1988 Sportflics - Dan Quisenberry

Dan Quisenberry was that rare relief pitcher that kids in the 80s would know and emulate. For one thing, he had a great name. For another, he had a great mustache. But the reason we knew and loved him was because he had a great delivery. He was a submariner, a rare pitcher who could throw strikes under-handed. What fun we had trying to sneak a Quisenberry submarine pitch past our friends for a strike. And, as the back of his 1988 Sportsflics card says he was, "the best short reliever in baseball for straight seasons (82-85)." And by all accounts, he was a truly delightful guy. If that wasn't enough, he was also a published poet (at the bottom is a poem nicked from a mlb.com story).

Sportsflics were one of my favorite card brands. The only reason I didn't get more of them was because there were less in a pack than the other brands. The reason for this, the cards are thick due to the multi-faceted front that gave you three (or more) frames of the player in action. In the scan of Quisenberry's card you can see two of the frames and get the idea of his unique pitching motion. Another thing I liked about Sportsflics is their high-quality backs. A full color photo and multi-color printing on a glossy back - unheard of in the mid-80s! The same people responsible for these cards started Score in 1988, which, apart from their rather boring borders, pushed the quality of cards forward with the same Sportsflics attention to photography and quality card-backs.

Ode to My Children, by Dan Quisenberry