My pack of Americana Heroes & Legends cards

After the fun I had opening some 2013 baseball cards a few weeks back, I may have stretched my luck by trying it with the "Panini Americana Heroes & Legends" pack I got at the dollar store (Have I mentioned that I do this blog for free?). Sure, it was only a buck, but there were only 5 cards, and I didn't really get the equivalent of a Buster Posey. Here's what I DID get:

George H.W. Bush: OK, so the former Prez is a Big Deal, and he is clearly the most prestigious card I got. You can argue about whether he's more a hero or a legend (got to at least give him props for all those combat missions in WWII, I say), you can argue his politics and globoecomomic connections, you can argue what the hell he was up to on November 22, 1963 (that's a topic for another blog, and even mentioning it probably just marked me as both a conspiracy nut and a CIA front), but he IS an ex-president.

Unfortunately, he's Ex-President George H.W. Bush. I now know what it must have felt like to be a kid tearing open a pack of Topps in the sixties and seeing a Yankee card, only to discover it was Tom Tresh.

Sally Ride: Is it wrong that I can't look at this woman's name without singing "Mustang Sally"? Yes, it is, if for no other reason than I am a terrible singer of "Mustang Sally." (But you should hear me tear it up on "In the Midnight Hour!") She was the first woman in space, and that's pretty cool, but...I don't know, she's not even wearing a spacesuit on the card's photo. It looks like NASA went to the mall and got everybody's picture taken.

Gary Hall Jr.:This great American swimmer won 10 Olympic medals, according to the text on the card back, including 4 in Sydney in 2000.Ultimately, though, this is a dude in a swimsuit. No disrespect to this world-class athlete, but I would sure rather have had Summer Sanders.

Edgar Mitchell: Now, HERE's an astronaut with an actual spacesuit on! it's a grainy photo, but that somehow makes it cooler. It looks as if it was taken right after he was on the moon--or maybe WHILE he was on the moon (There's actual no portrait gallery on the moon, but there's probably a Sbarro's)! This shows you how nonchalant we are in this country about the space program these days, though: Instead of marveling at getting a trading card of an Apollo 14 astronaut, I actually kind of winced, thinking, "Aw, TWO astronauts in the same pack? Come on!"

Alex Morgan: I must admit I yawned when I saw the card of this women's soccer player. I assure you folks that I would have been just as bored if it were a men's soccer player.

Those are the 5 Heroes & Legends I received for my buck. Personally I think the George Washington I exchanged for the pack was the biggest icon in the bunch, and I wish there were more variety with less contemporary selections. I can't say I won't be tempted to try again, though, next time I'm at the dollar store.(Have I mentioned that I do this blog for free?)