Flair was a premium range that Fleer released throughout most of the Nineties. I always associate flair with Jennifer Aniston's put-upon waitress character in Office Space, a film which apparently caused a change in the restaurant industry because of the way it mocked "flair".
However, no intention of mockery here, just some Flair cards for your enjoyment.
Card Number 269: Fleer Flair, 1993; #133
On the back we have a quote from "An NL pitching coach". Imagine saying something so pithy and profound that a baseball card company decide to put your one line summary onto the back of a baseball card. And then they decide not to add your name. Maybe the coach only gave a quote on the strict condition of having his anonymity preserved!
And although there wasn't a single way to pitch to catch Tony out, one team did almost try something a bit different. Apparently, Tony did not like knowing what pitch was coming and one team considered telling him as a way of putting him off.
Card Number 270: Fleer Flair, 1995; #201
That's not a flattering photo on the back. The odd positioning of the team logo right in the centre of the card doesn't improve the photo either.
Card Number 271: Fleer Flair Showcase, 1997; Row 2, Seat 37
And the winner for weirdest card numbering system goes to....
The cardback factoid mentions a hitting streak in Tony's rookie season, fifteen years previously. There's a classic Eighties feel to that.
Reading this back, I know I said I wasn't going to mock the Flair, but the cards have been consistently offbeat throughout so it was almost unavoidable.
Total: 271/394
Man... I love me some Office Space and of course 90's Flair. That fact about Gwynn not wanting to know which pitch was coming is interesting... especially since we recently had the "banging" incident in Houston. Thanks for sharing that link. I might mention it in a blog post as well.
ReplyDeleteI thought it an interesting facet of his character.
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