A Legendary Hat and Legendary Goggles: The Frankenset Recap (Page 55: Cards 488-496)

Welcome to third installment of an 89-part series (wow, that sounds daunting) covering my completed Frankenset. I thought it would be fun to share the set page by page on this blog, and also provide some random commentary with each page. More information on the Frankenset as well as links to the pages that have been revealed can be found here.

I'll also occasionally share miscellaneous information about the set in its entirety. This week, I am featuring a fun fact about the "unique team" category. There are 77 cards in the 800 card set depicting a player with a "unique team." This is defined as a team you normally wouldn't associate that player with (think Willie Mays on the Mets or John Smoltz on the Cardinals). Here are the top teams featured in this category:

• Orioles - 7 (one of these is featured in this week's post, but the card only contributes a half point to this total, since it also fits another Frankenset category)
• Giants - 7 
• Athletics - 6 
• Padres - 5 
• Red Sox - 5 
• Angels - 5 
• Yankees - 5 

Today, we'll look at page 55 of the set, cards 488 to 496.

1993 Stadium Club #488, Scooter Tucker

The meaning of this nickname is not fully known, even by Scooter himself.

1992 Upper Deck #489, Paul Gibson

Probably Dubble Bubble, which means it lost its flavor after approximately 7 seconds.

1994 Pinnacle #490, Chris Sabo

Sabo's iconic goggles make an appearance with an added bonus of an unfamiliar uniform.

1982 Donruss #491, Billy Martin

It probably wasn't too hard to find an opportunity for this type of photo.

2013 Topps #492, Jose Molina

The middle Molina brother actually played 15 years in the majors, but is still lesser known than older brother Bengie and younger brother Yadier. 

1990 Score #493, Eric Show

If you only saw his face, I imagine you might think Eric was participating in an activity other than throwing a baseball.

2012 Topps #494, Darwin Barney

Airborne.

1984 Fleer #495, Jay Johnstone

Perhaps one of the most iconic cards of all time, from a quirkiness perspective. And Jay Johnstone was a quirky guy.

1987 Topps #496, Bruce Bochte

Bruce looks like a middle school science teacher from the early 90s. Does anyone wear glasses like that anymore?

What was your favorite card from the page? Mine would have to be the legendary Jay Johnstone. I've actually read a couple of his books, which are quick and entertaining reads. I'd say the Billy Martin would be my second choice and Chris Sabo would come in third. 

Thanks for reading!

Bo Knows Frankensets

As I've alluded to in recent posts, I am very close to completing my Frankenset. Being in the final stages, I've identified my final steps toward completion.

1) Wait for my recently acquired smelly cards to de-stinkify so I can go through the ones I set aside as Frankenset candidates. Hoping I don't have to wait more than another week. I might have to do a fresh batch of baking soda in each box. Stay tuned.

2) File some of my recent acquisitions in their respective slots. (More on this in a moment.)

3) Compile a listing of the cards in Excel (this is mostly complete).

4) Fill in the blank slots with checklist cards (this will probably take the longest of any of the steps). If anyone has created a custom checklist before, I would appreciate tips in the comments below.

After I complete the set, I'll have to decide how to unveil it. I have been posting just my top three cards from each page a page at a time for a few months now, but might go back to the beginning and show each page card by card. Or I might pick a random page to show each time. We'll see. 

I've made great strides in the last couple months on the Frankenset due in large part to Card Barrel, which has a fantastic supply of inexpensive cards from random sets and years for me to choose from. Those people are undoubtedly puzzled each time I place an order, wondering why in the world I would choose the cards I do. 

Sometimes, there are some great Frankenset candidates in the vintage era, and that's where I've sought out other help. Specifically, Bo from Baseball Cards Come to Life and I recently swung a trade for some mostly vintage cards that I would have had to pay way too much for on Card Barrel. Instead, I was able to take advantage of Bo's extensive trade list to nab some great cards for my final push. Behold the beauty:

1976 Topps #639, Fred Kendall; 1981 Topps #541, Steve Swisher

Leading off with a couple "lesser knowns." Both men had more famous sons become major leaguers, Jason and Nick respectively. Bonus points for the Swisher beard. 

1976 Topps #363 Dave Collins; 1972 Topps #284 Ike Brown; 1979 Topps #31 Tom House 

Some solid 70s glasses with some notable facial hair sprinkled in.

1974 Topps #382 Bob Moose

This card checks so many Frankenset boxes. Hair, mustache, facial expression, name. Phenomenal.

1994 Pinnacle #490, Chris Sabo

In a Frankenset where "glasses" is a category, it would be a crime to exclude Chris Sabo's goggles. Bonus points for appearing with the Orioles, for whom he played only 68 games.

1973 Topps #483, Dal Maxvill

A guy named "Dal." I had no idea what that was short for, and I didn't even have to go to baseball-reference.com for assistance. The back of the card has his full name: Charles Dallan Maxvill.

1973 Topps #530 Jim Kaat

An AL pitcher at the plate in a set from the year the DH debuted. Unbeatable. 

So there are nine more fantastic cards for the Frankenset. Bo is a pleasure to trade with and he makes it even easier with his trade list and want lists. Thanks Bo!