One order from CardBarrel later, and I'm about halfway there (CardBarrel doesn't have everything, you know). I really dig this set because their definition of "all-time hero" is quite broad. I mean, take a look at Marv Throneberry here. Here's what the back of his '94 UD All-Time Heroes card says:
"Throneberry wasn't necessarily remembered for his stellar play on the field, but rather, more for the style in which he attempted to play. His seven-year career is mostly remembered for fielding miscues, strikeouts, and classic base-running blunders - the epitome of the inaugural '62 New York Mets. But it was this kind of comic futility that captured the hearts of the new breed Mets' faithful, who affectionately tabbed him, 'Marvelous Marv'".
I just finished reading Roger Angell's "The Summer Game", and he captures that era of Mets fandom really well; it's clear that there was a segment of New Yorkers delighted to have non-Yankees baseball back in any form, underscoring just how raw the exit of the Giants and Dodgers was for the city. Anyway, these cards have stuff like that to recommend them. It's not just all Cobb / Williams / Musial etc. Some are focused on great moments; others on great players; still others are real stretches, such as Ken Brett's card (he was a pitcher who homered in 4 straight games - and was George's brother - but still). Really cool set, and I'm looking forward to slowly piecing it together. Here are a few from my initial batch that I thought you might wanna take a peek at.
These are awesome and your post (plus the cardss I own and have seen) makes me want to at least consider trying to grab a complete set on eBay!
ReplyDeleteLike the Martin best out of this bunch.
ReplyDeleteYup, definitely one of the better things Upper Deck did. I'm slowly collecting this.
ReplyDeleteI've seen plenty of singles from this set over the years, but this post opened my eyes to two things:
ReplyDelete#1: That very cool and candid Billy Martin card.
#2: This set is from 1994. Always figured this was one of those early 2000's sets. When UD was going retro.
The Throneberry and Martin cards are fantastic. So good I am putting them on my wantlist.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first all-legend sets I ever saw and still one of my favorites. Another point in favor of the Throneberry is that I'm pretty sure the runner is Bob Gibson(!).
ReplyDeleteThese are neat cards, I have a handful of them but nothing you've shown in this post. The Martin and Marv are great, and the player/team selection is interesting as well. I never knew Charlie Neal played for the Mets.
ReplyDeleteThat Throneberry you led off with is simply amazing. I need to find myself a copy of that at some point. Especially since I share a birthday with the man!
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