#TBT Throwback Thursday - Charlotte Hornets Edition #3

The inaugural edition of 1990-91 Skybox basketball cards were unlike anything I've ever seen. I was in Jr. High School when these cards were released and I thought they were the coolest thing ever. Now nearly 25 years later I still think the cards look pretty good. Well, at the front of the cards.

Using the computer graphics for the background, the gold borders and the "glowing" effect used around the basketball made these cards stand out from the likes of NBA Hoops and Fleer. Skybox remained one of my favorite annual basketball sets until Upper Deck came out a few years later and seemingly stole some of the basketball card market share.

Dell Curry has always been one of my favorite players from the original Charlotte Hornets. Take a look at who's guarding Dell. Nice. I've always thought these cards look a little like something you'd find in some type of art deco style museum. I can understand why some fans and collectors shied away from the first few years of Skybox, but there is no doubting that they had a very unique look and created a little niche for themselves in the world of basketball cards.

So Long J-Hey Kid

Yesterday marked the end of the hometown kid's run in Atlanta. Jason Heyward was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Shelby Miller. While I understand the trade, it doesn't help remove some of the sting from the announcement. Heyward to me was one of those guys that epitomized what a major league player should be. Hustle. Hard work. Loyalty. I know Jason may not have lived up to some of the hype he had, especially after his rookie season, but he's a solid baseball player and I can't wait to see how he does in St. Louis under Mike Matheny and crew.

I still don't know who will fill his shoes out in right field, but I sure am glad I got to see him play one last time earlier this year. The Braves are a wreck and I sure don't envy new general manager John Hart and the position he is in. This move has proven (so far) to be pretty unpopular among us fans. Then again there is a reason we are fans and not general managers. This was a tough move to make, no doubt about it. Only time will tell if it was a good move.

The question I had to ask myself was what to do about collecting Heyward. I'm not a Cardinals fan. In fact I despise that ball club. However I think I've come to the conclusion that if I can collect Dave Justice cards wearing the Yankees pinstripes then I can collect Jason Heyward wearing the two little redbirds. Seriously though, for several reasons Heyward will remain a large part of my card collection. I respect his athletic ability, his work ethic, his love of the game, being a former Brave, but for most importantly he still falls under one of my collecting goals and that is we share the same faith in Jesus Christ.

So I end this post with a few random scans I had handy of the J-Hey kid. You'll be missed out in right field son. I wish you all the best...of course except when you come home and play the Braves!

    

  

    

    

    

    

   

   

 

#TBT Throwback Thursday - Charlotte Hornets Edition #2

Continuing with the theme I started last week, this week's Throwback Thursday features 1990-1991 Fleer.

By the time the start of the 1990 season rolled around, my personal interest in the team really started to increase. Part of this was the play on the court continuing to slowly improve, but I also attribute some my interest due to the fact that I got to attend many games. My dad ended up splitting two season tickets with a couple from our church. My older brother was never interested in sports much so that left the door wide open for my dad and I to hit up the Hive and catch several games for several seasons to come.

    

My dad was a UNC Tarheels fan...so I had ended up a NC State fan. It made for some fun times growing up. Needless to say my dad was excited when the Hornets drafted JR Reid out of the University of North Carolina. I don't remember JR lighting it up very often, but he was a crowd favorite for many seasons here in Charlotte.

#TBT Throwback Thursday - Charlotte Hornets Edition

Yes, I'm still suffering from Charlotte Hornets euphoria and the new NBA season. I feel as if I have a reason to watch and follow the NBA again. Granted it is a completely different animal since last I felt this passionate about the league, it's been a fun first week.

During this time I've started to tackle the stacks and stacks of unorganized cards I have sitting on my desk, beneath my desk and behind my desk. Some of these are old trades - which I apologize now if I've lost or forgotten who sent them to me. Some of the stacks are just cards I've amassed from packs, shows or just freebies I've been sent. Either way I'm trying to make sense of my mess as I've neglected for far too long.

One of the stacks I started going through last night was full of old Charlotte Hornets cards. Nothing flashy, mostly base cards. The timing however was perfect with the trip down memory lane. So for the next few Thursdays I'll have a Throw Back Thursday - Charlotte Hornets edition themed posts to share some of these cards I found.

For all of you baseball lovers, don't worry. I haven't turned my back on baseball or my Braves...I'm just not in the baseball spirit right now. Once the Winter Meetings, 2015 Topps and Spring Training hit I'm sure that I'll feel that excitement once again.

1989-1990 NBA Hoops

These are some of the earliest Hornets cards I believe I own. The '89-'90 season was the 2nd year of the Charlotte Hornet's existence in the league. The team was horrible, the win / loss record was even worse, but I remember that you would never know this judging by the fan excitement and home game attendance. 

1989-1990 Fleer

I prefer this year Fleer's design over Hoops hands down, but I hadn't quite gotten into trading cards period at this time so these 2 Fleer cards had to have come in a multi-card trade package or something. I would like to track down the rest of the team however one day.