1989 Bowman – Don’t Call It A Comeback

I have waxed poetically about 1989 on many occasions here on the blog.  And “waxed” is an appropriate term for that time period.  Aside from the foil of Upper Deck and the plastic of Score, wax was still the packaging of choice in 1989.  That year was my first full year of collecting sports cards.  I vaguely remember ‘88 Score packs for some reason but ’89 was when I hit the ground running.  I remember tons of ’89 Donruss that year.  I remember the ’89 Orel Hershiser that got me grounded.  Billy Ripken introduced a nation of 12 year old’s to a term that has stood the test of time in card errors.  I remember Score having the rookies of Sheffield and Randy Johnson but not Ken Griffey Jr.  I remember a lot about 1989.That was the year that I had my collection confiscated by Mrs. Merritt in Science class because I was trying to swing a trade while she was talking about hydrogen.  That was also the year I dressed up as Jose Canseco for English class to perform a talking autobiography.  I had the baseball pants and the A’s cap but no Jose jersey.  My mother, being resourceful, took a plain white t-shirt and used paint pens to create a Canseco jersey.  With it being ’89, I guess I’m just lucky she didn’t use puff paint.  Me and my boys were wearing fanny packs with Nintendo games in them on the playground and we were in fact the cool kids!  We traded Nintendo games as much as we traded cards.  Contra for Double Dribble is one I remember.I lost my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day that year because I slipped another girl a note and she found out.  Before you bash me on this one, remember I was 12.  Plus, it was just a feeler.  If the “other girl” had shown interest, I would have broken up with my girlfriend before I asked the new one to go steady, like any gentleman would do.  It all backfired though.  And I vividly remember sitting on the monkey bars when my current girlfriend walked up with the teddy bear I got her, put it in a mud puddle and then threw it on my shirt.  For years after that my friends would ask if I was giving anyone a teddy bear on Valentine’s Day.  I learned about karma at an early age my friends.Another thing I remember from 1989 was Bowman.  This was their first year back in the hobby since 1955.  Topps bought Bowman out after 5 years of fighting over contracts with players.  I suppose exclusivity isn’t just a problem in today’s world after all.  Bowman was the only card manufacturer to begin the 50’s but Topps joined the hobby in 1951.  When Topps bought Bowman in 1956, the name went quiet for 33 years.  Then, in 1989, Topps brought back the old name and introduced a vintage looking set with cards that were 2 ½” x 3 ¾”, slightly larger than the standard card size.  I remember having a ton of ’89 Bowman that were bent at the top because no one made toploaders or pages that were the right size to keep them in good condition.  They still don’t make a perfect toploader for that size.The set was only 484 cards, which was a downsize from other sets in the 80’s and the cards had a basic white border with small red trim on the inset of the border.  The Bowman logo was prominently placed in the top corner of the card.  No name or position was printed on the front of the card unlike other sets of the era.  This was a true throwback look and only included a facsimile autograph of the player on the front.  If you didn’t know the player and couldn’t read the auto, you were stuck looking at the back of the card.  Speaking of the back, they were quite a bit different from other sets that year as well.  While all of the vital statistics were still available, the actual player stats were broken down by teams played against and then totaled.  The totals included were the 1988 season and the player’s career.  If the player was a rookie, the back of the card was stamped with text along the lines of “Ken made his Professional Baseball Debut at Bellingham in 1987.  He played at San Bernandino and Vermont in 1988.”  Of course, that was Ken Griffey Jr.The box holds 36 packs with 12 cards each.  And like Topps of the day, there is gum to be had!  Unfortunately, there are no box bottom cards like other Topps sets.  The box did showcase 3 of the best talents in 1989 with Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr. and the great Gregg Jefferies.  As with other sets, they ran a contest but their’s would have been unbelievable to win.  The grand prize was a Complete Set of 1953 Color Bowman with an approximate value of $10,000.  I’d love to know if anyone ever won that!  The wax packs had an old school feel with a baseball diamond, an old looking pitcher or catcher and “ComeBack Edition” prominently displayed in the top left corner.  The key rookies in the set were Jr., Jefferies, Gary Sheffield, Chris Sabo, Robin Ventura and Sandy Alomar Jr.

Enough yapping, let’s take a look at these beauties!

Vintage ReprintsI know these are reprints.  I know this!  But the card stock and size make these look and feel so legit.  I always loved these when I got them in packs.  It was like owning an actual 1951 Mickey Mantle, without all the dollar signs that come with it.  It also included Jackie Robinson, Willie Mayes, Satchel Paige and others!  Reprints or not, I loved these!

The RookiesWell, no Jr.  That was a letdown but I did haul in several other big name rookies from ’89 starting with none other than Gregg Jefferies.  I believe this was also the only ’89 set Robin Ventura was in.  I pulled the Rookie of the Year, Jerome Walton and a Braves phenom, Steve Avery.  Despite the absence of Jr., I’m pleased with the rookie haul.

The AcesThere were more aces than these 4 but these were my favorites.  Orel is here for obvious nostalgic reasons.  The Rocket was a stud even before the cloak of PED’s.  Doc Gooden was a lot of fun to watch, even when he was hurling against my Bravos.  And speaking of my Bravos, how about John Smoltz?

The InfieldersThese are just a hand selected few of the stellar infielders the set has to offer.  William Nuschler Clark was a star in the late 80’s and is often overlooked when harkening back to the days of yore.  Ryno, Mattingly and Larkin are seldom overlooked and are recognized for their stardom.  Then we have the man, Ronnie Gant.  He is with the infielders in this set but he would soon move to the outfield.  Pulling a Gant is always a worthy moment!

The OutfieldersThis Tony Gwynn card was not my favorite of his but I there aren’t any that I flat out don’t like.  He was such a pure hitter!  Ruben Sierra and Mike Greenwell are also often overlooked 80’s stars.  They put up big numbers during those days.  Numbers didn’t get any bigger than what Jose, Straw, Bonds and Bo could do.  Some were pharmaceutically enhanced and some were natural talent.  Either way, they were crushers!

The LegendsWhat is an 80’s set without some legends?  This set has its fair share of them too.  Ozzie, Rock, The Hawk, Rickey, Ryan, Schmidt, Brett, Fisk and Yount all had superb careers and are always welcome additions to the collection.  You really can’t ever have enough of these cards!

The InsertsThese cool father/son cards were right in the middle of the set.  I pulled the Griffey’s and Stottlemyre’s but the set also included the Alomar’s and Ripken’s.  This was before sets were loaded with tons and tons of parallels and inserts so these were the standalones in that category.

This set has one drawback and it’s major.  The size of the card is a complete disaster that really effects the collectability of even the stars in the set.  The design was very simple and worked for the set but these would’ve held up much better if the cards had been standard size.  Some of the pictures are odd and a majority of the set is staged photos like the vintage days.  The checklist is top notch for ’89 as it included all of the major rookies, even The Kid.  The reprints were a nice touch for the throwback set and the size of the set was more manageable than the 700+ behemoth’s of ’89.  The price point is extremely low and the overall rip was really fun.  I just can’t get past the size of the cards.  Because of that, I’m going to have to give this box a 3 on the Dub-O-Meter.  If not for the card size, these would have been a 4.  I still won’t stop you from enjoying a box of ’89 Bowman because it’s enjoyable.  Just don’t expect to be able to store these easily.

J-Dub

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?