Saturday, September 13, 2008

Nominations for the best card in the 1988 Topps set

Reader David suggested that I make a poll for the best card in the 1988 Topps set (regular set, not traded) and I like his idea.

First, though, we need to get a list of cards to use for the voting.

So, your task is to nominate cards you'd like to see considered. Your basis for calling a card "the best" can be anything you want--best player, best design, best photograph.

Post a comment here nominating 1 to 5 cards. Please include card # and name. You might also include your rationale for why the card is so great if it isn't already obvious. I'll take nominations for the entire week of Sept 15. We'll finish out the set by Wednesday so you'll have time to review all 792 cards.

Afterwards, I'll get some polls going and we'll determine the overall best card.

11 comments:

Andy said...

Let's get this started.

David already nominated the following:

#200 Wade Boggs
#300 Don Mattingly
#495 Eddie Murray
#10 Ryne Sandberg

And here are five that I'm nominating:

#70 Roger Clemens
#150 Eric Davis
#269 Ellis Burks
#321 White Sox Leaders
#444 Cal Ripken Sr.
#696 Shawon Dunston
#700 George Brett
#789 Indians Leaders (hasn't been posted yet, but trust me, it kicks ass)

Yeah, I nominated more than five, but it's my blog, so deal with it. You can nominate up to 5.

luis said...

Along with my nominations, I wanted to thank you for this great blog. The first wax pack I cracked open as a kid was 88 Topps. This has been an amazing trip down memory lane.

On to my picks:
396: Tom Henke AS
What an ugly card, but it totally captures the late 80s aviator glasses look. And, he was a member of the much-hated (for me, an O's fan) Blue Jays.

192: Devon White (AS Rookie)
I always thought the trophy icon gave these cards a cool prestige. White really personifies a player on the rise in this photo. The photographer really does a great job capturing his aspirational/potential energy as he awaits a crack at the batting cages with his (odd) red bat. This was one of my most prized cards in 3rd grade.

#650 Cal Ripken
A homer pick here. But, also a very clean shot of the legend at the plate. Sure the Ripken Way mythology is a bit bombastic, but it's a great shot.

#759 A's Leaders
My 3rd ballgame was O's v A's at Memorial Stadium. I remember this being the first time my O's devotion was called into queston. Every 3rd grade Little Leaguer wanted to be McGwire or Canseco and hit the longball. In the end I stayed loyal. I also learned about heckling at this game. As the fan next to us ripped Canseco ceaselessly. As a kid just learning to curse, I was impressed by his creative use of foul language. My mom, less so.

Those are my picks. Thanks for keeping this site going!

tookee said...

Long time reader of the blog -- keep up the great work. I'd like to nominate #750 - Bo Jackson. A terrific picture with his strong follow through. And a shot that leaps out at you -- blue, blue, blue. And nobody screams '80's sports hero quite like Bo.

I'd also nominate #700 - Brett. The picture captures the determination he had at the plate 100% of the time. (Can you tell I'm a Royals fan?)

Also -- a suggestion for the next blog. Provide a link the B-R player page? I'm always going back there to look up the career of whatever player you're profiling. Love what you're doing.

Andy said...

Thanks for the suggestion Douglas--a good one. The 78 Topps blog is going to be a little bit different from this one.

Unknown said...

I'm submitting #710 Darryl Strawberry for my 5th nomination.

WhiteH2O said...

Been checking out the blog daily since around February and wanted to thank you for bringing back a lot of awesome memories. As a kid I first collected cards in '87, but this was my first full set and the one I remember best. As someone who used to love baseball only to drift away from the game it's nice to know I can still remember what it felt like to enjoy the game so much! Here's my nominees:

#90 - Dale Murphy
#250 - Nolan Ryan
#361 - Greg Maddux
#547 - Benito Santiago
#543 - Kent Tekulve

(the 2 best cards, Mattingly & Clemens being nominated already).

Matt S said...

I can't help but nominate #500 Andre Dawson. It is a solid action shot of the Hawk. Rob "Three True Outcomes" Deer (#33) warrants a nomination as well, as he clearly has either struck out or hit a home run in his card. I'd like to throw in a nomination for Eddie Murray's record breaker card (#4), I liked that card a lot when I was a kid.

fogus said...

I have to go with:

#51 Orioles Leaders
Ripken and Murray look like bad-asses.

#150 Eric Davis
This shot personifies E.D.

#500 Andre Dawson
Great action shot

#582 Mike Henneman
The chin!!!!

#750 Bo Jackson
This was my favorite card back in the day.

-m

Anonymous said...

#200 Wade Boggs
#219 Mike Stanley
#631 Jack Howell
#33 Rob Deer
#165 Robin Yount

I love the old school unis and they're all great action shots.

Timberhill said...

Isn't it obvious?

Tommy Lasorda

Unknown said...

I know I already "nominated" 5 cards, but since I proposed the idea, hopefully you'll grant me a 6th. I'd like to nominate Sal Butera (#772); love the color scheme. The red border, the yellow team text, the shimmering blue jersey, the black background; they surprisingly complement each other. The card is so vibrant, it looks like some kind of vintage poster. And the batting stance pose is iconic.