I have learned a lot being a parent. Most of that has translated over into everyday life and decision making. I’ve become more compassionate, more aware of my surroundings, and more cognizant of the way I carry myself when I don’t think anyone is watching. Whether I was ready to grow up or not, being a parent has turned me into a full-fledged adult. I used to worry about what I’d be doing after work; playing ball, video games, hanging with the guys? Now I know what I’m doing; homework, cooking supper, and washing clothes. I’ve learned how to do ponytails, pick out matching clothes, and even convince a 4 year old to brush her teeth. Every day presents a new opportunity to learn.
One thing that I have most definitely learned over the last few years is that you can never have enough food in your house. This grocery cart represents the standard, “Daddy, we don’t have anything to eat” trip. G loves her Mac-n-Cheese, Juice, Goldfish, and Diet Dr. Pepper. Bug loves her Totino’s Pizza, Lunchables, Chips, and Mountain Dew. The Oatmeal Pies are Daddy’s treat. This cart of high quality sustenance will last about 3 days. Then I’ll be back for more. This doesn’t even count as part of the trips I make to actually buy legit meal food. I now understand what me and my brother put my parents though; we were boys and I ate everything you could put in front of me that wasn’t a green bean!
This wonderful place is like a fantasy land for me. I live about a half a mile from here and I can take off at a moments notice and my food problems at home are solved. I would estimate that in any given 30 day month, I spend 20 days here. In fact, I spend so much time here, I recently met a parent in FFA and the first thing she said was, “oh yeah, I see you at Publix all the time! Nice to formally meet you.” The cashiers know me by name, some have friended me on FaceBook, and the deli clerks know what I want before I ever order. The meat manager always gives me “the finger guns” when I walk by and the produce manager stops to catch up with me when I’m grazing the Granny Smith apples. I’m flattered at times, but sometimes embarrassed because I spend way too much time there.
Food has always been a very important part of my life. Unfortunately, I’m not as active as I once was, so my body has paid the price for my love of chicken-n-waffles. But while I battle occasionally with being unhappy with my waistline, I enjoy food far too much to turn my back on it and try to live off of salad or some sort of bread free diet. I’m certain that my poor diet choices will take me one day but I think I’d rather live 55 good years than 70 bad ones. I cut where I can but if I’m being honest, there are just some things I’ll never be able to cut; Oreos, Apple Pie, Reese’s, Pizza, to name a few.
A recent topic on Twitter has been the general pulse on non-licensed sports cards. This conversation led to an era in which I was able to enjoy two of my very favorite things together in the form of the Food Issue Baseball Card. During the 80’s and early part of the 90’s, the timeframe wasn’t dubbed “Junk Wax Era” just because of production numbers from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. Compounding the glut of cards on the market, everybody and their brother was producing them; from Kellogg’s to Purina to KMart to Pepsi. Some of these “oddball sets” were licensed and some weren’t. I don’t remember it being as big of a deal back then but the lack of logos is more than obvious today.
While there are some companies that are wading back into the oddball releases, they are much less common than back in the 80’s. Hanes just released a set of Michael Jordan Fleer cards to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of his partnership with the company. A pack of 5 cards could be found within a package of t-shirts or boxers at participating Wal-Mart’s and a few other big box stores. These cards don’t even feature Jordan in a sporting event and collectors were immediately clamoring for them on eBay; nobody more so than Ivan (@watchthebreaks) on Twitter. Thanks to his enthusiasm for the release, I was able to keep up with the happenings during the early weeks. Maybe this will lead to a few more releases that will be fun to chase.
When I was a kid, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars were a huge afternoon snack for kids. They were easy to handle, tasted pretty decent, and didn’t have to be cooked. As was the case with many other products aimed at kids, they added a new dimension to their desirability when they released a 33 Card Baseball Set in 1986! They weren’t the first on the market but they were certainly my first. I still have a few of these in a binder but I recently picked up the whole set on eBay for a smooth $10.
The design is pretty memorable for a food issue and they had backing from one of the several licensed card manufacturers at the time, Topps, so we got the MLB Logos. It was very different from the flagship design so it had added collectibility with it also looking like a completely separate set. That Quaker Oats Yellow and Red remain very memorable to me. The set featured the collectible stars from that year and even doubled up on a couple of teams.
The backs aren’t too bad either. The red and blue are easy on the eyes and the back of the card has a basic grey stock. I wish there were more seasons outlined but that is the only complaint I have.
Doc was fresh on the scene and would be as dominant as anyone over the late 80’s. This guy was fun to watch!
Tony Gwynn was always one of my favorites but I’m not really in the minority on that. The Pads uniforms were not known as “good looking” but I do miss these old gems.
For many years, Murph was the only reason to tune in to the hapless Braves. I sure wish he had been around in the early 90’s to enjoy the good times.
The exact opposite of the Padres uniforms were those of the Expos. I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t love these beauties. Raines was a legend on those teams!
Speaking of legends, there are two in this photo; Nolan Ryan and the Astros Jersey! I know he spent a good portion of his career with the Rangers but when it comes to cards, this is how I remember The Express.
The Wizard really was one of my favorites during this time. I’ve told the story many times about his rookie card being the first card I remember owning. I should’ve PC’d Ozzie!
The other Met I really liked was Strawberry. I’m conditioned to dislike the Mets but I made exceptions for Straw and Doc.
Donnie Baseball without the stache is always odd to me.
Speaking of Stache, “Chicken Man” always had a strong one in Boston!
No facial hair could compete with Eddie Murray though. After all these years, THIS is the card that I still vividly remember from this set. I loved this card when I was a kid.
Finally, the other Oriole on the checklist was the Iron Man himself. I’ve never met a Ripken card I didn’t like!
This was a pretty easy score for me. I love this set because it has a good design with fun colors, and the checklist is as solid as green oak. This is what oddball sets were meant to look like and the good folks at Quaker nailed it. I still think of this set when I pick up a box of Apple/Cinnamon Oatmeal or a Granola Bar. This set earns a strong “5”! What say you on the 1986 Quaker Set?
J-Dub
These were my guys! This article felt like a family reunion! Great read.
Another fun read Dub … love collecting those baseball sets from McDonalds or Burger King in the late 70s/early 80s! Can’t remember for sure, but Tastykakes may have also had sets you cut from the bottom of the box! The junk food has gotten junkier and I too need to watch the intake of Oreos & creme filled cupcakes! -Sparty