Random Card #36

After yesterday's gutsy performance by Mark Buehrle, there is no doubt in my mind who the ace of the staff is on the 2008 White Sox. I don't remember a regular season performance so dominant since the days of Jack McDowell. When the game's on the line and it's do or die, you want these guys on the mound.

Jack McDowell ruled the American League from 1992 until 1994. 1993 was the apex of his talent on the baseball field. It could have been 1994, if it weren't for the strike shortened season. 1992 was just the warmup for his Cy Young 1993 season.

Today, Gavin Floyd will need to step up against ex-Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia. Will Gavin hear the call and pitch a great game? Will he feel the ghosts of Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez? Will he have the rookie luck of Jason Bere, who was dominant until he was injured? Only time will tell.

If Gavin succeeds, maybe he will get a snazzy insert card like Jack McDowell. This was when insert cards weren't overdone. They were meant to be something special. Sure, this was during the oversaturation of the market, but these cards still felt special. They were harder to get when I was a kid. It was a great day if I could get an insert card of anybody. It was a red letter day, if that card was a White Sox player.

I never pulled a Smoke 'n Heat card in 1992. Green is my favorite color, but the base set for 1992 was just a slight upgrade from the yellow fever that was 1991. In comparison, the insert cards looked great. The black from the border made the Smoke 'n Heat set look elegant and important. This was evident when putting the card against the player's base card. There is no comparison. The 1992 Fleer base set got smoked with some heat from the insert cards.