Nostalgic Box Break: 1992 Stadium Club Series One (Part One)

A couple years ago...I started a quest.

You see, as I'm ambitious, and determined (and stupid), I decided I'd try to complete every Stadium Club set in existence. After realizing how difficult it would be to complete some of the later ones (post 1996), I didn't put a ton of pressure on it. Since then, I've broken boxes of all three 1994 Stadium Club sets, and all three 1993 Stadium Club sets. So...the only natural direction to go is backward, to knock out '92.

This box is from February, and I haven't had much progress on the '92 set since (though I might use this summer to work on that), but the collation here was good enough to knock out around 98% of the base set. I figure, since it's Memorial Day, and since I haven't broken a box on the blog in a while, that I should throw this one out. This was back in the early days of the set, coming off the landmark '91 set. The photography, by the way, is JUST getting good.

36 packs. I'm going to do, as per usual, 12 packs per post. As this is 1990's collation, we might zip through this mofo pretty quickly. Also, like with most Stadium Club rips, I'll be counting the cards I need, as well as the dupes (and inserts, if any).

 Pack 1-
Cards I need: 15/15
Odd Posed Shots Looking the Same Direction: 2/15
Ah, it's so wonderful at Pack 1- it feels like the box is your oyster.

 SC back in '92 catered both the posed AND action shot variety.
The design here is WAY more minimalistic than the '91 set. It just takes up the right or left hand corner, leaving the entire rest of the card un-impeded by the design. It's probably the least invasive card design ever released, save for the 70's SSPC or whatever.

 Not a ton of star power in this pack, but the action shots are definitely more impressive than 92T flagship.

 Our one star card- Brett Butler was to LA what Paul Konerko was to Chicago.
I think.

 Pack 2-
Cards I needed: 10/15
Dupes: 5/15
Hall of Famers: 1/15
Cubs Hall of Famers: 1/15
Yep. ALREADY DOUBLES.

 Closely zoomed posed shots. Yeah, SC had a ways to go before they got to do silly things with posed shots (like ALL OF THE '96 SET).

 A very young Steve Finley, and Gene Larkin taking some BP.

 Three star cards. Grace would have been a better player if he had stuck around for another half-decade. Heck, him and Belle are both guys who were amazing in the 1990's, and STOPPED being amazing the second the 90's ended.
Molly...he's a pretty universally amazing player. I hope he can bring the Twins back from the edge.

 Pack 3-
Cards I need: 15/15
Checklists: 1/15
Current Amazing Managers: 1/15

 Kevin Brown, another member of the 'no, NOT THAT guy, but that is my name' club. Meanwhile, Mike Simms looks either enraged or confused. Or both.

 Both sides of Chicago get their backstop in this pack. Karkovice JUST got the gig, and would hold it for most of the decade. Girardi would bob between Denver and the Bronx over the next few years.

 Two big hitting 90's stars in uniforms I don't always picture them in.

 Pack 4-
Cards I need: 15/15
Hall of Famers: 1/15
Stars of Little Big League: 1/15

 Terry Mulholland threw a no-hitter for my team. Manny Lee's pulling a double play, and Rance Mulliniks is taking some fielding warmups.

 My fourth straight 90's Twins star, Kent Hrbek, along with Cardinals legend Ray Lankford.

 Three heavy hitters- Hendu didn't get the memo which way Ryno and Tettleton were swinging.

 Pack 5-
Cards I need: 14/15
Dupes: 1/15
Hall of Famers: 1/15
Guys Who Will Probably be in the HOF as a manager someday: 1/15

 Scioscia, pre-defecting to the other side of LA, fields behind the backstop. McRae shows off those awesome baby blue Royals duds.

 Some nice field work from Robbie Alomar, a guy I forgot was so amazing at 2nd until that mammoth Hall of Fame turnout. Pags is just there to make him look good, and because I keep pulling Twins.

 Pack 6-
Cards I needed: 15/15
Borderline Hall of Famers: 2/15
Blog Icons: 1/15
Awkwardly Posed Guys: 2/15

 JUST LOOK AT THAT. That's the right kind of hysterical. It looks like one of Uncle Rico's Glamour Shots from Napoleon Dynamite. The head tilt makes it even funnier.

 Somehow, Briley out-awkwards him. Thorzul has waxed poetic on the legend of Greg Briley, so I won't do much more than throw you his way.

 Some team legends. Baerga's is actually a pretty damn cool shot. Samuel, right after ditching my beloved Phillies, surfing the base paths. MacFarlane just looks perturbed.

 Two great, long tenured guys that are great players, but I doubt either one will ever make it to Cooperstown.

 Pack 7-
Cards I need: 15/15
Seinfeld Punchlines: 1/15

 A very nice slide shot with Treadways, and a rare pre-Brewers shot of Ricky Bones, one of the most 90's people you could possibly bring up.

 Not a ton going on in this pack, so our star cards are Rob Deer, and a very relaxed looking future Yankee Danny Tartabull.

 Pack 8-
Cards I need- 5/15
Dupes: 10/15 (sigh)
Hall of Famers- 1/15
Guys who pitched a no-no for my team- 1/15

 A very young Jeff Blauser looks at the golden swing of Cal Ripken Jr. Tears fill his eyes.

 It's impossible not to respect Jim Abbott. Guy pitched a no-hitter with one hand. Phenomenal talent.

 Pack 9-
Cards I need: 15/15
Blogosphere Legends: 1/15
Cool Cards of Reds: 2/15

 Glenn Braggs and that long-legged stride. Also, Kirt Manwaring, who can't NOT make an awesome baseball card, has a great in-action point.

 Robby V's doing some serious magic in Chicago this season. Also, Morris follows the swing.

 Two phenomenal landscape shots.
Devo's just looks awesome, badass and cool entirely.
Van Slyke's has so many elements that it's beautiful. Capturing the slide at the exact right moment.

 Pack 10-
Cards I need: 15/15
Hall of Famers: 1/15
SHOULD BE Hall of Famers: 2/15
Philadelphia Hall of Famers: 1/15 (Krukkie)

 Boever looks way too serious, but that vintage hat is WAY cool. Gardner has the right amount of focus. Fryman's rocking those late 80's Tigers uniforms.

 Pretty simple, but still a great shot because it shows all of O'Brien, even if it's culminating in a dropped ball.

 E-Mart's one of the greatest pure hitters of the last 25 years. And even if Buhner wasn't top-to-bottom brilliant, he still had some fantastic seasons in the 90's.

 Biggio's a Hall of Famer, and a well-deserved one at that. Krukkie, seen here running in the least subtle way possible, is a loudmouth, but we apparently love him in Philly. Lee Smith deserves a ton more respect than he's gotten.

 Pack 11-
Cards I need: 14/15
Dupes: 1/15
Guys Who Really Wish it was 1993 about now: 1/15 (McDowell)
Guys Who Really Wish it was 1986 about now: 1/15 (Coleman)
Guys Who Really Wish the 1994 Strike Never Happened: 1/15 (Lansford)

 LaValliere's is a great catching shot, in action. Orton's just waiting for his call. Might be a while judging by his expression.

 McDowell, Barfield, Coleman. Man, none of these aged particularly well.

 Carney, in BP duds, fields some grounders for one of his last few seasons.

 Pack 12-
Cards I need: 5/15
Dupes: 10/15
Football HOFers: 1/15 (Primetime)
Hall of VERY GOODers: 2/15

 I don't know who Kip Gross is, but he looks damn focused.
Deion's even goofing around while making an outfield attempt.

David Cone at that plate. Yeah, that's pretty awesome.
Larry Walker backs away from a lead, which is even more awesome in a landscape.

I'll get around to the next few packs when I can. There's some definite charm in here, that's for sure.