Thursday, February 27, 2020

1981 Topps Roy Lee Jackson

The front: Simple spring training shot.

The back: Jackson is from Opelika, Alabama. Another Opelika native, John Herbert Orr, was a US Army Intelligence official who developed magnetic tape from captured German technologies during World War II. After the war Orr created Orradio Industries to supply magnetic tape to the U.S. Government. The company was acquired by Ampex in 1959. The company later changed its name to Quantegy and closed in 2005 after the company went bankrupt as demand for analog tape dried up.

The player: Roy Lee Jackson was a middle reliever for the Mets, Blue Jays, Padres and Twins from 1977 to 1986. In 280 games he went 28-34 with 34 saves and a 3.77 ERA.

The man: Known for his singing voice, Jackson sang the national anthem several times, as famously captured on his 1984 Fleer card. He also appeared on an early episode of “3-2-1 Contact” demonstrating how a curveball curves. He is now the pastor of the New Creation Service Center in Opelika.

My collection: I have 18 of his cards, from 1981 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1984 Blue Jays Fire Safety #25.

2 comments:

  1. This is one of the most interesting dives yet. Jackson is an interesting fellow.

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  2. 3-2-1 Contact. Now there's a blast from the past!

    ReplyDelete