my favorite cards of the year - 2004 edition

i recently introduced my mini collection focusing on my favorite cards from each year that i've been a collector. the basic gist is that i wanted to create a space for the cards that i most appreciated having in my collection in the year that they were released. these were cards that i acquired in the year that they were issued, and that i considered to be my favorites at the time. i have disallowed (most) cards that are already in other mini collections in order to avoid having a mini collection consisting of more steve garvey, double plays, and dodger stadium cards.

in 2004 i started working in downtown minneapolis. that made it easy to get to the metrodome to see the twins who were in the midst of a dominating run in the american league central. i was buying a fair amount of cards, too, but still sticking to mainly topps for unopened wax.

favorite non-dodger card: topps doug mientkiewicz 

so this is what it was like to see a game in the metrodome. the field was sunk below the seats, and there were superamerica signs all over the place. "sa" was a gas station/convenience store that has since been taken over by the speedway brand. i think i heard a while back that 7-11 bought speedway, and if that is the case, then my convenience store experience will have come full circle as 7-11's were the store of choice for my neighborhood to pick up cards, gum, and candy back in the late 1970's. in fact, when i first moved to minnesotain 1997, the superamerica near my work sold packs of cards at the register.  anyway, this doug mientkiewicz card was one of the few topps cards that i had seen that so obviously featured the homerdome, and i was happy to have it.

favorite dodger card: upper deck legends timeless teams steve yeager (1981)

i had considered stopping my collecting ways in 2003 until i saw the dodger-heavy checklist in upper deck's sp chirography set. i had no thoughts about stopping in 2004, but if i had, one look at the very dodger-friendly checklist for the fourth iteration of upper deck's legends release would have had me reversing course. i was all in on the legends sets in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and then followed suit when upper deck introduced similar sets in 2002 and 2003 with sweet spot classics. they took a slightly different turn in 2004 with this set as not all teams were represented, but what did i care - the dodger teams of 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, and 1988 were all there. my favorite card in the set, even including the four steve garvey cards, is this one of steve yeager. when i first saw it, i knew exactly when the photo was taken - in the visitor's locker room at yankee stadium following game 6 of the 1981 world series - and i knew exactly whose left arm is draped around yeager - pedro guerrero's - and whose face is partially showing to yeager's left - ron cey. these were the co-mvp's of the series, and yeager's smile still brings almost as much happiness to me as he was probably experiencing at the time.

my sincere apologies to robin ventura's 2004 topps card, which was another favorite due to the fact that it captures his inside-the-park home run. i enjoyed being able to connect the card to an exciting moment, but yeager's card above reflected a greater moment for me and couldn't be beat.

up next, 1988. stay tuned!