Cards from an Editor

By my guesstimate I have about 400 different Orel Hershiser cards. Now I have about 411. A certain Night Owl sent a package that arrived yesterday. Also in the mailbox was a package from a SportLots.com seller. That will be a post for another day.

I opened Greg's package first. I knew what was in the SportLots package. I had no idea (but some clue) as to what was in the bubble mailer from the land in which the sun rarely shines, the days are long and the nights are longer.

Here we have a 1985 Topps Sticker. The photo was probably taken the year before, when he recorded four shutouts and led the league. Coming up behind him is a speedy Chet Lemon.

A 1988 Panini sticker, their first year working with MLB. Who knew what a year that would be for Orel.

Cashing in on Orel's success the previous season, it seemed that almost every card set featured the multi-award winning pitcher. Bubble gum and baseball cards do go together.

One of the many small boxed sets that Fleer produced in 1989. This Super Stars set was produced for the McRory chain of stores. No, I don't know anything about them.

A 1992 O-Pee-Chee. Note the wonderful creativity that the Canadians gave to this card. They put their brand name on a Topps card. Brilliant. Yes, I know the difference between this and a Topps card. Topps clearly says, "Topps".

1993 Score Select. Orel bears down.

The non-electric tombstone set. 1995 SP Championship Die Cut. Just like the regular SP Championship set, but a giant scrapbooking paper punch was used on the top.

1995 Upper Deck. I was amazed that I didn't have this one. But, thinking back on it, this was issued just a few months after my son was born. That was about the time that I stopped actively collecting. It was a good trade off. Orel's still bearing down.

I'm sure that Greg was glad to get this one out of his house. Orel belongs in Dodger blue, not Indian blue. But I do like the wood paneling that UD gave the basement of this card. I always thought that the wood grain should go vertical, but that's just me.

Things are better now. Orel is shown back in his blues. Well, his cap and shirt are blue. This is from the 2004 Donruss World Series set. Orel also pitched for the Indians in two World Series.

Another Donruss, this one from 2005. The Team Heroes set. There are many Showdown variations to this set. Blue. Red. Bronze. Silver. Gold. Greg is going to make me chase down the other ones.

Finally, to put some icing on the cake, Greg tossed in a 2001 Topps Archive of Oisk. This is a replica/reprint/reproduction of his 1959 Topps card. I think that Greg wanted to get this out of the house as well, for it is bathed in pink, a color that doesn't go with Dodger blue, but card companies think that it does.

Thanks Greg. I have to admit that feeling the package before I opened it, I was afraid that I was going to be bipped. But Greg knows that bipping is not nice when one his hoping for more Hershiser cards. You're still aces in my book.