1982 Headline: Cubs Obtain Phillies’ Sandberg

1982 Headline: Cubs Obtain Phillies’ Sandberg

On this day in 1982, Ryne Sandberg became a Chicago Cub.

The Cubs sent Ivan DeJesus to the Phillies for Sandberg and Larry Bowa.  Prior to the trade, Sandberg played in 21 games for the Phillies and made 6 plate appearances.  For the record he has 1 hit as a Phillie and a batting average of .167.

What the Cubs got over the next 15 major league seasons was brilliance.  Sandberg immediately filled a void at second base and quickly became the star and leader of the team.  With excellent defense, superb base running, and skill at the plate, Sandberg’s talents made #23 a fan favorite very quickly.

During his time in Chicago Ryne Sandberg was a 10-time All-star, 9-time Gold Glove winner, and a 7-time winner of the Silver Slugger trophy.  He also won the National League MVP award in 1984 due to his .314 batting average, 200 hits, 114 runs scored, 19 triples, 19 home runs, 84 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. 

Sandberg was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.  His #23 waves proudly in the air above Wrigley Field!!!

Thank you Philadelphia!!!

 

Dennis Eckersley 2005 Upper Deck ‘League Leaders’ Game Used Jersey Card

Dennis Eckersley 2005 Upper Deck ‘League Leaders’ Game Used Jersey Card

How nice does this one look?

Pretty sweet, huh?  Yeah, I thought so too.  So when I found this card on Ebay with no bids and a low starting price of just $0.99 I went ‘all-in’.  Well, I guess that it cannot be considered ‘all-in’ when the card costs less than a buck, but I’ll take these on all day long for that price!!

The colors of this card are so bold and well-defined – the picture of Eckersley actually looks like it’s in 3-D against the Gold background.

And that piece of Grey Oakland A’s jersey is a perfect complement to the Silver border of the card.

Great job Upper Deck!!!

Fergie Jenkins 2001 Upper Deck Decade – Arms Race

Fergie Jenkins 2001 Upper Deck Decade – Arms Race

This is a pretty cool card of Fergie.

My lone complaint about the card is that the ‘Arms Race’ nameplate is covering what appears to be a very nice looking baseball logo.  What I would have liked to see is the ‘Arms Race’ logo at the top of the card so that great-looking baseball logo could take center-stage along the bottom of the card.

Nonetheless, a very sweet addition to my Fergie Jenkins player collection!!!

Reggie Jackson 1981 Donruss

Reggie Jackson 1981 Donruss

There he is ladies and gentlemen – Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson!!!

And while I am not 100% certain as to what Reggie is doing in the photo of this 1981 Donruss baseball card, but I have to guess that he just slid into second base and is requesting a ‘Time Out’ from the umpire.

But maybe not, maybe, just maybe, he is laying on the beach in Jersey with his Yankees uniform on.  And maybe, just maybe, a 10 walked by and Reggie had to do a double-take…

1977 Topps World Series Highlights Starring Joe Morgan & Johnny Bench

1977 Topps World Series Highlights Starring Joe Morgan & Johnny Bench

How nice is this, huh?  Two of my favorite players from my favorite baseball dynasty celebrated on one baseball card as they march on to their second consecutive World Series title.

The card, from the 1977 Topps set, is a great addition to my collection of baseball cards that pays homage to ‘The Big Red Machine’.

I am thrilled to add this card to my collection!!!

Signing Results: 1988 Mr. Everything – Orel Hershiser

Signing Results:  1988 Mr. Everything – Orel Hershiser

Taking way much longer than what I had expected, I signed up for a rare signing with Orel Hershiser that was supposed to occur late in the summer of 2010.

Hershiser is like an elusive animal – hard to catch, and oftentimes leaves you catching just a glimpse but never long enough to snap a picture.

So, I waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.

Through the end of the 2010 baseball season.  And through a broken arm, rehab, and bad timing – I waited….

Well, the wait paid off, as it usually does, and now I have signed baseball number 45 in my collection.

And it is signed brilliantly by 1988′s Mr. Everything – Orel Hershiser.  I opted for the 1988 NL CY inscription, and now that I see the ball, I wish that I went for a 1988 CY, NLCS MVP, WS MVP inscription.

But beggars cannot be chosers, and I am just thrilled to finally get this ball home.  It had been a very long time, but the result is absolutely worth the wait.

See for yourself…

I told ya!!

Signed perfectly by one of the pitchers that captivated me during my youth, this baseball marks the entire 1988 baseball season for me.  A season that I will never forget thanks to ‘The Bulldog’!!!

Frank Robinson 1990 Topps – Manager Card

Frank Robinson 1990 Topps – Manager Card

I cannot recall when I picked up this card.  I am not even positive that I paid for it as it may have been part of a package of cards from a ’30-YOC’ reader.

Either way, this baseball card has been sitting on my desk for some time – so it was time to scan it, show it off, and file it with the rest of my Frank Robinson baseball cards.

And while my preference is to collect cards of Robinson that feature him from his playing days, sneaking in a card of an older and wiser Frank Robinson into the collection is not a bad thing…

As for the 1990 Topps design – it rates as one of my least favorite designs from my youth.

Tony Perez 1984 Fleer Updated

Tony Perez 1984 Fleer Updated

Wow, look at how happy Tony Perez is to be back in Cincinnati!!

And who could blame him?  After his first extremely successful tour with the Reds, Perez suited up for the Expos, Red Sox, and Phillies.  And while he was always individually successful at each of his big league stops, there is no doubt that his best times and happiest times at the major league level came when he was playing with ‘The Big Red Machine’.

Known as the ‘Circle of Life’, you can very easily see from the huge smile on his face that Perez was thrilled to be back with the Reds.

Did You Know…

John Valentin is the only player to perform each of these three achievements – perform an unassisted triple-play (7/8/1994), hit three homers in a game (6/2/1995), and hit for the cycle (6/6/1996).

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

2001 Upper Deck Legends – Reflections In Time – with Andre Dawson & Sammy Sosa

2001 Upper Deck Legends – Reflections In Time – with Andre Dawson & Sammy Sosa

So here we have my all-time favorite baseball player sharing space on a piece of cardboard with on of my most loathed…

What’s a super-collector to do?

Well, this Andre Dawson super-collector looks past the fact that Sammy Sosa is featured on this card, and I will try to focus my attention on Andre instead.

From the 2001 Upper Deck Legends set tagged as ‘Reflections In Time’, I hate to see these two players linked in this manner.  And while I do like the theme of the set that UD produced, it still bothers me that Dawson and Sosa both called right field at Wrigley Field ‘home’.

While both put up incredible numbers while playing at Wrigley, including MVP seasons, Dawson did it the hard way while Sosa apparently cheated throughout.

Nonetheless, here is the card.

This mark the 799th different baseball card in my Andre Dawson collection!!

Just 1 more until I reach another magical milestone – #800!!!