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C.A., the review 5 (part 3)

If you haven't given yesterday's post a glance, give it a shot.

I wrote up the 1994 review of sets at this time in 2021. It's at 500-plus views and 20-plus comments. Yesterday's post hasn't had that kind of time to marinate but the views are pretty paltry for one of the "best-of-the-year" posts. Either nobody reads blogs (again) or nobody collected in '95 ... or both.

Anyway, read it if you desire. But also I'm asking you to vote, too. ... I'm so demanding.

The results are in for the second week of the first round of Cardboard Appreciation, the Review 5 in which we're deciding the fifth entrant into the Cardboard Appreciation Hall of Fame. The latest winner is no surprise.


Card #77 in the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set won pretty easily, even though there was some worthy competition. Here is the voting break down after 41 votes:

1. 1959 Fleer Ted Williams, Ted Relaxes: 13 votes
2. 1981 Fleer Fernando Valenzuela: 8 votes
3. 1982 Donruss Rick Cerone: 8 votes
4. 1981 Topps 1980 Record Breakers, Ron LeFlore/Rodney Scott: 6 votes
5. 2016 Topps Steve Johnson: 3 votes
6. 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter U.S. National Park Service: 2 votes
7. 1989 Topps Big Baseball Jim Poole: 1 vote
8. 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Sandy Koufax: 0 votes

Ted Williams is the second card to advance to the next round. Is he a favorite to win the whole thing? I don't know, we still have a long way to go.

A new poll starts now and the cards that you're voting on follow. An explainer for the first three cards: they were featured all together on one Cardboard Appreciation post, but I'm separating them now into three separate cards. I don't expect them to get many votes individually, but who knows.

Here we go:


1. 2015 Topps First Pitch McKayla Maroney



2. 2015 Panini Americana Aly Raisman



3. 2012 Topps U.S. Olympic Team Hopefuls Jordyn Wieber

Each of the three above cards were featured on a single Cardboard Appreciation post -- a rant, really -- about the sad, sordid stories coming out of the U.S. women's gymnastics program at the time. It still enrages me.



4. 2003 Upper Deck First Pitch A.J. Hinch

This card shows two current managers. At the time I showed it, those two managers were managing other teams than the ones they're managing now. But the theme of the post remains the same -- both of those managers are younger than me and I am old.



5. 1957 Topps Clem Labine

This Cardboard Appreciation post was a tribute to the set that made 2 1/2-by-3 1/2 dimensions the template for trading cards for the next 65 years and it's still going. I can't think of a better representative of that year than Arms And Legs Labine.



6. 1985 P.R.E. Pete Rose Set, #102

I am fascinated by '80s sets that went under the radar (meaning I had never heard of them). This one, put about by famed dealer Renata Galasso, was all about Pete Rose, and this card features one of the most famous ballplayers ever and one of the most famous ballgirls ever.



7. 1992 Cartwrights Players Choice Silver Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez is one of my favorite players of all-time but there aren't a lot of Dodgers cards of him (around less than 70 according to the C.A. post I wrote about this card). This is the first card to show Martinez with a bat, so that's definitely something to appreciate.



8. 1958 Topps Rival Fence Busters, Willie Mays and Duke Snider

Another '50s card to tangle with the other '50s card in this vote-off. I know how my of readers love their vintage. I'm half expecting all of the cards to advance through this first round to be vintage.


And those are the latest eight up for votes. Per usual, I've created a poll that can't be uploaded onto this blog. But if you copy-and-paste the link below, you can vote.

https://vote.easypolls.net/62992b5d8d4471006248f7a2

You also may leave your choice in the comments. Please don't leave your choice in the comments AND cast your vote in the poll, to avoid double-counting.

We have standards here.

Sort of.

Comments

Nick said…
This round seems unfair - how can I NOT vote for Willie & The Duke? (Voted in the poll.)
Old Cards said…
Voted in the poll. Willie & The Duke is my choice. Viewed your post yesterday but didn't collect in '95.
John Bateman said…
I thought about Willie and the Duke

But I remember the Rose set offered by Galasso - never bought and rarely remember seeing singles but that Rose shot is fantastic and include a ball girl - sorry Willie and the Duke.

2 Roses by any other name wins,
Crocodile said…
I like the Rose card, even blogged about the set awhile back (https://crocodilesportscards.blogspot.com/2022/03/1985-pete-rose-baseball-card-set.html), but this round has some tough competition. I may have to vote multiple times.
Billy Kingsley said…
Can't easily copy and paste on my phone, so I vote for McKayla Maroney.
Doc Samson said…
I’m voting for the Pete Rose card. The famous ball girl, Marla Collins, went to high school less than a mile from my house at Oak Lawn High School. What a small world.
Laurens said…
I went with the Willie Mays / Duke Snider card - looks like a pair of friendly rivals.
Bo said…
Each card was better than the last. I didn't vote for the last one though.
Matt said…
I really wanted to vote for Pedro, but my EasyPoll vote went elsewhere. That Mays pinching Snider's arm is just too good of a card...
AdamE said…
I think Vintage Card of HOFer is going to win out in all these polls. The Rose is a far superior card to Mays/Snider but the Mays/Snider is going to run away with the vote. The last polls Williams wasn't near as "good" of a card as the Cerone but it vintage HOFer is hard to beat.

(I voted in the poll)
Anonymous said…
Mays n Snider
Fuji said…
Voted in the poll, but giving my explanation here in the comments.

Pete and the batgirl had my vote until the Mays/Snider came along. Hard not to vote for such an iconic card. I am curious to learn more about that batgirl though.
Gotta go with Mays and Snider even though I also grew up a mile from the ball girl's H.S.