Pack Battle: 89 Topps v. 89 Topps

My brother and I each received one of those 4 packs + 100 cards boxes from our Mother for Christmas. I will let these 2 packs duke it out card for card in a pack battle for the ages. 39 cards per pack, retail price: $1:29. Pack #1 is led by Mark Langston while Pack #2 has Craig McMurtry at the helm. Here are the highlights.

Card 1: Mark Langston v. Craig McMurtry - I asked my wife who she thought was a better pitcher. She chose Langston. She was right. If only I asked her who was the better accountant. 1-0

Card 4: Scott Fletcher v. Eric Davis - Eric Davis is my all-time favorite player. He had it all: speed, power, defense, and Don Mattingly's back. Almost the first 40-40 man. 2-2

Card 9: BJ Surhoff v. Barry Larkin - Two stars of the 90's! I think Larkin is a Hall-of-Famer and Surhoff went to UNC. Barry wins. 5-4

Card 10: Cecil Fielder v. Mike Maddux - Big Cecil made a big splash when he hit 57 and has a son who can rake. Mike has a brother who is the best (clean???) pitcher of his generation. Mike wins because Cecil and Prince ain't talking. 5-5

Card 12: Tom Henke v. Ken Gerhart - Tom Henke was the man in my 1987 APBA strategy baseball game. Dan Plesac was also a nice choice! Me and my buddies always spent more time drafting teams than we did playing the games. 6-5

Card 14: Greg Briley v. Candy Sierra - Despite the sweet name Candy, Greg Briley wins in a land slide. He's an NC State guy and apparently is a major playa! 8-6

Card 17: Damon Berryhill v. Tracy Woodson - Berryhill has one of those Rookie Cups on his card. Despite the fact that this never signifies an actual rookie card, I still love 'em. The golden chalice of Topps beats out my second NCSU Wolfpacker. 9-8

Card 23: Jack Lazorko v. Spike Owen - In 1985, one of my best cards was a 1984 Fleer RC of Spike Owen. It's now worth $0.50 according to Mr.Beckett and nothing to everyone but me. 12-11

Card 25: Larry Anderson v. Kevin Bass - You might should look for Larry at a comedy club near you! 14-11

Card 28: Larry Parrish v. Bill Bene Draft Pick - I always liked RCs. Now sets like Bowman give you cards of countless players who never get the chance to play at the Major League level. Bene pitched 5 seasons in the minors, striking out over 1 an inning and walking almost as many. Who knew he would foreshadow such a change in the hobby? 15-13

Card 30: Brady Anderson v. Dodgers Leaders - The leaders card features Mike Scioscia, Steve Sax, Orel Hershiser, and a hint of Lasorda's belly. But how can you beat Topps' version of the Diamond King. I love seeing the painted on hats and the pink Cardinals unis that Topps airbrushed onto some cards. I always wondered what the photos looked like originally. 16-14

Card 34: Joe Hesketh v. Steve Avery Draft Pick - Steve Avery pitched in Durham where I now live. Despite my disdain for the Braves, I always favor guys who I saw play before they made it big. And boy did he make it big and then drop off the face of the earth. Three Hall of Fame pitchers is enough for any one team. 16-18

Card 35: Scott Bailes v. Jim Abbott Draft Pick- Another draft pick! I saw him pitch in Durham as well for Team USA. That team had Ventura, Benes, and Ty Griffen. These last two cards for McMurtry 's pack sure were sweet back in 1989. The Abbott tops the value chart at $1.00. 16-19

Card 36: John Tudor v. Ozzie Smith AS: Tudor had a good run with St.Louis but on this card he is a Dodger plus Ozzie can do this! 16-20Last Card 39: Sparky Anderson v. Ricky Jordan - Ricky Jordan rounds out a nice RC turnout:Abbott, B.Anderson, Dibble, MacFarlane, K.Miller, D.Hamilton, and Avery. Sparky still takes the final matchup. 18-21

McMurtry and his Draft Picks come through with a close 3 card win.

I sent out an advanced copy of this post and got back this response from Mel Hall.