Thursday, December 3, 2015

Matt Bruback on baseball cards

Matt Bruback pitched nine seasons of professional baseball, mostly in the Cubs and Orioles organizations. His best season was 2002, when he went 9-7 with a 3.16 ERA for AA West Tennessee. After his retirement from baseball, Bruback, who had speech disabilities as a child, developed the Miracle Belt, a pediatric weighted therapy belt that has helped thousands of children who struggle with autism, ADHD, and other sensory disorders. He has also recently started a skateboard company called Fusion Longboards; ten percent of the company's profits go to children with special needs. In 2014 a biography of Bruback called Playing Catch with Destiny was published. He kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"1) Any stories about cards of myself? A book called Playing Catch with Destiny and the cover of the book was turned into a Topps baseball card.
2) Do I have a favorite card? Yes, my favorite card is Nolan Ryan's 1968 Rookie Card with Jerry Koosman.

3) Do I collect baseball cards? Not anymore... but someday I do want to get a few key players' cards. Like... Ted Williams."


Thanks! He sent along the picture above of the cards that he mentioned. Below is a card of him from my collection.



3 comments:

  1. Wow - and here I thought of him as just another flamed out, early to mid-aughts Cub prospect. What a guy!

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    1. There's a reason the Cubs have not shared this story. Recommend reading the book Playing Catch with Destiny.

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  2. Ended my career in 2006 to help children with sensory based disorders.

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