your own story about one of these.  This is meant in fun and hopefully you’ll get a good chuckle out of it.eBay 1/1 – This one is pretty widely booed amongst my acquaintances.  When somebody posts an eBay 1/1, I look in my collection, praying that I find what they’re selling so I can list it and it won’t be 1/1 anymore.  I could put my personalized Joey Shiver ’87 Topps up on eBay and call it a 1/1 but it’s not bringing any more cash.  Maybe you’ll find a sucker out there that doesn’t understand what you’re trying to do, but it’s not going to be me.  I went to my LCS this morning and I saw a ton of “LCS 1/1’s.”  Maybe they should start putting that on their stickers!  Listen, it’s either a 1/1 or it isn’t.  It’s not eBay 1/1, Twitter 1/1 or Facebook 1/1.  Just stop it!Advertisement of “Gem Mint Condition” – This is another eBay style gimmick that gets me riled.  You may be selling a card in very good condition but don’t tell me it’s Gem Mint unless it’s graded.  And please don’t say it like this, “Gem Mint???”  I don’t know, you’re the one selling it and you’re asking me?  How about we just be honest with each other and say, “Hey, as far as I can tell, this card is in very good condition.  No visible blemishes, corners and surface looks good, centering is nice.”  The Fatpacks just talked about the difficulty of grading on their last podcast.  Please don’t try to sell me a Gem Mint Condition, eBay 1/1 with your 98.2% seller rating.  I’m not buying it based on that description, I’m buying it because I want the card.  I’m probably not buying it at all with that rating.Hits stated as Autos OR Memorabilia – Here’s one that’s on the company.  New products always state their odds of hits in the box.  2 autos/1 mem per box – 1 auto/2 mems per box.  You get it.  But when they state 3 autos or mems per box, I know I’m getting 1 auto and 2 mems.  If it says 1 auto or mem, I’m getting a mem.  Maybe it’s just my luck but I’ve never pulled 3 autos out of a box that said OR.  And don’t even get me started on Allen & Ginter!  I really like the product but in that one you get 3 hits but they could be – Autographs, Relics, Originals, Book Cards, Cut Signatures, Rip Cards or Ancient Rome Relics featuring real Roman coins.  You get all that?  I bought 4 boxes last year and I shite you not, I got 1 auto and 11 relics.  Just tell me what’s in the box and let’s move on!  If I pull an auto, great.  But don’t feed me these false hopes.Pack Searchers – We’re all familiar.  You get hobby at a card shop or online and you get retail at Target or Wal Mart.  Hobby is always better because they have more hits and good shop owners don’t let their customers search.  But this pack searching is the lowest of the low and if these were in any type of order, this would be peeve numero uno.  There are YouTube videos dedicated to outing these scumbags.  What makes them even worse is when they act like they’re doing nothing wrong.  Card companies have done a lot to try and combat it with their packaging but there are real dedicated toolbags out there that find a way.  They feel all of the packs in Wal Mart, bringing in scales and tiny magnets, all in hopes of finding that one pack that is a little different than the others.  I’m fine if you can eyeball a pack and see a difference but when you bring in your searching kit, you can get bent.  Next time you go to Target, look at an open box of cards and you’ll see that the entire inventory has been rifled through.  That’s the universal mating call of the pack searcher.  They’ve ruined retail for the general public.  Thanks asshats! Hot Packs – Pack searching brings me directly to the hot pack.  This is the fruits of the pack searcher.  I’ll never understand how someone can advertise a pack of cards as “guaranteed to contain a red parallel serial numbered out of 50.”  You are doing some serious pack negotiating if you’re seeing that in a pack.  If you can see all of that, don’t you think I know you can see if it’s Mike Trout or Chris Johnson?  Are you going to sell the Mike Trout in a hot pack or are you going to open that bad boy and sell the single?  Exactly.  Back to my stated odds section above, if you see someone advertise a hot pack that is guaranteed to contain an auto or mem, trust me, it’s not an auto!  I won’t even get started on the effects these searchers and hot packs have on the youth of our hobby.  Let’s just say it ain’t good!  I can’t keep talking about this or I’m going to lose it.


License Exclusivity – Let’s go back to some company issues.  This one is justbeyond my comprehension.  As most collectors are aware, Topps has the exclusive license to produce MLB trading cards.  Panini has the exclusive license to produce NFL trading cards.  I’ve said before, I’m a Donruss guy from back in the day.  I still love Donruss designs today.  But thanks to Topps and their MLB exclusivity, I only get Donruss cards with blank jerseys or bad photos that hide team names.  The 2017 design is one of my favorites ever from Donruss but it’s marred by the lack of being a licensed product.  I’m not just anti Topps on this either as you’ll see with my next peeve.  The fact that Panini has the exclusive license for football is just asinine.  What major sport should have trading cards without an option for Topps?  Nada.  Topps at least doesn’t plow through the NFL season with blank jersey’s and helmets but I do miss the company variety in football.  I loved Topps Museum, even though I rarely bought it by the box.  And Valor and Fire were cool designed products as well.  Who is this exclusivity helping besides the company itself?  Not the collector.  Not the open market.  Not the innovation of the hobby.  We’ve got to figure this out guys.  There is room for Topps, Donruss and Upper Deck in the major sports.  Give us a choice.100 Panini Products – Ok, when I say give us choice, this is not what I mean.  Again, I’m a Panini guy so this one pains me to write.  Panini released 40 basic card products in football this year.  You read that right, 40!  Origins, Prizm, Unparalled, Impeccable, Contenders, Classics, Draft Prizm, National Treasures, Spectra, Select, Rookies & Stars, Donruss, Prestige, Preferred, Playoff, Playbook…..see where this is headed?  I just named 16 – that’s not even half.  There are 52 weeks in a year and 20 weeks in a football season.  That’s almost a product a week during a calendar year and it’s 2 a week for a football season.  Good luck if you are an old school set collector.  You just have to pick a product or two and stick with it.  I can’t even keep up with the releases anymore.  This has to stop or it’s going to end very poorly for my favorite brand.  I don’t want to see that but it’s coming.  Spend more time on less products and you won’t have to charge $725 for a box of 8 cards.  With all those producers, how many stickers are floating around Panini with autographs at this point?

1990 Donruss – There’s really not much to say that hasn’t already been said about this abysmal set.  Same can be said for ’91 Fleer.  Although, for both products, I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when these designs were pitched to the execs.  Who signed off on these?  I’d really like to be privy to those conversations.Non-Drafted Autos – This is not intended for the “prospect” autos.  I am talking specifically about players who weren’t drafted, aren’t getting picked up and are on practice squads before the sets even come out.  There’s no point in advertising a box with 5 or 6 autos in it if 4 of the autos are Shane Drango, Nando De Colo, Levi Norwood and Jeremy Pargo.  You’re probably asking, “Who?”  To which I respond, “Exactly.”  Baseball is the least guilty of this travesty but they do like to throw in a ton of rookie relief pitchers in their autograph selection.  So that may as well be considered the equivalent of an offensive lineman or D League player.  Don’t beef up your autograph numbers with guys who wind up in the dime box.  Of course, some prospects hit and some never pan out but some are mediocre from the jump and the card companies know that as much as anybody.Fake Numbers on Rookies – This actually goes back to the Rookie Premier set that used to be produced.  That “fake number” is usually Double 0.  Some products still use it as Panini Origins from 2016 comes to mind.  I get that the companies bring these rookies in for photos, autos and whatnot, but that 00 is so generic.  Now, consider this – you pull a one color patch of a rookie from one of the many products from 2016.  If that patch is from these 00 jersey’s, what a ripoff that is!  I’d prefer the companies just use a picture from draft day or a photo not in the jersey altogether.  Do they not airbrush anymore?  I found out as I was wrapping this post up, my pal @sportcardcollec is not a fan either!Bad Autographs – Here’s one that’s on the player.   While I understand there are a lot of signings these days, the players have either gotten lazy or they’re not very creative with their signatures.  If it’s the result of too many signings, all this carpal tunnel syndrome is prompting players to shorten their signatures to something ridiculous.  One that comes to mind is Xavier Rhodes.  I have an autographed card that I pulled in a pack and it’s signed, “XR.”  Really?  I actually did get lucky and pull that auto but it’s “XR?”  If it’s lack of creativity, take some lessons from Taywon Taylor and jazz this thing up!  Players, your autograph is highly sought after.  Take the time to make it look good!  At least make it reasonably legible.One Color Patches – My biggest issue with these is that I have zero faith that this clothing I’m looking at is a piece of actual jersey.  I’ll take your word for it with your guarantees but a one color patch is the equivalent of the initials autograph.  See my above on fake numbers and you see the issue.Taping Toploaders – Here’s one for the shippers.  I’ve brought it up before but it bears repeating.  When you tape a toploader, you essentially take away from its future usage.  It’s always going to have that sticky film on it and it’s effectively useless unless I’ve got some dupes that aren’t for viewing any more.  Please don’t tape your toploaders shut when mailing products.  Shipping is something that often gets too little attention but it’s something to leaves an impression with your buyer.  I prefer to wrap my cards in paper or put them in the clear bags to avoid tape on the holders.Redemption Substitutions – Back to the companies.  Redemptions alone are pretty frustrating.  First, it means that I’ve got to wait from the card that I actually bought today.  One of my astute tweeps, @gatorpk321 had a good take on this a few weeks  ago.  The card companies don’t take an I.O.U. from us when we buy so why are we taking them from us when we rip the packs?  But even worse than the redemption is the redemption substitution. Sometimes these I.O.U.’s don’t materialize in the form of the actual card we’re promised.  The company then makes their own determination of “similar value”.  I’ve stated before, collecting for me is not as tied to dollar value as much as interest.  I pulled a 2013 Topps Archives William “Refrigerator” Perry auto a couple of years ago.  Being an 80’s-90’s guy, I was ecstatic!    After a looong wait, I finally got a letter in the mail from Topps with a Jarvis Landry auto and a “bonus” Joe Adams auto.  Wait, what??  First, Joe Adams is not even in the league!  Any other time, Jarvis Landry would be a welcome addition but in the place of The Fridge?  I can’t even describe the letdown.

Well, that’s my initial list but I know there are others.  I’m already planning a part 2 But I need your help.  Tell me what your pet peeve is and if we have it in common, I’ll add it to the list for Part 2.  The hobby is a wonderful pastime but there are certain aspects that make me scratch my head and wonder what’s going on.  We can have fun with it in a post like this but I know it really gets under everyone’s skin and drives us mad.  So, what’s your pet peeve??

J-Dub

A Hobby of Passion

I have written a lot about what my collecting style is like over the last couple of months.  I do love the “junk wax” years for nostalgic purposes.  I could sit and open boxes from the late 80’s all day long and be as happy as a fat kid in a candy store.  I do get happy in the candy store too so take that however you’d like.  That doesn’t mean I don’t buy new products, because I do.  I just find myself focusing more on the “hits” when I buy new product.   I can really stop and smell the bubble gum scented roses with a box of ’89 Topps, if you know what I mean.Card collecting is something that can be driven by various factors.   Some people want to make money, some people want to keep memories of their youth alive, some people like the challenge of building sets or collecting specific players and some people just have compulsions that they can’t conquer.   I fall somewhere between youthful memories and set/player collecting but I haven’t always been there.  I was once in the “making money” portion of the hobby, as most of us were at some point.  After all, that’s what created the boom and crash of the Junk Wax Era.  Everybody wanted in and everybody wanted to make a buck.I will be honest with you, I’ve never increased my net cash flow because of card collecting.  Sure, I have sold some cards but I always pump it right back into another box or PC singles so “profit margin” would likely be considered negative.  I also realized that the time period I spent trying to pull those monsters was also the least fun I had in the hobby.  It left me wanting more and more and never really feeling satisfied.  If I didn’t pull that big hit, I’d think it was surely in the next box so I’d run out and buy another high priced box.  If I did pull a big hit, I’d feel like I had a little streak of good luck so I’d go out and buy another high priced box.  See the problem here?Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying here.  There’s nothing wrong with being a monster chaser.  It’s just not for me.  Now I’ll splurge every now and again and even hopped in a couple of box breaks last week with Top Shelf Breaks and had some good luck.  I’ll go back to the box break from time to time as well when the product and price are right.  When I do, be assured that it will be TSB that I go to.  But I’ve sort of found my happy place.  Maybe it’s part of hitting the big 4-0 this year and having a different perspective.  Maybe it’s my bank account screaming at me to change my ways.  Or maybe it’s the Ghost of Collector’s Past showing me how happy I was when I studied the cards and the players as opposed to shuffling past base cards to find a relic or auto and basing the success of the pack solely on that search.  I don’t know how it happened but in the words of the great Kin Kinsley, I Feel Like A Collector Again!I remember sitting in my bedroom as a kid, reading the back of every card and memorizing stats.  In 2012, I couldn’t tell you what the back of a Topps card looked like because that’s not where the autographs were.  I missed out on some fun during those days.  As I’ve said before, Every Card Has A Story, and I missed some good stories while I was daydreaming of my appearance on Pawn Stars.  If there had been autographs in 1989, I wouldn’t have my Orel Hershiser All-Star story.  If 1991 had 1 of 1’s, I wouldn’t get so excited to pull a card that glows under a black light.  I’ve decided that I need goals to reach and I need players to seek and I need 80’s sets to complete.  That’s my happy place.  That’s where I feel most at home.Along those lines, I’ve gotten a fair share of Twitter DM’s asking me why I PC Ron Gant.  Well, it’s really sort of a simple explanation.  I’m a lifelong Braves fan.  My parents have photographs of me in the stands with Bruce Benedict warming up in the on-deck circle behind me.  I remember watching Gerald Perry and Dion James and Claudell Washington play long before Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman.  Skip, Ernie and Pete were my announcers growing up.  We were bad.  We were real bad.  Dale Murphy was the only superstar we had for many years.  Well, when I started collecting in 1989, I started watching the game closer.  I started collecting about the same time that my favorite team called up the 1986 Atlanta Braves Minor League Player of the Year. In 1990, we were still bad but I was 13 and playing little league ball had me starting to emulate the ball players I admired.  Also in 1990, Ron Gant joined the 30/30 club.  He did it again in 1991, becoming the first MLB player to do so in back to back seasons.  At 13-14, looking at Ron Gant was like looking at superman.  He was chiseled.  He was strong and fast.  He was the ball player I wanted to be.  The timing was right for Gant to be my favorite ball player.  My age, my interest in collecting, his status with the Braves and his 1989 Donruss card just brought it all together like a perfect storm.I’ve remained a Gant fan since 1989.  I basically mourned when he had his accident and parted ways with the Braves.  I still followed him with the Red and Cards and others and always pulled for him.  I was thrilled when he came back to work at Fox Sports a few years back.  I even finally got to meet him at a game and my wife said I almost knocked him over slapping him on the back.  I seriously doubt that because Gant is built like a small tank but I can imagine that I was a little over excited in the moment.  I just don’t remember that part of it.  So I decided around that time that I was going to try and collect every Ron Gant card that was produced.  I had around 80 of them so I though I was off to a good start.  Then I looked him up on The Trading Card Database and discovered that he had 868 cards.  I realized that I had a lot of work to do.  Monster Chaser Dub would’ve said “no way” to a challenge like that.  But Collector Dub accepted the challenge and has been dedicated to it ever since.  I wore the man’s number in sports for 25 years, the least I can do is try to complete the collection.So that’s why I PC Ron Gant.  And this post is why I love to open Junk Wax.  I once read, “You find out who you are by figuring out who and what you’re not.”  The same can be applied to collecting.  I’ve tried lots of collecting styles and that is how I’ve figured out what does and doesn’t work for me.  Some things I learned the hard way.  Some things just weren’t fun.  But for whatever reason, I’m here.  I’m buying $6 mid-80’s oddball sets.  I’m ripping boxes of 1989 and 1991 Topps.  I’m grabbing every Ron Gant card that finds its way into my sight line.  I even received my latest wax box, 1991 Fleer, in the mail today.  I’m not always proud of my mail days but I’m going to love going through that box and looking at those old Pro-Visions once again.  And that’s me.  That’s what I’m most passionate about in the hobby.  That’s what floats my boat.  What floats yours?

J-Dub

Mail Day from Sport Card Collectors

I picked up a nice mail day from Sport Card Collectors today.  I’ll start by saying that he’s a wonderful follow on Twitter and he can be found @SportCardCollec.  He also authors a blog about card collecting and it’s found at http://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com.  Correction, he has two blogs now with his New York Giants PC blog and it’s found at http://snaggingcardboard.blogspot.com.  Check him out at his various locations!

I posted a group of football cards that I was trying to move and he spotted the 2016 Panini Origins Sterling Shepard and wanted it for his pc.  We began our discussion and I found out that he had just pulled a pretty sweet Rediscover Topps card for my PC.  We were able to swing a deal and my side came in today.  It was a fine example of a good trade.  We both were able to get what we needed and our PC’s are better off for it.The first card for my side of the deal was the one that caught my eye immediately.  Others may see a standard 1987 Rediscover Topps card but I see a player that would eventually lead to one of the cornerstone’s of the 90’s Atlanta Braves National League dominance.  That player was Doyle Alexander.  In 1987, the Detroit Tigers were in a heated pennant race and needed a veteran arm.  Enter Doyle Alexander.  Alexander began his career in 1971 and was a cagey veteran by 1987.  He wasn’t spectacular but was something that Detroit felt they needed.  In return, the Braves received John Smoltz, only two years out of high school.  The Tigers would go on to win the AL East but later would lose in the playoffs to Minnesota.  Alexander went 9-0 for the Tigers after the trade so it appeared to payoff for the short term.  He would go on to pitch 2 more seasons with Detroit before retiring.  John Smoltz on the other hand, was just getting started.  He would end up having a hall of fame career playing for the Braves.  He would win 213 games for Atlanta and save another 154 becoming baseball’s first 200/150 man.  He was also a vital part of the best pitching staff in baseball during the 90’s.  And Braves fans have veteran Doyle Alexander for a big part of that.  So, hats off to you Doyle and your last card in a Braves uni.Another lynchpin for the Braves over most of the 90’s and 2000’s was Chipper Jones.  This sweet Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection Chipper patch caught my eye as well.  There are 2 additional Jones’ that were a part of the deal from the 2006 Panini USA set.  Great cards to add to my pc.Next, we have the current star of the Braves, Freddie Freeman.  2016 was his best year as a pro as he hit 34 home runs with a .302 average.  He’s going to be needed over the next couple of years as our rebuild continues.  I love these Bowmans Best cards.The next player is Tom Glavine on a 1990 Topps.  This is the first set I owned as a full set.  The design was classic 90’s and there was neon everywhere but it was still my first set.  Glavine was one of the aces with Smoltz in the 90’s and 2000’s and another member of the staff that got his HOF credentials.  Nice add!The last Brave is Adonis Garcia.  The jury is still out on Garcia but he does have some pop in his bat.  He’s averaged .275 and hit 24 home runs over the last 2 seasons, which was actually about a seasons worth of games.  Defense is a little shaky but we need pop.The final was a surprise pack of Elvis cards!  This will actually help me score bonus points with the mother in law.  She loved Elvis and collects records and trinkets but I don’t think she has any trading cards.  Win/Win!Very nice mailday package from Sport Card Collectors today.  In addition, and this is not to be overshadowed, I had a very nice Ron Gant Mail Day from @BuriednCarolina.  I understand that he inherited a bunch of late 80’s-early 90’s cards and he’s moving them in player or team sets.  Check him out if this is your card era.  He has some nice deals and shipping was fast and well packaged.  Until the next Mail Day, check out some of my other recent posts, the reviews of 1989 Topps and 1985 Drakes cards.  Happy Collecting!

J-Dub

Drakes Bakes Up A Sweet 1985 Set

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the only thing I knew about Drakes was that Newman loved their coffee cakes on Seinfeld. I assumed they were a baking company and never had any other reason to check them out. Then the discussion on oddball sets happened. Ryan (@basecardhero), Scott (@SBergerBOSTON), Shane (@ShaneKatz73) Donnie (@TheDingoDad) and others started a big discussion that in, Ryan’s terms, “Escalated Quickly.” What we all thought were just random oddball sets turned into a massive list of retail sets that were available from the 80’s that we didn’t even know about. Some of them were regional and we would have had no real reason to know about them. Drakes must have been one of those sets, because I had no idea, but you can believe I ran out and bought me a set for my collection.The set I bought was 1985 but the box shows that it’s the 5th annual edition. A little more research revealed that they produced sets from 1981-1988. The sets were labeled “Big Hitters plus Super Pitchers”; reminiscent to the set I reviewed that started this cluster of a conversation, Fleer’s 1987 “Sluggers vs Pitchers.” The set had a total of 44 cards (no stickers though) and was broken into 33 hitters and 11 pitchers. The checklist is phenomenal in my opinion. There isn’t one player that I think is out of place in the set. One of the reasons I think that may be because Jack Clark was excluded. Another plus is that the cards are from 1985. You can’t buy cards from 1985 as cheaply as you can buy cards from 1989 but this vintage set only cost me $6.49 with free shipping!The cards themselves were set to mirror the ’85 flagship Topps product but have the added Drakes logo and a different bottom banner. The backs of the cards are almost identical with the exception of the color. The ’85 Topps cards were green with red writing and Drakes is red with dark blue writing. They are very similar in style and the card stock is the same as well. The cards were in remarkable condition to be 32 years old, though they had a distinct odor to them. The fronts of the cards had the “5th Annual Collector’s Edition” logo at the top, either in green (National League) or red (American League) and included the card number in the series. At the bottom, there was a Drakes “Big Hitter” or “Super Pitcher” logo next to the banner with the players name, team and position. All of the hitter’s photographs were taken during a swing at the plate. The pitchers were all taken on the mound, most mid delivery. Again, the backs were typical Topps with background info, stats and the occasional trivia question.The Hitters

This checklist is loaded with sluggers from 1985. Listen to some of these stats; Tony Armas (43 bombs), Harold Baines (29/.304), Dwight Evans (32/.295), Tony Gwynn (.351), Don Mattingly (.343), Dale Murphy (36/.290), Eddie Murray (29/.306), Cal Ripken (27/.304), Mike Schmidt (6 consecutive 30+ HR seasons). Again, I have no beef with the selections in this set. I obviously have a personal beef with the inclusion of Kent Hrbek but I’m not going down that road again. His stats were worthy of inclusion so we’ll just leave it at that.The Pitchers

There were only 11 pitchers included but they were all generally stat stuffers and several were future Hall of Famers. Steve Carlton had 313 wins by the time 1985 rolled around, along with a career 3.04 ERA. Doc Gooden was just getting started but his rookie year was 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 276 K’s in 218 IP. Tom Seaver was knocking on the door of 300 wins with 288 by 1985. He also had a career sub 3.00 ERA (2.80) with 3,403 K’s. Finally, future Brave, Bruce Sutter was included, wearing his St. Louis Cardinals uniform but his card had the tag at the bottom that said “Now with Braves”. There were a couple of oddball pitchers but nothing too far out there.

The Uniforms

The absolute best part of the set was the uniforms that the players were shown in. Take a look at these gems.Gary Carter – Montreal ExposAlvin Davis – Seattle MarinersSteve Garvey – San Diego PadresTony Gwynn – San Diego PadresKent Turdbek – Minnesota TwinsMike Schmidt – Philadelphia PhilliesTom Seaver – Chicago White Sox

I’ll tell you that this may be the best oddball set I own now. It’s the oldest and the cards are in really good condition. You will not even find many packs from 1985 for this cost and I would put the quality of these cards up against the flagship set. It makes me want to check out the other Drakes sets but I am also worried that I may be disappointed in the next set. I don’t want to be let down after this pleasant surprise! I have to give these a Dub Score of 5 for several reasons. First, the reasonable cost is unbeatable. It’s always a plus to add a set that’s 30+ years old to your collection so vintage value is a winner. The checklist is strong, as mentioned above. Finally, the quality is really good for a set of 1985 baseball cards. I’m actually going to order another so I can random this one to someone else who can enjoy them as well! Collect and keep this hobby strong my friends!

Dub Score – 5

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?

1989 Topps – The Hunt for Gregg Jefferies

I started full blown card collecting in 1989.  I was 12 years old and cards and video games were what life was about for me.  The sets that were readily available to me were Topps and Donruss in my hometown.  Every now and then, a box of Fleer would sneak in but I never saw Upper Deck.  I had the chance to grab some UD on a church trip once to a bigger city but Camilla stuck with the basics.  That said, cards were much more widely available then than now.  I could get them at Rite Aid, Big B Drugs, Wal Mart and Piggly Wiggly, along with a few convenience stores.  Now, Wal Mart remains the lone carrier of cards in my hometown and their selection is pitiful.  I went home this past weekend and Wal Mart was stocked full of Magic cards but they had 4 jumbo retail packs of Topps, one football blaster of Optic and one 2017 Heritage blaster.  I took the Heritage blaster and posted those hits Friday night.Back to 1989, Topps was abundant in town so I remember going through a couple of boxes of these during that year.  That was not whole boxes at once but definitely by the pack over the course of the summer.  I don’t know that I’ve opened a pack of ’89 Topps since then, until now.  I really love the design for that year and it’s really the last year Topps had that old school feel to it to me.  1990 brought a definite 90’s design that still remains a popular one with me but is a bit on the extreme side.  I like the ’91 design and it was more of a classic look than ’ 90 but was not ’89.  Of course, the Future Star was a fine subset of ’89 that I have spoken of before, here.  It also held one of the most magical cards of my childhood but more on that later.  I don’t remember them being .45 cents per pack back then but I wasn’t the one doing the buying in those days either.  But looking back,  I don’t understand why I got so much grief for asking for baseball cards when we went to the store.I have a lot of memories of 1989 and collecting cards.  Some good and some not so good.  I may have even already told this one but I remember 1989 Topps getting me in hot water with my dad one time.  We were on our way to the lake for the weekend and we stopped at a grocery store.  Of course, I found the card section and talked him into making a small purchase.  However, I did something else that ticked him off and resulted in him buying the cards but telling me I couldn’t open them until the next day as punishment.  Being the sneaky kid that I was, I pried open the back of one of the wax packs just to take a glimpse.  The only thing I saw was an Orel Hershiser All-Star card.  I was satisfied that my pack was going to be ok and I went back to quietly riding in the car.  Well, dad eventually saw the creased open wax pack and I had them taken from me for a week.  That was a rough one at the time.  Little did I know, a .05 cent card would be my undoing.  Spoiler alert – I did pull it tonight!As I said above, the card is a very classic design with the white border, rounded in the top left and bottom right corners where the Topps logo and name banner are.  My favorite part of the design is the bubble letters used to show the team name in the bottom right corner.  The bubble letters are one of the team colors and it swoops around to provide a spot for the player’s name to be spelled out in a classic wavy banner.  The back of the card had a black border with a pinkish/red background.  Other than the color, it was typical Topps of the previous years with a full career of stats and informational tidbits, unless the career took up the whole back.  The box itself holds 36 packs with 15 cards per pack.  So a total of 540 cards but the set itself was 792 cards in more typical set fashion for the late 80’s.  The wax pack was a great looking blue color that remains my favorite Topps wax pack of my generation.  And of course, gum – lots and lots of dextrose and corn syrup.So with the outline of the set for you, let’s take a look at the vintage gems I uncovered in these packs.  Vintage is technically classified as 25+ years old, right?Base Cards – The set is loaded with stars from the good ole days of Baseball.  The checklist includes Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Jose Canseco, Wade Boggs, Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Kirby Puckett and others.  The card I chose for this piece is Mike Greenwell.  I had a discussion last week with @scottberger on Twitter about how Bostonians felt about Greenwell as I had always considered him vastly underrated.  It seems that Boston agreed with me, as evidenced by the homemade sign that Scott made pushing for Greenwell to get the All-Star vote ahead of Jose Canseco.  Greenwell approved too and signed that bed sheet for Scott.  So consider me an even bigger fan.  Plus, on the field, he hit over .300 for the first four years of his career (up to the ’89 Topps) with years of .323, .314, .328 and .325.  In ’88, he hit .325 with 22 bombs, 119 RBI and 16 SB.  Damn solid!All-Stars – The set also included cards from the National and American League All-Star participants.  These were colorful cards with either a red (American) or blue (National) background with the same bubble letter font used for the “All-Star” logo.Topps All-Star Rookies – Another Topps tradition was naming All-Star Rookies in their sets.  The beauty I’ve posted here is Chris Sabo from the 90’s Big Red Machine.  Sabo was a very good third baseman known for his signature goggles!  Also a beast on RBI 3.Future Stars – Here is where the big money card was in 1989, Gregg Jefferies.  As Ryan (@basecardhero) so aptly reminded me as I was posting cards last night, this card was supposed to be one of those “retirement cards” by now.  Jefferies was a hot rookie for the NY Mets and I think I owned (still own) all of his ’89 cards.  My favorite was the Topps version because of the Future Star logo.  Alas, I did not pull a Jefferies but you have a chance to in the random that’s outlined below.  I did pull the second (maybe third) best option with Sandy Alomar Jr.  The other great option in the set was Gary Sheffield.  I also pulled ’89 rookie Mike Harkey.Draft Picks – I did pull some good draft picks in this box.  I pulled the best one, Robin Ventura, and also Braves phenom, Steve Avery.  There were several other pulls but none that really stuck over the years.  This Ventura was one of my favorites in ’89 as it was taken in his college uniform.Managers – Oh yes, in fine Topps fashion, the manager card was ever present.  There were some legendary managers in ’89, like the pictured Don Zimmer and Tommy Lasorda.  There were also some duds that shall remain nameless.Record Breakers – The first few cards in the set were Record Breaker cards that commemorated some big statistical performances.  The card pictured is George Bell and it outlines his 3 home runs on opening day in 1988, which was a major league record.  Others included Wade Boggs consecutive 200 hit seasons (6 – attributed to an all chicken diet), Andre Dawson and more.Team Leaders – In lieu of a team photo card, the team leaders was a semi-checklist card with a star pictured on the front, in this case Bo Jackson of the Royals.  The back of the card listed the team leaders in the major statistical categories.Turn Back The Clock – The final insert in the set was a small collection of Turn Back the Clock cards featuring stars of yesterday (as in before ’89) and featured a Topps card of a star from the early years.  The card featured here is of Lou Brock and is from 10 years prior to ’89.  It covered major events of the ’79 season on the back of the card.  I also pulled Hank Aaron (15 years ago), Gil Hodges (25 years ago) and Tony Oliva (25 years ago).All in all, a great trip down memory lane even though the Jefferies card eluded me.  This was a set that was very important in cultivating my collecting efforts as a 12 year old beginner.  Another fine example of value being in the mind of the collector.  I won’t be putting these cards up on eBay and making any money but the evening spent thumbing through cards from my youth is priceless but I will be buying another box to try and finish up the set.  The cost of the box is very reasonable and I really did not pull a ton of duplicates so the collation was pretty good.  The gum stains are a drawback for anyone looking for mint cards.  It also left Ken Griffey Jr. for the Traded Set.  This is still one of my favorite Topps sets, for design and sentimental reasons.  Because of these reasons, I will give it a Dub Score of 4.  I think you’ll like the walk down memory lane if you bought these in ’89 and buy another box today.As for the random I mentioned, this has the potential to net you 2 of the best cards from the ’89 set.  I saved the last 4 packs to random off to one winner who follows the instructions below.  I did not pull a Gregg Jefferies or Gary Sheffield so the odds are that one of them is in these final 4 packs.  Who knows, maybe both of them are there.  All you have to do to win these 4 packs is retweet this blog post (which is the pinned post on Twitter) and respond to the post with the year you started collecting cards.  It’s that simple.  Thanks for checking it out!

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?

LCS Break – 2017 Donruss

I had a pretty busy Saturday but I did find a few minutes to squeeze in at the LCS.  They have been moving from one location to another so things are a bit in disarray at the moment but I could find what I was looking for.  No new products this week as apparently they were gearing up for a big Magic tournament last night, but whatever.  I did purchase a stack (about 8 packs) of 2017 Donruss Baseball and a couple packs of Select Football.  The Select packs are a bit on the pricey side ($12.99) so two was enough.  Of course, I’m still sitting on a box of 2017 Donruss that I haven’t gotten around to opening so I’m having some fun with the LCS packs in the meantime.

I really like the 2017 Donruss design this year.  It’s very similar to the dreaded 1990 design but is not that ridiculous red color.  They are very clean looking this year and I will likely build the set as I have since 2014 when they came back on the market.  I am not deterred by the lack of MLB licensing.  I like the product and will probably build the set each year if it stays similar to what it is now.  On to the packs I bought today.I scored two Diamond Kings, one of my all-time favorite subsets in the Donruss catalog.  Those were Christian Yelich and Gregory Polanco.The next little batch of cards I pulled was my Bravos.  A nice Dansby Swanson along with the Matt Kemp and Freddie Freeman.  We’re tied for 1st place right now so I’m still excited!For my man Cliff (@oriolesrise), I picked up Zach Britton, Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo.  Adam Jones has been an absolute BEAST in the WBC.  Watch him close this year!The Cubs hit nicely with the big names Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and this nice Pink Back Ben Zobrist.Two of my favorite cards from the rip came from the Pirates.  I don’t know why I’ve been drawn to their uni’s all of a sudden but these two cards show the classic look with Andrew McCutchen and Willie “Pops” Stargell.  Unfortunately, it was Stargell and not Pops.A few of the shiny things I pulled from the pack (which I know @basecardhero likes) were an Elite Xander Bogaerts (#’d to 49), American Pride J.B. Bukauskas, Carlos Correa Statline (#’d to 357), Robinson Cano Gray Border (#’d to 199) and this nice Retro Pedro Martinez (#’d to 500).I pulled three of the nickname variations.  Those were Kyle Seager “ROY”, Josh Donaldson “Bringer of Rain” and Duke Snider “The Duke of Flatbush”.  I really like these variations!Last but not least, I pulled this nice Diamond Collection Yankee Pinstripe Patch of Jacoby Ellsbury.  I’m not a Yankee guy but this is a nice looking patch.  Sorry gang, @manniscards has already spoken for this one!The two Select packs were fairly uneventful.  These are all of the cards I pulled.  The two variations were the red of Cam Newton (#’d to 49) and the blue of Vic Beasley (#’d to 99).  I love Beasley so that one is a keeper. 

I continue to be pleased with the Donruss packs I rip so I’m really looking forward to ripping that box.  I have two 2016 Donruss football boxes that I haven’t opened too along with an Optic box I haven’t opened.  I may just have a Panini Party Weekend and rip them all!  But likely, I’ll get to them one at a time….who am I kidding?  As for the Select, they are nice and I like the set but I don’t envision investing in a box of these so the cards will likely go out in a giveaway soon.  I’m really just keeping PC items and set building so be on the lookout!

J-Dub

Starset – Rhythm In Space

Everybody here knows I’m a sports card guy.  I don’t hide that part of my life from anyone.  There’s another part that isn’t hidden from those that know my everyday life.  If you’ve ever spent more than 15 minutes with me, you’ll probably hear me talk about music.  I don’t talk about just any music either; it’s all rock, all the time.  To me, there are many different genres of rock.  Some people hear guitars and heavy drums and loud singing and just classify it as rock.  I know it as alternative rock, synth rock, heavy metal, hair metal, nu metal, thrash, ska, surf, screamo and on and on.  The genre is a big part of my soul and personality.  I don’t know if that’s good or bad for some but it’s the truth.  I could go to a rock show every night of my life and never get tired of it.  We go to 4-5 major ones a year and it’s just enough to keep me satisfied.  I won’t get started on the Deftones here but that’s how I’m known around my part of the planet, the Deftones guy.  And I love that!Another group that has become a regular part of my rotation is Starset.  And when I say a part of my rotation, I mean top 3 with Deftones and Thrice.  (On a side note, we are going to see the Tones and Thrice in Jacksonville in June and taking Bailey and Zibby for their first experience.  Time won’t move fast enough).  Anyway, Starset is a relatively new group, having formed in 2013 in Columbus, OH at the hands of lead singer Dustin Bates.  Dustin has a bachelors and masters degree in Science and Engineering that he earned from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University.  So yeah, this dude is more than a rock singer.  He’s a little bit Nikola Tesla, a little bit Isaac Asimov, a little bit Deftones and a little bit Hans Zimmer.  In 2017, he’s a modern day genius and it’s notable in the lyrics he writes and the music he puts with it.  There’s a great article about Dustin himself Here if you’re interested.  The band is completed by Ron DeChant on bass (and keyboards), Brock Richards on lead guitar and Adam Gilbert on drums.  They also have a touring strings section with Siobhan Cronin (violin) and Jonathan Kampfe (cello).  I first heard Starset as the opener for Breaking  Benjamin at The Tabernacle in Atlanta in 2016.  I really didn’t know anything about them going into that concert.  The one thing I’ve learned over the many concerts I’ve been to is that the opening act is a good chance to fall in love with a new band and it also can be a good chance to settle in to your seat or hit the concession stand.  Only one opener has ever grabbed me as quickly as Starset and that was when Thrice “opened” for the Deftones at a rock festival in 2006.  Starset punched me in the face with their amazing stage presence, the theatrical performance and of course, their music.  Their space element and showers of light just consumed me.  I made it my mission that night to find out more about this band and to go see them again after I learned their songs.  After spending a year listening to their first album, reading their companion novel (yes, a rock band with a companion novel) and then doing a quick learn on their sophomore release in January, I got that chance on the weekend of my 40th birthday in February this year.The wheels were put in motion when Alicia bought me tickets for Christmas.  Then, my buddy Heath bought VIP passes for my birthday.  The concert was scheduled for February 11 in Madison Alabama, a five hour hike from my South Georgia nest.  That was no deterrent though.  Their second album, Vessels, was released on January 20, 2017.  That gave me a whole 20 some odd days to learn the new album before the gig.  Again, not a deterrent.  I decided to eat, drink and sleep Starset leading up to the gig so I could get the full experience.  This is a band with a complex backstory that surrounds “The Starset Society”, complete with a website dedicated to the furthering of the message, a novel that warns of the dangers of technological advances that could be used for evil and on stage monitors that tell stories between songs.  The songs on each CD tell a progressive story that is both entertaining and deeply thought provoking.  This isn’t your mom and dad’s old rock show.  This is a sci-fi production of the highest sophistication.  The show date arrived and we took our leave to North Alabama to receive the message.  The night opened up with the VIP performance which consisted of me and about 20 of my closest friends for the night getting a front row seat to an acoustic set from the band in a laid back atmosphere where conversation was open and welcome.  That was a first for me.  I’ve met bands before and gotten autographs and even had that fateful 2 am Waffle House meal with Stef Carpenter from the Deftones.  But this was my first up close and personal acoustic set for 20 people and it was like something out of a movie.  It was unbelievable.  After that, we met the band, got autographs and snapped pictures.  When the show started, I was introduced to another great new rock band that was a pleasant surprise, Gemini Syndrome.  I downloaded their album the next day and am learning more about them.  They were a perfect appetizer for the main course that was set to take place.When Starset hit the stage, which I was standing about 5 feet from, time literally stood still for the remainder of the show.  I forgot about everything outside of that venue.  I watched Dustin portray a mad scientist on that stage running from keyboard to computer to sound machine to stage boxes to scream into theaudiences collective face.  I stood in front of Ron, mesmerized by the colors.  I watched a violinist head bang for the first time in my life.  I watched the screens as they displayed various visualizations of science and space.  And I sang my heart out!  I poured my soul into that concert in a way that made me feel like I was a part of the band.  And it felt good.  It felt like what a rock concert feels like in my wildest dreams.  I fell in love with them all over again that night.  No one will ever touch the Deftones because they have been my #1 since the first time I heard them in 1992.  They’ve been with me through the best and worst times in my life.  But Starset, they carved out a special place in my musical spirit that night.  And music to me is a spiritual experience when it’s done right.  If you go to a concert and you lose yourself completely in the music and the sights and the crowd, that show was a damn good show.  And this my friends, was a damn good show!“At night the Earth will rise, and I’ll think of you each time I watch from distant skies.  Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite, I’ll think of you each time they wash me in their light.  And fall in love with you again.”

J-Dub

1987 Fleer’s Baseball Stars – The Review

When I say 1987 Baseball Cards, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? That answer is almost overwhelmingly ’87 Topps with the classic woodgrain border. That design is so iconic, Topps still can’t let it go. I love it too but sometimes too much of a good thing can actually be bad. One set you probably don’t think of when I say 1987 is the Fleer Baseball’s Best set that pits Sluggers vs Pitchers. To be honest, it’s one of those forgettable sets in an otherwise memorable year for baseball cards. But I haven’t forgotten about it. There are some classic players on the checklist that wouldn’t normally land in a small set like this. And you know I never pass up a chance for a trip down memory lane!We’ll start with the design of he set. The front of the card was quite different from the all blue base Fleer set. These were semi-glossy with a little grainier photo than those in the flagship product. They had white outside borders with alternating blue and red at the top and bottom. The top of the card had a classic late 80’s splash banner with “1987 Baseball’s Best” and the Fleer logo. The bottom of the card had the player’s name, their designation as a “slugger” or “pitcher” and a corresponding stat. The sluggers had their batting average and the pitchers had their ERA. I found it odd to put the batting average for the slugger because the two didn’t necessarily correlate.  The backs of the cards were similar to the flagship product in that they were red, white and blue with full stats to see. A look at the back also reveals that the stat on the front is a career stat and not the previous year. For example, Kevin Bass has an average of .274 printed on the front. The back shows this as his career stat but lists his previous year (1986) as a .311 average, which would have been more appealing on the front. Kevin Bass was a good major league ball player but I did not consider him a slugger. And his career .274 average and 40 home runs through 5 major league seasons up until 1987 support that consideration. We’ll talk more on some of the strange selections in the checklist later.I found out quickly that the card stock was a bit flimsy. I had Kevin Bass out for a minute looking at his stats and it had already started bowing. It went quickly back into the box. The set itself provided 44 cards (11 more than the KayBee set) and 6 additional stickers, or at least that’s what was advertised. I actually had 9 stickers in the box. There were 3 multi sticker sheets and then 6 team logo stickers. An odd thing about the stickers was that the back of the sticker card had a completely different team on it, as outlined in this Padres front and Braves back. I will say that the backs of the sticker cards were quite attractive with a black and white drawing of a ball and glove with a color logo above. Was I the only one that actually enjoyed Fleer’s sticker gimmick?Of the 44 players, the sluggers outnumbered the pitchers 29-15. Some of the usual names were included; Boggs, Brett, Canseco, Gwynn, Mattingly, McGwire, Murphy, Gooden, Clemens and Puckett. But there were some odd names too like Incaviglia, Bass, Leonard, Phelps, Tabler and our old friend Jack Clark from the KayBee set. Please don’t think I don’t like Clark. I just don’t know why he was included in all of these additional sets. The year these were printed, he hit .237 with 9 home runs for crying out loud. His career average was .275 and he averaged 15 home runs over a 13 year career to that point. I missed the boat on Mr. Clark. And as an aside, the box had another misprint much like KayBee in that McGwire was spelled McGuire. The card was correct. And yes, Cal Ripken Jr. was in fact included in this set but still no Nolan Ryan.  The Bash Brothers (Canseco/McGwire) were included as they should have been in retrospect. However, at the time this set was generated, McGwire was sitting on a .189 average with 3 bombs in 18 career games. Fleer must’ve had wonderful foresight. Canseco was a tad better with a career .249 average and 38 bombs in 2 seasons. The Canseco does have a great shot on the front of the card though. The true Bash Brothers in this set were Jesse Barfield and George Bell from the Toronto Blue Jays. Barfield hit .289 with 40 home runs in 86 while Bell hit .309 with 31 dingers. Now that is what sluggers look like! And those powder blue uniforms were beautiful even on grainy cards.As for the pitchers, Clemens and Gooden were obvious inclusions based on their stats in ’86. However, there were a few names that had escaped my memory but also deserved their place. Mike Witt was 18-10 with a 2.84 ERA in ’86. Mike Scott was also included with his 18-10 record and 2.22 ERA. They even plugged in a closer in Jeff Reardon with his 35 saves from ’86. Using more of a career lens as opposed to the previous season, they included Bret Saberhagen, who was coming off of a 7-12 season with a 4.15 ERA. And normally steady Rick Sutcliffe had an abysmal season with a 5-14 record and a 4.64 ERA. These are not the type of seasons that usually culminate in inclusion in a “Baseball’s Best” set. Career-wise, yes, very good ball players but 1986 was not so pleasant.That brings me to my biggest head scratcher inclusions. And as I said above, good ball players, just not “Best”. I could never hit .235 in the majors but I also would never be classified as a “Slugger” either.

  • Pat Tabler – Career .288 with 29 home runs in 5 full seasons. He did hit .326 in ’86 so that might equal a pass but still not a “slugger”.
  • Ken Phelps – Career .235 with 64 home runs in 6 partial seasons. This guy had been bouncing between the majors and minors since 1976 and he’s included in “Baseball’s Best”?
  • Jeffrey Leonard – Career .273 with 81 home runs in 11 partial seasons? I don’t know….. Even though Pete Incaviglia hit for a terrible average, he did hit 30 fly balls that left the park.
  • Ivan Calderon – He did hit .303 in ’86 but he had played 4 seasons at the major league level and never appeared in more than 67 games and had a career .266 average.

All in all, a neat retro set that can be had for very little cash. You can even find them sealed on Ebay, assuring their minty condition. While neat and retro, it also needed some help saving it from being below a Dub Score of 3. The inclusion of some big superstars like Ripken, Boggs, Puckett and Gooden was nice. And the inclusion of some serious sluggers like Jesse Barfield, George Bell and Dave Parker was a plus too. I liked the stickers included and also wasn’t too disappointed in the design, even by 1987 standards. When 90% of the market is pushing the woodgrain of the ’87 Topps, it was a nice change of pace for nostalgia. I’d pay $5 for the set and in fact just did so I could have one that was sealed. Just enjoy it for what it is – a fun look at baseball players from the late ‘80’s.

Dub Score – 3