Welcome back! Here we are at part 2 of what I think should be a three-part series, showcasing the goods I acquired from Kyle at Nolan’s Dugout. Part 1 is available to you right here. That time, I shared the Maddux and Thomas cards from the trade. Today will be all of the Gwynns and the start of the Kerry Woods. I’m afraid I’m not very creative about the intros today, so how about we dive on in and look at some cardboard.
Hey cameraman, Tony’s to your left
With the addition of this team checklist, it’s becoming ever stranger that I don’t have the “normal” 1996 Collector’s Choice card. Amazing how junk wax can elude us for so long.
And all he gets is a ribbon…
Yeah, I’d say that was just about right. I see so many modern stat commentaries about how X player struck out Y number of times in a year or month or week and then they say how Gwynn struck out Y or less times for his career or season, etc.
And he still has to squat to fit on the cover…
I also read an article not too long ago about how a lot of this is due to the rise of players in Latin countries. Flash and power are emphasized much more over contact, so they stand out to scouts. As a result, the strike out rates are increasing because teams see the power and think they can teach the finesse later, which is not proving to be true for the whole. May not be the only factor, but that seemed to have some merit.
Rocking the hot pink
If Heritage is still going on when this set’s time is up, the color swap variation will be interesting (and possibly actually even recognizable). The “single missing pixel” variation that will inevitably be a thing in 20+ years, will not be interesting. Although this is a reprint from 2011, so it makes me wonder if future Heritage would also include reprints of reprints.
If you like borders, here’s one of the biggest you’ll see
I still don’t understand most of the early 2000s Fleer sets, but I can appreciate the picture choice with the off-balance throw.
They loved their boxes
See, this one is called Premium, but it sure as hell doesn’t look like it. Silver and foil were far too prevalent and overused by that time to carry that name alone.
More boxes
This theme I understand. Sure it’s gray and drab, but at least I understand the concept.
Maximum UV coating stickiness
I mean, I just don’t get it. Here they are, cranking out the sets but why would people think this looks good, or interesting?
Are you looking at my butt?
Ultra gets a pass. There’s history and legacy there. Sure, these designs may not carry the same oomph that they did a decade prior, but many of the Ultra designs are still interesting to look at. Plus, there are no boxes.
Will we see any more boxy, intrusive borders in the last of the Kerry Wood cards that Kyle sent? I guess you’ll just have to wait until next time. Sorry, I’m not very good at the cliffhangers today either, I guess.
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