Fantastic Fashions – Joe Carter’s Cleats

1992 Pinnacle – Joe Carter

So, the crew over at Getting Blanked has made us aware of Bryce Harper’s new cleats.  It’s impressive that they noticed, because the cleats are camouflage, which obviously makes them incredibly difficult to see.  Nothing says baseball better than camouflage, if you ask me, so Harper has made a wise decision.

Now Bryce Harper might be a connoisseur of high fashion, with his eye black and his mohawk, but if you go back about 20 years, a gentleman named Joe Carter rocked the hell out of the high-top cleats, and had himself some fairly productive seasons, if you recall.

Bottom line: Joe Carter was bringing cool to the Major Leagues before Bryce Harper was born.  Chew on that, bro.

Too Cool for Cardboard – Bobby Bonilla

1992 Pinnacle – Bobby Bonilla Shades

There was a time in the early 1990’s when both Bobby Bonilla and the Oakley sunglasses he wore were both pretty damn cool, generating a great deal of want among young baseball fans everywhere.  We all wanted those shades, and we all wanted to be as cool as Bobby Bo.

Pinnacle, sensing an opportunity, did the unthinkable in 1992 and combined Bobby Bonilla and Oakley sunglasses into one magnificent package.  Words were not necessary.  In fact, the only words that were used on the card back were “Pinnacle Shades” and then “BOBBY BONILLA” in capital letters.  We all knew what was up.

1992 Pinnacle – Bobby Bonilla Shades (Back)

Between 1995 and 2001, Bonilla played for the Mets, Orioles, Marlins, Dodgers, Mets again, Braves and Cardinals as things slid downhill for him.  But we’ll always have 1992, Bobby.  We’ll always have 1992.

Fantastic Fashions – John Burkett

1992 Pinnacle – John Burkett Sidelines

In 1992, Pinnacle had a subset called “Sidelines” which showcased some baseball players’ off-field hobbies and activities.  In this case, they talked about pitcher John Burkett, then of the San Francisco Giants.  As it turns out, Burkett was something of a bowler.  The Boston Globe mentioned it in an article from the 2003-2004 offseason, when Burkett was still hoping to get a Major League pitching job (he didn’t) and was planning to enter some bowling events.  (Side question: are they called matches?  Tournaments? Bonspiels? Please advise.)

However, we can see that Burkett wasn’t much of a dresser with that pink golf shirt and acid washed jeans – like, not a little bit acid washed.  We are talking about industrial grade, straight out of a 1987 Camaro acid washed.  And are those even bowling shoes?  Come on, John.  Wear the clown shoes like the rest of the damn world.  Good form, though.