1986 Topps Stickers

This is the third in a series of sticker packs. The 1986 stickers were in all ways superior to the 1987 set, despite the presence of a National League All Star Team made up almost entirely of San Diego Padres. The best part had to be the stadium fats on each team page. Even though I was only seven years old at the time and had no real high number numerical concepts, my jaw hit the fucking floor each time I read about Cleveland Municipal Stadium and its roughly quarter-million capacity.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
28 Kevin Bass/189 Tom Henke
172 Dave Collins/313 Tom Browning Future Star
153 Ozzie Smith All Star
37 Bruce Sutter/198 Rollie Fingers
158 Eddie Murray All Star

Grade: A+ This might be the pack to end all packs. Let's review the contents. The pack starts slow, with relatively blah players, but presented with inspiring visual clarity. You've got Kevin Bass, who had what was possibly the best black guy moustache in baseball. Following him are two bespectacled American Leaguers. I've never realized it before, but it's plain to see now that Dave Collins and Tom Henke were separated at birth. Actually, it goes much deeper than that. They are the same person. I'm willing to bet that if you checked the Elias Sports Bureau, you'd find that Tom Henke never pitched against the Oakland A's.

The second half of the pack really brings the heat with four consecutive Hall of Famers. Even the wacky numbering system which paired some Brewers with Braves and some with Astros managed to put two HOFers on the same sticker. Sure, Rollie looks like he's freezing and can't wait until October 2nd so he can leave Milwaukee for somewhere with more hospitable temperatures, but you can't beat the combo. And what's not to like about Ozzie and Eddie?