1992 Upper Deck #SP4 Frank Thomas - Tom Selleck

A card from 1992 with Frank Thomas on it? That's pretty common. A card with Tom Selleck on it? That's a little less common. Did Magnum P.I. even have trading cards? Probably. A card with Frank Thomas and Tom Selleck on it? OK, that's probably even less common. They're both wearing Yankees uniforms? OK, I give.

Actually it's an Upper Deck short print card featuring a scene from the movie Mr. Baseball. Unless something monumental happens, I guarantee this will be the only time you will see Frank Thomas in a Yankee uniform.

This was a card that I have never owned. Not because it's not a White Sox card. Mostly because it was hard to find when it first came out. The dealers who had it, wanted a fortune for it. I can find this card for under a dollar now, but I just haven't been motivated enough to purchase it. It would be a tacked on card on a big order.

Mr. Baseball is one of my guilty pleasure movies. It has been on cable all week. I've caught it three times, but never at the beginning. I always seem to catch it when he gets to Japan. Even though I've seen the movie dozens of times, I still stick with it when I run across it. It's hard not to like this movie.

It's more realistic than Major League and more plausible than Rookie Of The Year or Little Big League. Plus, it's less sappy than Angels In The Outfield. You can pretty much sit me in front of any baseball movie and I'll be entertained. Mr. Baseball seems to get lost in the mix. Tom Selleck is pretty believable as a superstar forced to play in Japan. It also has a Major League movie connection in Dennis Haysbert. He's the one who played Pedro Cerrano in Major League.

The truth is that I've known about the card since 1992. I just keep forgetting about it. With my obsessive collecting of the White Sox and any card of Harold Baines and Carlton Fisk, a Frank Thomas card featuring him fictionally on the Yankees is not a top priority. It doesn't mean that I will never obtain it. It's just not an absolute must have. I have other team sets and cards that I'm seeking that have a higher "now" value than this Frank Thomas/Tom Selleck card.

If they ever come out with cards featuring the players from the movie Major League, I'll be all over that! Until then, this Mr. Baseball card will suffice.