Putting the Repack to Rest: 75 Random Cards

Okay, this is part of my Fairfield Co. $10 repack box that intrigued me the most: the 75 loose cards. I just can't resist a grab bag. I just know this will have heaps of worthless late-80's cards, but there should be enough one-off oddball cards to keep it fun. We'll know for sure in just a few moments...

Warning: This is epically long.

2006 Upper Deck National Baseball Card Day Dontrelle Willis #UD8

1987 Topps: Don Baylor #230 - Here we go. I already have this complete set, so what can ya do?
Jim Dwyer #246 - Pigpen! At least it's an Oriole.
Steve Fireovid #357 - Hey, it's a published author.
Ron Shepherd #643

2005 Fleer Tradition: Victor Martinez #273 - Boy, did Fleer mail in this design.
Russ Ortiz #267
Larry Walker #293 - Still odd to see him in Cardinals red.
Todd Pratt #232

1990 Best Orlando Sun Rays Jose Marzan #6 - Apparently the Rays were the Twins' AA team. Jose never made it to the bigs.

1987 Topps: Bob Boone #166 - This card is bent to hell and back.
Al Newman #323 - Jon Miller used to call him "Albert D. Newman". I always thought it was just a MAD Magazine pun. But his middle name was actually Dwayne. How 'bout that.
Dale Murphy #490
Urbano Lugo #92
Rob Deer #547 - You should buy this shirt.
John Moses #284

1994 Fleer Flair John Smoltz #357 - Oh praise Jebus, a shiny card of a future Hall of Famer!

1987 Topps (oh, come on): Willie McGee #440
Joe Niekro #344 - It hadn't occurred to me that the Niekros were briefly Yankees teammates.
Danny Heep #241

1992 Pinnacle Matt Nokes #72

2006 Upper Deck World Baseball Classic Oliver Perez #38 - Apparently he was the starter in the game that eliminated Team USA. Surprising that I didn't remember that. Ahem.

1988 Donruss Ozzie Guillen #137

1993 Score Terry Steinbach #626

2003 Donruss Champions Ellis Burks #80 - This card celebrates his status as the NL leader in runs scored in 1996. Bzuh?

2003 Upper Deck MVP Sean Burroughs #172 - Shown wearing that hideous camo jersey.

1988 Topps Traded Don Baylor #11T - Don returned to Oakland just in time to make it to a third straight World Series...all three were with different teams!

1988 Topps Benito Santiago #7 ('87 Record Breakers) - Commemorating his rookie-record 34-game hit streak. BTW Topps, I refuse to call him "Benny".

2003 Leaf Derek Lowe #19

1996 Collector's Choice You Make the Play Greg Vaughn #41 - I loved Collector's Choice. You Make the Play was a one-per-pack insert of playing cards. Sadly, Greg's card is labeled "Strikeout".

1989 Topps: Ramon Martinez #225 - A rookie card of Pedro's big bro.
Chuck Finley #708

1989 Topps Glossy All-Star (for 1988 Season): Bobby Bonilla #15
Frank Viola #10

1989 Topps Glossy Rookies: Gregg Jefferies #13 - There's only one Gregg for me, and it's former O's closer Gregg Olson. Beastly curveball.
Paul Gibson #10
Tim Belcher #3

1991 O-Pee-Chee Premier Dennis Eckersley #38 - So what's French for "Athletics"?

2002 Upper Deck SP Authentic Carlos Delgado #7

2001 Donruss Elite Pokey Reese #45 - If I had a nickel for every time I've heard "Elite" and "Pokey Reese" in the same breath, I'd have...a nickel.

2001 Upper Deck John Wetteland #101 - My friend Mikey, a lifelong Yankees fan, still has nightmares about John's nail-biting saves in the Bronx.

1994 Upper Deck SP Bernard Gilkey #62

1993 Upper Deck Henry Cotto #411

1992 Score Craig Grebeck #561 - Dude was tiny (5'8").

1990 Best All Decade Steve Finley #10 - Now this is a great oddball, from the days when Hagerstown was still an Oriole affiliate. Check out that exciting cap insignia.

1987 Topps: Phil Niekro #694 - Thus completing the 1987 Topps Niekros set.
Rich Gedman #740
Tony Bernazard #758
Toby Harrah #152 - His name is a palindrome. Like "Swap God for a jar of dog paws".
Dave Concepcion #731 - Shown trying to tag Herm Winningham at second base.
Jerry Reuss #682
Shane Rawley #771
Don Sutton #673 - Kudos for never giving up on that perm, Don.
Jorge Orta #738
Darrell Porter #689 - He passed away on my birthday. Kind of a downer, huh?

1992 Score Kevin Gross #34

1992 Topps Stadium Club Scott Bradley #146 - Great picture of Scott tagging Brady Anderson at home in Memorial Stadium. But who is he looking at? The ump? Is he actually showing off for the photographer? Or did Omar Vizquel just make fun of his eye black?

1991 Donruss Tony Pena #456 - I can't put into words how much I hate the design of this set. Even the pack wrappers are ugly.

1994 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Rod Beck #49 - R.I.P., Shooter.

1992 Pinnacle Kevin Reimer #340

1987 Topps Bruce Sutter #435 - A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame AND the Beard Hall of Fame.

1992 Pinnacle Pat Kelly #54

1990 Topps Football Terry Taylor #360 - What the fungus? Terry was a cornerback with the Lions. And I just used up my Red Rooster joke in my last post.

1987 Topps: Willie McGee #440 - Doubles? Bad form.
Carl Yastrzemski Turn Back the Clock #314 - Pictured: Yaz's 1967 Topps. Not pictured: Big sideburns.

1994 Conlon Collection: Dutch Ulrich (First Card) #1298 - It's pretty cool that they made sure these long-dead players had at least one card to their names. Dutch lost his life to double pnuemonia at the age of 29.
Asby Asbjornson (First Card) #1315 - This is my new favorite baseball name. His given first name was Robert, but he had it legally changed.

Paul Strand (First Card) #1300 - His bio mentions his stint with the Peoria Tractors. Awesome.

1990 Kmart Super Stars: Jeff Ballard #27 - His 18 wins in 1989 were 44% of his career total.
Pedro Guerrero #15
Chuck Finley #28

1989 Bazooka Shining Stars: Jay Buhner #4
Cecil Espy #7 - Ah, the namesake of the ESPYs.
Ron Gant #9

2007 Topps Red Sox Jonathan Papelbon #BOS8 - Suprisingly, he doesn't appear to be doing a stupid dance.

Whew, are you still reading? That wasn't so bad. Other than the pile of 1987 Topps, there were only a few cards that I already had. Where else can you get a Steve Finley minor-league card and an Asby Asbjornson debut card? Where, I ask you?