What a card: Dale Berra had been traded to the Yankees by the time this card arrived in packs. The Pirates shipped him to New York, along with Jay Buhner and Alfonso Pulido, for Tim Foli, Steve Kemp and cash in December 1984.
My observation on the front: I did a blog post a long time ago on all of the Pirates' uniform combinations during the late '70s and early '80s. I have an unproven theory that the gold-jersey-black-pants combination was the most common during this period.
More opinion from me: The Pirates caps of this era don't look right without some Stargell Stars on them.
Something you might know: The son of Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, Dale Berra admitted to drug use during his playing career, testifying in the Pittsburgh drug trials the very year this card was issued.
Something you might not know: Berra was named after Dale Mitchell, who struck out to give Don Larsen his perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Berra's wife, Carmen, eight months pregnant with Dale at the time and watching the game from the stands, vowed to name her son "Dale" if Mitchell struck out. Mitchell was batting for pitcher Sal Maglie, so Dale Berra was almost "Sal Berra".
My observation on the back: Topps was being very generous giving Berra a card number ending in "5". There's nothing about his '84 season or really his career to warrant that. I think this is a nod to his famous dad.
The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.
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