Wednesday, January 20, 2016

#493 - Orel Hershiser


What a card: You're looking at another one of the major rookie cards in the 1985 Topps set. Orel Hershiser was coming off a season in which he finished third in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting, behind Dwight Gooden and Juan Samuel.

My observation on the front: I just love this card. It is very Orel. He's rail thin, looks nothing like an athlete, yet is in complete command.

More opinion from me: There is a moment in time that I remember vividly. I am in my parents' house, bent over a sports section that's on the kitchen table. I'm looking at the Dodgers' write-up and I'm looking at this name: "Orel Hershiser? Orel? Hershiser? Where'd they get this guy?" That's the thought going through my head.

Something you might know: Hershiser won 19 games in his second season (against 3 losses), then in 1988 set a record for consecutive scoreless innings and carried the Dodgers to the World Series title, winning MVP honors.

Something you might not know: After Hershiser's 1988 season, he signed a new 3-year contract that was the richest deal ever at the time. When he reported to spring training and went to his locker, which featured his uniform number 55 on it, someone had put slashes through the 5s to make them look like dollar signs.


My observation on the back: Hershiser was born in the same town as I was. I'm very proud of that.

The blog wants to speak now: The Music category is updated.

1 comment:

beefman said...

My favorite card in the whole set!

Man, some of the backs are impossible to read...