TOP 20 CARDS FROM 1991 PACIFIC NOLAN RYAN SERIES 2

SOMETIMES AT THE CARD SHOP YOU BUY SOMETHING EXTREMELY STUPID JUST BECAUSE IT'S FUN. I WAS AT A CARD SHOP. I BOUGHT SOMETHING EXTREMELY STUPID. A COMPLETE SET OF 1991 PACIFIC NOLAN RYAN SERIES TWO FOR A COUPLE BUCKS. I DON'T EVEN LIKE NOLAN RYAN! I ALREADY HAVE A BUNCH OF THESE CARDS AND I DON'T WANT THEM! BUT! COMPLETE SET FOR TWO BUCKS, THAT'S FUN

THE SET FIT IN A LITTLE SNAP CASE WITH ROOM ENOUGH TO CRAM A WRAPPER IN TO KEEP THE CARDS FROM JOSTLING AROUND. WHILE I AM NOT A RYAN FAN, AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THESE GOT SO OVERPRODUCED EVEN BOOMERS THINK THEY'RE WORTHLESS, I GOTTA ADMIT THERE ARE SOME COOL CARDS IN THERE. ENOUGH TO DO A NEEDLESS TOP 20 LIST AND THEN SOME

HERE'S A PIC OF THE CRINKLY WRAPPER. ALL THE PACIFIC WRAPPERS FROM THIS YEAR WERE WEIRD SILVERY PLASTICY MESSES. HOW DID THEY GET LIKE THIS? I KNOW I OPENED A BUNCH OF 1991 PACIFIC FOOTBALL BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THE WRAPPERS BEING WRINKLED. DID THEY CRINKLE UP OVER TIME? I KNOW THEY LOOKED LIKE THIS IN THE EARLY 00'S BECAUSE I'D TAKE MY SON TO THE CARD SHOP AND HE'D PICK UP A COUPLE OF THESE PACKS BECAUSE THEY LOOKED LIKE CHOCOLATE BARS. SOME BASEBALL CARD ARCHAEOLOGIST NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS PHENOMENON

ENOUGH WITH THE TANGENT, HERE'S YOUR TOP 20:

#20 GOOSE AND NOLAN

THERE ARE A FEW CARDS WHERE NOLAN SHARES THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE SET AND THIS ONE RANKS THE LOWEST BECAUSE GOOSE HAS BECOME A MISERABLE OLD CRANK. BUT IT MAKES THE LIST BECAUSE GOOSE WAS A HELL OF A PITCHER AND HAS A COOL MUSTACHE AND WAS NAMED GOOSE. A REAL SHAME ABOUT THE MISERABLENESS THO

#19 BABBY NOLAN

I WILL BE THE FIRST TO SAY THAT BABIES ARE PROBABLY NOT AN APPROPRIATE SUBJECT FOR TRADING CARDS. A WHOLE SET FULL OF BABIES WOULD BE HORRIBLY CREEPY. BUT ONE BABY IN A SET? THAT'S PRETTY CUTE. BUT DON'T OVERDO IT

#18 DRAWING A CROWD

THERE ARE TWO CARDS IN THE SET WITH A PICTURE OF NOLAN SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS FOR THE CROWD. I CHOSE THIS ONE BECAUSE THE COMPOSITION LOOKS BETTER WITH HIM FACING RIGHT AND IT'S NUMERICALLY EARLIER IN THE SET AND I HAD PULLED THIS ONE OUT ALREADY AND COULDN'T BE ARSED TO PUT IT BACK

#17 PASSING ALONG WISDOM

THIS CARD FEATURES PITCHING COACH TOM HOUSE WHO IS THE BRAVES BULLPEN PITCHER WHO CAUGHT HANK AARON'S 715TH HOME RUN WHICH PRETTY MUCH MEANS THIS IS A BRAVES CARD 

#16 NOLAN RYAN FIELD

THIS AWKWARD POSED PHOTO OF NOLAN STANDING IN FRONT OF HIS RENAMED HIGH SCHOOL FIELD IS EXTREMELY QUAINT AND I'M SO GLAD IT'S NOT IN COLOR BECAUSE THAT MIGHT RUIN THE WHOLE VIBE

#15 SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS

I UNDERSTAND WHY THE PHOTO ON THIS CARD IS CROPPED SO STRANGELY, THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO GET EVERYONE ON THE CARD OTHERWISE. BUT DOING IT LIKE THIS MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEY ARE ALL EXTRAS IN THE BIG SCENE AT JUPE'S PARK IN THE MOVIE NOPE. HERE COMES JEAN JACKET

#14 LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STAR

IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO A WHOLE-ASS BASEBALL CARD SET ON JUST ONE PLAYER THERE BETTER BE A CARD OF THAT DUDE IN LITTLE LEAGUE. IT'S REQUIRED

#13 NUMBER 500

GONNA BE REAL WITH YOU, LIKE 80% OF THIS SET IS GENERIC PORTRAITS OR ACTION SHOTS OF NOLAN PITCHING AND THEY ALL START TO BLUR TOGETHER AFTER A WHILE. NOT THIS ANGELS MUGSHOT THOUGH. NOTHING ELSE IN THE SET LOOKS QUITE LIKE THIS

#12 NO HITTERS ENDED IN THE NINTH

SOMETIMES THE BACKS ARE MORE AMAZING THAN THE FRONTS. THIS MICKEYFICKEY ALMOST HAD TWELVE NO HITTERS

#11 NOLAN THE COWBOY

THE WHOLE TEXAS COWBOY IMAGE NOLAN CULTIVATED IS ONE OF THE REASONS I NEVER REALLY GRAVITATED TOWARDS HIM BUT I CAN'T BEGRUDGE A GUY HAVING THIS MUCH FUN COSPLAYING ROY ROGERS

HONORABLE MENTION: THE NET CARD

A SHORT BREAK IN THE FESTIVITIES TO APPRECIATE ONE OF THE WEIRDER CARDS IN THE SET. AN ENTIRE CARD DEDICATED TO NOLAN STANDING BEHIND A NET ON THE FIELD. I LIKE THIS CARD, IT'S A UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPH THAT YOU MOSTLY ONLY SEE ON CARDS FROM THE EARLY 90S WHERE ALL THE MANUFACTURERS WERE WILLING TO DO DAMN NEAR ANYTHING TO GET ATTENTION IN A CRAZY SATURATED MARKET. BUT THIS CARD GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND

NET PHOTOS ON THE FRONT AND THE BACK. THE ONLY OTHER TRADING CARD THAT IS MORE DEDICATED TO NETS THAT I CAN THINK OF ARE THE PACIFIC INSERTS FROM THE LATE 90S THAT HAD AN ACTUAL PIECE OF NET SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN SOME DIE-CUT CARDBOARD. PACIFIC IS TRULY THE BRAND LEADER IN NETS

OK BACK TO THE SHOW

#10 NOLAN'S FAST BALL IS JUST A BLUR

THIS CARD DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS IT DOES. THERE'S NOLAN'S FASTBALL. IT IS INDEED A BLUR. I LOVE CARDS WHERE THE BALL IS HANGING IN MIDAIR IN THE PHOTO AFTER IT IS PITCHED. YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THIS SOON

#9 ASTROS RETURN OF THE PRODIGIOUS SON

WHEN I SAID EARLIER THIS SET IS FILLED WITH ACTION SHOT OF NOLAN PITCHING THAT ALL BLUR TOGETHER I MEAN POSES LIKE THIS. WHAT MAKES THIS ONE STICK OUT ARE THOSE ADS ON THE OUTFIELD WALL OF WHAT I ASSUME IS THE ASTROS' SPRING TRAINING FACILITIES

#8 PURE SPEED

NOLAN HANGING OUT WITH ANOTHER HALL OF FAMER WHO AS FAR AS I KNOW WAS NOT A CRANK. THERE'S A WHOLE LOTTA STRIKEOUTS ON THIS CARD

#7 STRETCHING BEFORE THE GAME

THE UNIQUE POSE GOT THIS CARD ON THE LIST. THAT INCREDIBLE FACE NOLAN'S MAKING GOT THE CARD THIS HIGH ON THE LIST

#6 NOLAN RYAN JACKSONVILLE SUNS

VINTAGE MINOR LEAGUE PHOTOS ARE ALWAYS GREAT ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE FROM A WELL KNOWN FRANCHISE LIKE THE SUNS. THE TEAM IS NOW KNOWN AS THE JUMBO SHRIMP, I WONDER IF PHOENIX SUED

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS: THE WORST CARDS IN THE SET

PACIFIC HAD TO COME UP WITH 220 CARDS TO FILL UP THIS THING AND THIS IS THE SECOND SERIES, YOU KNOW THERE HAD TO BE SOME CLUNKERS. HERE'S MY PICKS FOR THE BOTTOM THREE

#218 HARD WORK PAYS OFF

NORMALLY I WOULD APPRECIATE A UNIQUE PHOTO LIKE THIS OF AN ATHLETE TRAINING BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A CHEESY PHOTO FROM SOME ADVERTISING PAMPHLET. AND EVEN WORSE I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK IT'S TRYING TO PROMOTE. IS IT AN AD FOR NIKE? THE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT? THE CAYMAN ISLANDS? THE COMPANY WHO INSTALLED THE WOOD PANELING? WHATEVER IT IS SOME PR COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PHOTO. YECCH

#219 NOLAN PASSES NIEKRO

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO! PHIL STRUCK OUT ALL THOSE GUYS WITH A KNUCKLEBALL! AND BARELY PITCHED IN THE BIGS BEFORE HE WAS THIRTY! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

#220 NOLAN RYAN BANKER

IMAGINE OPENING A PACK OF CARDS DEDICATED TO YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER AND SEEING THIS NIGHTMARE. HOW HORRIFYING. SOME KID SAW THIS CARD IN 1991 AND REJECTED SPORTS IMMEDIATELY AND STARTED A LIFE OF CRIME

#5 "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS"

ANYBODY JUMPING IN THE COMMENTS TO COMPLAIN THAT I PUT THE CARDS WITH GOOSE GOSSAGE AND BOB FELLER ON THE LIST BUT NOT THE ONE WITH ROGER CLEMENS CAN HUSH BECAUSE THIS IS THAT CARD. EVEN WITH ROCKET ON THE FRONT THE BACK OF THE CARD WHERE NOLAN IS IN A BUGS BUNNY WINDUP POSE IS SO MUCH COOLER. NOLAN'S ABOUT TO STRIKE OUT 27 GASHOUSE GORILLAS IN A ROW

#4 NOLAN BREAKS JOHNSON'S RECORD

NOLAN BREAKING A LONG HELD STRIKEOUT RECORD (AND IMMEDIATELY GETTING IT POACHED BY STEVE CARLTON, HEH) IS COOL BUT EXPOS UNIFORMS AND 123 METERS ON THE OUTFIELD WALL IS COOLER. ALSO: FLOATING BASEBALL #2

#4 NOLAN IN MOTION

IN THE EARLY 90S THERE WERE A TON OF THESE MULTI-IMAGE PHOTOS ON BASEBALL CARDS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THEN THEY SUDDENLY VANISHED, NEVER TO RETURN. MAYBE MANUFACTURERS MOVED THEIR BUDGET FROM PHOTOGRAPHERS TO AUTOGRAPHS AND RELIC CARDS BUT WE NEED THESE PICTURES TO MAKE A COMEBACK

#2 300TH WIN

300 WINS IS AN AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT THAT WE LIKELY WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN. BUT THIS CARD IS #2 BECAUSE OF THAT PHOTO. NOLAN FOLLOWING THROUGH, FLOATY BALL, BATTER READY TO STRIKE, OUTFIELDER POISED FOR ACTION. PERFECT PHOTO. ALSO THE FLAMING BASEBALL IS LINED UP PERFECTLY WITH NOLAN'S ARM AND IT AMUSES ME

THE BEST CARD IN 1991 PACIFIC NOLAN RYAN SERIES TWO:

NOLAN LOVES ANIMALS

WAS THERE EVER ANY DOUBT? LOOKIT THAT DOGGO. WHO'S A GOOD BOY? YOU ARE! YOU'RE A GOOD GOOD BOY. UNLESS THAT DOG'S A GIRL. WHAT A GOOD GOOD GIRL YOU ARE! PUPPER CARDS ALWAYS WIN