Thursday, August 23, 2018

1981 Topps Joe Charboneau

The front: Nice simple headshot; Charboneau’s personality is evident in the photo. Photo was taken at Yankee Stadium.
 
The back: “Go Go Joe Charboneau” was the name of the song; it was a big hit on local Cleveland radio in 1980. Here’s a link to the song on YouTube.
The player: Things were never the same for Charoneau after his 1980 season; he was injured the following spring training and would only play in 70 more major league games, a record for the fewest by a Rookie of the Year winner.
 
The man: Charboneau became an instant legend in 1980. There were many stories about him, some of which might even have been true. Some of the more-frequently repeated ones were opening a beer bottle with his eye socket, pulling out a tooth with pliers, and slicing a tattoo off with a razor. Since his playing career he has settled down his wild ways, working in public relations, briefly hosting a show on the DIY Network called “Catastrophe Inc,” and coaching for a variety of baseball teams. Currently he is the hitting coach for the Notre Dame College (Euclid, OH) baseball team managed by his Indians teammate Len Barker.
 
My collection: I have 8 of his cards, 4 from 1981 and 4 from 1982.  I would be interested in trading for 1982 Kelloggs #54.

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