5 on the 5: 2004 Bowman Heritage

I've been sort of "stealth collecting" Bowman Heritage cards from various years for awhile while being very hesitant to add another set or three to my want lists. I've already put a good dent into the annoyingly complicated 2007 Bowman Heritage set, but I haven't really accumulated enough cards from any of the other releases. One of my favorites of those less attainable sets is the 2004 set, which is an homage to the classic TV set designs that Bowman used. I really like these cards, even though they're a little quirky. I picked up 5 packs recently for $2 a piece.

Pack 1:

126 - Melvin Mora - There he is, in glorious extra-color.
140 - Brian Giles
136 - Paul Lo Duca

210 - Ray Liotta - Yes, this guy's name is actually Ray Liotta. This is also a short print, apparently. There were at least a couple of different kinds of short prints in this set. The actor Ray Liotta is famous for, among other things, portraying the infamous White Sox player Shoeless Joe Jackson. This guy got to pose in a White Sox cap on a baseball card once. He was actually a 2nd round draft pick in 2004 and reached the AAA level at one point before calling it a career.

98 - Andy Pettitte B&W - Bowman Heritage always has a one-per-pack parallel card, and for this ode to TVs past they made the thick parallels to be black & white televisions. Fun.
14 - Brad Radke - Before the Cardinals acquired him, I always got Kyle Lohse mixed up with Brad Radke.
275 - Tom Mastny

63 - Javier Vazquez - Some TVs are dark and other are a lighter wood panel.

Pack 2:
339 - Logan Kensing

221 - Chris Lambert - Lambert was traded by the Cardinals to the Tigers for Mike Maroth in 2007 in a desperation move. Maroth may have been the single worst player in Cardinals history. I guess it was Detroit's revenge for the previous World Series. Lambert wasn't able to hang around the game long, as he fell off the map after 2009.

332 - Lastings Milledge - Former super prospect.
237 - Zack Jackson
127 - Miguel Tejada B&W

247 - Jerry Crawford - In another strange twist, there are umpires in this set. Umpires! Just imagine what people might do with NFL referee cards if they produced them this season.
85 - A.J. Burnett

153 - Jamie Moyer - The erstwhile Jamie Moyer.

Pack 3:
105 - Zack Day
281 - Mike Reilly - Another ump.

48 - Pedro Martinez

Wait a second, Victor... Martinez? This is the more rare "error" version of Pedro's card in which his bio was mostly switched with Victor Martinez. There's a similar Victor Martinez "error" card with Pedro's info, apparently. This is supposedly another homage to the original set it emulates.

100 - Roger Clemens - This is a short print and one of the more expensive cards in the set. I couldn't show Roger's stupid face on this blog, though.
289 - Marland Williams B&W - Yeah, I don't know him either.

171 - Robin Roberts - There's also a smattering of retired greats in this set, which is a nice touch.
27 - Jack Wilson
131 - Aramis Ramirez

Pack 4:
126 - Melvin Mora
140 - Brian Giles
136 - Paul Lo Duca
210 - Ray Liotta

113 - Rich Aurilia B&W - So this is essentially the same pack as pack 1 aside from having a different B&W parallel. Needless to say, those dupes are up for grabs.
14 - Brad Radke
275 - Tom Mastny
63 - Javier Vazquez

Pack 5:
258 - Billy Buckner - Not the guy who had a "special" moment at first base.
230 - Taylor Tankersley

226 - Philip Hughes - There are some nice rookies in this set, include Phil Hughes.
254 - K.C. Herren
192 - Alex Gonzalez B&W

143 - Don Newcombe - I must say that I really like the player selection for the retired players, since they aren't the same dozen or so players you always see in the current Topps sets.
202 - Reed Johnson

41 - Bobby Abreu - Bobby Abreu... signing off.