{"id":2765,"date":"2017-11-19T22:49:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T03:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dubmentality.com\/?p=2765"},"modified":"2017-11-19T22:49:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T03:49:14","slug":"retro-review-not-quite-kelly-bundy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/?p=2765","title":{"rendered":"Retro Review – Not Quite Kelly Bundy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I remember watching \u201cGrowing Pains\u201d quite a bit when I was young. I remember Mike Seaver being Mr. Cool and I probably reminded my parents of him when it came to school work, getting in trouble and pulling dumb stunts with my friends. I also thought Carol was quite the looker for an 80\u2019s sitcom star. But she liked school a little too much for my taste. I never really paid much attention to Ben because he was the obnoxious little brother and I had one of those already. I do remember Dr. Seaver being this sort of all knowing guy that had a sense of humor and an answer for all of the kids problems. He was a psychiatrist after all. He was a good 80\u2019s dad on TV but could be a bit of a cornball at times.I fancy myself as having a little bit of Al Bundy in my personality though. I can be crass, to the point and say things I probably shouldn\u2019t at times. I love sports, love to watch TV and appreciate his ability to completely tune out those around him when they are grinding his last nerve. I also don\u2019t mind the occasional swimsuit calendar on the wall. I never wanted to be a shoe salesman but I did want to one day have a secret club in my garage that consisted of me and my friends sitting around drinking beer and talking about our wives. I still haven\u2019t formed that club but I do have some friends that enjoy sitting around drinking a beer. We only talk about how great our wives are though. We would never disparage our significant others, right?Even though Jason Seaver could be a cornball sometimes, he couldn\u2019t hold a candle to Danny Tanner on \u201cFull House\u201d. Even as a kid, I thought he was a total square. I enjoyed Jessie and Joey much more than I did Danny but I guess that was how it was meant to be written. I definitely didn\u2019t want to be in a house with a bunch of girls when I was 10 either. Yuck! I didn\u2019t have any sisters and actually didn\u2019t have a female cousin until I was about 14 or so. I just never latched on to \u201cFull House\u201d like I did these other sitcoms because I just couldn\u2019t really relate to it like the others. They did all have something in common though; they all debuted in 1987. As I went back and looked through some of the coolness of 1987, I realized that it was a major year for television and the big screen. Maybe that\u2019s because I was 10 and really started getting into TV but there was a lot of excellent options that year.As for TV, that was the year that we were introduced to Spuds McKenzie. You tell me one kid from 1987 that didn\u2019t want a Spuds of his own. I didn\u2019t even pay attention to the beer part of the ad. I wanted that dog! We also met the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that year and my cousin is still a pizza fanatic because of Michelangelo. It helps that his name is Michael as well. Then there were those awesome Micro Machines commercials. That guy had a pretty amazing talent with the fast talking! My brother played with those a lot more than I did but I always marveled at the commercials. That probably wouldn\u2019t be a very safe toy for kids by today\u2019s standards.The news on TV that year was also very riveting. That was the year that Baby Jessica fell into a well in her aunt\u2019s backyard in Texas. And when I say well, what I really mean is this tiny pipe that only an 18 month old child could fit in. It took 58 hours to free her from that well and it was a televised event. It was quite scary for parents but it made me leery of small spaces for a while as well. She was eventually rescued from the pipe some 22 feet below ground and is doing well today as per media reports. Someone who didn\u2019t do quite so well with their media circus fame in 1987 was Jim Bakker. Bakker was a TV Evangelist who was accused of rape by a secretary that actually led to the uncovering of financial fraud that led to a 45 year prison conviction. He only served 5 years before being paroled but went through a pretty public divorce from Tammy Faye as well. He has somehow found himself back in the ministry and on TV. I\u2019m just going to leave that alone.The movies were awesome in 1987 were totally tubular! My personal favorites from that year were \u201cPredator\u201d and \u201cRunning Man\u201d. I was a big Arnold fan and loved all of his movies. \u201cPredator\u201d was one of the first sci-fi horror movies I watched, along with \u201cAliens\u201d. That movie kind of freaked me out but I thought it was really cool too. Carl Weathers was the man! As for \u201cRunning Man\u201d, this was another sci-fi thriller about a TV game show where the only winners were the contestants who actually finished the game alive. As crazy as that movie premise seemed in 1987, to be brutally honest, we don\u2019t seem too far from some kind of reality show that is very similar to \u201cRunning Man\u201d in 2017. It\u2019s a little scary how close that movie portrayed the way our society is heading.There were a lot of other classic movies released that year as well. Some of the more well known include \u201cLethal Weapon\u201d, \u201cThe Untouchables\u201d, \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d and \u201cRobocop\u201d. Obviously, these are big name movies so I don\u2019t have to explain how good they were. In the horror genre, there were a few that are still on my favorites list. I still love \u201cThe Lost Boys\u201d and watched it at a friend\u2019s house when I was totally not supposed to. I had to hide the fact that I was scared to death at my house at night because that would have eventually led to the fact that I watched it. My favorite Freddy movie was \u201cDream Warriors\u201d and it was released that year as well. Throw in \u201cCreepshow 2\u201d and you\u2019ve got quite a starter list of movies you should go back and re-watch.What about some family movies from \u201987? Well, there was \u201cHarry and the Hendersons\u201d, which gave Bigfoot a soft and warm side that made you want to have him as a pet. Then there was \u201cErnest Goes to Camp\u201d, which does not hold up well in 2017. Trust me, it is not good today. \u201cSummer School\u201d was a fun movie that had a couple of \u201cTexas Chainsaw Massacre\u201d super fans in it. \u201cRaising Arizona\u201d was the first great Nicholas Cage film that also starred Holly Hunter. And \u201cPlanes, Trains and Automobiles\u201d was a hilarious comedy with Steve Martin and John Candy. One of the best lines in a comedy film in the 80\u2019s came from that movie. After waking up in a hotel room together, they had this unforgettable exchange:<\/p>\n

Neal Page: Del? Why did you kiss my ear?
\nDel Griffith: Why are you holding my hand?
\nNeal Page: Where\u2019s your OTHER hand?
\nDel Griffith: Between two pillows\u2026.
\nNeal Page: Those aren\u2019t pillows!!!\u201cFull Metal Jacket\u201d is a cult classic from 1987 and I have watched the first half of that movie over and over and over. That drill sergeant is one of the greatest movie characters ever! I remember Private Pile, Private Joker and all of the characters and one liner\u2019s from that film. It\u2019s one that I still have on VHS in my collection. Finally, I developed a pretty strong crush that year on Elisabeth Shue thanks to \u201cAdventures in Babysitting\u201d. She was already a cutie in \u201cThe Karate Kid\u201d but this one put me over the top. I still stop the channel surfing when I see her on my TV screen!There were other cool things from 1987 like \u201cMike Tyson\u2019s Punch Out\u201d, Guns N Roses\u2019 \u201cAppetite for Destruction\u201d and Bon Jovi\u2019s \u201cLivin on a Prayer.\u201d 1987 was really a great year for pop culture. That year produced some pretty cool trading cards as well. I remember Garbage Pail Kids that year and trying to gross out the girls in my class with those hideous cards. One of the most iconic sets ever was the 1987 Wood Grain Topps design with the beautiful Bo Jackson Future Star. I also did a review of 1987 Fleer here a few weeks ago. This was almost the perfect year for collecting because most weren\u2019t aware it was overproduced yet but they also only had a few sets to choose from.The remaining set from that year was 1987 Donruss. I never had a ton of \u201987 Donruss because I didn\u2019t really start collecting until 1989. But even as a non-collecting kid that played with the classic toys of those days, I had some \u201987 Topps lying around. I think most kids had some \u201987 Topps, even if half of us didn\u2019t know what we had. But Donruss was a relative unknown to me for many years. I have since added some pieces to my collection but I\u2019ve never busted a full box, or even multiple packs to be honest. My recent trip to the LCS has provided that opportunity now. I picked up a full box for a mere $25, which I think is a pretty good deal.<\/p>\n

Donruss had a pretty cool design that year with the black border and gold baseball logo stripe running horizontally across the middle of the card. Of course, there are also Diamond Kings and Rated Rookies to sort through as well. The puzzle is of Roberto Clemente, which is especially cool to me, considering how much I love his cards in the hobby. The set was numbered to 660 and a box had 36 packs with 15 cards per pack. So there are a total of 540 cards per box but if collation is similar to other sets from those years, I\u2019m probably looking at just over half the set when I\u2019m done. I\u2019m really looking forward to this rip though because the set will be a fairly new experience for me.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s jump right in!<\/p>\n

First, the wrappers were not my favorite from Donruss. I didn\u2019t like the copper color but they are still wax packs so they aren\u2019t all bad either.<\/p>\n

I was able to pull the full Clemente Puzzle together so that was a success!<\/p>\n

The Diamond Kings were just as I remembered them. The artwork of Dick Perez is unmistakable. Surprisingly, my least favorite is the Jose Canseco because his head looks so odd on the card. I love the Murphy, Straw, Smith, Puckett and Davis!<\/p>\n

The Rated Rookies pictured here were names that you may remember but not Hall of Fame type talent. I particularly liked Benito Santiago in the late 80\u2019s. Rafael Palmeiro could have landed in the Hall had he not had his issues during the steroid era.<\/p>\n

These three players epitomized the term \u201cSpeed\u201d. Vince Coleman may have been the fastest but Rickey Henderson was the most prolific base stealer. Rock Raines was the closest to a 5 tool player of the group.<\/p>\n

The infielders here are absolute studs. This was Will Clark\u2019s rookie Donruss card and Fred McGriff\u2019s second year card. There is a lot of talent here!<\/p>\n

The outfielders are just as awesome and star studded as the infielders above. Jose\u2019s rookie was the famous 1986 Donruss but this was Bobby Bonilla\u2019s base rookie as he was included in 1986\u2019s \u201cThe Rookies\u201d set. Just look at that smile on Puckett! These guys make me want to pull out RBI Baseball and start swinging!<\/p>\n

The pitchers here are Ace material. Lee Smith was a closer but he was as dominant as the starters. The Dodgers rotation was pretty scary with Fernando and Orel. It looks like Doc was startled by someone that got his attention as the photo was about to be taken.<\/p>\n

The Veterans are all here too in 1987. I dare you to tell me you wouldn\u2019t have wanted these guys on your team in the 80\u2019s! Pete Rose had the elusive 1B\/Mgr card. I really liked Joe Carter too and I think he is vastly underrated in the hobby today. The same could be said about Jim Rice.<\/p>\n

The two hits in the box were these great Rated Rookies. While I missed out on the Barry Bonds RC, I am pleased that I pulled Bo and McGwire. I have now pulled all three major Bo Jackson rookies this year ripping old wax. I really wish the careers for these two had ended up better than they did. I wish Bo had stayed healthy and I wish McGwire could have just been this good without the whole steroid thing.<\/p>\n

Finally, \u201987 Donruss had a nice box bottom like many other mid 80\u2019s wax boxes. The bottom here had Murphy and a sweet Canseco photo taken with him perfectly centered in a star on the outfield wall. There is a Reardon and Clemente puzzle card as well but the Canseco is the real gem here.As with other 1987 rips, this one was loads of fun. A rookie class of Bo, McGwire and Bonds make the ripping exciting but the inclusion of every major star from the 80\u2019s makes the box well worth the $25 price tag. The design was not as good as 1986 but was better than 1988 in my opinion. This was probably one of the top Donruss designs for me but came right one year after my favorite so I tend to judge it too harshly. I have to give this a \u201c4\u201d on the Dub-O-Meter for a few reasons. The checklist is great, the design is good, the price is reasonable and the Clemente Puzzle is a classic. On the negative, the cards weren\u2019t cut very well and collation was as odd as I\u2019ve seen with consecutively numbered cards. The positives far outweigh the negatives here so the 4 is closer to a 4.5 than a 3.5. I would say that ultimately, the set lands somewhere between Carol Seaver and Kelly Bundy, if you know what I mean. I\u2019d recommend this set as a fun build and the box as a nostalgic rip worth your time. What say you about 1987 Donruss?<\/p>\n

J-Dub<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scoring Scale<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards. \u00a0Just read the post and thank me later.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did! \u00a0It has some downside but worth the ride.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking! \u00a0What are you waiting on?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I remember watching \u201cGrowing Pains\u201d quite a bit when I was young. I remember Mike Seaver being Mr. Cool and I probably reminded my parents of him when it came to school work, getting in trouble and pulling dumb stunts with my friends. I also thought Carol was quite the looker for an 80\u2019s sitcom … Continue reading “Retro Review – Not Quite Kelly Bundy”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,9,3,2,7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hobbies","category-memories","category-movies","category-music","category-sports","category-tv"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubmentality.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_2834.jpg?fit=512%2C384&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7912A-IB","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2765"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2795,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions\/2795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubmentality.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}