We haven't been deprived of all sporting options here in Fargo this summer. I am fairly certain slow pitch softball leagues are in action here, but it's probably been close to a decade since I played so I can't say for certain. I do know, however, that since early this month, we've had the rare sight of minor league baseball here. The American Association, home to our Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, is an independent minor league, so it was not impacted by the cancellation of the MILB season. There are only six teams in action this season (vs. the usual 12), and games are happening in just three cities, Fargo being one of them. The other two cities are Franklin, WI, a suburb of Milwaukee, and Sioux Falls, SD. The goal was to play in areas where COVID cases haven't been as prevalent.
The #1 card today looks like it came straight out of a slow pitch game, so that's what prompted me to give an update on our unique baseball situation here. Now let's jump into the countdown:
3) 2017 Panini Chronicles #83, Bartolo Colon
Colon made pit stops in Atlanta and Minnesota in 2017 before finishing his major league career with the Rangers in 2018. Big Sexy put together a 5 and 6 record with the Twins, a 5.18 ERA, and 0.3 WAR over 15 starts in Minnesota. An underwhelming card, but there aren't many out there showing Colon with Minnesota. I think this set would have benefitted from looking into a newspaper theme of some sort. I think that has worked well on other cards.
2) 1991 Classic Best #90, Mickey Rivers Jr.
1) 1992 Donruss #86, Pete O'Brien
This is a sneaky-cool card in my opinion. It looks like it's straight out of a custom-made set put together by the Seattle Beer League Softball Association. You've got the spring training or practice jersey or whatever that is, then there's the mullet, and when you add the glasses it just fits so well together, doesn't it? I can just see Pete and his teammates cracking Budweisers in the parking lot after the game.
With page 9 of the Frankenset in the books, it's time to look at the top categories for the cards we've seen so far:
| Category | |
| Lesser Known: | 4.5 |
| Odd Team: | 4 |
| Glasses: | 3.5 |
| Mustache: | 3 |
| Pitcher Hitting: | 3 |
| Field Action - Awkward: | 2 |
| Equipment Oddity: | 1 |
| Facial Expression - In Action: | 1 |
| Field Action Fail: | 1 |
| Pitcher Running Bases: | 1 |
| Position Player Pitching: | 1 |
| Why is he bunting?: | 0.5 |
| Chew: | 0.5 |
| Funny Name/Nickname: | 0.5 |
| Hair: | 0.5 |
What was your favorite card from page 9? Thanks for stopping by!
