After a three-week hiatus, we're ready to dip back into my frankenset posts his afternoon.
The seventh page I'll be showing off from my frankenset binder does indeed feature a little of everything. It's one of the more well-rounded groups I've found so far.
To top it all off, it's yet another completed page, the fourth I've shown in my frankenset posts up to this point.
So, if you'll indulge me, let's take a closer look.
Completion status: 9/9...completed page!
Numbers needed: None.
The card: 1978 Topps #55 Mitchell Page
Why it made the cut...
This is one of those select few "so bad, yet so good" cards.
I couldn't exactly tell you why the people at Topps decided to go with this shot of "Rookie Cup" winner Mitchell Page for their '78 set. Your guess is as good as mine.
My pre-blogger self tossed this one aside without a second thought. Only after I gained a newfound sense of appreciation for cardboard (thanks to the blogosphere, of course) did I save Mr. Page from a sad life inside a box in my closet.
Before I started this blog, I was truly brainwashed.
The card: 2000 Ultra #56 Jose Lima
Why it made the cut...
The game of baseball could use more guys like the late Jose Lima.
From what I know, he was a fun-loving ballplayer. I think this card does a great job of featuring that.
In a semi-pitcher at the plate shot, the former Astro hurler looks ready to hit. He's got his game face on.
Yet, there's a glove perched on top of Lima's head for no apparent reason. And his cap is on backwards.
That's Jose Lima for you.
The card: 1994 Collector's Choice #57 Ricky Bones
Why it made the cut...
This is the only reverse-interview card I've ever come across.
In a strange twist, former Brewer pitcher Ricky Bones is actually the one doing the interviewing here, warm-up jacket and all.
Surprisingly, Bones received quite a few neat cards during his time in the big leagues.
This won't be the last you'll see of him in my frankenset.
The card: 1991 Score #58 Rick Parker
Why it made the cut...
This card was probably the high point of Rick Parker's career.
As a guy who played for four teams in his six seasons in the bigs, I'd never heard of him before this masterful "play at the plate" shot fell into my hands. (One that comes courtesy of '91 Score, a personal favorite set from the overproduction era.)
I actually received this amazing piece in a recent trade. But, thanks to my current backlog in that department, it's one I haven't gotten around to posting yet.
You'll be seeing Mr. Parker again soon enough.
The card: 1997 Upper Deck #59 Walt Weiss
Why it made the cut...
Walt Weiss is another guy who received quite a few awesome cards during his career.
Not surprisingly, his legendary '91 Topps issue went pretty far into this blog's "Gems of Junk Wax" tournament.
It wouldn't be the last time he'd be featured in a brilliant "double dip" shot, either.
Thanks to the photo-dating theme of 1997 Upper Deck, we know that this one was snapped on April 27th, 1996, a game in which Weiss helped turn a double play against the Expos.
Plus, UD even tells us who the runner is on this particular play with Mike Lansing.
How cool is that?
The card: 1994 Collector's Choice #60 Pat Borders
Why it made the cut...
Here's another gem from the '94 Collector's Choice checklist.
The result of what looks to be either a hit by pitch or a vicious foul ball off the ankle, Borders appears to be in quite a bit of pain. It was certainly a strange (yet great) choice of photo selection on the part of the Collector's Choice brand.
It's not the only time we've seen Borders in a great deal of pain, either.
The card: 1997 Upper Deck #61 Mark Lewis
Why it made the cut...
Double dip!
While far inferior to the Weiss, it's still another darn nice double play shot from the '97 UD checklist.
The card: 2013 Topps Opening Day #62 Jason Kubel
Why it made the cut...
Although Topps is doing their best to overdo them, I'm still a fan of these home plate celebration shots.
Whether they feature an entire team in jubilation or a simple fist bump, they make for good cardboard.
Please, Topps.
Don't drive these things into extinction.
The card: 1997 Topps #63 Dan Wilson
Why it made the cut...
Once again, I received this awesome "play at the plate" shot in a particularly plentiful trade package that I haven't posted about yet.
The '97 checklist isn't one of Topps's greater efforts, to say the least. This beauty is definitely in the upper tier as far as that set goes.
Plus, Wilson was the one who finished off this particular page. The #63 slot was wide open before he came along.
Not a bad way to knock out a frankenset page, I must say.
I always found that '78 Page oddly fascinating, too. I think maybe it's because he's leaning at such an angle that it looks like he's accommodating the Rookie Cup that he didn't know was going to be there.
ReplyDeleteCoors Field right in the middle of the page. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteMike Lansing later became a Rockie, FYI.