30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Biggest Thrill of His Life

Every morning, I listen to 95.7 FM The Game or KNBR 680 to jump start my day and listen to some quality sports talk.  Both stations are entertaining... but I've got to tell you... the past couple of months have sucked.

The Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants are both struggling which makes it difficult for the radio personalities to get excited about talking baseball.  Pair that with the Golden State Warriors dominating and on the verge of bringing home a second NBA Title in three years and you've at least one listener who isn't amused.

Don't get me wrong.  I think Warriors fans deserve the spotlight... as well as Cavaliers fans.  But as a guy who could care less about who wins this title, I can't wait for the NBA Finals to be over, so we can get back to focusing on baseball.

In the meantime, since 90% of Bay Area sports fans are focusing on basketball, I figured I'd try to meet them in the middle and target a player who played both sports today.

Tony's Day 13 Challenge asks us for one of our favorite cards from the 1990's:

1995 Upper Deck #200

If you were collecting baseball cards or basketball cards in the mid 90's, then there's a good chance you remember this card or at least one of the many Michael Jordan baseball cards produced when he retired from basketball and made the transition to the diamond.


I decided to use this card for Tony's 30 Day Baseball Card Challenge because it captures a cool piece of history with two Chicago legends.  In the interview, Harry Caray actually says that seeing MJ in a baseball uniform was "the biggest thrill of his life".

Michael had a few other baseball cards produced in the 90's.  Here are a few of the highlights from my collection:


1991 Upper Deck #SP1

This 1991 Upper Deck baseball card of Jordan is another card that probably stands out to guys who collected cards in the early 90's.  Upper Deck was way ahead of themselves when they created this special short print card more than two years before he announced his plans to retire from basketball and try out for the White Sox.


1993-94 Upper Deck Special Edition #MJR1

Technically this isn't a baseball card, but it does mention Jordan reporting to Spring Training and playing for the White Sox organization.


1994 Fleer Pro Cards #633

As a big fan of minor league issues, I was really excited to finally pick up an official Birmingham Barons baseball card of His Airness.


1994 SP Holoview FX #16

Hands down... my favorite Michael Jordan baseball card.  Ever since Upper Deck started producing the SP Holoview inserts in the mid 90's, they have been one of my favorite insert sets.  They're absolutely gorgeous!


1995 Upper Deck Steal of a Deal #SD15

Twenty years ago, this card was a pretty hot commodity that sold in the $20 to $30 range.  These days collectors can find these in dollar bins at card shows and online for under $5.  Talk about a steal of a deal.


2001 UD Prospect Premieres Heroes of Baseball Jersey Duos #J-JJ

I'll wrap things up with the only Michael Jordan memorabilia card in the collection.  It features two jersey swatches.  One from his Spring Training stint with the Chicago White Sox and the other when he was with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.  I'm not a big fan of the card's design, but that's probably what made this card so affordable.

By the way... thank you to all of those who left kind comments in regards to my back.  It's still tender, but at least I'm not sleeping on the floor anymore.  Have a great week everyone!

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

10 comments:

defgav said...

Glad you're feeling a bit better.
Jordan's 91UD card was one of my best pulls as a kid.

Adam said...

Very cool post. I had no idea there were that many Jordan baseball cards out there. I remember buying a Jordan baseball card at a card show at the local mall one time. When I got home, I had lost it! If only I could remember which card it was.

PS: Glad the back is doing better.

acrackedbat said...

glad to hear the back is better! I still have a few Jordans. I was new to collecting at the time and remember all the hype over his cards. I wasn't yet familiar with 'hype' but now know it's just part of the hobby.

Man said...

Good ol' Caray-he was always fun to listen to-since we in STL would get the Cubs on WGN-he would say what he thought instead of being a tool. Great MJ cards too-remember these being THE cards to have

BobWalkthePlank said...

Time for you to start hoarding Tebow cards!

Glad you are feeling a little better.

GCA said...

I started an MJ baseball-only PC a year or two ago. I don't have the last five you show there, but I've got a few dozen. The list fills a whole page in two columns.
Didn't collect in the 90's so they're all new to me. Most have come from dollar or less boxes at shows.

Collecting Cutch said...

Glad to hear your back is better.
I remember having a few of these back in grade school.

Fuji said...

defgav - I think I remember the card shop I worked at selling that Jordan for $20+. Oh how things have changed

Adam - Yeah there are a lot. Sorry to hear about your lost Jordan. I'll see if I have any doubles laying around that I can send your way.

Julie - Oh what would we collectors do without a little cardboard hype? It brings excitement to our lives and gets the blood flowing. Last week I discovered a Aaron Judge patch card sitting in a box and was as giddy as a little kid on Halloween. Thank goodness for cardboard hype.

B Man - I always saw the Braves and TBS, but don't think I had access to WGN. It's a good thing there's Saturday Night Live and YouTube ;)

Matthew - I was thinking the same thing! My guess is I have one or two Tebows laying around somewhere

GCA - This post made me realize that I haven't updated the Jordan section in my baseball or basketball insert binders. One of these days I'll need to do some digging and find out what I actually own. I'm the same way... anytime I find a Jordan baseball card sitting in a dime or quarter box, I'll usually grab it.

Collecting Cutch - Thanks. Get a little better with each passing day.

Kin said...

I love this post! I own ten or so Jordan cards and none of them are baseball. I used to have the Fleer Pro Cards but I guess I got rid of it at some point. Shame, shame. Pretty sure I bought the team set the night I was at the Barons game when Jordan hit his first homer.

Fuji said...

The good news is I'm pretty sure I picked up the entire set for under $10 and the Jordan by himself for under $5. That's pretty awesome you got to see him hit a home run in person. Not many fans can say that.