1987

Imagine a time when "Walk Like An Egyptian" was at the top of the charts.

Imagine a time when Platoon was the big box office smash of the year.

Imagine a time when everyone crowded around their TVs to watch the Huxtables on The Cosby Show or a place where everyone knows your name on Cheers every Thursday.

Can you?

I can't. But that's mostly because I wasn't around in 1987. I didn't exist until five years later.

On top of that, triple-pronged, 48-card rack packs were long gone by the time I started getting into baseball cards. Luckily for me, a full twenty-seven years later, I finally got a little taste of what it was like to collect during the late '80s.

Matt of the awesome blog "Bob Walk the Plank" somehow stumbled upon a rack pack of '87 Topps. By the graciousness of his good heart, he decided I should have it, even though I've never mentioned any desire to open one. As it turns out, it was a desire I never knew I had.

The cards were like a time machine that transported me back twenty-seven years in the five minutes it took me to sift through them. They even smelled like what I imagine 1987 smelled like. A waxy, kind of musty scent.

Care to join me on a trip back to the heyday of Tiffany and Robocop?

#10 Dwight Gooden, Glossy All-Stars insert

The rack pack opened with what passed for an insert in 1987.

Here in 2014, a set called Archives is reproducing these things with a sense of nostalgia. And the originals, like Doc here, are staples in repacks near you.

This, as I found out, was the only insert in the entire 48-card rack pack.

A far cry from the 12-card packs that seem to come with eight inserts nowadays.

#514 Orlando Mercado

Topps and 1987 will be forever linked by those famous wood-grain borders.

An obvious nod to '62 Topps, this design became an instant favorite of a lot of collectors at the time. Lots of those who lived through 1987 still look on it with fondness today, so I've heard.

It'd be a longshot to make my Top 5, but '87 would most certainly crack my list of the Top 10 Topps sets ever made.

I would've bought tons of rack packs just like this one from the local A&P with a design that sweet.


#72 Walt Terrell

#650 Hubie Brooks

I miss the Expos.

#430 Mike Schmidt

Our first Hall of Famer.

And, judging by the Expos jerseys in the background, a shot that may have been taken during the same game as the Brooks.

#493 Tom Lasorda MGR 

I've long since forgotten what it feels like to pull a manager from Flagship.

I don't know how excited people got over getting a card of Tom Lasorda back in 1987, but I'd bet that most people who collected back then would probably be in favor of a skipper revival in the cardboard industry.

Either way, we get a good shot of Lasorda's wedding band in this photo.


#521 Rick Reuschel
#15 Claudell Washington
#115 Donnie Moore
#507 Dave Stapleton 
#35 Sid Bream
#73 Dave Anderson
#292 Franklin Stubbs

#104 Billy Sample

The backs of '87 Topps are fun and key to the overall success of the design.

I like the little "GW-RBI" feature, and a lot of the bios feature fun pieces of information that weren't readily available to people in the days before the internet.

Topps probably taught a lot of young collectors about Billy Sample's past DJ experience with this card.


#29 Jimmy Key

#116 Bill Russell

Sunset card!


#741 Paul Molitor
#364 Randy Bush

#471 Ronn Reynolds

A Ron so cool he had to spell his first name with two Ns.


#708 Scott McGregor
#337 Darrell Miller
#147 Randy Niemann

#102 Paul Zuvella

Baseball needs more Z-men.

There are six currently active in the big leagues (Josh Zeid, Brad Ziegler, Jordan Zimmerman, Ryan Zimmerman, Ben Zobrist, and Mike Zunino), but none of them can match Mr. Paul Zuvella.

Zuvella, who enjoyed a 10-year career in the bigs, is third-to-last in baseball's all-time player encyclopedia. He trails only George Zuverink and the immortal Dutch Zwilling in that department.

Those couple paragraphs probably had more Zs than I've typed in the history of this blog before now.


#233 Russ Morman

#23 Lee Smith

Here's probably my favorite card in this entire rack pack.

It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is, but it's the type of heroic posed photo that Topps can't seem to get a handle on nowadays. They're too obsessed with game-faces and pitching follow-throughs.

Even someone who didn't know a thing about baseball could tell that Lee Smith was a star from this classic shot.


#232 Reggie Williams
#353 Ernie Camacho
#112 Alan Ashby
#368 John McNamara MGR
#728 Tippy Martinez
#387 T.R. Bryden

#475 Scott Garrelts

Specs!


#516 Ted Simmons
#198 Lee Mazzilli
#349 Storm Davis
#743 Dwayne Murphy

#107 John Butcher

A shot that could double as a Calvin Klein ad.

#183 Andy Hawkins

This one, not so much.

#221 Vern Ruhle

Vern Ruhle is staring into your soul.


#736 Steve Bedrosian
#790 Julio Cruz
#293 Bob Rodgers MGR
#57 Scott Nielsen

#674 Bill Campbell

Another nice, candid image that I hadn't seen before this rack pack came into my life.

Judging by the chain link fences in the backdrop, I'm guessing this particular photo was taken during Spring Training.


#673 Don Sutton

#767 Ron Cey

1987 would turn out to be Ron Cey's final season in the bigs.

This is his final card as a Cub, though his official sunset issue would come in the '87 Topps Traded checklist later in the year.

Just in case you forgot he was ever an Oakland A.


#681 George Bell
#484 Jim Traber
#548 Bill Mooneyham
#747 Johnny Ray
#744 Roy Smalley

I don't know what I did to be worthy of such a fun experience, but I give my buddy Matt a huge thanks for sending over this fantastic little surprise.

It's doubtful that I'll ever be able to grasp what it was really like to live through 1987. If anything, though, this rack pack brought me one step closer.

Sure, "Walk Like An Egyptian" is a classic rock staple these days. (I've done that stupid little dance more times than I'd care to admit.)

Maybe I was first introduced to the DVD copy of Platoon in a college history class a few semesters ago. And there probably are more Cheers and Cosby Show reruns than I could ever possibly watch on TV right now.

If you think about it, though, Topps is still the same, in a lot of ways. Lots of us still go nuts over rack packs, just like a lot of other people probably did back in 1987.

The hobby lives on.

By the way, the Cubs went 76-85 in 1987, good for dead last in their division that year.

I guess some things never change.

The dime box frankenset, Page 29: Numbers 253-261

Put the glasses on, Shades! Give 'em what they want!

Win -- 1970 Topps #252 Lowell Palmer (8 votes)

Place -- 1980 Topps #246 Tim Foli (5 votes)

Show -- 2000 Stadium Club Chrome #250 Rick Asadoorian (3 votes)

Last week's voting was a lot closer than I expected. Lowell Palmer received a third of the 24 total votes, barely edging out the underdog Tim Foli for the victory. Eight of the nine cards in the page received at least one vote. (Sorry, Andy Benes.)

I agreed with the masses on this one. The Palmer is probably one of my five favorite cards in this entire frankenset because of those killer shades.

As always, thanks to everyone who voted. Last week's page got a lot of feedback in the comments. Keep those coming, but remember to cast your tally on the sidebar as well. Let's see if we can beat last week's 24 vote total.

On that note, I'm happy to present this week's nominees.

This group has perhaps the best mix of eras, brands, and various niches we've seen yet.

Here's a closer look.

1973 Topps #253 Mark Belanger

A likely double dip from one of the craziest days the baseball card industry has ever seen.

1993 Ultra #254 Mike Bordick

A certain double play, and a darn fine one at that. 

1998 Pacific #255 Kevin Orie

Throwback! 

1976 Topps #256 Rowland Office

The famous lemon-faced shot that became a vivid memory for kid collectors in the 1970's, including my dad. 

1993 Stadium Club #257 Oscar Azocar

A man and his bat are hard to separate. 

1991 Upper Deck #258 Jose Lind

The double dip on the front originally got this card into my frankenset, but the back has made it last.

1991 Stadium Club #259 Shane Mack

I don't know when, where, or why this photo was taken, but it sure stands out. 

1991 Studio #260 "Black & Decker"

Name-wise, I doubt baseball has seen a better battery than Bud Black and Steve Decker.

1997 Collector's Choice #261 Mark Langston

The rare American League pitcher at the plate.

I'm curious to see who emerges victorious this week. I know who'll get my vote, but I don't know if I'll agree with the majority.

The polls are now on the sidebar. You know what to do.

Happy voting!

This one time, at Target...

...I stuck a rack pack of 2014 Donruss Series 2 in my cart.

I can't tell you exactly how or why it happened. My dad and I were just casually strolling along the Target card aisle yesterday when I saw a rack of bright red wrappers hanging at eye level.

It didn't look like a single customer had touched them, and I didn't even know what they were at first. It took me a minute to process the Donruss logo and remember that Panini had released Series 2 a couple weeks ago.

I don't know why, but I had the sudden urge to grab one, even despite the fact that I hadn't bought a single pack of Series 1. I even went so far as to publicly put down the design on this blog with the handful I'd picked up in discount boxes these past few months.

Still, even for a mediocre set, 30 cards for five bucks isn't that bad of a deal. My dad grabbed the fifth rack pack off the hanger (because of the five-dollar price tag) and we went on our merry way.

The cards may be forgettable, but Panini sure knows how to design a wrapper.

I see 2014 Donruss as a good idea gone haywire, though I'm not sure all the fault can be placed on Panini.

Not having the ability to feature logos is a big obstacle to get around. Still, Panini could've done a little more to make these cards stand out a bit. I had to resist the urge to yawn a few times during the course of this rack pack.

Mr. Jeter woke me up a bit, thankfully.

(1978 Topps + 1987 Donruss) - MLB logos = 2014 Donruss!

That seems to be Panini's formula with this set.

The slanted team names in the bottom-left are very reminiscent of '78 Topps, while the little baseball-filled gaps in the borders are about as '87 Donruss as it gets.

I guess the white borders could also be attributed to '78 Topps, but I think it's more due to the fact that we're living in a white-bordered universe here in 2014.

Yes, Topps can get a little boring with using the same "game face" shots over and over again.

But at least Topps still produces a few memorable photos here and there. Every card from this rack pack looked exactly the same.

At least I pulled a few guys I collect. 

That's about all I can ask for out of a five-dollar rack pack.

There was some shiny to be had once I got past all the boring base cards.

But even Mr. Price left me scratching my head.

The "Stat Line" series in 2014 Donruss is an obvious nod to the similar parallels that appeared in the mid-2000's.

The originals actually look really nice and were a fun concept. Divided into both Season and Career Stat Lines, each card is numbered to a specific statistic from the featured player. That Endy Chavez, for example, is limited to 66 copies because of the 66 runs he scored in 2003.

Because Panini chose to plaster 876 CAREER STRIKEOUTS on the front of that Price, I assumed it'd be limited to 876 copies. Nope. Looks like every Stat Line parallel is numbered to 400.

That pretty much takes the fun out of what used to be an original concept.

All the inserts and parallels I pulled were rebirths of old Donruss-related designs.

While I was happy to pull a card of Jose Altuve, the man behind my newest player collection, I don't think the Donruss Elite brand is one that we need to revisit.

It was boring enough the first time.

Diamond Kings has and always will remind me of something I might see in a horror movie.

Not that I watch horror movies or anything. I'll stick with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, thank you very much.

The longer you look at those old Diamond Kings, the scarier they get. The 2014s took out that freaky slasher quality, but they still don't grab my attention.

I'm already regretting scanning that Rusty Staub now.

It'll start popping up in my nightmares soon.

That Hernandez insert was probably my favorite card of the rack pack.

Although it doesn't have anything on the original Studios, of course.

I can applaud the thought process behind this grand Donruss revival, but I can't get behind the effort. There's not enough here to make this brand even halfway interesting.

I think it's safe to say that my liaison with Donruss will turn out to be a one-night stand.

When cards and binders don't mix

I'm proud to be a binder guy.

About 99 percent of my keeper cards are happily stored in nine-pocket pages. I know other prefer the penny sleeve/toploader/box route. As far as space is concerned, I get it. But boxes just aren't me. Boxes are where I throw my extras, not cards I cherish.

Though I've gone more in-depth with it before, the way I organize my cards in my binders is a process I've had since I was a wee lad. Everything is initially organized by team. From there, I break it down into positions. (Pitchers, catchers, first baseman, and so on.)

Then it's whittled down further to the number of cards I own within each position. For example, I have about 140 cards of Babe Ruth as a Yankee, 130 Mickey Mantles, and 115 Reggie Jacksons. The order goes Ruth, Mantle, Reggie, then all the other Yankee outfielders.

It's a fairly easy process that's worked wonders throughout my collecting years. Still, I'd be lying if I didn't say it produced problems from time to time.

The Ben Grieve Obak issue you see above (from Sunday's flea market binge) is a good example of one such headache. Though it's meant to commemorate Grieve's minor league career in the Oakland system, the card clearly features him in an airbrushed Devil Rays jersey.

Into the (Devil) Rays binder it goes, then.

Or does it?

The back identifies Grieve with Oakland (because of the whole no logos thing), which instantly puts a strain on the whole system.

It may only be seven letters, but that sly little Oakland has been driving me crazy since Sunday. Which binder? Rays or A's? Rays or A's? I need an answer!

I went with the A's in the end. No matter how strange the dull gray may look in a binder filled with gold and green. Even with the horrible job they did, I give Tristar the benefit of the doubt for at least trying to airbrush the RAYS out of Grieve's jersey on the front. 

If they would've just used an A's jersey in the first place, though, this whole episode could've been avoided.

I landed this neat insert in a dime box a couple years ago.

I can't be sure of my exact thoughts when I originally found it, but I'm sure I was ecstatic to add a rare card of Kenny Lofton as an Astro to my binders.

It sat with fellow Houston outfielders like Cesar Cedeno and Moises Alou for a couple weeks before I thought to flip it over.

Dammit.

It's not an Astros card at all. It's what I call a miscellany. Lofton is featured as both an Astro and a Brave. By my rules, cards like these go into a stack of snap cases full of other multi-player and/or multi-team cards like this one. I hope to one day put them in a binder.

Even if that day ever comes, though, this strange piece presents yet another odd question.

Which side is which?

The Braves portion features all the copyright info you'd usually find on the back. But, then again, the Astros side has the card number. 

I don't have a good answer for this one, sadly.

My OCD will probably kick in either way.

I'm in a constant state of fascination and repulsion when it comes to Goodwin Champions.

The whole street clothes theme is an interesting way to get around the lack of logos, but I don't know if these should even be considered baseball cards. Or maybe they should.

Either way, I can't help but buy a few every now and again, so maybe I do consider them official after all.

This shot of Mike Schmidt in a mustard yellow shirt goes into my Phillies binder just like his other, more proper issues.

But I'll be darned if it doesn't strike me as odd.

The look of that yellow next to powder blue, pinstriped, and even, in this case, Irish green baseball jerseys certainly is strange.

Goodwin Champions never ceases to drive me crazy, yet I still buy the cards when I can find them.

Maybe there's a sick part of me that likes these little headaches.

Ah, the dreaded mismatch.

The bane of all team collectors.

Cards like these have been around for ages. Pictured with one team, yet listed with another.

These drive me crazy because of how unnecessary they are. If you're going to use a shot of Jeromy Burnitz as a Cub, Fleer, then list him as a Cub. I much prefer airbrushing to this.

I understand wanting to keep fans up-to-date with transactions, but it's not a competition. You don't win points for being the first company to list Burnitz as a Pirate.

Everyone probably has their own little policies when it comes to cards like these. I personally classify this as a Cubs card for my Cubs binder.

No, it doesn't look right...

...but at least it's not as bad as this.

I have a love-hate relationship with die-cuts. They're hit or miss. Sometimes, a set's design warrants a die-cut look.

Other times, it's easy to tell that companies use die-cuts in hopes of selling a few extra packs. That's definitely the case with the dreaded SPx brand. Upper Deck had a weird fixation on sets using the letter "X" in their later years. They also ODed on die-cuts.

For my money, 2008 SPx is one of the most pointless checklists ever. The die-cut design and shiny for shiny's sake look is insanely gratuitous. (Not to mention that this one has the whole mismatch thing going as well.)

It's worth mentioning that die-cuts can be hell on a nine-pocket page.

This Rolen looks horrific next to a batch of otherwise normal baseball cards.

Part of me wonders why I even have it in the first place.

A card like this, as you might imagine, is my worst nightmare.

These strange first-grade-art-project die-cuts look to be becoming a thing in sets like Topps Chrome. I understand the allure they might have to others, but I just find them annoying.

The weird cuts and jagged edges on this monstrosity never fail to get caught on the plastic in my nine-pocket pages whenever I try to take it in or out of my Nationals binder.

This is the result of about five minutes of struggling to get Mr. Strasburg back into his home.

It's different. I'll give it that. The mini makes this page for me, though. Most people dread putting minis in normal nine-pocket pages, but I seem to be one of the few who likes the look.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over die-cuts getting the ax.

Minis would be a different story.

Topps Laser is one of those sets that seems to be in a constant state of limbo.

I love it one minute and hate it the next. Laser etching was a novel idea back in the '90s, but how well did it work on cards like these? It's a question I struggle with all the time.

Like any other die-cuts, these are a struggle to showcase in a nine-pocket page.

But I sure do like the look once they're in the slot.

Nine-pocket frames like this one make me fall in love with binders all over again every time I see them. Sure, it can be a struggle sometimes. And, yes, there are a lot of ins and outs to being a binder guy.

In the long run, though, you'll get a lot more out of your baseball cards.