Hall or Nothing

I'm really hoping Mike Mussina gets the Hall of Fame nod this year, although it's looking like it might have to wait until next year. At the time of writing this, he's at 71% of the vote on Ryan Thibodaux's HOF tracker (link here).

While I don't think I'll fill out a ballot like Gavin did, I do appreciate seeing various rationale for why decisions are made. I also appreciate when a writer publishes an article with his or her decisions and why. I may not always agree, but at least appreciate a glimpse into the thought process.

With Mussina trending at 71% and 134 ballots accounted for, I feel like he's going to fall a few votes short.

One guy who didn't fall short was Wade Boggs. One of the greatest hitters of our generation, he also played at a time when he was part of some fantastic insert sets in the late '90s. While I wouldn't call myself a Boggs collector, I do frequently pick up his cards because he was included in some of these aforementioned sets.

A COMC order I recently placed yielded two such Boggs cards. The first is a 1997 EX 2000 Hall or Nothing insert. It's actually both diecut and clearcut. Two of my favorite things! It's a classy-looking design that fell 1:20 packs, although I can't imagine many of us bought these packs. I assume they were pretty much exclusive to hobby shops.

Not quite as rare, but cool in its own right, is the 1996 Fleer Ultra Prime Leather set. I remember pulling a Mark Grace as a kid, and always really feeling like it was a special card. The leather stitches are embossed, as the card has a leather-like texture, althought a little rough.

We really don't get cool-looking cards like this anymore, and I'm thankful I have COMC to go pick up cards like this from my childhood.