Predicting the World Series with Cards - Game 2

What a start to the World Series last night (and this morning)!  Unfortunately, the Shoebox Legends World Series Predictor Machine (patent pending) was indeed accurate with yesterday's prediction that the Royals would take the first game.  In fact, it's pretty scary how accurate it was, given that an Eric Hosmer card came up in the randomization, and he drove in the game-winning walk-off RBI in the 14th.

Without hesitation, let's get rolling with game two's prediction.  After all, we're not far out from the first pitch here...

To start off we'll be comparing card 272 in my Mets and Royals collections on Zistle.  To change things up, let's start with the Royals this time around...

A weak start here for Kansas City if I'm being honest.  Just a standard edition '84 Topps card of UL Washington.  I don't know a whole lot about UL, who retired from professional baseball when I was just five years old.  Apparently the UL doesn't stand for anything, dude's birth name is literally just UL.  I guess he was also known for having a toothpick dangling from his lip during play, whether in the field or at the plate.

Will those random facts be enough for Kansas City to take round one?  Let's see what card registers at number 272 in my Mets collection...

It doesn't take a keen eye to notice that this is most definitely not an original '77 Topps card.  The photo is way too crisp, and they didn't have to use a ridiculous trademark symbol after the team name back in the '70s either.  Nope, this one's from 2012 Topps Archives.

Nonetheless, as a player I'm much more familiar with Dave Kingman than I am UL Washington, I like the photo selection better on this card, and as an added bonus this is a short print in the set, for whatever that's worth.  Round one goes to the Mets!

The random number generator has given us 399 for the second round of today's contest.  Mets first...

I'm sure that the few people who actually read this post may be cringing right now at the site of 1990 Topps (though I know at least one other collector who appreciates it as much as I do!).  As ugly as it is though, this was really the first Topps baseball set I collected heavily as a kid.  What can I say, you can't control when you're born!

If you can ignore those obnoxious borders for just a second though, this is actually a pretty great card.  By 1990 standards that's definitely a half-way decent photo or better, plus we've got a cameo appearance by the Topps All-Star Rookie Cup!  A strong effort from New York in round two!

Well, it turns out in this round we've got the first set I ever collected vs. the set from my birth year.  I have always liked the '82 Topps set, but again Hal McRae is a player I admittedly don't know a ton about.  Like UL Washington, he retired from pro ball when I was all of five years old.

Hal seems like a pretty cool guy, overcoming a very nasty leg fracture early in his career to put up some impressive stats in nearly two decades at the MLB level.  He barely lost the 1976 AL batting title to teammate George Brett (in the final game of the season), and unfortunately he's losing the second round of this contest to Gregg Jefferies.  Mets on top 2-0.

Let's look at card(s) 95 and see if the Mets can go for the sweep...

Even though I just explained that I actually enjoy 1990 Topps, I'm not a big fan of this Gerald Perry.  It's not me being biased against Kansas City in this meaningless little competition here.  This is a '90 Topps Traded card, which I did not have any of 25 years ago as a kid collector.  The glossier surface and brighter back just feel foreign to me, '90 Topps is supposed to be about fuzzy photos and card backs so dull that they're barely readable in low light.

This is really turning into a route for New York, let's see who will be pitted against Gerald...

Our first card in today's post that doesn't use a design from a Topps flagship set, this Keith Hernandez hails from 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants.  This is a small set, but one that I'm very fond of.  I picked up a retail box not long after returning to collecting back in 2007 and have liked the cards ever since.  I'm a total sucker for full-bleed photos.

All-Star, World Series champ, MVP, batting title winner, Gold Glove winner, and Silver Slugger.  Is round 3 even a contest? 

Mets sweep!  If this proves accurate again things will be knotted up at 1-1 by tomorrow morning.  Here's hoping that's the case!