Nostalgic Box Break: 1999 Ultra (Part Two)

Well, as it's the season, I haven't been as consistent as I would have liked on the blog, as there's not a ton to blog about other than the last few remaining free agents nabbing teams and such. At least I have these old boxes to post the results of. Today, we nab Part 2 of 3 of the box of Fleer Ultra 1999. Lots of fun, cool photography in this set, so we'll get back into the next 8 packs.

 Pack 9- Already you can see UD's poster boy, though surprisingly not Fleer's this year, from the rafters.

 Two great horizontals. Kevin Brown's is cropped a bit wide for me, like the photo's been chopped in half. Boggs' is wonderful, as are most of his cards as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray.

 Of course, Greg Maddux is our highlight, for being ultra-cool and awesome. And for the photo being the exact right moment in the windup.

 Three more huge 1999 stars. Craig Biggio ready to field, Sammy Sosa waiting for the call, and Ken Griffey Jr. at BP, carrying his checklist-surfboard

 Pack 10- Lots of very 90's people here.

 Juan-Gone and Grace were rounding out their tenures with their most notable teams. Gary Sheffield was juuust getting used to life in LA.

 Jamie Moyer was hitting 40, and also just becoming one of the best players in Seattle with his amazing age-defying pitching stuff. Johnny Damon was still mowing 'em down as a Royal.

 Pack 11- Very Met-heavy, this one.

 Charles Johnson landed in LA as one of the guys touted to replace Mike Piazza behind the plate. He didn't last long.

 One of my favorite photos in the set. Just Butch Huskey toweling off, looking really pissed.

 Double-Piazza Action. This was his first full season in Queens, and he quickly became one of the biggest stars in New York, and the case for his Cooperstown membership grew.

 Two great hitters who will probably never make the Hall of Fame. Giambi had some strong seasons in Oakland, and El Grande Gato hit well wherever he played.

 Pack 12- Lots of little oddities in this one, guys in unfamiliar uniforms.

 RANDY JOHNSON AS AN ASTRO. Not something you see everyday.
Meanwhile, Cal Ripken was still a standout in Baltimore in 1999.

 Hideo Nomo only played for the Mets briefly, but he's Hideo Nomo. He's pretty awesome. This Gold Medallion shot makes him look even awesomer.

 Pack 13- More than halfway through, and the box still has a lot of charm left.

 Remember Quinton McCracken? Wow.

 Robby Alomar's a landmark 2nd-baseman, and because of that I'll let it slide that he should have been pictured as a Cleveland Indian this card. Thankfully Jim Edmonds had one more year of being an Angel left before turning to the dark side.

 Pack 14- Lots going on here. Man, Fleer could really make a good product back in the day.

 Man, Ray Durham looks really excited.

 Not too many cards exist of Kenny Rogers as an Oakland A, but I love this one. He's wielding a bat and having fun, backwards-cap and all. Just so much character.

 Here's our Gold Medallion of Miggy Tejada, as well as a cool reminder of how nice the 90's Angels uniforms were.

 Of course I'm showing Orel. He's one of those guys I just started collecting out of admiration. Plus, he's a Giant here. Very rare sight.

 Pack 15- Ton of fun stars in this one.

 First, here's some cool shots of pitchers. Darryl Kile, focused as hell, and Bartolo Colon taking a breather. How the heck is Barty still playing 17 years after this card?

 Two Borderline HOFers. Vizzy has more of a chance though, as he's one of the best defensive players of the 90's. Larry of course also has a case as a hitting machine.

 Olerud's a sentimental favorite. He's not a Hall of Famer, but he's a fun little 90's player who played on some great teams ('93 Jays, '00 Mets, '01 Mariners, etc)

 And of course, here's Fred McGriff. Because it wouldn't be Mint Condition without him.

 Pack 16- Some great photography and a pretty rare insert.

 I love this card. The hell is Dustin Hermanson laughing at??

 Also, here's John Wettleland having a serious conversation with I-Rod.

 Our SUPER-AWESOME INSERT is a Thunderclap insert of NOMAR Garciaparra. When I said he was all over card products in 1999, I was not kicking.

 Here's the UD poster boy, Ken Griffey Jr, making another outstanding catch in center.

And here's the big rookie from 1998, Magglio Ordonez, looking cool.

I'll post Part 3 sometime before Friday, because Friday I'll be going out of town. For something pretty big that has to do with something pretty obvious going on next weekend.