Classic card of the week

Danny Vranes, 1992 Wild Card

What makes Danny Wranes a Wild Card? Before we even get into that, we must check the back of the card:



One thing that makes Danny Wranes a Wild Card is that sometimes he is Danny Wranes, and sometimes he is Danny Vranes. Take your pick! He doesn’t give a shit -- he’s a Wild Card! Another thing that makes Danny Rranes a Wild Card is that it looks as though he is about to murder me in my sleep. NOT cool, Danny Qranes! (Eric, who sent this beauty in, notices a striking resemblance to MacGyver, which cannot be argued.)



You may also notice that Danny played collegiate ball at Utah, but at the time of this card, he was exhibiting his perfect shooting form for the Breeze, a popular team that was sponsored by a local New Jersey radio station, and that still to this day has a heated rivalry with the Nantucket Nectars.

As you probably know, this particular card was part of the 1st Edition (!!!) of the Wild Card Collegiate Basketball Premier Edition, or something. This brand of cards specialized in locating unknown players who played in college like, ten years ago, spelling their names in several different ways, and generally embarrassing them by showing what they’re up to today. It was kind of like a “Where are they now?” for people you never knew existed in the first place. The 2nd Edition of this series included a Wild Card of Carl Raddinger, who was a walk-on at San Jose State in 1976, and who, in 1994, was a CPA based in White Plains, NY. The picture on the front of the card shows him behind his desk, mulling over several W2 forms.

Finally, Eric beat me to the punch in checking out his Wikipedia page, and discovered that Danny Vranes was taken fifth 5th overall by the Seattle Supersonics during the 1981 NBA Draft, ahead of Tom Chambers, Danny Ainge, and Larry Nance, among others. Seattle was, coincidentally, subsequently murdered in its sleep.

Did you know?
Danny Vranes once escaped a trap on the baseline using only a paper clip, a curly mullet, and a hot dog bun.