The front: Rivers hanging out at the batting cage at what I
think is Tiger Stadium.
The back: With over a decade in the majors, there wasn’t
enough room for a cartoon on the back.
The player: The Yankees traded Barry Bonds to the Angels for
Rivers, the AL stolen base champion, after the 1975 season, and Rivers became
the catalyst to three straight pennants for the Yankees, hitting for high
average and stealing lots of bases. His best season was 1977, when he hit .326
with 12 HR, 69 RBI and 22 SB. I was born that year; my dad joked that he was
going to name the baby after Mickey Rivers. My dad was quite typical – Rivers
was very popular among Yankee fans. Overall, in fifteen seasons for the Angels,
Yankees and Rangers, Rivers hit .295 with 61 HR, 499 RBI and 267 SB.
The man: Rivers was known as “Mick the Quick” for his wit as
much as his baserunning. For example, when Reggie Jackson bragged about having
an IQ of 160, Rivers famously asked “Out of what, a thousand?” Rivers now
trains racehorses in Florida.
My collection: I have 33 of his cards, from 1972 to 1985. I
would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #102, 1977 Kellogg’s #55, 1978
Hostess #110 and 1978 Kellogg’s #17.
So does that mean "Bo" is a nickname for "Mickey" somehow?
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