1989 Fleer #503 - Fred ManriqueThis card epitomizes why the White Sox were in seventh place in 1989. Seventh place! You can't even get seventh place anymore!
First you have a man who defines the word malaise. Fred reminds me of the girl on the bus, in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, who offers Principal Rooney a gummy bear. Just with a mustache.
Secondly, Fred is standing in front of a whole slew of empty seats. Granted they aren't at Comiskey Park, but the Sox weren't drawing fans anywhere in 1989.
Then, you have the glasses. Oh my, what big glasses Fred has! The better to miss the ball fielding. No wonder he was underwhelming in the field, those Coke bottle glasses burned out his retinas!
Even with all of that, Fred can have a dorky, smiley face-like smile. Why? It's because he knows that he is robbing the team of money by playing. Coincidentally, Fred is also the reason that I had delusions of playing for the White Sox. I thought that if Fred could stick there, I could be a star.
This card holds special meaning for me because this marks one of the last times that Fred would be on cardboard as a member of the White Sox. He was shipped off with Harold Baines for Scott Fletcher, Wilson Alvarez and Sammy Sosa. Well, by the end of July 1989, Fred was the Rangers' problem.
Thank heavens for small miracles. One full season of Fred away from the team and the Sox would vault from seventh place to second place. It would have been first with 94 games won, if it weren't for those pesky A's winning 103 games.
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