Like everything else, I could be weeks, months, or possibly even years late on this. Well, probably not years, because as far as I can tell, this is something new for 2008. I'm referring to a new promotion Topps is going to roll out for their football products in 2008, called Topps Player Collection.

The gist of it is that the 30 best players will be found on the same checklist numbers in every Topps NFL set for 2008. It's an interesting idea, and you have to think that if it tests positive with dealers and collectors, something like this will end up as the practice for other sports.

The problem I see with it carrying over to other sports is that it throws off the meritocratic checklisting system Topps baseball really just put back into circulation. Let's say Albert Pujols is #500 in 2009 Topps. Does this mean that every Topps baseball set will have at least 500 cards? Or is it much more likely that cards #1 through #30 are super stars?

Also, here's a great piece by Tyler Kepner in today's New York Times about major leaguers and their fantasy football teams. [NY Times.com]

Been thinking about this for a while:

These days, it feels like there are more cards with serial numbers on them than those without. This leads to a number of questions. Like, how many are there, really? Do there need to be this many? And finally, are serial-numbered cards the current hobby's equivalent to the common card from fifteen or twenty years ago?

I've long felt that the hobby's mantra is that the base set is for suckers: the real action's in the inserts. So what happens when there seems to be as many inserts as base cards?

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I'd like to know if there are collectors out there who specialize in serial-numbered cards with the same serial number. For example, a collection made up of cards on the number 15 or 133 or 500, like 15/559, 15/1952, 15/150, and so on.

Also, are there collectors who go for a serial-numbered set of cards (like Topps Heritage Chrome) that all fall on the same number? Like checklist card #1 (15/1959), #2 (15/1959), etc.?

Finally, do numbers collectors assign a higher value to a card with a more glamorous serial number? Like would you expect to pay more for a card on number 0001/1959 than say, 1388/1959? Or is that irrelevant?

Thanks to those of you who have sent in links. I'm just now putting the new list together (so far it's 76 links of sportscard-related reading goodness, and counting), so please check back at the end of today when the new list goes live.

To address comments regarding The 792: Thanks for letting me indulge my checklister introspection. I'm almost done with this project. And I won't post the other checklists I'm working on (I'll save those for The Baseball Card Book.

Some great things this Monday night:

1. Light snow in the NYC
2. The Iron Man spot during the Super Bowl
3. Another installment of The 792


#551 - 600

551. Carl Yastzremski Super Veteran, 1983
552. Ken Singleton AL AS, 1982
553. Dave Winfield AL AS, 1982
554. Carlton Fisk AL AS, 1982
555. Cecil Cooper, 1981
556. Jack Morris AL AS, 1982
557. Rich Gossage AL AS, 1982
558. Greg Gagne, 1987
559. Ken Williams, 1988 (RC)
560. Rock Raines, 1989
Speaking of Iron Man, after the 1988 season, Tim Raines disappeared into the depths of Montreal's underground city, only to re-emerge four months later as 'Rock.' Cocaine reference? Maybe to you, but to me I always associated his nickname with his appearance.

561. Cardinals Leaders, 1983
562. Bryan Clutterbuck, 1987 (RC)
Why haven't they updated The Magnificent Ambersons yet as The Magnificent Clutterbucks? That's what I want to know.

563. Jose Guzman, 1988
I find it incredible that certain guys work their whole lives for something, only to have it thwarted by things completely out of their control. Poor Jose was destined to be confused with the much superior (and far uglier) Juan Guzman.

564. Ron Hassey, 1981
565. Leon Durham, 1984
566. Alfredo Griffin, 1986
567. David Wells, 1989
568. Willie Hernandez, 1983
569. Willie Randolph, 1982
570. Darryl Strawberry, 1985
571. Billy Ripken, 1989
572. Jack Morris, 1981
573. Jim Abbott #1 Draft Pick, 1989 (RC)
574. Manny Lee, 1987
Just for the record, I had about fifteen of this card.

575. Tony Perez, 1981
576. Frank Robinson, 1983 (MGR)
Have you noticed that Robby's always real close to the camera (and his mouth is open with teeth bared) in his managerial cards? Take a look at his cards from 1975, 1983, and 1989. It's a little unnerving.

577. Blue Jays Team, 1980
578. Bill Gullickson, 1981 (RC)
579. Mets Leaders, 1988
580. Nolan Ryan, 1980
581. Tom Seaver Super Veteran, 1983
582. Gaylord Perry, 1981
583. Junior Ortiz, 1987
584. Kurt Bevacqua, 1980
585. Garry Maddox, 1986
586. Frank Viola, 1983 (RC)
587. Rafael Santana, 1986
588. Luis Alicea, 1989 (RC)
589. Steve Crawford, 1987
590. Jim Palmer, 1980
591. John Lowenstein, 1981
592. Shane Rawley, 1983
593. Broderick Perkins, 1983
594. Bobby Valentine, 1988 (MGR)
595. Keith Hernandez NL AS, 1987
596. Onix Concepcion, 1986
597. Mike Schmidt NL AS, 1987
598. Ozzie Smith NL AS, 1987
599. Tony Gwynn NL AS, 1987
600. Dave Parker NL AS, 1987
Nothing says #600 like Dave Parker in a warm-up jacket. Inexplicably one of my favorite cards.


Scanning for the visual? Cardboard Junkie will help in that department.

Because I'm a man of my word (most of the time), here's the next 50 numbers from The 792.

#501 - 550

501. Rod Carew In Action, 1982
502. Braves Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
503. Mike Fitzgerald, 1986
504. Dale Murphy, 1981
505. Pete Rose, 1989 (MGR)
I think this is Pete's final Topps card. Here he is, glancing over his shoulder with a hint of paranoia, as if he can smell Giamatti lurking just out of frame.

506. Kurt Manwaring, 1989
507. Ray Fontenot, 1985
508. Alan Wiggins, 1986
509. Lou Whitaker, 1983
510. Fernando Valenzuela, 1982
I picked this card of Valenzuela for two reasons. First, his head is gigantic. Second, he's got some mighty fine penmanship, with nice, thick lettering. You don't see that too often, like he was signing with a paintbrush or calligraphy pen. (That's probably what it was: Fernando had just finished a few studious hours with his calligraphy geisha when in walked the Topps man with his damned contract.)

511. Tug McGraw Super Veteran, 1983
512. Dave Magadan, 1987 (RC)
513. Dave Beard, 1984
514. Jeff Cornell, 1985
515. Robin Yount, 1981
516. Larry Bowa In Action, 1982
517. Milt Thompson, 1986 (RC)
518. Greg Walker, 1984 (RC)
519. Mariners Leaders, 1988
520. Steve Rogers, 1980
521. Nate Snell, 1986
This was always one of my favorite cards. Not sure why.

522. Paul Molitor, 1985
Paul Molitor never got any love from the Topps checklister in the 1980s. He's his generation's Roberto Clemente. That's not a comparison of statistics, but of checklist numbers. It took Clemente literally forever for the Topps checklister to reward his star power with a 2nd tier number. Similarly, here's a 7th year Molitor, toiling away on card #522.

523. Carney Lansford, 1983
524. Tom Brennan, 1983
525. Mike Torrez, 1981
526. Phillies Team, 1980
527. Doug Rau, 1980
528. Luis Medina, 1989 (RC)
529. Marc Sullivan, 1986
530. Rich Gossage, 1986
531. Astros Leaders, 1987
532. Dave Stewart, 1983
533. Jesus Figueroa, 1981 (RC)
534. Pete O'Brien, 1984
535. Lance Parrish, 1982
536. Kirby Puckett, 1985 (RC)
537. Mark Salas, 1986
538. Dennis Eckersley, 1986
539. Rodney Scott, 1981
540. Pete Rose, 1980
541. Cecil Fielder, 1989
It pained me that Fielder's 1986 rookie didn't make it into The 792 (it was bumped out by Rod Carew's 1983 All-Star card, #386). Actually, I'm going to make a change. I'm going to reverse that decision (not something I would generally recommend for would-be checklisters) and re-instate the Fielder rookie. My initial thoughts had been that the Fielder 1986 card didn't become iconic until after the decade ended, but who cares, right? I mean, is the world going to be worse off with one less Rod Carew All-Star card?

542. Paul Noce, 1988 (RC)
543. Damon Berryhill, 1989
544. Rick Sutcliffe, 1980 (RC)
545. JImmy Key, 1986
546. Reggie Smith In Action, 1982
547. Pete Rose, 1985 (MGR)
548. Shane Mack, 1988
549. George Brett AL AS, 1982
550. Carl Yastzremski, 1983


Visuals to be available at Cardboard Junkie.

Time for another 50 cards from The 792.

#351 - 400

351. Cardinals Leaders, 1988
I couldn't say no to Tony Pena in aviator glasses. Especially since in 1988 I was wearing the exact same frames.

352. Dave Stewart, 1984
353. Marvell Wynne, 1989
354. Mario Soto, 1981
355. Dwight Evans, 1982
356. Padres Team, 1980
357. Len Matuszek, 1983 (RC)
358. Ricky Jordan, 1989 (RC)
This was one of those cards that I thought stockpiling would allow me to buy a new car when I got older. Unfortunately, this plan involved Ricky Jordan making it into the Hall of Fame. I should've known better.

359. Dave Collins, 1983
360. Steve Carlton, 1985
361. Greg Maddux, 1988 (FTC)
362. Jack Lazorko, 1989
363. Willie Fraser, 1988
364. Brett Butler, 1983
365. Bobby Murcer, 1980
366. Mark McGwire, 1987
367. Keefe Cato, 1985
368. Willie Aikens, 1980 (RC)
I love it that Aikens signed his full name for this card, and that his middle name is 'Mays.' I mean, how great is that?

369. Ken Caminiti, 1989
370. Vince Coleman, 1986 (RC)
371. Mark Eichhorn, 1987 (RC)
372. Matt Williams, 1988 (RC)
373. Urbano Lugo, 1986 (RC)
374. Terry Francona, 1986
375. Jeff Reardon, 1985
376. Jeff Newman, 1985
377. Joe Carter, 1986
378. Lee May Super Veteran, 1983
I'm including the Lee May Super Veteran here partly because it's a great card, and partly because I feel bad for May. I feel bad because for the most part, Topps had the SV cards checklisted on cards ending in 1 or 6, because many of the Super Veterans were still stars. But not Lee May. Peaking as #500 in the 1974 set, by 1983 not only was he officially retired, but he was near obscurity at card #377.

379. Bobby Meacham, 1986
380. Willie Stargell, 1981
381. Red Sox Leaders, 1983
Yes, I included this card just for Bob Stanley's mustache.

382. John Smoltz, 1989 (RC)
383A.+B. Pascual Perez, 1982
384. Dave Dravecky, 1983 (RC)
385. Tony Perez, 1984
386. Rod Carew AL AS, 1983
387. Phil Niekro, 1981
388. Dickie Noles, 1986
389. Rod Dedeaux USA Olympic Team, 1985 (MGR)
390. Eddie Murray, 1982
391. Kirby Puckett AL AS, 1988
392. Fred Lynn AL AS, 1983
393. Ozzie Smith, 1980
394. Roger Clemens AL AS, 1988
395. Danny Jackson NL AS, 1989
396. Kirk Gibson NL AS, 1989
397. Jack Clark NL AS, 1988
398. Manny Trillo NL AS, 1983
399. George Brett AL AS, 1984
400. George Foster, 1980


As always, head over to Cardboard Junkie for the visual checklist.

The further I get into this checklist, the more I realize that this is actually a pretty easy set to put together. Dave over at Cardboard Junkie has been supplying the scans, in numerical order, and with his visual guide as a cheat sheet, you could put together the set for about $100. Not bad, considering it's supposed to be the 'perfect' set of the decade. Whether you want to invest the time is another matter entirely.

Speaking of time, here's the next fifty-card installment from The 792.

#301 - 350

301. Reggie Jackson In Action, 1982
302. Dodger Future Stars, 1981
303. Juan Berenguer, 1987
304. Mike Gallego (RC), 1986
305. Don Sutton, 1982
306. Dodger Leaders, 1984
307. Dave Sax, 1986
308. Jesus Vega, 1983
309. Mike Witt, 1985
310. Dave Parker, 1980
311. Rickey Henderson Turn Back the Clock, 1987
312. Reggie Jackson Turn Back the Clock, 1987
313. Gary Gray, 1983
314. Frank Pastore, 1986
315. Kirk Gibson (RC), 1981
316. Sammy Khalifa, 1986
317. Tom Nieto, 1988
318. Ted Simmons, 1985
319. Greg Swindell (RC), 1987
320. Barry Bonds (RC), 1987
I want to speak about the fact that not only was Bonds given a 2nd Tier number for his regular-issue rookie card, but in 1988 he was put on #450. That's just unheard of for a 2nd year player. Well, we can't call them inconsistent: The love affair between Topps and Bonds seems to have been a career-long infatuation.

321. Earl Weaver (MGR), 1986
322. John Smiley, 1989
Smiley always looked like he was wishing evil things on the photographer. He also resembled Jimbo from The Simpsons.

323. Bill Lee, 1982
324. Alejandro Pena (RC), 1984
325. Von Hayes, 1983
How come there isn't a well-known indie rock band called 'Von Hayes' yet?

326. Mark Gubicza, 1987
Or 'Gubicza'? "Hello, Cleveland! We're Gubicza and we've come to rock!"

327. Mark Lemke (RC), 1989
328. Twins Team, 1980
329. Kirby Puckett, 1986
330. Eric Davis, 1989
331. Alan Ashby, 1986
332. Lee Lacy, 1981
333. Willie Hernandez, 1985
334. Dave LaPoint, 1988
This card of LaPoint is in the Top 10 Greatest Achievements in the Field of Airbrushing.

335. Willie McCovey, 1980
336. Mariners Leaders, 1984
337. Pete Rose NL AS, 1982
338. Bob Owchinko, 1983
339. Mike Schmidt NL AS, 1982
340. Cal Ripken, Jr, 1986
341. Dwayne Murphy, 1981
342A.+B. George Foster NL AS, 1982
343. Gary Sheffield (RC), 1989
344. Gary Carter NL AS, 1982
This is a great card of Carter where he's sporting clown hair plastered underneath the bowl-cut Expos batting helmet.

345. Donnie Moore, 1986
346. Tom Seaver NL AS, 1982
My spellcheck doesn't recognize 'Seaver.' You'd think that there would be a few names Microsoft would've programmed in, like Seaver, DiMaggio, Ripken, Koufax, Clemente. Instead only names like Einstein, Rembrandt, and Gandhi make the cut. Not even Van Gogh. 'Blyleven' I understand, but 'Van Gogh'? Seriously?

347. Teddy Higuera (RC), 1986
348. Carmelo Martinez, 1987
349. Domingo Ramos, 1985
350. Will Clark, 1988

Don't you worry, there's plenty more where this came from.
More checklist from The 792 to come!

I know it's only January 1, but this year I'm going to stick to my New Year's resolutions. What are they, you ask? First, no more soda. Second, this is the year I finish what I start. That means I'm not going to abandon a project part-way through, starting with The 792. It's been a while since my last fifty-card checklist post, so here's a little background on the project.

The 792 is my attempt to create the ultimate Topps set for the 1980s by determining the best card for each checklist number, 1 through 792. Though this project is a fan set, it's one that rivals Topps Archives in terms of capturing the best and most memorable cards from the decade. Plus, it's easy to put together for collectors of these sets (1980 through 1989 Topps)--they don't need to buy any new cards. Collectors can just pull them from the original ten sets.

Cards #251 to 300

251. Tony Gwynn, 1984
252. Fred Lynn In Action, 1982
253. Sid Bream, 1985 (RC)
254. George Bell, 1982 (RC)
255. Tony Armas, 1986
256. Gene Garber Super Veteran, 1983
257. Rennie Stennett, 1981
258. Ed Nunez, 1988
259. Mike Greenwell, 1987 (RC)
260. Dave Winfield, 1989
261. Ruben Sierra, 1987 (RC)
262. Tom Candiotti, 1984 (RC)
263. Stan Javier, 1987
264. Rob Dibble, 1989 (RC)
265. Robin Yount, 1980
266. Frank Viola, 1985
267. Paul Molitor, 1986
268. Jerry Royster, 1981
269. Ellis Burks, 1988 (RC)
270. Dennis Eckersley, 1983
271. Tim Foli, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
272. Andres Galarraga, 1987 (RC)
273. Bill Almon, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
For a #1 draft pick, Billy Almon sure bounced around a lot. He was included in Traded sets almost every year. Him and Joaquin Andujar. Those two guys are in almost every Traded set from the Eighties.

274. Dale Murphy, 1980
275. Kevin Seitzer, 1988 (RC)
276. Angels Leaders, 1984
277. Al Chambers, #1 Draft Pick, 1985
278. Sixto Lezcano, 1986
279. Dan Plesac, 1987 (RC)
280. Tim Raines, 1986
281. Reds Leaders, 1987
282. Mariners Team, 1980
283. Doug Drabek, 1987 (RC)
284. Jim Leyland, 1989 MGR
285. Oil Can Boyd, 1987
286. Chuck Crim, 1988 (RC)
287. Warren Cromartie, 1984
Cromartie always looked pissed on his cards, like he couldn't wait to get back to Japan.

288. Pat Pacillo, 1988 (RC)
289. Mickey Hatcher, 1981
290. Carlton Fisk, 1986
291. Tom Lasorda, 1986 MGR
292. Craig Swan, 1983
293. Charlie Lea, 1981 (RC)
294. Al Pedrique, 1988 (RC)
I don't remember why I got excited about Pedrique when this set came out; he never did anything that would've warranted my attention. I guess it probably had to do with the other stellar Pirate rookies from the year before. Residual hype, if such a thing exists.

295. Kirk Gibson, 1986
296. Ricky Nelson, 1985
297. Tim Lollar, 1986
298. Chris James, 1989
299. Andy Hawkins, 1985
There haven't been too many guys who've thrown a no-hitter and lost.

300. Don Mattingly, 1988
Arguably the iconic veteran card of late Eighties Topps.

Time to retreat back under my rock. May I present the next fifty numbers of The 792, starting with card #201.

201. Vince Coleman, Record Breaker, 1986
You want a memorable baseball scandal? Vince Coleman, a crowd of fans and a handful of firecrackers.

202. Steve Carlton, Record Breaker, 1981
I believe this is the Carlton record breaker with him in a batting helmet. I always thought that Carlton in a helmet looked like Miss Finch, the villain from Follow That Bird. If you're not familiar with Follow That Bird, it was part of a trilogy of Sesame Street movies (though the only one that had a theatrical release). OK, there was no trilogy, but the other two are: Big Bird Goes to China and Don't Eat the Pictures.

203. Blue Jays Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
How do you argue with Jesse Barfield's rookie card? Especially when one of the other guys on the card is named Boomer Wells? You don't.

204. Ron LeFlore/Rodney Scott, Record Breaker, 1981
205. Tony Perez, Record Breaker, 1986
206. Andy Van Slyke, 1984 (RC)
207. Ozzie Smith, Record Breaker, 1981
208. Champ Summers, 1985
209. Dickie Thon, 1981
210. Steve Carlton, 1980
211. Mike Pagliarulo, 1989
212. Broderick Perkins, 1984
213. Dave Stewart, 1982 (RC)
214. Angels Team, 1980
215. Mark Langston, 1987
216. Tony LaRussa, 1983
There is no way you can pass up a shot of a dazed LaRussa.

217. Chris Codiroli, 1987
I always thought that in the off-season Codiroli was a Statler Brother.

218. Doyle Alexander, 1985
219. Cecilio Guante, 1987
Guante was always a favorite of mine. Mostly because he looked like he had led a hard life, like he escaped a De Beers diamond mine or was an actual pirate.

220. Tom Seaver, 1981
221. Joe Cannon, 1980
222. Ron Hassey, 1980 (RC)
Only one catcher has caught two perfect games. Can you name him?

223. Lloyd Moseby, 1982
224. Wayne Tolleson, 1987
225. Ramon Martinez, 1989 (RC)
Yeah, Ramon Martinez! Who knew you'd be the brother with less talent? This card was unstoppable in 1989.

226. Manny Sanguillen, 1981
Another of my favorite cards from a great, underrated set.

227. Jamie Moyer, 1987 (RC)
228. Tom Lawless, 1986
229. Phillies Leaders, 1983
230. Dave Winfield, 1980
231. Pirates Leaders, 1988
232. Alan Trammell, 1980
233. Gregg Jefferies, 1989 (RC)

The Top 5 Cards of 1989
1. Ken Griffey, Jr., Upper Deck
2. Billy Ripken, Fleer
3. Dale Murphy Reverse Negative, Upper Deck
4. Gregg Jefferies, Topps
5. Ken Griffey, Jr. Fleer & Donruss (tie)

234. Lou Whitaker, 1981
235. Andre Dawson, 1980
236. Frank Eufemia, 1986
237. Rusty Kuntz, 1982
If you're not familiar with this card, head over to Cardboard Junkie in the next few days and check it out. It features a photo of Rusty signing an autograph. Who wouldn't want a ball signed 'Rusty Kuntz'?

238. Jose Rijo, 1985 (RC)
This might be the only card of Rijo where he's standing still and not holding a SuperSoaker.

239. Rick Miller, 1981
240. Nolan Ryan, 1981
241. Danny Heep, 1987
242. Rick Mahler, 1987
243. Bob Boone, 1989
244. Cardinals Team, 1980
245. Jim Rice, 1989
This guy was so strong that he snapped a bat in two on a checked swing.

246. Mets Leaders, 1984
247. Terry Harper, 1986
248. Storm Davis, 1988
249. Larry Cox, 1981
This is probably one of the ugliest cards in existence. The yellow border. The powder blue Mariners uniform. And Frank Zappa, er, Larry Cox looking tired and bored in his catcher's crouch.

250. Dwight Gooden, 1986
If #249 shall be remembered for its ugliness, #250 shall forever be one of the most beautiful. Like a tornado about to strike, this is Gooden in his glory.


For the complete 792 experience, view card scans in numerical order at Cardboard Junkie.

I can't seem to stay motivated to write about cards lately. Maybe it's because when I moved, most of my collection found its way into boxes currently sitting in my parents' basement. Or maybe it's because I've started watching Red Dwarf and I can't seem to stop. Or maybe it's because I'm too busy reading everybody else's card blog and can't make time for my own. If 2006 was the year of the re-emergence of the baseball card, 2007 is the year of the baseball card-themed blog. There's Cardboard Junkie, Stale Gum, Cardboard Gods, The Brill Report, Thorzul Will Rule, Indians Cards, White Sox Cards, the 1983 Fleer Project – hell, even Beckett has got into the act. Next thing you know, Topps is going to roll out Bazooka Joe's Blog. Hopefully by then blogs will be passe.

My not writing doesn't mean that I haven't been doing card-related things. I'm in the process of putting together an ebook as sort of a "collected blog." I've still got a lot of layout and editing to do, so it probably won't be ready for download for a while. I'm giving myself February as a launch date. My best guess is that it will be 200 pages or so. One of the obstacles will be figuring out how to keep the file size down for easy loading and viewing. I'm sure I'll work it out.

Before we get to the next installment of The 792 (with Checklister's Notes), I just want to add that I don't normally address comments left on the site. I welcome any comments you want to leave on any given post (as long as they have to do with the subject matter and are not vulgar), though if your only reason for leaving a comment is to tell me that my writing isn't up to par with your expectations, well, thanks for that. Sorry my writing about baseball cards has put a damper on your day.


The 792: #151 - 200

151. Dave Stapleton, 1986
It still gets me that Stapleton–the Red Sox late-inning defensive replacement–wasn't in the game at the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was on the team for a good reason: he didn't have creaky arthritic knees like Bill Buckner. Instead, John McNamara left Buckner in and the rest is sad, torturous history. In any event, this is a great card of Stapleton.

152. John Urrea, 1981
153. Jerry Koosman, 1983
154. Dave Henderson, 1984
155. Yogi Berra, 1985 MGR
For some reason, I really like cards of players wearing old-school aviator style sunglasses. Oh sure, players wearing wrap-around shades are cool, but they're a little too sleek, a little too safe. The old aviators remind you how baseball equipment has matured over the years. Remember when Bob Watson got hit in the face and part of the glass in his glasses ended up in his eye? If he played today, he'd be wearing contact lenses and wrap-around shades. Sure, he'd still get beaned, but, well, it wouldn't be so traumatic.

156. A's Team Leaders, 1982
157. Tom Glavine, 1989
158. Fergie Jenkins, 1981
When did Ferguson become Fergie? Also, does this mean that we should call Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas 'Ferguson'? I understand that her name is Stacy Ferguson, but that would be awesome... her name would be Ferguson Ferguson. That's almost as good as Thurman Merman.

159. Ken Clay, 1980
160. Eddie Murray, 1980
It's actually kind of shocking that it only took Murray two years to get to a 2nd tier number (160).

161. Gregg Olson, 1989 (RC)
My friend also wanted to form a band called 'Greg Olson: Catcher.'

162. Home Run Leaders, 1982
163. Cal Ripken, Jr., 1983
164A+B. Greg Pryor, 1980
165. Robin Yount, 1988
166. Dickie Thon, 1986
167. Jim Deshaies, 1987 (RC)
168. Leading Relievers, 1982
169. Larry Parrish, 1984
170. Bo Jackson, 1987 (RC)
This is one of the most iconic cards of the decade.

171. Giants Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
172. Ron Hodges, 1980
173. Alex Trevino, 1987
174. Doug Rau, 1981
175. Bob Stanley, 1987
176. Lee Smith, 1984
177. Monty Farriss, 1989 (RC)
178. Luis Tiant, 1983
179. Steve Garvey, 1982
I chose the Garvey over the Tiant Super Veteran because the Tiant doesn't have a picture of him on the Red Sox, the team he is most associated with. And yes, I understand that it wouldn't include him on the Sox, as he started his career on the Indians.

180. Don Mattingly, 1986
181. Roger Clemens, 1985 (RC)
182. Darryl Strawberry, 1984 (RC)
183. Dick Davis, 1981
This card of Davis is one of my favorites. He looks like a hobo. Actually, 1981 Topps is full of cards of guys who look like hobos.

184. Bobby Bonilla, 1987 (RC)
185. Phil Niekro, 1982
186. Bob Lillis, 1985 MGR
187. Darren Daulton, 1989
188. Doug DeCinces, 1981
189. Kevin Mitchell, 1989
190. Rusty Staub, 1985
191. Wally Backman, 1986
192. Cory Snyder, 1987 (RC)
193. Jimmy Key, 1985 (RC)
194. Tom Kelly, 1988 MGR
195. Paul Molitor, 1982
196. Lance Parrish, 1980
197. Jim Eisenreich, 1983 (RC)
198. Lee Mazzilli, 1987
199. Chuck Rainey, 1981
200. Rod Carew, 1983
Diggin' the headband.

Well, we're knee deep into The 792. Hope you're enjoying it. David over at Cardboard Junkie has been doing a great job supplying the scans. If you haven't been over there to see them, do so at once.

You know, it's funny, but I've been relying on my own memory for what these cards look like. Seeing them together reminds me again how well the ten different Topps designs go together, like a well-made mix tape.

As I said at the launch of this checklist, I choose a card based on a number of factors: whether it features a memorable photo, is of a memorable player (or a forgettable player with an unforgettable name or appearance) or is extraordinary overall.

Starting with tonight's portion of the checklist, I will include Checklister's Notes: editorial with some insight as to why I chose that particular card.

Let's get right to it.



101. Porfirio Altamirano, 1984
CN: This was a difficult decision. Super Veterans was one of, if not the cornerstone subset of 1983. Still, because they invariably fall on numbers that end in 1 or 6, they beat out common-level cards on star power alone. That said, Pete Rose's SV card is not really memorable. Porfirio Altamirano beat all comers based on his name alone.

102. Barry Larkin, 1988
103. Rick Aguilera, 1987 (RC)
104. Manny Mota, 1980
105. Kirk Gibson, 1982
106. Blue Jays Leaders, 1987
107. John Butcher, 1987
108. Fred Manrique, 1989
109. Mike Scott, 1981
110. Carl Yastzremski, 1981
CN: I've always felt that this is one of Yaz's great cards. Going in, I knew that there would be few open numbers for Yastzremski, Bench, and other Sixties and Seventies stars who retired early in the decade. Giving him his due, he beats out Fisk's first regular-issue card as a member of the White Sox.

111. Carlton Fisk In Action, 1982
112. Les Lancaster, 1988 (RC)
CN: I believe this card is in the Airbrushed Hall of Fame.

113. Neil Allen, 1987
114. Mike Brown, 1986
115. Rickey Henderson, 1985
116. Mike Stanley, 1987 (RC)
117. Pete Falcone, 1981
118. Expos Future Stars, 1982
119. Sammy Stewart, 1980
120. Kirby Puckett, 1988
121. Garry Templeton, 1989
122. John Denny, 1981
123. John Kruk, 1987 (RC)
124. Damaso Garcia, 1984
125. Andre Dawson, 1981
126. Joe Torre, 1983 (MGR)
CN: I've decided to make a concerted effort to include at least two team-related cards and one manager card per team. Plus, Torre looks so funny on this card that I had to include it.

127. Mark Gubicza, 1985 (RC?)
128. Rick Manning, 1984
129. Art Howe, 1981
130. Ozzie Smith, 1984
131. Batting Leaders, 1984
132. Father/Son Berra, 1985
133. Stolen Base Leaders, 1984
134. Carney Lansford, 1986
135. Dwight Evans, 1983
136. Strikeout Leaders, 1984
137. Chris Bosio, 1988
138. Roy Lee Jackson, 1987
139. Devon White, 1987 (RC)
140. Rich Gossage, 1980
141. Royals Leaders, 1988
CN: This one of Brett and Saberhagen is about as feel-good as you can get on a baseball card.

142. Father/Son Trout, 1985
CN: Familial subsets are great, and Father/Son from 1985 is no exception. I knew going in that I wanted to include the Berra card, simply because the text on the back of the card goes on and on about Yogi, but can't think of one nice thing to say about Dale. This one of Dizzy and Steve Trout gets in because both father and son are shown wearing glasses, and because Dizzy looks like a total nerd with the heavy post-war wireframes and Steve looks like he wandered out of a late Seventies drug party. I kind of half-expect him to be wearing a large astrological medallion around his neck.

143. Steve Boros, 1987 (MGR)
144. Doug Sisk, 1986
145. Dave Stewart, 1989
146. Don Sutton Super Veteran, 1983
CN: Another SV card ending in 6.

147. Terry Puhl, 1980
148. Mickey Klutts, 1982
149. Doug Dascenzo, 1989 (RC)
150. Wade Boggs, 1987
CN: I've committed the cardinal sin of unbiased checklisting: I included this card for sentimental reasons. I've never liked Wade Boggs. Never liked him when he was on the Sox, and really didn't like him when he jumped to the Yankees. He epitomized me-first, selfish baseball (a characteristic in great supply on those mid to late 1980s Red Sox teams). I included this card in The 792 simply because my copy had a gigantic, satisfying crease through the middle.

Thanks to the work the Cardboard Junkie and friends are putting in, The 792 is moving pretty quickly from pipe dream 'fan set' to something Topps could easily put together as a specialty set (complete with little gold foil logo). David is up to #36 with scans. To whet your appetite, here are numbers 51 through 100.


51. Orioles Leaders, 1988
52. Onix Concepcion, 1983 (RC)
53. Len Dykstra, 1986 (RC)
54. Ivan DeJesus, 1981
55. Julio Franco, 1989
56. Brewers Leaders, 1987
57. Pete Vuckovich, 1980
58. Al Holland, 1983
59. Rich Gedman, 1982 (RC)
60. Johnny Bench, 1983
61. Johnny Bench Super Veteran, 1983
62. Alfredo Griffin, 1989
63. Ed Vande Berg, 1984
64. Joe Nolan, 1980
65. Jack Morris, 1983
66. Royals Team, 1980
67. Carmelo Martinez, 1986
68. Dave Dravecky, 1988
69. Jeff Ballard, 1989
70. Roger Clemens, 1988
71. Steve Carlton Super Veteran, 1983
72. Shawon Dunston, 1986
73. Jody Davis, 1984
74. Nick Leyva, 1989 (MGR)
75. Reggie Smith, 1981
76. Mario Mendoza, 1981
77. Dave Steib, 1980 (RC)
78. Mike Torrez, 1984
79. Juan Nieves, 1987
80. Wally Joyner, 1987 (RC)
81. Billy Martin, 1984 (MGR)
82. Tippy Martinez, 1986
83. Ryne Sandberg, 1983 (RC)
84. Curt Young, 1986
85. Tony Perez, 1986
86. Tom Hume, 1983
87. Pepe Frias, 1980
88. Darryl Hamilton, 1989 (RC)
89. Mike Smithson, 1984 (RC)
90. Nolan Ryan, 1982
91. Floyd Youmans, 1989
92A. Urbano Lugo (trademark wrong), 1987
92B. Urbano Lugo (trademark right), 1987
93. Don Schulze, 1985 (RC)
94. Calvin Schiraldi, 1987
95. Ozzie Smith, 1982
96. A's Team, 1980
97. Bill Lee, 1980
98. Clint Hurdle, 1981
99. Buddy Biancalana, 1986
100. Pete Rose, 1983

Collect all 792 and follow along at home!

Numbers. Numbers everywhere. Crawling all over everything, getting into my dreams, playing with my thought process. Notebooks full of them, draft after draft, list after list. It's their ride I'm on, not the other way around, though I'm convinced there's meaning in there somewhere, in the patterns. Something important.

No, I'm not overcome with an especially prolonged episode of OCD. I'm checklisting. It's been a while since I last checklisted a set, and if last time around taught me anything, it's that I'm determining much more than just how a set should be assembled. I'm establishing a hierarchy, an easy way for anyone, not just collectors or those who follow baseball, but anyone familiar with the base-10 system of counting, to determine which cards are worth coveting.

Last time around my big thing was 'Hero Numbers.' First tier, second, third tier; they all took their lead from the heroes. The set was built around them, and I'm certain that when the meritocratic system of numbering is employed, this is always the case. A rising young star does well the year before, the next year he will have a third tier number. If he does well a number of years running, he may find himself given a second tier number. And if he proves himself to be in the upper echelon of the league, not just a star but a superstar, he may be rewarded with a hero number.

But it's been a few months since I did that checklist, and time away from the process has given me insight into something I may have missed: there are other numbers that are on the same level of importance as Hero Numbers. But because the numerical parameters for Hero Numbers have already been expressed, I'm going to call these others by a different name: Glamour Numbers.

I'm not entirely sure when Glamour Numbers started, and I'm not entirely sure they started with baseball. The 1992-93 Upper Deck basketball issue featured Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on numbers 32 and 33, respectively (their jersey numbers), as a way of honoring them. There are many other examples. In recent years, Topps baseball has reserved #7 for a card of Mickey Mantle, its patron saint.

The reason I bring this up is because as I've started work on The 792, unexpected numbers keep popping up as important. The most glaring example is #482. Why #482? Because of the ten cards assigned that number in regular-issue Topps sets between 1980 and 1989, two are rookie cards of Hall of Fame players: Rickey Henderson (1980) and Tony Gwynn (1983). It can probably be written off as just a coincidence, as such luminaries as Glenn Hubbard, Rick Lysander, Darryl Boston and Steve Peters have also graced the number. Does two out of ten constitute that number being elevated to Glamour Number? Probably not, but it is interesting, in a passing way, that two show-stopping rookies were checklisted on the same, random number. (Maybe we should call #482 a 'Lucky Number' instead of 'Glamour Number.')

A few informal rules of checklisting a set of this nature. First, the basics: there are ten years of sets that I'm pulling from, 1980 to 1989. I'm only considering regular-issue Topps, though when I'm done, I plan on checklisting a Traded set. Numbers for each card are their actual numbers. In fact, the whole purpose of putting together The 792 is to determine which card of the ten that were given that number is the best. 'The best' is open to interpretation. I'm defining it loosely: either the most memorable card, the most memorable player, or an important card from its year. Take the example above. I chose Henderson's #482 over Gwynn's because Henderson set the precedent. I'm not saying that the Topps brain trust monitored how well Rickey did and then gave the promising young Gwynn that number on purpose. On the contrary, I think there's a very good chance that Gwynn's numerical assignment was almost completely random: he was a rookie, so they buried him in the set. Another example of my thinking in terms of determining 'the best': You might say that giving #21 to Cal Ripken's 1982 Orioles Future Stars rookie is a no-brainer. I'd contend that you're wrong. There's a part of me that wanted to assign it to the 1986 card of Milwaukee Brewers' manager George Bamberger. Bambi's card from that set is one of my favorites. But how can you argue against Ripken's rookie? You can't.

I have a few expectations about how this checklist will turn out. Because there are ten sets from which to pull, I would imagine that the end tallies of cards from each set is roughly equal, for the first 726 cards (727 through 792 will pull from eight sets, 1982 to 1989). I don't expect this set to be made up entirely of stars. I expect there will be a healthy amount of common-level players. I also expect, though I have no reason to, that there will be a good level of representation from each team. I can tell you that I will not include more than a respectable level of cards of the same players. I'm putting together a set that is meant to symbolize the best/most memorable of the decade, not a set of Nolan Ryan's Greatest Hits (Topps beat me to the punch almost ten years ago).

So, before I go explaining this set away forever, below is a list of the first fifty cards from my fan set, Topps Decades: The Eighties, or simply The 792.


1. Roger Clemens RB, 1987
2. Rickey Henderson RB, 1983
3. Dwight Gooden RB, 1985
4. Eddie Murray RB, 1988
5. Nolan Ryan RB, 1982
6. Bench/Perry/Yaz HL, 1984
7. Kevin McReynolds RB, 1989
8. Don Mattingly (RC), 1984
9A. Steve Braun (yellow name), 1980
9B. Steve Braun (red name), 1980
10. Tony Gwynn, 1986
11. Bruce Sutter, 1989
12. Billy Sample, 1984
13. Joe Charboneau (RC), 1981
14. Sparky Anderson (MGR), 1988
15. Claudell Washington, 1987
16. George Vukovich, 1983
17. Mike Stenhouse, 1986
18A. Al Leiter (not him) (RC), 1988
18B. Al Leiter (him) (RC), 1988
19. Oscar Gamble, 1983
20. Gary Carter, 1987
21. Orioles Future Stars (RC), 1982
22. Pat Putnam, 1980
23. Bret Saberhagen (RC), 1985
24. Len Barker, 1986
25. Andres Galarraga, 1988
26. UL Washington, 1981
27. Ray Knight, 1986
28. Eric Davis, 1986
29. Tony Phillips, 1986
30. Vida Blue, 1980
31. Tom Seaver In Action, 1982
32. Gene Garber, 1982
33. Rob Deer, 1988
34. Jose Rijo, 1987
35. Rollie Fingers, 1983
36. Rollie Fingers Super Veteran, 1983
37. Rangers Team Leaders, 1984
38. Win Remmerswaal, 1981
39. Rowland Office, 1980
40. Orel Hershiser, 1988
41. Rangers Future Stars (RC), 1981
42. Gary Redus, 1987
43. Gene Michael (MGR), 1987
44. Britt Burns, 1982
45. Kent Hrbek, 1988
46. Dan Gladden, 1987
47. Rudy Law, 1984
48. Tony Fernandez (RC), 1985
49. Craig Biggio (RC), 1989
50. JR Richard, 1980

In a collaborative move, starting tomorrow morning visit Cardboard Junkie to view scans of the cards (in order).