Awesomely Bad Wax Packs

It’s so refreshing not to stumble across a double. I hope this box has a better distribution than the first 1986 box I got. Maybe we can even go more than 3 packs without hitting a double. What I love about the 1987 set is the blurbs they have about the players on the back of the cards. What I don’t like is the fact that there are no positions on the front of the card. Not a big deal forthe average collector, but since I’ve been in 1986 hell for the past 2 and a half months I have come to like the fact that the positions were on the front of the card. I know I’m a loser. What can I say. Anyways, let’s take a peek at pack number 2.

1. Tom Brookens - 3B/SS - Tigers - 713 - Oh how I love the wacky glasses of the 80s. Tom’s is no different. In fact my brother had the exact same pair, I bet he even has the croakies on to keep them from falling. Do you think he meant to have the bottom two buttons not buttoned on his jacket or did it just happen, so he could show all the ladies out there, what he’s got underneath. Brookens was actually a starter (even though he has the slash) and went 0.241/13/59 in what was his biggest offensive output of his career.

2. Bruce Berenyi - P - Mets - 582 - Who?!?! Bruce was a middle reliever for the Mets, his last year was 1986 when he went 2-2/6.35/1.74. Hey and did you know that his album collection numbers over 400! What’s an album?

3. Danny Gladden - OF - Giants - 46 - 1987 was Dan’s first year on the Twins. He had a pretty good season to kick things off, he went 0.249/8/38 and had 25 stolen bases. Did you know, he enjoys competition water skiing and motorcycle racing, and he and his wife have one child. Do you think competitive motorcycle racing is on anyone’s card nowadays?

4. Don Mattingly - 1B - Yankees - 500 - 1987 was another banner year for Donnie Baseball, he not only went to his 4th consecutive All Star game, but finished 7th in MVP voting, and picked up his 3rd (and last) Silver Slugger award. He went 0.327/30/115 that year , probably one of his best seasons. Did you know, that his birth certificate states that he was born in 1962, not 1961 as shown in most baseball records? That’s something different, he is younger than he claimed to be.

5. Time Leary - P - Brewers - 52 - After a crack at his first full time starter role in 1986 when he went 12-12/4.21/1.43, he was traded to the Dodgers where he went back to spot starting duty. In 1987 he went 3-11/4.76/1.46. Did you know that he pitched for the US Team which finished 2nd in the World Cup Tournament in 1978?Notice they didn’t say how he did.

6. Bob Shirley - P - Yankees - 524 -1987 was a rough year for Bob, he started with the Yankees, but got released halfway through the season. Then he got picked up by Kansas City, his total numbers were 1-0/6.31/1.65 in what would be his last season. By the way, he likes restoring antiques and watching Bill Murray movies. Can those two items really be together? I bet his wife makes him restore the antiques.

7. Steve Bedrosian - P - Phillies - 736 - I got Steve in the final pack of 1986 Topps, so it’s nice to get him early in this set. 1987 was a big year for Steve, he won the Cy Young award, made his only All Star appearance, and was 16th in MVP voting. His statline for 1987 was 5-3/2.83/1.20 with 29 saves. Steve’s hobbies include 4 wheeling and breeding dogs. After the Vick fiasco will any pro sports player ever claim to breed dogs?

8. Dan Pasqua - OF - Yankees - 74 - He may never have had too good a batting average, but man could he swat homers. In 1987 he went 0.233/17/42 in 318 at bats. Dan was All county in High School and an All American in college (William Patterson College). Oooooo!

9. Denny Walling - 3B/OF - Astros - 222 - Denny was a career backup and in 1987 went 0.283/5/33, nothing special to report about him in 1987. Except . . no did you know on the back of his card. That’s sad!

10. Jim Rice - OF - Boston - 480 - In 1987 we were getting to the last few years of his career. Long were the days of 30 or 40 homer seasons, also starting for a full year. In 1987 he went 0.277/13/62 in just 108 games. Back to back no did you knows, that’s just terrible!

11. Doug Sisk - P - Mets - 404 - If the Mets didn’t win the World Series in 1986 I would have never known who Doug Sisk was. In 1987 he pitched a respectable 3-1/3.46/1.35. Did you know he received a BS degree in Criminal Justice from Washington State? Not heard of too often, guys who go four years in college and then turn pro.

12. Mark Portugal - P - Twins - 419 - Rookie card alert! After a rough 1986, Doug came back in 1987 and had one of the worst seasons, where you get to come back for another year. He went 1-3/7.77/1.86, how horrid was that? Here’s what they dug up on Mark, he graduated from high school. I’m not kidding, they actually put that on the back of a card. Good for Mark!

13. George Bell - OF - Blue Jays - 681 - Heavy hitting papa Bell! 1987 was the single best year of his career. He won the MVP, appeared in his first all star game, and won his last Silver Slugger award. His stats for 1987, a whopping 0.308/47/134, and that’s without ‘roids, imagine what he could have done with some HGH? Did you know his hobbies was music and movies. That’s the third of those I’ve seen so far and this is only the 2nd pack.

14. Joel Youngblood - OF - Giants - 759 - For the most part Joel was a backup most of his career. In 1987, with just 91 at bats he went 0.253/3/11, believe it or not this wasn’t his last or next to last year.

15. Andy Hawkins - P - Padres - 183 - 1987 was the kind of year I grew to expect from Andy. He went 3-10/5.05/1.53 in a stunningly awful season that would get him traded the following year (to my Yankees). On a side note, He was the co-chairman of the San Diego March of Dimes Walk America.

16. Roger Clemens - AL All Star - 614 - In the 1986 All Star game he retired all 9 men he faced and won the game’s MVP award. On the back of the card it shows AL leaders for wins in 1986. Roger was first with 24 wins.

17. John Butcher - P - Indians - 107 - 1986 was the Butcher’s final year and he played with both the Indians and the Twins. He went 1-5/6.93/1.70 in 13 outings. Hey but did you know he played semi pro ball in Alaska. I bet he might still be there, maybe coaching now.

Pack number two and I managed to avoid the double plague. This was a pretty nice pack. We had a Clemens AS, Mattingly, Bedrock and Liberty Bell. So overall I will give this pack 3.0 stars. What the heck, it’s not every pack you get an MVP and a Cy Young award winner in the same pack. Are you guys liking this format? Let me know what you think by leaving some comments. Until tomorrow….