Monday Mixer All Star Edition

Some random "All Star" cards to brighten up your Monday.

Card Number 121: DonRuss All-Stars, 1988. #51

This card really looks like the base card (included in the Back to Base post I published last week). I think it's a photo from exactly the same game. EDIT: But thanks to Fuji for pointing out the different border. This is from the DonRuss All-Stars set in 1988 rather than the regular base set. #51 in the base set was Roger Clemens. The base set didn't have All Star cards.

The cardback includes Tony's All Star Game record in 1987, when he was a pinch hitter with one appearance at the plate. The game was held at the Coliseum in Oakland. The National League won, and the game went to 13 innings.

Although the factoids on the back are mainly All Star Game-related, this being a DonRuss card, it has to mention Tony stealing five bases in one game. The factoid compilers loved that achievement so much!

Card Number 122: Topps 1989 All Star Game Commemorative Set, 1990; #8
A few posts back I made a mistake about how Topps packaged the cards it produced for Kay-Bee Toys. Fuji helpfully corrected my error and I updated the post. These All Star cards were actually the cards I was thinking about when I said that some cards were included in a cellophane "Rak Pak" with 45 regular base cards. You got one card per pack with 22 to collect in total.

Tony looks likes a concerned observer in the photo. I love those brown Padres jackets, though. I want one. Tony missed the 1988 All Star Game, which was played in Cincinatti. The 1989 game was back in California, in Anaheim. Tony started the game and was second in the batting order. He had 3 plate appearances, before being replaced in the line up by Andre Dawson. He got a hit and one of the National League's runs as they slumped to a 3-5 defeat.

None of this information is included on the cardback, which is probably a contender for dullest Topps card back ever.

Card Number 123: Upper Deck Collector's Choice, 1997; #23 (All Star Connection insert)
The big red foil blob on this commemorates the 1997 All Star Game in Cleveland. That was the logo for the game. It's a shiny card that didn't scan very well.

Tony was the Designated Hitter for the National League team in 1997, and was second in the batting order again. His Padres team-mate Ken Caminiti was also in the starting line-up. Tony had 3 at bats but didn't get on base once. He didn't strike out either, which is something, I suppose. The National League lost 1-3.

I really like the photo on the cardback for two reasons. First it shows Tony making time for the fans, something which he believed was very important. Secondly, the crispness of the photo really shows the pinstripes of the Padres uniform in the Cleveland sunshine.

The cardback also carries a stats box with a difference, comparing Tony's stats in All Star Games, post-season divisional championships, league championship seasons, the World Series, and his most recent season stats for the Padres. It's a comprehensive breakdown of how Tony performed in different pressure situations. The factoid is about Tony's game-winning run in the 1994 All Star Game. All in all, I think this is probably a contender for best cardback on an All Star Game card.

Total: 123/394