I've been out of town for the last few days, appreciating my first road trip of any kind in five months.
Usually when I go away, I try to scope out some sort of card-opening scenario, a surprise card show perhaps, an antique shop, heck, even a Target run in an unfamiliar place is exciting.
But seeing that the COVID era isn't ending any time soon, dropping in at any store or shop for card frivolity remains impossible for me, I don't care what you see from those video card-breakers raiding the aisles at Walmart.
I haven't opened a pack of cards since an ill-advised Target run in mid-March. It hasn't been as difficult as I expected, but if you throw a four-month pack drought on top of going on a trip and leaving my cards far behind, that's when the withdrawal symptoms start to kick in and nobody wants to see night owl cranky and shaking while on vacation.
Desperate times, man. And desperate measures, too.
That's why you see a pack of 1992 Leaf, Series 2, here.
That's how desperate.
I've been holding on to this pack ever since reader Jonathan sent it to me months and months ago. I haven't had the desire to open it because, come on, it's 92 Leaf. Who hasn't seen those cards falling out of a repack box? But before I headed out the door, I threw it in my suitcase because I knew what was ahead of me.
I did open it while sitting on my hotel bed between visits. (I know some are cowering at the thought of traveling and hotel-living at this time. But there was plenty of sanitizing and mask-wearing going on. And NYers, for the most part, are taking this much more seriously than other spots in the country). Opening that pack felt good, too. It was actually interesting to me.
So I'm going to show it here now, since I just got back and it's not like anything else is prepared.
There's no need to prep you for this pack. Everyone should know what this set is all about by now. 1992 Leaf has even been showcased three times on A Pack To Be Named Later, way more than it should be.
OK, moderately interesting pictures to follow:
#408 - Craig Lefferts, Padres
#414 - Bruce Ruffin, Brewers
Are you sorry you stayed with this post? I don't blame you. But it'll get better. A little.
#420 - Jeff King, Pirates
I've interviewed him. So excitement for me anyway.
#426 - Moises Alou, Expos
Hey, more tenuous personal connections! Alou played minor league ball in my town.
The best part of this pack, by the way, is the Expos content. It was quite the Expos-heavy pack.
#303 - Carlton Fisk, White Sox
Not nearly as interesting as a Red Sox Carlton Fisk card.
#298 - Tim Wallach, Expos
#293 - Eric Karros, Dodgers
A good pull in '92. Karros was the Rookie of the Year.
#288 - Bret Barberie, Expos
Expo #3.
#410 - Lance Blankenship, A's
#455 - Spike Owen, Expos
Expo #4 and the star of a game I covered.
#436 - Todd Worrell, Cardinals, gold foil parallel
The promised one-per pack Leaf Gold Edition card. I never understood why these were called "Leaf Gold Edition" when the obvious selling point of these parallels are the black borders.
#276 - Greg Vaughn, Brewers
#336 - Rick Wilkins, Cubs
Interest waning.
#330 - Mickey Morandini, Phillies
#505 - Mike Bielecki, Braves
The only horizontal card in the pack.
#517 - Kirk McCaskill, White Sox
The former hockey star.
#523 - Rick Cerone, Expos
Expo #5! The nostalgia factor is off the charts!
This is the highlight of the pack for me. Until I pulled this card, I didn't know that Rick Cerone played for the Expos.
#464 - Terry Mulholland, Phillies
OK, that's the end of the pack. If you've been paying attention, you have realized that this pack contained 18 cards even though the front of the pack says "15 cards". I don't know how that happened.
Almost as startling as three extra cards is that there were no duplicates within the pack, which given '92 Leaf's collation is somewhat amazing.
I will never say I can appreciate early '90s Leaf on any level. I wasn't aware of Leaf when it emerged as the first premium set in 1990. And I never saw it when it quickly became irrelevant in 1991 and 1992.
But it got me through a desperate time the other day and that's the best '92 Leaf will ever do.
Comments
I still like getting a loose 1990 Leaf card in hand because it wasn't the easiest to find and the cards were pretty to me but 1992 Leaf was the first Leaf brand from 1990-82 that I saw and opened on a semi-regular basis.
Oh, and that has to be Mark Grace in the (far) background of the Wilkins card.
Cerone is an interesting one..
He played for both Canadian teams and both New York teams over his career.
He also played for both native themed teams..
The early 90s were a weird time for Expos catchers..
1991 and 1992 you had four catchers each year..
Three of those catchers over those two years finished their careers. Hassey in 91, and Cerone and Carter in 92.
Mulholland threw a no-hitter in a game I watched on TV.
That Moises Alou is pretty nice. Safe travels!
I also hit up my LCS last week. Normally I don't even go to card shops anymore (even before the lockdown), but it was about 50 yards away from an Arby's that my friend wanted me to grab her. I was very, very impressed by the store's policy. They limit the amount of customers that can enter the store at any given time and make you wear a mask. They also make you read a set of rules and verbally agree to them before being allowed to enter.
And good on New York for taking all this seriously. I wish Ohio would too (our governor is great, it's the idiots in the area I live in I'm more concerned about) and wear masks. I made a quick run to the IGA around the corner from me and I was the only customer of the dozen or so in there wearing a mask (despite there being a mandatory mask order in my county) and 3 of the 7 employees were wearing them as well, none of the cashiers. To say I couldn't get out of there fast enough was an understatement.
One more thing: showing my age, I remember when 1990 Leaf came out. At that time, it was considered the first true premium set, beating out Ultra and Stadium Club by one year. And of course, 1990 Leaf featured the Sosa and Thomas rookie cards. Fantastic post, Mr. Owl.