Night Owl Cards

  I picked up some manager cards last month in a Twitter sale (I've decided I'm going to call that site "Twitter" until it dies). They were all from a period when I was not collecting, 2001 and 2002.   The 2001 ones are above, if you're as clueless about cards as I was then.   Here are the ones from 2002:   These are all very nice and most are brand-spanking new to me -- if I ever want to collect a set where every card is new-and-fascinating, well 2002 Topps is a good place to start. This period beginning in 2001, I believe, is the start of the third manager card invasion, which lasted until Topps booted managers to Heritage about 10 years ago and now they've whitewashed the job off of cards altogether, except for sporadic appearances in A&G and such.   But speaking of "manager card invasions," this made me remember the post I wrote about the "second manager card invasion," which was the 1980s (and into the early part of the '90s)....

It's Friday, people. You're celebrating because the weekend is here. I'm celebrating because it's looking like this Friday work night will be a little less insane than usual for a September. Small victories. We can't all go to the club and get smashed. "Define the Design" is a nice lighthearted feature for a Friday. I haven't done one of these all year, outside of naming the 2016 Topps base set just so it would get out of my sight. In fact, when we last left Define the Design, I had promised to find a name for the 2002 Donruss set, with help from your suggestions. As usual, I completely forgot about that, so it's time to right that wrong. Using a combination of suggestions, 2002 Donruss is now the "pinstripe curtain set." (I really did want to name it "1970s boy's bedroom wallpaper," but sometimes "simple" casts a wider net). So let's get to naming a few more sets. The only thing this handful of set...

This all-time set countdown is based primarily on design. I am somewhat of a designer at work. Although it does not come easily to me, I try to create a sports page that looks pleasing to the reader. Unfortunately, I cannot invite the readers in to evaluate whether the design looks good before the page goes to print ... on second thought, fortunately, very, very fortunately, I cannot invite the readers in to evaluate whether the design looks good before the page goes to print. So, I have to be my own critic. I decide, while in the act of creating the page, whether it's an appropriate and interesting design. So, while I have never designed a baseball card except for the ones I sketched on index cards 40 years ago when I was a kid, and I probably couldn't do anything innovative if you told me "here, design a baseball card from scratch", I know what I like. And I think my opinion is somewhat accurate. That doesn't mean this countdown doesn't play favo...

Don't ask me why I was going through my 1991 Fleer cards the other day, but I was. And I came across this card. Being the hopeless color freak that I am, I read the name, looked at the border, and chuckled. That prompted me to track down these other cards: The Bud Black card may not be as obvious as the other ones, but it works for me. I didn't spend a lot of time searching, so I don't know if there are similar cards for Pete Rose or Frank/Roy/Bill/Gabe White or Kevin/Bobby/Chris/Emil/Gates/Jackie Brown. But I'll search again some other time. If you found this as fascinating as I did, or even vaguely eventful, then you may be a color freak, too. If you didn't, well, that's OK. I now return you to your colorless, barren, despair-filled lives. Joking. I'm joking.

Yes, kids, that's a late 1960s band reference -- "I'd love to change the world," and all that stuff. I'm on a late '60s/early '70s kick for some reason. That's odd, because it's before my time. But there I go, appreciating things that took place before my era. Wacky me. One thing in the music arena that did take place during my time was the "decade in review" show on the radio. Do you remember those? I vividly remember listening to an hour-long show each night during the end of 1979 as it reviewed the decade's biggest moments and songs year-by-year. It was kind of hokey, especially when I think about it now: news of Watergate with Roberta Flack singing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in the background. But back then I thought it was cool. And by 1989, I'm sure I listened to another decade review show that covered everything from "Another Brick in the Wall" to New Kids on the Block. After that, I los...