It’s not very often that a pack from 1982 comes sliding across my desk. But that’s exactly what happened a couple weeks back in an attempt to land a Cal Ripken rookie whilst starting one of the missing sets in my lifespan Topps run (1978 – present). But this wasn’t just any old pack. Rather, it was a grocery rack pack of 36 cards and not just one but three pieces a bright pink stick of something once was called gum. Care to get ultra-nostalgic?
The pack is more like three 12-card cello packs sealed into one retail friendly package.
Tray 1:
553. Dave Winfield “All-Star” – HOF-er right off the bat. And one of my all-time favorites to boot. Unfortunately this seagull slayer is the victim of being stuck in a pack for nearly 30 years syndrome. In short, the glue took a good chunk with it.
695. Warren Cromartie
114. Ken Landreaux
50. Buddy Bell
632. Bryan Clark
764. Steve Swisher
33. Jerry Morales
326. Pete Falcone
93. Larry Hisle
386. Jerry White
659. Fred Martinez
434. Joe Lefebvre
The Winfield and two Expos that I already have are the lone highlights for me thus far save for some nice haircuts and gaudy uniforms from the day.
Tray 2:
448. Darrell Porter “In Action”
515. Larry Bowa
260. Hall of Fame Facial Hair (and Bruce Sutter)
235. Mike Torrez
178. Dyar Miller
540. Andre Dawson (More Expos!)
176. Dewey Robinson
562. Mike O’Berry
Mike Ivie – I can’t make out the number because there’s no black ink layer on the back. For those who are interested in it, I’m contemplating tossing it on eBay as not only a 1/1 but the 1/1 of Mike Ivie 1/1s because I’m sure Mike Ivie has no other 1/1s. Search it out under my eBay ID: lame-ass-excuses-to-make-a-buck.
454. Rick Langford – I was born and raised in a neighborhood called Langford. We had awesome demolition derbies every third Saturday of the month in the summer. And next to that were some epic waterslides. Then Costco came and killed all the fun.
436. Joe Strain
248. Frank LaCorte
Another Expo (and a HOF-er at that), baseball’s best beard and hometown nostalgia give the middle section a lead that’s tough to beat.
Tray 3:
494. Hubie Brooks – He’s pictured as a Met but Hubie will always be an Expo.
467. Mickey Hatcher
90. Nolan Ryan pitching on Rainbow Bright Appreciation Day. Oh, wait, someone thought those were some high-fashion uni’s back in 1982.
552. Ken Singleton “All-Star” – a former Expos announcer
74. Bob Clark
40. An off-center Dave Parker
322. Garry Hancock
698. Tony Scott – Did you know Tony Scott directed Top Gun? And Domino? Okay, it’s not the same Tony Scott, but still. The Tony Scott was a special effects wizard. This Tony Scott is a true wizard simply for keeping his helmet on.
558. John Tudor
391. Dave Tobik
97. Paul Moskau
368. Alex Trevino
Not a bad finish at all.
Even though I got commons a plenty and no Ripken, busting wax that’s almost 30 years old is lots of fun. And while I proved in my epic box break for Rocky IV that I won’t shy away from giving 25-year-old gum a try, 28-year-old gum is out of the question.
