Harold Reynolds, 1993 Studio #129

I don't have much time to chat tonight, so I'll point you to the archives of Fire Joe Morgan for a reminder that no, Harold Reynolds' baseball "analysis" has never made sense, not even a decade ago.

Chris Hoiles, 1993 Studio #156

If this Chris Hoiles card could talk, it would say, "Haw, haw, haw...basebawl."

Mike Mussina, 1993 Studio #202

One exciting outcome from my weekend of sorting miscellaneous 1993 cards was the discovery that I nearly have a complete set of 1993 Studio, one of my favorite card sets of all time. I only need 18 more cards to finish it off - I've put the rest in a binder and everything. So if you have the inclination, go check out my 1993 Studio want list here. Drop me a line and maybe we can make a deal!

Mike Devereaux, 1993 Studio #55

Am I the only collector who goes wild for 1993 Studio? I've loved this set since I started buying packs off the shelf of my local hobby shop for 99 cents a pack in the fall of that year. The holographic facsimile signatures and the use of team jerseys, logo patches, and cap insignias as backgrounds were design touches that appealed to me at age 11 and still hold up in my mind. Photographically, it was a departure from the disastrously goofy posed yearbook shots of the previous two Studio sets. Most of the player photos on the card fronts in 1993 Studio appeared to be candid shots, offering a better glimpse into the subject's personality than any stiff "smile for the camera" grin or "show us your game face" glower. The more formal portraits were consigned to the card back, but zoomed in and bleeding in from either the left or right border, giving you a (literally) closer look at your heroes than ever before. These shots are fine as a contrast to the candid pictures on the front, and fit well with the sometimes-enlightening, often-confounding "Up Close" factoids. Where else will you learn that Mike Devereaux dislikes inconsiderate drivers?

Leo Gomez, 1993 Studio #99

When I thumb through my cards and come across Leo Gomez, in my mind I hear Jon Miller's stentorian bass announcing, "LAY-o Gomez". It sounded a little ridiculous, but it just rolled so fluidly off of his tongue...he made it work. My formative years as a baseball fan were spent listening to the avuncular, rotund Miller on WBAL. If I had known that he would be walking out the door after the 1996 season, bound for San Francisco, I might have listened more often and more closely. Instead, I have to settle for hearing him work the mic once a week - Sunday nights on ESPN. Usually that means that I also have to choke on the insipid burbling of Joe Morgan. But that's the kind of risk that I'm willing to take to listen to Jon Miller.

Today, Jon was selected as this year's recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for his achievements in baseball broadcasting. On July 25, he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. He will join several golden-throated greats who have previously received the honor, including the late, great Chuck Thompson, one of his former partners at WBAL. I can't think of anyone more deserving, and I can't wait to hear his speech.

Harold Baines, 1993 Studio #190

This is my favorite card of one of my favorite Orioles of all time. It would just figure that at some point not long after I pulled it out of the pack, my careless 11-year-old self would crease it so badly. In that way, the card itself is a lot like Harold. He is listed as a designated hitter/outfielder, but that's a bit of an overstatement of the truth. He never played a single game in the field for the O's, his knees having betrayed him badly. It has always amazed me that Harold played for roughly ten years in persistent pain with virtually no cartilage in his knees. He couldn't play the outfield, he couldn't run...but boy, could he hit. From 1993, when he first arrived in Baltimore at the age of 34, to 1999, when he was 40, his lowest batting average was .294, in the strike-shortened 1994 season. He was an All-Star at 40, posting a lofty .920 OPS with 25 home runs and 103 RBI in just 430 at-bats!

So yeah, I think this card has a lot in common with Harold Baines. It's taken a beating, but it's still going strong, with the classic orange "Orioles" script against the white jersey providing the backdrop for a rare Harold Baines grin. He was always a class act, a quiet sort who let his bat do the talking. The only times that I ever remember seeing his teeth during a game, he was usually grimacing. But as it turns out, he's got a very nice smile, even if it is a little buck-toothed. Maybe that's why he was so reserved on the field; he was self-conscious. If you ask me, someone with 921 career extra-base hits doesn't have anything to worry about. It's not likely that Cooperstown will come calling for #3, not with the stigma of the Designated Hitter and the skepticism with which most voters will view statistics from the last twenty years. But here's hoping that a lot of those voters at least give him a closer look.