Thursday, March 03, 2011

Ranking Topps 1980's Baseball Card Sets: #3 - 1984

With the snow finally melting in the Northeast and the Grapefruit and Cactus League action heating up in the Southeast and Southwest US, I thought it would be a good time to dust off the Top 10 1980's Topps Baseball Card Sets Rankings. While plowing through slightly more than 69% of the list last Fall, I shamefully kept you in suspense all winter in the biggest cliffhanger since Dallas. Or Cliffhanger.

So please accept my apologies. With a moment of free time from three miles high on a Delta plane, I would like to get this baby back on the tracks. To recap, here are the rankings to date:

#10 - 1986
#9 - 1988
#8 - 1982
#7 - 1980
#6 - 1985
#5 - 1987
#4 - 1981

The 1984 season brings up some bad memories. Not only did our AL East rival Detroit Tigers run away with the division, their goofy closer Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young and MVP, robbing Don Mattingly, who put up a gaudy .343/23/110 with 44 doubles and 207 hits.

But the Mattingly rookie is not the only bright spot in this year's set. We also get the Dwight Gooden rookie. These two guys lit up New York and the baseball card community for much of the 80's. Almost as much as Gooden lit himself up with coke. The Mattingly card is also notable for referencing his position as 1B-OF and showing a picture of him in the field without his stache. At least the 1980's Yankees got one thing right by using Donnie Baseball at first instead of Steve Balboni.

We'll keep this one short, as my battery indicator suggests I am running out of juice and I am being distracted by picturesque view of Nebraska below. Good to know I paid $12.95 for wi-fi with a laptop that was half-charged. Strong. We hope to push out the remaining two sets in one uber-spectacular smorgasbord of nerdness later this March. Stay gold, readers.

17 comments:

Clarence said...

That's Pete Vuckovich?? Damn, I coulda sworn that was Yankees slugger Clu Haywood.

zman said...

I realize I'm a bit late with this but ... you can't get laid if you go to BYU?

T.J. said...

Happy Birthday today to KQ, Jessica Biel, and Herschel Walker.

T.J. said...

rob wanted "Nookie" to be today's filler in honor of the BYU donk.

zman said...

I'm eagerly anticipating some variation of "zman couldn't get laid regardless of where he went to school."

Mark said...

Strong Major League reference, Ig. How's your wife and my kids?

Dave said...

seeing that mattingly card brings back fond memories of his eight game home run streak . . . i can't believe i had the attention span to watch baseball when i was young, i've got less focus now that i'm older.

Dave said...

i would also like to wish jessica biel a happy birthday (but not hershel walker).

Dave said...

jessica biel, you can find me at sentence of dave, if you're looking for me . . .

Squeaky said...

This class might have helped Zman at college.

http://goo.gl/dwGO8

T.J. said...

http://bit.ly/ifVOnp

Clarence said...

Heywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.

T.J. said...

Just a reminder, fans, coming up is our "Die Hard Night" here at the stadium. Free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant.

mayhugh said...

Haywood's a convicted felon, isn't he Monty?

TR said...

Live Tweet of tonight's Jazz-Nuggets game to start soon. Go and follow @JerseyTough for the red hot action in Utah of two folks most of you know.

Mark said...

This group is strong to quite strong when it comes to Major League references.

And Mayhugh..."well, he should be"

Danimal said...

tribe. dukes. dukes giving 7.5 i'm nervous. who's going?