1988 Fleer Update - John Smotlz

1988 was a big year for baseball cards. Too big. So many cards were made. So many people were getting into the hobby. Card stores dotted the landscape like The River Seine at La Gande-Jatte. And I spent every bit of my allowance money on cards that year.

The card designs from all the major producers were pretty good. I really liked the Topps cards that year, simple as they were. But the Fleers were a standout. The quality of the fleer cards in the 80s peaked with the '88s. The card stock was good, the centering was good, the photos were good. The way the photo faded at the top and the player extended into the border was super cool.

Pictured is John Smoltz on a card from the update series put out at the end of the season with the traded players and rookies who didn't have a card yet. John had a long and excellent career as a starter and a reliever, mostly with the Braves. He was drafted by the Tigers but was traded as a minor leaguer for what was left of Doyle Alexander. Doyle was pretty good for the Tigers in 1987, but what wonders how it would have shook out without that trade. Smoltz is also known for his pitching duel against Jack Morris in the 1991 World Series. Jack Morris won that game, but guess who got the last laugh? Also Jack Morris. It was Game 7, so the Blue Jays won it all. Still, Smoltz was awesome in that game.