1989 Fleer

Gary Sheffield said, "The thing about the Mitchell Report is that I cringe about it because the guy who wrote the report didn't talk to me," Sheffield said. "If he talked to me I would respect that no matter what. But I cringe on that because he didn't." NY POST, February 17, 2011

Now read what Gary said on this matter February 26, 2007  in USA TODAY “The (players) association told us this is just a witch hunt. They don't want us to talk to them. This is all about getting (Bonds).

"If this was legitimate and they did it the right way, it would be different. But this a witch hunt. They're just trying to collect a lot of stuff that doesn't make any sense and throw the shit against the wall."

If Gary had never talked to George Mitchell how does he know "They're just trying to collect a lot of stuff that doesn't make any sense..."?

Furthermore, George Mitchell said he sent a letter to Gary on February 1, 2007. Gary said he never received it. But isn't that an acknowledgement that he did try to talk to you?

Is Gary Sheffield a Hall of Famer? Yes. Will he be inducted having been implicated in the Mitchell Report & admitting to using a steroid unbeknownst to him? No. Don't cry Gary because you will be inducted on the first ballot in the steroid wing!

About the Card 

Is there any wonder why 1989 Upper Deck took off the way it did? Look at Fleer's entry for their 1989 design. It makes you wonder how bad were the alternates that this design got the go ahead.

Gray back with white stripes. No thank you. They also showcase the photo in the exact same parallelogram design as 1986 Donruss. Then they leave this white negative space to slap on their plain logo but all it does is draw your eyes to that spot because of the unevenness. 

1989 Fleer is a disaster. 

For a player with such a ferocious swing and monster stats Gary Sheffield was never a hobby star. His volatile personality didn't endear him to anyone. Combine that with poorly timed injuries and being traded a lot Gary never got the hobby love  that a player with his abilities deserved. His rookie card slabs can be had for less than $20. I can't say it's a good investment because there won't be any revisionist history telling you how great he was to see play. 

That being said Gary is still one of my favorite players because he was a bad man with a bat in his hand. He never gave an at bat away. His autobiography Inside Power is a candid look into his life as pro ball player and growing up with pitching legend Doc Gooden.