"My 1991 Bowman card was very disappointing. I finally saw it and my teammate Keith Osik is the guy in the picture. His picture and my stats...not a great combination for sure. We used to both sign the card for the autograph seekers.
I used to carry around a Robin Yount card in my wallet a couple of years ago. I sold some furniture to him at La-Z-boy in Scottsdale and a few years later came across a card of his. Such impressive stats from guys back then that played at 170 or 180 pounds before baseball got BIG.
[Below is a card from my collection, I'll see if I can find out which Yount card he has.]
I have a Willie Wilson card that I have been looking at lately. The guy is 6 foot 3, chopping ground balls off that turf and running like a gazelle on the old astro turf at Royals stadium... stealing up to 80 bases a year (no roids). That takes a toll on the body...take it from a part time base stealer who's legs were tired by June. That guy was impressive. No wonder the Royals used to make it to the playoffs back then.
[Again, here is one of my Wilson cards, I'll ask about the one he is referring to.]
Sitting in the right field 'cheap seats' in Kansas City, my brother is having a discussion with the drunk sitting next to us. I guess the guy thought Fred Lynn was a pretty good player.Who were the Royals playing.. maybe the Angels? My brother Anthony (he's probably 12 or 13 years old at the time, I'm a year younger) is not agreeing with this guy. The guy pulls out $5 and bets my brother that Fred Lynn will hit a home run this at bat! My brother is not an idiot so he takes the bet. (try hitting a ball out of that stadium). Fred Lynn does not hit a home run, I think he popped up. Anyway, my brother won the 5 bucks...but on Freddy's next at bat he came up with the bases loaded and would you believe he hit a grand slam. From that point on Fred Lynn sat just one seat behind Brett on my list of favorite left handed hitters.
[Actually, Lynn was an Oriole and Austin was 15 - the game was July 6, 1985, and after a fourth inning pop-up to first base, Lynn hit a grand slam off of Joe Beckwith in the fifth. Baltimore won the game 8-3.]
Do you remember when Bo Jackson took out Rick Dempsey at home plate? I noticed that Rick did not come to bat the following inning.. I knew he must have been hurting, it was a gruesome hit! Fast forward Probably a decade I'm playing third base for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League.. we are in Bakersfield and low and behold Rick is the third base coach.. I had to ask him how it felt to be hit by Bo Jackson running full speed. He said that it wasn't as bad as it looked. So i asked him why he didn't come up to bat the next inning.... He said he broke his thumb on the play! (by the way he did hold onto the ball and Bo was out)."
Thanks!
That Dempsey story is awesome. Great post.
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