Saturday, July 12, 2008

1991 Leaf Studio

Today, we pop open a pack of 1991 Leaf Studio. I have always liked the Studio series because I liked the 'professional' poses and the wacky info they collected about the players. After opening this pack, I use the term 'professional' very, VERY loosely....


Mike Scott (Astros) - He collects golf clubs, watches Rocky & Bullwinkle, and his hero is Dennis Liborio (The Astros equipment manager...).
Benito Santiago (Padres) - "Let's be sure to get that earring in there, and, oh, could you snuggle up to this long, thick bat for us, too?" He likes Cars, salsa music, Arsenio Hall, Roberto Clemente and Johnny Bench.
Mike Scioscia (Dodgers) - "Give us that intent look, and we'll take the picture just as you are slapping your glove to get that bit of motion blur we've been looking for in the Studio series..." He likes to play the guitar, listen to Motown, watch "All in the Family," and his heroes are Johnny Bench and Thurman Munson (not to be confused with Herman Munster!).



Greg Swindell (Indians) - "Okay, Greg, we have this bottle of mousse..." Does he have the "Good Lord, just shoot me" look on his face, or what? He likes golf, country-western music, watches more TV than most players judging by the list of shows he watches, and he collects...boots. They ran out of room on the card for a hero list.
Dave Righetti (Giants) - "Dave! Wake up! Did you forget you had pictures today!? Get down here, NOW!" He likes golf and drafting. What is drafting? Is that a beer thing? He watches Knots Landing... Do these folks actually THINK before they answer the questions? His hero is his Dad, Leo.
Marquis Grissom (Expos) - There you go, the traditional professional pose. No jewelry, no props. He likes to fish and draw, likes R&B, watches Cosby, and his hero is Andre Dawson.



Dave Stieb (Blue Jays) - "Show us your ball, and look mad about it." He hunts, fishes, plays guitar, likes rock and blues, has an 'extensive guitar collection,' and his hero is Reggie Jackson.
Howard Johnson (Mets) - "Could you cover a third of your face with the bat, please? Thanks." He collects fish, likes deep-sea fishing, and watches "Gilligan's Island reruns." His hero is Jesus (fisher of men). To say he's got fishing in his blood would be an understatement.
Kelly Mann (Braves) - "Hey! Could you do your best (worst) Vanilla Ice impersonation?? Thanks!" Really? Gel, the fade, even the look... What a sad, sad day... He likes biking and working out, like progressive and classic rock, collect clothes and shoes (HUH?). His heroes are Bob Boone, Steve Yeager, and Carlton Fisk.



Steve Lake (Phillies) - The bird is his. Seriously. "Ruffles." At first, I thought the bird was Leaf's idea, but after reading the back of the card, it's easy to see that Lake wanted the bird in there.... He raises birds, likes restoring cars, watches EPSN, and his hero is Joe Montana.
Diamond King Piece (Rod Carew) - Numbers 10, 11, and 12 of the Rod Carew puzzle. They look like a pencil sketch.
And, finally, the pack itself. Black-N-Gold. Pittsburgh's colors. Can't go wrong with that. :-)

6 comments:

  1. That Steve Lake card is legendary. I rank it up there with the Bill Ripken f---face and Nolan Ryan tuxedo cards.

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  2. But ... them kind of birds don't land on lakes ...

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  3. Now if someone only wrote that "I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain.

    True hilarity.

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  4. I first saw the Steve Lake card on another baseball card blog a few months ago. That's when I realized I didn't have all the 1991 Studio Phillies cards. I had to buy the whole darn set on eBay just to get that card. Luckily, I like the cards.

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  5. This is a great set. When I think of all the cash I spent on it in 1991 though I feel ill.

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  6. I almost hate to tell you but I got the whole set on eBay for $2.30 (plus $8.95 for shipping).

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