1993 Fleer Ultra

There is nothing quite like the sound of taking a stack of glossy-covered cards and hearing the 'crack' as you bend them in an attempt to separate them. Over the years since 1993, the Ultra cards in this pack joined together in some kind of 'lets all stay mint' solidarity move. Leave it to me to kill the party.

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The wrapper on these bad boys is a shiny, foil teal/turquoise something-or-other. Look, I'm one of 'those' guys who sees everything in very specific colors. You can call it aqua, teal, turquoise, sea foam, or whatever. Frankly, it's blue-green to me. There are 14 cards in the pack, and upon opening, one has a chance to collect "Dennis Eckersley and 'Award Winners' limited edition subsets." Fat Chance.

First player is Rene Gonzales (Angels). The cards have nearly full-length player photos with just enough accent to list the player's name and team, and a small 'bug' in the upper corner with the Fleer Ultra '93 logo. These were great cards! The backs featured two additional pics of the player plus the card number, bio info, team logo, and 1992 stats.

Next up is Cardinals pitcher Mike Perez. He may not be smiling on the front of the card, but his portrait on the back would make the girls at Dinged Corners very happy!

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Hey, Jim Thome (Indians) comes up next! A Triber AND the guy who has waited nearly as long as this photo is old to be recognized for his talents...

Man, I also pulled Wally Joyner (Royals). Joyner is one of those guys that I liked collecting in my younger years.

John Wehner (Pirates) finishes out this trio. I don't remember him at all, and I can't help but wonder if that first "E" is long or short (man, walked right into the pun, eh).

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The next triplet starts with Tim Naehring (Red Sox). His card makes it look like he is swinging for the logo - a high pitch that's fading downward quickly.

Julio Valera (Angels) comes in second here, and rounding out the three cards:

Vince Horsman (A's). Now, I have to ask: Was his last name pronounced "Horse-man" or "Whore's Man?"

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Here is a great shot of Tigers star Alan Trammell. He has yet to be elected to the HOF, but he'll be back on the ballot in 2009, and deserves to be in there.

Another great franchise player, Darren Daulton (Phillies) is just a bit too far right to have the logo look like it's about to be smacked. That's a bummer, because it would have made for a cool effect. Hopefully he will be remembered more for his good playing days than the bad ones and his 'interesting' post-baseball life.

The Brewers get to make a showing in this pack with John Jaha. Most folks will probably remember him in an A's uniform, unless they happen to be Brewers fans!

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Chito Martinez (Orioles) had the unfortunate card placement of being nearly welded to the back of the Fryman card. In fact, some of the coating from the Fryman is still stuck on Martinez's face and helmet.

Man, here is ANOTHER long-time player from the Tigers organization - Travis Fryman. I was always a fan of his, especially when he came to the Tribe.

And the last card in the pack belongs to Jack Morris (Blue Jays).

All-in-all, an okay pack from 15 years ago... Anytime I pull a Triber, I'm a cappy hamper!