Bundy Ball

I've previously expressed my love for Ed O'Neil and Married... with Children so it was only a matter of time before I made some more custom cards from one of the greatest tv shows of all-times.

The Bundys played in a mall softball league on a team that was sponsored by the New Market Mall where Al worked as a shoe salesman.  The New Market Mallers was referenced in two episodes; Season Two's "How Do You Spell Revenge" and Season Five's "The Unnatural".  The two cards above are from the latter.  This is an episode where the Mallers, and Al's own family, are dogging him for his poor play and showing no appreciation for Al's past Maller softball glory.  The team decides to bring in a muscle bound ringer, "Sven Hunkstrom", to replace Al and give the Mallers the edge in the league's championship game.  Sven is inadvertently knocked out by Al's neighbor nemesis Marcy whom is umping the game leaving Al as the team's only hope.  After some ass kissing from his family Al steps up to the plate, calls his shot Babe Ruth style and knocks one out of the park securing the championship for the Mallers.  I specifically remember this episode growing up and remembering it was a favorite of mine.

I went with the a 1981 Topps baseball inspired design even though this episode is from 1990.  I just thought of all the different templates I've done this one just had the right feel.  I also needed a set that had a cool Future Stars card for the other Bundys and I loved the way the one I did in the Freaks and Geeks set turned out.

There was another baseball themed episode in Season Nine's "A Man For No Seasons".  This time it was Al and his NO MA'AM buddies starting their own working man's league with Major League Baseball on strike in 1994.  The local media picks up the story of Al & co. landing in jail for sneaking into Wrigley Field for a pickup baseball game.  In the article Al is typo'd as a Al "Birdie".  From that article a league is formed of working stiffs and sponsored by nudie bars to where all team names are boobie related.  In the end the league disbands for the very same reason as the MLB was on strike which was money disputes between players and owners.

I again chose not to go with my M.O. of matching the movie/show year to a card design of the same vintage.  I'd stopped collecting baseball cards by 1994 to focus my card collecting on basketball.  I don't even really know what the 1994 sets looked liked, so for one there was no nostalgia with those for me.  I went the 1981 Fleer inspired design because again I just thought it fit best with the picture.