Mom Finds an Insert

Any time I see my mom for a visit, there's a significant chance I'll leave with a new card for my collection. She has quite the knack for finding things that not only are new to my collection, but also that I've never even seen before.

Enter an insert card from 2012 Panini Cooperstown.

2012 Panini Cooperstown Famous Moments #5 Nolan Ryan

I've been finding base cards from this set for quite some time, but this is the first time I've seen an insert card from this product. Panini doesn't get much love in this community other than this set, and I'm glad to see more of it other than the thirty base cards in my 2012 binder. This is from the twenty-card Famous Moments insert set, featuring Nolan Ryan's seventh and final career no-hitter on May 1st, 1991.

The card features a photo of the game ball from that day. It's not exactly a relic, but it is in the same ballpark. Lucky for me, a signed Nolan Ryan ball happens to already be in my collection, so I can put those two together and sort of have my own relic.

That's how it works, right?

The card back offers a lengthy write-up of Nolan Ryan's career and a timeline of those seven no-hitters. It begins by mentioning Sandy Koufax, who retired in 1966 with four career no-hitters to his name. That was same year that Ryan had his first brief appearance with a very young Mets team. Most of Ryan's no-nos came in the mid-'70s, but he twirled a couple more late in his career past the age of 40. Ryan remains the all-time leader with those seven.

A quick aside, the Infield Fly Rule just went into effect in the bottom of the 5th during the Rockies game today! That might be the first time I've seen the rule called while I've been writing a post.

Anyway, I got excited. It's the little things right now.

Other players represented in this set include Bill Mazeroski and Don Larsen, whose cards leave no doubt about the Famous Moment in question. Numerous others, like Harmon Killebrew, Charlie Gehringer, Maury Wills, and more, had great careers but maybe not one particular moment that stood out. These are usually along the lines of a milestone. Seaver's 3,000th strikeout, Mel Ott's 500th home run, Tony Gwynn's 3,000th hit, and so on.

Also in this set are Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, legendary stars both. Each had moments so famous that they stand out even among their many other great accomplishments, but the moments that first came to mind weren't even the moments Panini selected. I'm referring to The Catch and Robinson's steal of home in the 1955 World Series, but they chose instead to feature Mays's four home runs in a single 1961 game, and Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947, both excellent choices.

Panini Cooperstown lives up to its name with this insert set. Many of us are sticking close to home this year, although as a Rockies fan, 2020 would have been a great year to visit the Hall of Fame to see Larry Walker's induction. For now, I'll have to live vicariously through these cards.

Thanks, Mom!