2013 Pinnacle

Welcome back, Pinnacle. How many of us missed you? I can honestly say that I really didn't.

It's not that I didn't like Pinnacle. I sorta did. I remember buying packs and being marginally happy with the product. It never wowed me though. It had a lot of hype, but no bite. After a few years, the original sets sunk themselves into parallel hell and any hopes of resurrecting itself into something viable slowly was crushed by the weight of the wasted trees used in the production of endless mirror cards and shallow gimmicks.

So... what's Pinnacle like after a fifteen year absence? Pretty much as you remember it. The basic black designs from the first sets are imitated nicely, but the card feels dated, and not in a good way. These cards could have been released anywhere between 1992 and 1995 and no one would have batted an eye.

Are there parallels? Yes, Virginia, there are parallels. Even one of the parallels has a parallel. It is parallel heaven, if you're into that sort of scene. I, for the most part, am not, so this does nothing but irritate me, similar to a mosquito buzzing by your ear. It's not the worst thing in the world and it won't ruin my evening, but I'd be happier if it wasn't there.

The White Sox have five cards in the base set.

27 - Paul Konerko
94 - Alex Rios
99 - Dayan Viciedo
108 - Chris Sale
122 - Adam Dunn

What would a nineties revival be without inserts. And there are plenty of them.

Awaiting The Call
8 - Frank Thomas

Clear Vision Hitters
14 - Paul Konerko
31 - Alex Rios
70  - Frank Thomas

Clear Vision Pitchers
16 - Chris Sale

Position Powers
19 - Alex Rios

Slugfest
13 - Adam Dunn

Swinging For The Fences
5 - Adam Dunn

Team Pinnacle
5 - Frank Thomas/Albert Pujols

Autographs
4 - Chris Sale
21 - Frank Thomas
66 - Paul Konerko

To add to the fun, there are no logos on any player, so theoretically, there is much more to collect for the team collector, if they are game. Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Carlton and Tim Raines are the former White Sox players that stuck out during a quick perusal of the list.

Pinnacle is a harmless release. I'm on the fence as to whether I would collect it or not, but if you do, it isn't the worst set that you could pick up. Call me unimpressed but slightly nostalgic.