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Monday, June 11, 2018

Frankenset Page 10

I must say that tonight, more so than usual, I'm very excited to watch the Red Sox game as they take the field in Baltimore against the Orioles who unbelievably have the same number of wins as the first-place Yankees have losses (19). 

The reason I'm so excited is that Mookie Betts is going to play for the first time in over 2 weeks after suffering an injury to his right side that sidelined the MLB batting average leader for a little over 10 games. Without a doubt, the Red Sox could've used their superstar's help during their recent 3-game series against the White Sox in which they lost 2/3 to one of the worst teams in baseball. 

Tonight is a fresh start for the Red Sox against the Orioles, which means we'll get to see if Mookie Betts is still at the level he was 2 weeks ago. With the game scheduled to start in just under 2 hours, I figured I'd show off the 10th page of my frankenset before the game commences. This page includes cards 82-90.

#82 1993 Ted Williams Set Al Bumbry
I go back and forth between the 1993 and 1994 Ted Williams sets in terms of which one I like more. I really enjoy the simple design of the '93 set along with the easy to read names, something '94 doesn't have on the front. However, the creativity of the '94 set is at a higher level than it is for 1993, so it's pretty much a toss-up.

#83 2001 Bowman Heritage Cristian Guzman
The 10th page of the frankenset begins with back-to-back black and white images. First Al Bumbry, and now Cristian Guzman from the 2001 Bowman Heritage set which for some reason, showed up with a faint rainbow pattern throughout the card when I scanned it.

#84 2000 Upper Deck Pros & Prospects Jason Kendall
Jason Kendall is similar to Cristian Guzman in terms of their playing careers. They were both All-Stars 2 or 3 times, and they each were good for their respective teams around the same time which was the late 1990's early 2000's.

#85 2016 Topps Heritage Bryan Morris
I don't think I've seen a single Bryan Morris card before or since this one. With that being said, I'm a big fan of this 2016 Heritage card, specifically Morris holding the ball in his right hand and his glove in his left hand. Additionally, the Spring Training ballpark background looks very nice on this particular card, and so do the purple letters that spell out "Marlins."

#86 2004 Bowman Heritage Mike Lowell
The 2nd Bowman Heritage card of the frankenset page is of the 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell from before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2006. The recreation of the 1955 Bowman set was done incredibly well, and one of my biggest regrets is that I never went for it and tried to collect the '04 Bowman Heritage set when I had the chance.

#87 2005 Topps Pristine Legends Tony Armas
I remember when I picked this card up in the dime bins a couple years ago. I found this card in a group with 2 others from the set, Lee Smith on the Cubs and Al Oliver on the Pirates. I didn't collect Tony Armas at the time, and I still don't. But the uniform combined with the chrome card design was too good to pass up. Flash forward to early 2017, and this well-executed card found a spot in my frankenset.

#88 2015 Topps Heritage '51 Freddie Freeman
Apparently, the guy the Red Sox drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft a week ago exactly, has a very similar style of game to Braves 1st baseman Freddie Freeman. That's a very good thing for Boston, cause Freeman is currently putting up MVP-caliber numbers that include a .340 batting average and 45 RBI.

#89 1987 Topps Ozzie Guillen
Guillen's 1987 Topps card is definitely in my top 3 favorite cards of the 1987 Topps set. The image choice is fantastic, but my favorite part without a shadow of a doubt is the awesome White Sox uniform he's wearing. The White Sox have had a lot of crazy uniforms over their team history, including shorts. But I think these would have to be my favorites. 

#90 2017 Topps Jason Grilli
I must've just pulled this card out of a 2017 Topps pack when I decided to put it into the frankenset because, in all honesty, it's definitely not my favorite card on the page. It's just kind of boring. I tend to get very tired of the same style photo of a pitcher being used on nearly every single card nowadays.

2 comments:

  1. Very retro-heavy page, yet I think the nicest looking card is the more modern Kendall. I dig the Armas, too, and it's nice to see Al Bumbry get a post-career card.

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    1. I wish there was a set nowadays that gave lesser players like Al Bumbry, Tony Armas, and guys like Frank White cards. Kind of what Panini did with 2013 Hometown Heroes, but better an improved concept.

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