A Funny Hat, An Oversized Glove, and More Random: My Frankenset Top 5

Over the past couple of weeks, I finished uploading all of the images of the pages for my Frankenset, and decided to do a recap of my favorite cards from the set. I've already revealed my honorable mentions as well as cards 6 through 10. That leaves the top 5, which I hope you'll enjoy. 

#5 - 1988 Iowa Cubs Procards #538 - Paul Noce

This card has several things going for it. It's a minor league issue, it's a Cubs card, and it's something fun and different (though there's actually another card in my set of a minor leaguer hitting a golf ball). 

#4 - 1984 Fleer #495 - Jay Johnstone

Jay Johnstone was a funny guy. I've read a couple of his books, and this card encapsulates his personality perfectly. Bonus: a Cubs card, again! 

#3 - 1990 CMC #139 - Paul Noce

Hey, it's Paul Noce again! I believe this card was staged using velcro or tape of some sort. See above for reasons for its inclusion. It takes the #3 spot despite the fact that Noce was no longer with the Cubs organization. The Nashville Sounds were a Reds affiliate.

#2 - 1986 Fleer #396 - Mickey Hatcher

Though not the only card to feature Hatcher's oversized glove, this was the original. Fleer does it again with a card that appears on most "funny card" lists. 

#1 - 1994 Collector's Choice #249 - Nolan Ryan

This might be my favorite card of all time. Some of the reasons why:

• I first got this card as a kid, I believe out of a pack.
• It is the "rarer" silver signature version of the card, and just looks awesome.
• It features my first favorite baseball player.
• It's beautifully framed.
• The back has 27 seasons of easily readable stats (27!!!) 

So even though it doesn't fit one of the quirky categories found in my Frankenset, it still is #1 to me. It's one of a few "generally awesome" cards from my set, and it just had to be included. 

Do you have a favorite of this group? Any cards you hadn't seen before? 

When Cards Don't Make Sense

What constitutes an illogical baseball card? I would say the simple definition would be when the picture doesn't match the text. The most commonly cited example of this phenomenon is when a player is misidentified on a card. There have been lists and posts covering that topic, so I won't address it here. Instead, I will show you four cards with the same theme. Try to figure out what they have in common.

1983 Fleer #331, Mike Ivie

1991 Donruss #576 Jack Daugherty

1992 Topps #531, Larry Walker

1990 CMC #9 Greg Booker

The final example probably provides the best clue. The first two are players identified as designated hitters playing the field. The third is a player identified (on the back of the card) as an outfielder, but shown playing first base. The final example is a pitcher wearing catchers gear for some reason. The common theme is the player's position on the card doesn't match the photo. Here's a breakdown of each:

1983 Fleer Mike Ivie

Ivie appeared in 79 games for the Tigers the previous season, all of them as a DH, so the photo on the card is likely from the 1981 season or prior. He would play 12 games at first base in 1983 before retiring. He also played first base in 1980 and 1981, so a logical fix would have been to show him as DH/1B.

1991 Donruss Jack Daugherty

In 1990, Daugherty's position breakdown was as follows:
Left Field: 39 games
First Base: 30 games
Designated Hitter: 21 games
Right Field: 12 games

Donruss just needed to add OF and 1B to the card, but the problem might have been the fact they didn't use abbreviations for player positions on the 1991 cards, at least based what I found in my research. So the right call would have been to put Outfield in my opinion.

1992 Topps Larry Walker

In 1991, Larry Walker played in 100 games in right field and 39 at first base. A simple addition of 1B to the back of the card would have sufficed, and unlike 1991 Donruss, would have fit into the existing design.

1992 Topps #531, Larry Walker (Back)

1992 Topps #506, Todd Benzinger (Back)

Todd Benzinger (96 games at first base and 15 in the outfield in 1991) has the designation that would seem more appropriate for Walker, whereas 1B-OF would fit better for Todd. This made me think... maybe Benzinger's expression on the front of this card was his reaction to Topps's choice for his position designation:

1992 Topps #506, Todd Benzinger

Actually, that look appears to be a version of his "game face."

Exhibit B: from 1989:

What was I talking about again? Oh, that's right. So Walker's position in the photo doesn't match his position on the card.

1990 CMC Greg Booker

This card makes no sense and cannot be salvaged in any way. I'm not saying it isn't an interesting and entertaining card, but in a 10 year career across the minor and major leagues, Booker never once played catcher.

I'm not sure how many more examples exist of this phenomenon. They are harder to spot when looking through a stack of cards than, let's say, a pitcher hitting or a player with a team you never knew he played for. If you have other examples, leave a comment below.