The basics: Fifty-six cards in, this is the first traditional player card in the set. George Brett appeared in the teammates subset two cards ago. This is also Brett's final Upper Deck flagship card issued during his career. In 1994, UD would give him cards in Collector's Choice and All-Time Heroes, but not in the regular set, denying flagship collectors his final year of stats
Card thoughts: Probably around this time card companies were picking "final tribute" photos for Brett, who was nearing the end of his playing days. The on-deck pic is a decent one, although not in the same league as the 1994 Topps shot. It's odd to see Brett listed as a designated hitter solely.
Backs are important in '93 UD: We finally see why! One of the reasons I like '93 UD so much is the acreage given to the back photo. You also don't have to turn the card on its side to view it as you had to do for earlier Upper Deck sets.
The natural guess is to say that's Terry Steinbach behind the plate, but it also could be Jamie Quirk, who was a backup catcher for the A's in 1992 and also a teammate of Brett's back in the 1970s. They had a lot of jokes together, I'm sure.
More from '93: The TV sitcom "Living Single," starring Queen Latifah, Kim Fields and Kim Coles, debuted on Fox on this date in 1993. It would last five years and has been credited for spawning shows like "Friends".
I didn't realize it took so long to get to a base card. It's not a bad way to start things off, but yeah, no final UD card for a HOF stings.
ReplyDeleteReally like this card, but glad you mentioned the 94 Topps, which is one of my favorite cards.
ReplyDeleteThe lighting on the front photo is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSolid card. But as you mentioned... not quite in the same league as his 94T card. When I saw the back, I immediately thought of Steinbach. I can definitely picture what he looks like, but not Quirk... so it's hard for me to argue which guy it really is.
ReplyDeleteLooks like he's got a memorial patch on his jersey. If so, do you know who it was for?
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