The Angels, In Order Take Me On A Time Warp To The 90s

I love the 90s.  It was the greatest decade of all time.  People can argue different decades were better but, they would then be wrong.  The 90s had great television such as Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  The music was also great.  Rock and Rap music were both producing quality tunes.  From the Stone Temple Pilots to Snoop Dogg to Sublime, the list of music that was released in this decade that I still listen to and enjoy, can go on forever.  I wish I still had a pair of Jnco jeans and a Starter jacket to wear.

The baseball cards in the 90s were also great.  There were a ton of choices.  I know that there was some junk but with so much product released some sets were bound to be grand.  I was a teenager in the 90s.  The early to middle of the decade was a collecting boom time for me.  The Dodgers had some star players and some solid but underachieving teams.  Mike Piazza and Hideo Nomo had a boatload of cards back then.  This was great for a card collector and a Dodger fan.  Rauuuul Mondesi was a rising star at the time.  Rauuul  had his fair share of cards that feature him as well.

Tom from the blog named the Angels In Order, sent me a package full of Dodger cards from the greatest decade.  It was a trip back to my childhood when I was flipping through each card.  Cards of my childhood heroes such as Hideo Nomo and Mike Piazza were everywhere. 

Mike Piazza is awesome!  Fleer Emotion is a cool and unique set.  It has a 90s cheese factor too it that gives the card a nostalgic charm.  Tom included a Eric Karros and a Ismael Valdes card from this set as well.

Many times that I look at Piazza baseball cards and think about the trade that sent him out of LA.  It still gets me so angry.  Piazza was a masher and a super star.  Never trade a super star.  Gary Sheffield had some solid seasons but he wasn't a joy to root for.  If you could reach your hand through the computer screen and touch my forehead, you would be able to notice my temperature rising.  How can you trade a power hitting catcher with a cool mustache? 

I have to show some more Piazza greatness.  These cards are from 1996 Leaf Steel.  Tom sent me the regular version as well as the gold version because he is a cool dude.  These cards are made of metal.  Speaking of metal, Mike Piazza likes metal.  He would play his drums in Hollywood rock joints back in the day.  One other reason that should have made him stay a Dodger for life.  I think that is the fourth reason that he should have stayed a Dodger that I mentioned so far in this post.  Let us recap my list of reasons:

1.  He was a super star.  Never trade a super star.

2.  Piazza was a power hitting catcher.

3.  Cool mustache.

4.  Enjoyed rocking out on the drums.

5.  I actually just thought of this reason, so I might as well add it to the list.  Mike Piazza had a cool mullet.

Nomo is just about to release a pitch.  This pitch resulted in a strike out and ended the inning.  This card also shows Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick in the bottom corners.  Olbermann and Patrick were on Sportscenter in the 90s and made watching highlights fun to watch no matter the sport that was being featured.  The two of them had great chemistry and some sharp wit.  I miss those days when I would get up in the morning and listen to these guys go over the action in sports.  90s Sportscenter rocked!

Do you guys remember the Upper Deck Looss Collection?  Great stuff!  This is a new Karros card for my collection.  I have many of his cards so, I am always happy to add a new one to the fold.

The 90s love continues at the Platter tonight.  Not many people will appreciate getting a Ismael Valdes card in the mail.  I am not one of those people.  I am the rare collector that likes getting Valdes cards in a bubble mailer.  The black and gold color scheme works really well on this card.  My picture doesn't really relay that to you.

I enjoy getting Valdes cards because it reminds me of my youth.  I thought that Valdes would be a solid middle of the rotation starter for the Dodgers for the next several years.  Maybe even having a season or two where he pitched at an elite level.  With Ramon Martinez and Hideo Nomo already in the rotation, I thought these teams could go places. 

I don't think that I have ever been as optimistic as a Dodger fan since the Piazza led Doyers of the 90s.  I have been a cynical and pessimistic fan of the team ever since 1998.  The Piazza trade may have shaped my sports fandom in that way. 

Thank you for the trade, Tom.  I had a blast reliving the decade of my youth.  I will try and put some more Angels together to help out your want lists.