The basics: This is already the fifth Rangers card in the set. But each of these star players had yet to appear. Clockwise from top left, Juan Gonzalez, Jose Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro will show up a total of seven more times in the set.
Card thoughts: Wow. There can't be a syringe far away. Canseco implicated the three others of steroid use in his book "Juiced." And steroid rumors have kept Gonzalez and Palmeiro out of the Hall of Fame, while Pudge avoided the Hall ban. It's a nice picture but the signs behind them are comical in hindsight with the words "power hitters", "formula" and "the real thing".
Backs are important in '93 UD: Canseco was a new arrival in Texas at the time of this card, having spent MLB time with only Oakland at the time. He'd go on a tear with the Rangers in 1994 but the strike thwarted a monster season. Rodriguez doesn't really belong in the home run talk on the back as it mentions he had eight HRs (woo), but he'd find his home run stroke.
More from '93: On this date 30 years ago, Reggie Jackson was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Thanks for pointing out the signs. I would have missed them... and they definitely make the card a tad bit more entertaining. Gotta say... if I were a pitcher... I would not want to go up against these four. Kinda surprised they didn't include Julio Franco on this card. Then again... his numbers weren't that impressive in 1992.
ReplyDelete"The Formula for the Future" ... How prophetic!
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