Oversized in My Collection: 1986 Donruss Pop-Ups

I've put together a page with the links to my 1986 Donruss oversized All-Stars posts.  In the final post last week, I said that I would show the related Pop-Ups this week, but I said I didn't have them all.  I'm glad to have been mistaken about that -- while I thought I only had a handful, I must have opened almost a whole box of packs to get the complete set of All-Stars, and as a result, I have 31 of the Pop-Ups, which turns out to be enough for me to have a complete set of 18, with some doubles (and actually I have 3 of the Carlton Fisk).  Here they all are!

Pitchers Jack Morris and LaMarr Hoyt.

The Pop-Ups are of all the starters, and I'm presenting these by position.  So, for the AL we have Jack Morris and for the NL we have LaMarr Hoyt.  Hoyt is one of 5 Padres starters on the NL team.  Morris was the losing pitcher for the 1985 All-Star Game which these cards commemorate, giving up 2 earned runs in 2-2/3 innings, as the NL went on to win 6-1.  Morris can surely console himself with his recent election to the Hall of Fame.  Hoyt was the All-Star Game MVP.

Catchers Carlton Fisk and Terry Kennedy.

It becomes quickly apparent that the AL team had significantly more Hall-of-Famers, like starting catcher Carlton Fisk.  Terry Kennedy was no slouch, though, and had a decent career of his own, of course, with four All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger in his 14 seasons in the majors.

At first base, Eddie Murray and Steve Garvey.

We have the same dynamic at first base, a Hall-of-Famer for the AL and a Padre for the NL.  I have to admit it's still a bit surprising to me that Garvey isn't a Hall-of-Famer, and I wonder if it's for baseball reasons (if people think his stats fall short), or if it's because of the mess that his personal life was after his career ended.  Probably some of both, if I'm guessing.

At second base, Lou Whitaker and Tommy Herr.

At second base we break the cycle of AL Hall-of-Famer and NL Padre, as neither second baseman fits the pattern.  I do hold out hope, though, that Lou Whitaker makes the Hall whenever his relevant Veterans Committee meets next.  This was Tommy Herr's only All-Star appearance, in what was a 13-year career with the Cards, Twins, Phillies, Mets, and Giants.  I have some of the Phillies team-issued photo cards of him that I'll probably post soon.  Looking him up now, I see that he's from Lancaster, PA, which raises the intriguing possibility that he may be part of the Herr potato chip family, a connection I had never made before.

Third basemen George Brett and Graig Nettles.

We return to the familiar AL Hall-of-Famer and NL Padre dynamic at third base, with George Brett for the AL and Graig Nettles for the NL. As a Mike Schmidt fan, I always thought of Brett as "the other third baseman, in the other league," or something like that.  Nettles, like Garvey, has stats that bring him just short of Cooperstown, I think, and this was the final of his 6th All-Star appearances.  He ended his career after the 1988 season, retiring with 390 home runs and 1,314 RBI.

Shortstops Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ozzie Smith.

At shortstop, we have two first-ballot Hall-of-Famers in Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ozzie Smith.  They had similar careers, I suppose, each winning a World Series early on (1982 for Smith and the Cardinals, and 1983 for Ripken and the Orioles), making very many All-Star teams (19 for Ripken and 15 for Smith), and becoming beloved figures in their cities and franchises.  Ripken was a better hitter, and Smith was more celebrated for his defense.

In left field, Jim Rice and Tony Gwynn.

In left field we're back to the AL Hall-of-Famer and NL Padre pattern, although in this case, the Padre happens to also be a Hall-of-Famer.  We're talking about Jim Rice, who eventually made the Hall, on his 15th ballot, and Tony Gwynn, one of the best hitters ever, who made it on the first ballot.

In center, Rickey Henderson and Dale Murphy.

In center field, Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson and near-Hall-of-Famer Dale Murphy.  Murphy won back-to-back NL MVP awards in the early 80s and ended his career with 398 home runs.  He never fell off the Hall of Fame ballot, but never cracked 20%, either.  I like both of these guys, and have a small player collection of Henderson I've developed.  Murphy spent a few years with the Phillies, and I got to see him play at the Vet several times.

In right field, Dave Winfield and Darryl Strawberry.

Finally, we have Dave Winfield and Darryl Strawberry as the starters in right field.  I think Dave Winfield is probably my favorite player that I haven't worked on a deeper player collection for.  He was a great hitter for many years, and he feuded publicly with George Steinbrenner, which earns him points in my book.  One can't help but wonder how Strawberry's career might have been different without drugs and other complications.

Now, having spent almost two months posting about the 1985 All-Star Game, I just looked on YouTube, and sure enough you can find it there. To wrap up this series, here is the game itself.  Thanks for reading!