My First Frankenset: The Top Cards (#10 to #6)

With all of the pages from my first Frankenset finally uploaded (view them all here), I decided to do a recap of my 10 favorite cards from the set. I recently recapped the cards that just missed the top 10. Today, let's take a look at the bottom half of the favorites.

#10 - 1993 Stadium Club #257 - Oscar Azocar

This card appears on many "funny card" lists and for good reason. This classic sneaks in at #10 of my favorites from the Frankenset.

#9 - 1973 Topps #530 - Jim Kaat

An American League pitcher batting became a rare occurrence this season (1973), with the designated hitter coming to the AL. As of last season, the DH is now universal across MLB, a rule change that I dislike the most out of the Manfred Mess (and there's a lot of bad ones to choose from). The fact that this card features an all-time great, an AL pitcher, and an action shot secures its spot at #9.

#8 - 1976 Topps #564 - Kurt Bevacqua 

(Bubble Gum Blowing Champ)

Another notable "funny card". The back of this card is great, too, as it gives us the full championship bracket from the bubble blowing competition. Ralph Houk's Tigers and Danny Murtaugh's Pirates did not send a player to compete. Kurt Bevacqua beat out Johnny Oates for the title in a competition I wish would return.

#7 - 1994 Stadium Club #400 - Orel Hershiser

Someone unfamiliar with baseball would likely be surprised to learn that this card depicts one of the most dominant pitchers of the mid to late 80s. And that this man's nickname was Bulldog. 

I once knew what precisely was occurring in this photo, but couldn't track it down for this post. The only reference I found was behind an LA Times paywall. 

#6 - 1994 Topps #705 - Jose Rijo

One of several mid-90s cards showing Jose Rijo with a squirt gun (Super Soaker brand perhaps?), this one is great because it appears Rijo is taking aim at someone in the crowd. I have one or two other Rijo squirt gun cards in the Frankenset. 

Do you have a favorite from this group?

Coming soon: the top 5 cards!

Stats and More Stats

I've always loved baseball statistics. In fact, I actually became a fan of baseball stats and baseball cards before I really got into baseball itself. So I thought it would be fun to share some stats from my completed Frankenset. Feel free to click the link to view all the cards from the first 5 pages of the set (more to come!). I'd love to hear your thoughts on the cards on those pages. Ok, back to the stats. Each section will be followed by a favorite card from the top item on the list:

Top 10 Categories (featured on the most cards):

1. Lesser Knowns - probably my favorite category, so no surprise
2. Name/Nickname
3. Unique Team
4. Glasses
5. Pitcher Hitting
6. Signing Autos
7. Field Action - Awkward
8. Unique Pose
9. Facial Expression - Posed
10. Hair

Top 10 Teams (several ties in this category; I know a few bloggers who will be happy with this result.)

    1. Los Angeles Dodgers

        San Francisco Giants

        Atlanta Braves

    4. Cincinnati Reds

        Oakland A's

    6. Baltimore Orioles

        St. Louis Cardinals

        New York Mets

        San Diego Padres

Top 10 Years - I make no apologies that this is a "Junk Era"-heavy set. But 1987 didn't make the top 10!

1. 1992
2. 1993
3. 1991
4. 1990
5. 1994
6. 1995
7. 1988
8. 1989
9. 1996
10. 1981

Top 10 Brands (not too many surprises here)

1. Topps
2. Upper Deck
3. Donruss
4. Score
5. Fleer 
6. Collector's Choice
7. Stadium Club
8. Bowman
9. Conlon - The Sporting News
10. Topps Total

Top 10 Set/Year (some ties again)

    1. 1993 Upper Deck - a fantastically unique set

    2. 1992 Upper Deck

    3. 1991 Upper Deck

        1994 Collector's Choice

    5. 1981 Topps

    6. 1992 Topps

        1990 Upper Deck

        1992 Donruss

        1991 Score

        1995 Score 

I could slice this a few more ways, but I'll wrap it up for now. Hope your favorite category/team/brand/set was represented! 

The Reliable Brett Buntler

I'm well acquainted with the cards of the Overproduction Era, simply because I've seen them so many times. So when I think in terms of patterns or themes in cards, my familiarity with the 1988-1993 or so crowd comes to the forefront. Some patterns I've noticed:

Kirt Manwaring seems to always be the catcher in a play at the plate.

Jose Rijo and Roger McDowell are oftentimes doing something goofy. 

Ken Griffey Jr. is often playfully smiling with his hat on backwards.

And Brett Butler always seems to be bunting, so much so that I have now dubbed him:

Brett BUNT-ler!

The pun is just too easy. 

So I took my Brett Butler cards out and decided to see if my recollection was right. How often is he shown bunting? Surely it couldn't be on every card, but it happened often enough for me to notice a pattern. Here are my findings:

I have 43 different Brett Butler cards ranging from 1983 through 1996. 11 of those cards show him somewhere in the process of bunting.

Here's the lineup:

The 1995 Collectors' Choice Special Edition is my favorite of the bunch. Great shot of the ball hitting the bat. 

Here's the final card, showcasing Butler giving advice on bunting! This was part of a six card subset from 1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack. 

1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack #210 - Brett Butler

That's just over 25% of my cards showing Butler bunting. Pretty healthy incidence of bunting I would say. I always enjoy a good bunting card. 

Are there any players that you picture doing the same thing on many different card issues? 

Thanks for reading!