2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Extended Series

Set Size: 9 cards

Design Notes: The cards use the same design as the other 2000 SLU issues, with a red-tinted background. The backs are black on white. "Extended Series" is in the lower left of the card front in a logo style.

Parallels and Similars: As mentioned, (I think) all the 2000 Starting Lineup cards have the same design. The set easily identified by the "Extended Series" logo on the front.

Distribution: Cards were packaged with 2000 Starting Lineup Extended Series figures.

Thoughts: If it wasn't for the logo, identifying which set each card came from (if separated from its packaging) would be impossible. I like the design, though - simple and modern but not boring. The checklist is pretty impressive (as with most smaller sets) - Griffey Jr, Gwynn, Chipper Jones, Ripken Jr, and A-Rod are all in the Extended Series.

2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Cards

Set Size: 30 cards

Design Notes: The player's photo appears on a red background. The backs are black on white with career statistics through 1999.

Parallels and Similars: Several subsets issued in 2000 have the same design with a logo in the lower portion of the card; the regular version has no special logo.

Distribution: One card was included with each Starting Lineup action figure.

Thoughts: As I mentioned yesterday, the 2000 issue Starting Lineup cards aren't horrible looking. I like the inclusion of the gray team logo in the background behind the player, adding an extra dimension to the image.

2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Cards

Set Size: 10 cards

Design Notes: The cards have a red-tinted background, and the player's name appears at the bottom. This set is identified by the Classic Doubles logo in the lower left. The backs are black on white with career statistics.

Parallels and Similars: Most 2000 Starting Lineup sets use the same design and can be distinguished by the inclusion (or lack of) a logo as seen and mentioned above.

Distribution: Cards were packaged with Starting Lineup Classic Doubles figurines. Two cards and two figurines were in each package; there are five different packages. John Smoltz was packaged with Pedro Martinez.

Thoughts: As a bonus included with an action figure, the card is fairly attractive. It's not a great stand-alone design, and the back is pretty plain for a 2000-era release. However, I like the novelty associated with Starting Lineup cards and figures.

2000 Bowman Chrome Retro/Future

Set Size: 440 cards

Design Notes: This set is a parallel to the regular 2000 Bowman Chrome issue, but all the cards use a television border similar to the 1955 Bowman set.

Parallels and Similars: A refractor version of this parallel exists, as well as a refractor version of the original base set.

Distribution: Inserted one in six packs of Bowman Chrome.

Thoughts: Before Bowman Heritage issued a real throwback version of the '55 Bowman issue, this parallel served a similar function. I wonder if some of the 1990s sets that have nods to the internet and computers in their designs will be as lovingly remembered as much as this just-as-gimmicky design from the early days of television.

2000 Black Diamond Reciprocal Cut

Set size: 120 cards

Front Design: The color image on the front of the card is on the back of the regular release version, while the image on the back of this card was on the front of the regular set. The Reciprocal Cut parallel also has a die-cut edge and copper rainbow foil background. The player's name and team are in white and black rounded rectangles near the bottom.

Back Design: A pair of overlapping rounded rectangles hold the player's picture and a short highlight biography, along with player vitals and his team logo. The background behind the boxes has a grey version front photo.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a parallel of the base 2000 Upper Deck Black Diamond issue; there is also a gold foil parallel numbered  to 100.

Distribution: Cards 1-90 (regular cards) were inserted 1:7 packs; cards 91-120 (Diamond Debut) were inserted 1:12 packs.

Thoughts: I like this parallel for the die cut and the switching of the photos. Fans of late-90s foil will enjoy the heavy use on the card front. The low-res foil matrix rectangle on the front adds a bit of Diamond Vision video board feel.

2000 Aurora Dugout View Net-Fusions

Set size: 20 cards

Front Design: A player photo over a baseball facility background fills most of the card, but the key gimmick here is the real net used in the card to make it look as though you're sitting/standing behind a guard rail. The set's name is along the left side, and the player's name, team and position are in the lower right. The net across the bottom is real and is embedded in a die-cut portion of the card.

Back Design: The net (and it's "railing") are visible on the back, which is aligned veritcally. Another photo background is behind the player's name, team, and position again, followed by a short highlight biography. The cards are numbered in the usual Pacific manner inside a white circle listing the set name.

Parallels and Similars: No other sets look like this, though there are other net-fusion sets issued by Pacific.

Distribution: Cards were inserted one in every 37 packs of Aurora.

Thoughts: I love many of the Pacific gimmick cards around this time, including the net fusion sets. They're tough enough pulls that building a set is a real challenge.

2000 Upper Deck Hitter's Club

Set size: 90 cards

Front Design: Half the set is composed of subsets, so it's difficult to identify a card simply. There is no notation that this subset is part of "Hitter's Club" either. Regular cards contain a busy design of horizontal lines, with the text "Hitter's Club" in foil towards the bottom of the card. The player's name and team also appear at the bottom, with the position in an upper corner in silver foil, and his batting average in foil in the middle-left of the card. This Hitting The Show subset card uses green foil, with the subset name at the bottom. Jagged corners make it look like the photo is "breaking." The player's name is in the upper-left corner in green foil, and the Upper Deck logo is in the upper-right corner with the same green foil.

Back Design: Regular Hitter's Club backs copy the bottom design to the bottom back of the card, with statistics, vitals, and a short biography over a background photo. This subset contains a photo in the upper left, used again as a background image behind a short biography, vitals, and statistics. Note that Hitting the Show is a rookie-oriented subset, and the other major subset, Why 3K?,  features players in the 3000-hit club.

Parallels and Similars: There are no parallels in this issue, and I don't believe Upper Deck issued this set again.

Distribution: This was a retail-only issue, with 5 cards in a $2.99 pack. There were six insert sets, an autograph set with an impressive checklist, and A Piece Of History series relic cards randomly inserted.

Thoughts: This is one of many forgettable sets Upper Deck issued around the turn of the century. The design is just plain ugly, though I get the idea - feature some of the best hitters in the game in their own 90-card set. The green foil is somewhat amusing, though, since you don't see it used on cards too often.