Saturday, October 5, 2019

Frankenset Page #66

As I begin writing this post, the New York Yankees are absolutely annihilating the Minnesota Twins 8-1 in a series that's become reminiscent of the Astros' sweep of the Indians in last year's ALDS.

Including last night's 10-4 defeat, the Twins have lost 11 straight postseason games against the Yankees, and I don't foresee things getting any better. Their decision not to start Jake Odorizzi (who's tied with Berrios, in my eyes, for the club's ace) in today's game was certainly a mysterious one.

Hopefully, the Astros vs Rays game at 9:00 pm EST will be a little more of a close matchup. Until then, I have the 66th page in my frankenset, featuring cards #586-594, ready to go.

#586 1992 Donruss Ted Power
I've noticed a pattern in regards to a reasonable number of the cards in this frankenset; while I'm not too fond of some of the set designs, the photographs and/or uniforms typically make up for it.

After all, I wouldn't choose a card for my frankenset if there was nothing that I liked about it. The '92 Donruss set leaves a lot to be desired, but the uniform takes my eyes off the mediocre design.

#587 1991 Score Luis Polonia
In the case of the 1991 Score set above, I actually don't mind how the cards look. The green border is an interesting shade, but once again, it's the uniform that catches my eye.

I feel like I've seen this Angels jersey on a handful of Rod Carew cards, so it's interesting to see someone other than the Hall of Famer sport this jersey.

#588 2011 Topps Platinum Diamond Anniversary Parallel
Topps pulled out all the stops for their 60th anniversary back in 2011, including the Platinum Diamond Anniversary and Cognac parallels which are still cherished by collectors to this day.

Topps did an outstanding job commemorating their 60th anniversary 8 years ago, and I can't wait to see what they do for their 75th come 2026.

#589 1983 Topps Alvis Woods
It seems like every page of my frankenset has featured a card from 1983 Topps. '83 Topps is a fantastic set. Moving on.

#590 2010 Topps Ryan Howard
Just seeing this card reminds me how talented of a player Ryan Howard was, particular from his rookie season in 2005 to the final of 3 All-Star appearances in 2010. The 2006 NL MVP was one of the most sensational sluggers in the game, but he couldn't find his rhythm after hitting .276 9 years ago.

Though he hung around with the Phillies through the 2016 season, Howard was, unfortunately, never able to bounce back and re-establish himself as one of the game's finest.

#591 1985 Topps Lary Herndon
Topps has already announced, via Cardboard Connection and Beckett, that 2020 Flagship will feature an insert set paying homage to the 35th anniversary of the 1985 Topps set. I'm rather neutral to the idea of commemorating a base set every year, but I'm worried about what they're going to do in 2022.

Topps already made a 1987 Topps insert set back in 2017, and given that '87 is an over-produced product, to begin with, I hope they take a year off and don't shove the set down our throats once again.

#592 1976 Topps Traded Willie Randolph
The "Sports Extra" news headlines of the 1976 Topps Traded cards make this set one of the gems of the 1970s. I don't include these cards with my '76 Flagship set that I'm trying to complete, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate how creative Topps was with this concept.

As far as I know, '76 was the first time that Topps produced a Traded/Update set, something they've done almost every year since. Today, Topps Update is one of the most sought after and celebrated releases.

#593 1991 Topps Mike Walker
Just like the '83 set, I feel like 1991 Topps is very well-represented across my frankenset, maybe a little too much so. In the future, I'll try not to repeat the mistakes I've made across this set, for I don't want to become overly repetitive like I have with these 2 designs.

#594 1984 Topps Gene Richards
Everything about this Padres uniform, from the color combinations to the spectacular font, is perfectly representative of the 1980s. That, combined with the '84 design and the pink background behind the photo of Gene Richards, makes this card my favorite of the entire page.

3 comments:

  1. 1976 was actually the SECOND Topps Traded set...the earlier one was 1974. In addition, the 1972 set had traded cards in the main set (that was when they were still doing series, so for example there's a Steve Carlton with the Cardinals in an early series, and then a traded card with the Phillies in the high numbers). After 1976 they didn't do it again until 1981, when they introduced the 132 card traded set with rookies.

    They won't do 1987 again in 2022, but I assume they'll do 1982, or maybe 1977 or 1992. After all, what will people who like to get new cards on old designs do with "only" Heritage, Archives, and The Living Set?

    I actually like the 1992 Donruss design. I know that's not a popular opinion. So I guess I'll take Power as my favorite of the page.

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  2. I really like that Polonia. It seems like 1991 Score baseball has been popping up on a lot blogs lately.

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  3. 1992 Donruss give me nightmares! No, not really, but I don't have any fond memories of it either. Makes me remember, and regret, spending so much money on crap cards when I was young.

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