my favorite cards of the year - 2002 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.

the early 2000s were a great time for cards from my perspective. the greats of the game set being separated from sports illustrated and topps introducing their heritage and archives sets were a big deal for me, and fleer tradition and upper deck vintage were great, too, even though they appropriated topps designs seemingly with impunity. one of those sets included one of my favorite cards of 2002.

favorite non-dodger card: upper deck vintage ichiro

so upper deck took 1971 topps (actually, o-pee-chee since the backs of these 2002 vintage cards were yellow) and flipped the team name, player name, and position to the bottom. ichiro, with his single name, brings balance to this card which also features randy johnson trying to beat the 2001 al rookie of the year and mvp to first base. both ichiro and albert pujols burst on the scene with incredible rookie seasons in 2001, but i was definitely more of an ichiro fan. this had to do with the fact that i was able to draft ichiro for my fantasy team in something like the 13th round of our 2001 draft, and almost rode him to a league championship. my pc of ichiro exploded in 2002, and of all his 2002 cards, this one is easily my favorite.

favorite dodger card: topps terry mulholland

mulholland joined the dodgers at the 2001 trade deadline, and while we didn't get a card in update, we did get this card of him in 2002. i had assumed that topps would use a staged photo like they did for mulholland's 2001 bowman heritage card if they bothered to make on at all, so i was very pleased with this card when i saw it. this card reminds me a lot of the 1989 topps john tudor card in that it is not posed, and it features some night game action which makes it stand out from many of the other dodger cards in the set. one thing in particular that i liked about the card is that is shows an image of mulholland from a game after the september 11 terrorist attacks with the american flag patch on the side of his cap. i bought the same style hat from new era in the fall of 2001, and i still wear it to dodger games that i attend. 

up next, 1992. stay tuned!