Joe Sakic card #15 1990-91 Score Young Superstars #10

• This was a part of a 40 card set released on glossier stock.  The set featured names such as Leetch, Sundin and Lindros (pre-NHL)
• I think this is a great shot of Joe handling the puck with his eyes focused on where he's heading.  Keep your head up!!
• Game 15 for Joe saw the Nords start a 6 game winless slide with a 5-2 loss to the Blues at home.  Joe had one assist in the game.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #14 1991 Bowman #68

• Went a little out of order on this one--after posting 13 straight cards from '92, this one wound up next in the binder.  Thome only has 6 '91 cards, only one of which is another major league release (Upper Deck Final Edition)
• Wondering if the jersey he is wearing is a batting practice jersey, as I don't ever recall seeing mesh jerseys being worn during games.
• Game 14 of Thome's career was the 2nd of a 5 consecutive game hitless streak.  He would go 0 for 17 during that run and see his average dip from .239 to .175.   Ouch.

 -Robert

Joe Sakic card #14 1991-92 Bowman #133

• One of my favorite cards so far.  By the time this card had been released, Joe was a co-captain of the Nordiques, wearing the C for home games and switching to the A for road games (Steven Finn was the captain on the road).
• Not sure if it's a printing flaw, but the white dot on the "N" in the Nordiques logo kind of stands out...
• Joe's 14th game in 88-89 saw him score a goal in a 6-2 win over the Penguins, who had Steve Guenette in goal.  As far as I know, Guenette did not appear on a hockey card.

-Robert

Brett Lawrie card #4 2012 Topps Heritage #280

• The one thing about the card that stands out for me?  The oversized rookie cup trophy.   Fantastic.
• If you have this card in your collection, take a look at the back.  It depicts Brett holding a trophy that is almost as tall as he is!
• The trading card database  states that Brett currently has 771 cards featuring his likeness.  Man do I have a long way to go....

-Robert

Jim Thome card #13 1992 Upper Deck Scouting Report SR22

• There's something you don't see everyday on a baseball card, a pine tar rag
• There were ratings on the back of the card from 1-5...Thome's rank for speed was a 2, but everything else was a 4 or 5
• It's amazing how the scan magnifies the nick on the lower right hand portion of the card beside Thome's name.  I won't bother upgrading however...

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #13 1990-91 Score American #8

• First card from Score that I've shown on the blog.  The backs of the American version were written in English with the Canadian and American flags criss crossing on the bottom of the card back.  Canadian Score featured bilingual backs.
• I like the front design, with the stripes made to look like the 2 blue lines and the center line.
• Complete sets of 90/91 Score list for $25 in Beckett.  I'm sure if you look, you can find them for much less...
• I did a quick eBay search for "1990/91 Score and found 7,563 listings.  Wow...

-Robert

Jim Thome card #12 1992 Fleer Ultra #54

• I absolutely loved this set when it first came out.  It was a tremendous improvement over '91 Ultra.
• Seeing the blue stands in behind Thome reminds me of the movie Major League.   Not sure why, because Major League was filmed in old County Stadium in Milwaukee.
• Game 12 for Jim was against the Tigers, which the Indians won 3-1.  Jim was hit by a pitch for the first time in the majors, by Walt Terrell.

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #12 1990-91 OPC Premier #102

• Similar to Leaf baseball in 1990, OPC Premier came out to a lot of hype when it was released and prices skyrocketed.  Now, complete hand collated sets are priced at $30.  
• I remember buying a box of OPC Premier out of the back of a guy's car while at college.  I was a degenerate card collector by then....
• Joe's 12th game would be the final game of his scoring streak that began his career.  He scored a goal in a 3-2 win over the Islanders.  Joe would tally 10 goals and 7 assists over his first 12 games.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #11 1992 Leaf #299

• I remember when the Leaf set came out in the early 90's to a lot of hype.  $3 a pack.  Now complete 528 card sets of '92 Leaf list in Beckett for $15.   Junk wax?
• As a 20 year old, Thome hit just 7 HRs in 125 games between AA-AAA before being called up in '91.  Wonder if the Indians thought he would go on to power over 600 round trippers before he called it a career?
• Jim followed up his first 3 RBI game (game 10) with his first 3K game on 9/15/01 in a 4-3 loss to the Orioles.  Arthur Rhodes rung him up in 3 straight ABs.

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #11 1990-91 Pro Set #375

• Pro Set wrote on the back of this card that Joe was the lone Nordiques representative at the ASG.  Furthermore, his -40 rating was 4th worst on the team.   Yikes.
• During Joe's rookie season, he averaged a point a game before the All Star break (46 pts in 46 games), but his production dropped to 16 pts in 24 games after the break.
• Also interesting to see that this card features Joe's #19 on the front in the lower right, while his other Pro Set card for some reason put the #88 he wore in his rookie season.  I wonder who or what prompted this change..
• I still think the old style All Star game unis are much better than the modern ones...

-Robert

Brett Lawrie card #3 2011 Topps Heritage Minor League #23

• Lawrie's 3rd major league game saw him hit his first HR, a solo shot off of Baltimore's Alfredo Simon
• I've always loved the look of the '62 set, and the 2011 Heritage releases don't make a difference in that opinion.
• Love the team name "Las Vegas 51s".  I did a quick Google search for Area 51, and it looks like I could sit at the computer all day and look at articles and pages about the subject.
• I grew up with the Jays having their AAA farm team in Syracuse, so when they left for Vegas it was kind of like a shock to the system.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #10 1992 Pinnacle card #247

• Looks like a pop up to me.  The eyes are looking skyward.
• This is the 3rd card of Thome that has the "rookie" tag on it to appear on the blog.
• Game #10 for Thome was the first multi RBI game of his career; he had 3 RBI's in a 6-5 win over the Orioles

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #10 1990-91 Pro Set #257

• Interesting that Sakic's card front lists him with the #88, even though he hadn't worn the number in over 2 years.
• Career game #10 for Sakic saw his point scoring streak continue; he earned an assist in a 7-4 loss to the Blackhawks.
• This a pretty good action shot; it's not often you see 4 players on the front of a card.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #9 1992 Fleer #125

• First card that I've shown of Thome featuring him in a hitting pose.  
• The number 9 represents the amount of RBI's that Thome had during his first season in the bigs (1991)
• I'll have to keep an eye out for the next few cards of Jim's, but this is the only card I remember that features him wearing the #6

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #9 1991-92 Topps team leader #8

• I wonder if Topps used a stock photo on this card, since there is not a letter A or C on Joe's jersey.
• The scoring leaders on the back of the card feature Sakic at the top, then Mats Sundin (his rookie season with 59 points, 50 behind Sakic).
• Joe's 9th game in the NHL saw him continue his points streak, gaining an assist in an 8-2 loss to the Rangers.  

-Robert

Jim Thome card #8 1992 Donruss #406

• Nice shot of Thome in mid dive chasing a line drive.  Love when photos capture a nice amount of dirt on the players jersey, makes it a little more authentic for me.
• Joe's 8th career game sees him issued his first career intentional walk.  He went 2 for 3 as well in a 6-5 win over the Orioles.
• Thome's emergence as the every day 3rd baseman in Cleveland in September of '91 allowed the Indians to move Carlos Baerga to 2nd base, where he would remain for the remainder of his time with the Tribe.

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #8 1990-91 Topps #384

• This is the 8th card that I've shown for Joe Sakic; the number 8 equals the spot that Joe finished for the Calder trophy in the 88-89 season.   Brian Leetch was the winner that year, but Joe came in behind such names as Peter Sidorkiewicz, Daniel Marois and Greg Hawgood.  Joe only received two 3rd place votes.
• Joe's 8th career game was also significant in that he scored his first career hat trick, scoring all 3 of Quebec's goals in a 7-3 loss to the Islanders.

-Robert

Brett Lawrie card #2 2011 Bowman Chrome Throwbacks Refractor BCT12

• Card is serial #'d 53/99 and arrived courtesy of the Night Owl
• I'm guessing that the picture for this card was taken somewhere in Florida during spring training; love the old school light pole in the background.
• So far this is the only card of Lawrie's that I own that features the old Jays logo on his cap.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #7 1992 Topps McDonald's #37

• This is part of a 44 card release from Topps, which included a bevy of all stars, along with a few youngsters like Thome, Klesko and Todd Van Poppel (remember him?)
• Interesting combo of a black border with Thome's name in gold foil.
• It says "limited edition" at the top...I wonder how limited it really is

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #7 1990-91 Upper Deck #490

• Joe's 3rd card from the inaugural 1990-91 Upper Deck hockey set, it commemorates his appearance at the 1991 All Star Game in Chicago.
• Why does Joe look so comfortable?  This is already his 2nd All Star Game in just his 3rd season in the NHL.
• I've never been a big fan of All Star uniforms, but these didn't look half bad.

-Robert

Jim Thome card #6 1992 Pinnacle Team 2000 #37

• Since this card professes Thome to be part of Team 2000, let's look at that season.
• .269/37HR/106 RBI.  Thome struck out 171 times for the 2nd consecutive year.
• Fast forward to game 2000, 9/16/2007, he went 1 for 5 with a HR in a 9-7 win over the Angels.  

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #6 1990-91 Upper Deck #301

• Card #301 from the set is the first of the "art cards".  Each card represents a team checklist.  They were numbered in reverse order of finish from the previous season.  Quebec finished dead last in the league, giving them the 1st overall pick.  They took Mats Sundin.
• I noticed while writing this that there is no company name on Joe's stick.   Wonder if this was done on purpose.  Same for his gloves... 

-Robert

Jim Thome card #5 1992 Upper Deck #1

• This is the first multiplayer card that I've featured from my PCs.   Makes me wonder just how many of them I have.
• This is the 2nd straight card that features Thome holding 2 bats.  
• Thome played 22 years, Klesko played 16.  Thome played in 17 Postseason series, Klesko played in 16.  Klesko is the only one of the two that has a WS ring, he beat Thome and the Indians in the '95 Series.

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #5 1990-91 Upper Deck #164

• This post is the first of 3 consecutive Upper Deck cards featuring Sakic in the 90-91 set.
• First card of Sakic that features him wearing the captain 'C'.  If you look close enough, you'll see his 'A' underneath.
• Sakic's 5th game sees him score his 5th goal of the 88-89 season against the Buffalo Sabres.  
• That same night saw Sakic's former teammate Tony McKegney score a hat trick for St. Louis in an 8-8 tie with Detroit.

- Robert

Brett Lawrie card #1 2012 Topps Archives #97

• Since my Brett Lawrie PC is not a large as the Sakic or Thome collections, I'll be posting his cards less often.
• I figured the replica of one of the best Topps sets of all time, the '71 Topps set, was a great way to start.
• I'm looking forward to seeing how Brett contributes to a much improved White Sox team in 2016

-Robert

Jim Thome card #4 1992 Upper Deck #5

• Love the jacket with the old school Cleveland Indians logo. 
• I believe that Thome could have swung two bats while he was at the plate.  
• Thome's 4th career game was Cleveland's 3rd straight loss to Toronto in September of '91.  Thome went 0 for 4 in his 2nd straight game.

-Robert

Joe Sakic card #4 1990-91 Topps team leaders #14

• This card is one of my recent acquisitions from COMC.  53 cents was all that it took to bring this home.
• Sakic's 2nd season saw him score 102 points, 40 points ahead of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny.  He was also the leading scorer on a team that included Michel Goulet and Guy LaFleur.
• Love the flames that the 89-90 Team Scoring Leaders is written on...don't see that too often on a card.

Jim Thome card #3 1992 Score #859

• Great shot of Thome getting ready to field a hot shot to 3rd...
• If you take a closer look at the portion of Thome's right leg that is in the purple portion of the card, it appears to shrink.  Weird
• The cheapest version of this card on COMC is currently 43 cents.  That's the one thing about putting together a Thome collection that will be easier than Sakic; his cards are cheaper for the most part.  Surprising for a guy that hit over 600 career HR's.

Joe Sakic card #3 1990-91 OPC #384

• It doesn't take long for Joe to get a letter on his jersey; this is the first of many cards from the 90-91 season to feature the 'A'
• Joe's 3rd NHL game sees him earn his first multi-goal game of his career.  It was a 2 goal effort vs. Jon Casey and the Minnesota North Stars.  Joe also scores his first career PP goal.
• This card is listed for 75 cents in the November '15 Beckett.  The cheapest listing on COMC is 92 cents. 

Jim Thome card #2 1992 Topps Stadium Club #360

• Game #2 of Thome's career saw Thome go 1 for 4, singling off of  Toronto's Jimmy Key.  Cleveland lost that game 13-1.
• I decided to try and find the value of this Thome card in Beckett.  Thome is not shown as an unlisted star or semi star.  Does this mean he's a common?  People certainly don't price his cards as such...

 - Robert

Joe Sakic card #2 1989-90 Topps #113

• Both of the Sakic RC's are listed at $15 in the November '15 Beckett magazine (yes, I haven't bought an issue for a couple of months)
• Sakic's first career goal came in game #2, 10/8/88 versus New Jersey's Sean Burke.  That was also Joe's first home game in Le Colisee.
• For some reason, 20 years after I started collecting Sakic that I finally picked up this card.   Don't ask me why.

- Robert

Jim Thome card #1 1992 Topps #768

• Jim's first major league game was 9/4/91, starting at 3rd base against the Minnesota Twins.  
• His first major league hit was a single in the 4th inning; he later scored on a single by Alex Cole.
• Jim was 2 for 4 with a RBI and a strike out.  He hit 7th in the lineup.
• Jim is pictured wearing #6 on this card.  Nobody wore that number for the Indians again until 1997 (Bip Roberts)

- Robert

Introduction---Joe Sakic card #1 1989-90 OPC #113

I've wanted for a little while to start a blog that simply shows off my 3 (and maybe someday more) player PC collections.  Something quick and simple on each card in bullet point form.  Educational for me, and maybe for the readers out there (if any come along).

As I write about each card, I'll add it to the individual player's PC, creating a checklist of sorts.  

Enjoy!

• Sakic wore #88 in his first season in the NHL, since #19 was taken at the time by Alain Cote.
• Joe had an assist in his first NHL game, a 5-2 win over the Hartford Whalers--10/6/88

- Robert