1987 Donruss: Donrussier than ever!

Seriously, I'm still a contributor here. Don't stare at me like that. Anyway, last month I rescued an assortment of Orioles cards from Mark of Stats on the Back. He was kind enough to toss in a few packs of 1987 and 1988 Donruss. Since nobody wants to see 1988 Donruss, here's the best pack of the bunch. Come along, won't you?

488 Dave Martinez - Pictured as a Cubs rookie; the Northsiders were the first of his nine(!) teams. In order: Cubs, Expos, Reds, Giants, White Sox, Devil Rays, Cubs again, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Braves. Whew.

11 Chris Brown Diamond Kings - Was a high school teammate of Darryl Strawberry.

89 Cal Ripken, Jr. - And here's the Hall of Famer for the pack. The first one, anyway (SPOILER ALERT).

572 Bob Kipper - Hails from Aurora, IL. Just like a certain cable-access duo.

440 Scott Bradley - Complete with horrifically red nose and muzzle. Not a pretty picture.

307 Todd Worrell - Sheesh, his mustache was even worse than mine.

297 Al Nipper - It's very difficult to be an effective major league pitcher with a name like Al Nipper. Exhibit A.

413 Tracy Jones - I believe this is the gentleman who is the last remaining holdout keeping me from completing my 1988 Topps set.

280 Jim Sundberg - According to the card back, he was in the midst of a TEN-YEAR contract that ran through 1990. If true, he would have signed it prior to 1981, when he was a 30-year-old catcher with the Rangers. Nice to see that dumb contracts aren't a new thing in Arlington.

271 George Bell - Or as he's better known, Juan Bell's brother.

138 Nolan Ryan - Hall of Famer #2! He had a mere 4,277 strikeouts at that time.

621 Fred McGriff - A Crime Dog second-year card! That's the icing on the cake; this pack is awesome.

42 Chris James Rated Rookie - In 1985 with the Patriots, his brother Craig was the last white running back to rush for 1,000 yards in the NFL.

33 Mike Birkbeck Rated Rookie - Who rated him?

90 Juan Nieves - Officially the worst pitcher ever to no-hit the Orioles. The best? Probably that Nolan Ryan guy.

Puzzle Pieces 52-54: Roberto Clemente's smiling face.

Well, that's about all you can ask for from a 20-year-old pack. The other pack of 1987 Donruss had Lance Parrish and Mike Schmidt as the big pulls, but this one wins easily. Thanks Mark!