1990 Score - Frank THomas

I feel like Score didn't get the respect that they should have gotten. Donruss and Fleer joined Topps as a full-set card producer in 1981. They were second bananas to Topps throughout the 80s. Donruss did okay early and then plateaued. Fleer started poorly but had some design success in the mid-late 80s. Score began in 1988 (sprung from the Sportsflics folks) and was regarded as the 4th-place producer due to seniority. But there card quality was immediately the best. Their design was simple and the color borders seemed random, but the action photos, the full-color photos on the backs, and the crisp white card stock were a cut above (it should be noted that Donruss and Fleer got crazy bad for a spell). Two reasons Score may have not done so well are 1) the wrapper for score was not like the other wax or cello wrappers we were used to. Score's came in a plastic similar to a grocery bag. And 2) a year after Score's debut, UpperDeck debuted and blew everyone out of the water. We didn't have enough time to gain an appreciation for Score's quality before a new game in town upped the ante again and who cares about Score's quality.

Frank Thomas came on the scene in 1990. Frank was awesome. He was a threat for the triple crown for years. High average, high RsBI, and high home runs. Also, he has a great face. Also, soon after his first year, the White Sox redid their uniforms and instantly had the coolest look going. So Frank was it. He had a great career, finishing with over 500 homers, over a .300 average, and over 1700 RsBI. He was a top 10 MVP in 9 seasons (winning it in '93 and '94) and was elected into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.