Swamilee's Sportscards & Collectibles www.swamileecards.com

Who didn’t love The Cobra back in the 70s and 80s? I certainly did. Not only was he a great power hitter, but he had a great nickname! If he hadn’t have substance abuse problems, maybe he would have squeezed into Cooperstown. His .290 average and 339 homeruns may not look crazy, but for his era, they were good numbers. Were they Hall of Fame numbers? Nope. Was The Cobra one of the most feared hitters of his era? Yep! My best memory of Dave Parker happened in 1988 while he pla

As a youngster, I prided myself on knowing each and every player to put on a major league uniform during my era. When I got to college, we would play drinking games that went like this: It would be me against three to five people. We would pass the baseball encyclopedia back and forth (long before the internet.) We would open the book and select a player who played from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. The other team would have to tell something about the player. For example

You can fight me all you want but 1990 is considered vintage. Yes, it means you and I are old, it's that simple! 1990 Fleer is one of the most bland and boring designs ever. It is not nearly as ugly as 1991 Fleer or 1988 Donruss, but it's boring. That being said, there are some cool cards in the set. One of those cards features 22 year major league hurler Jerry Reuss at the tail end of his lengthy career. In 1989, the 40 year-old was having a solid season with the White Sox w

Way back when in 1983, I would put the Topps baseball set together each year. I was young and on a budget, so it wasn't always easy. In 1983, I was doing a pretty good job until it came to the Bo Diaz card. The Phillies' catcher eluded me pack after pack. Who knows why there are certain cards you just can't get? I finally did get this card at a local carnival, but it amazed me how difficult it was. Bo was a really good player who made a tragic mistake. In his home in Venezuel