No exaggeration, but roughly 90% of my baseball knowledge in the 1980s was related to the special cards that baseball card companies inserted. It's how I knew Joel Youngblood played for two teams on the same day. It's how I learned about league leaders and all-time records. The 1987 Donruss "Highlights" and "Opening Day" special sets are still seared into my brain. Baseball cards were Google before Google existed ... and way more accurate.
Donruss had two similar cards from their 1984 set. One had Bench and Yaz and the other Fingers and Perry. They called them "Living Legends". An interesting note is that although it was true that Bench, Yaz, and Perry called it quits in 1983, Rollie "Handlebar" Fingers actually played for the Brewers in 1984 & 1985 although he was out for the 1983 season. Donruss jumped the gun on that "Living Legend" because Rollie had more living to do!
He was not so old in 1981, but to me Joe Simpson was one of the voices of the Braves, so to see his baseball cards is always kind of a shock. Looking over his cards, I own his '81 Fleer, but I dig this '81 Topps card: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/k3sAAOSwEX9ipzmV/s-l400.jpg
Hahaha, literally laughed out loud on a few of these. Crazy to think they all retired in the same year, with their last game on that same day. Cool story, great writeup.
No exaggeration, but roughly 90% of my baseball knowledge in the 1980s was related to the special cards that baseball card companies inserted. It's how I knew Joel Youngblood played for two teams on the same day. It's how I learned about league leaders and all-time records. The 1987 Donruss "Highlights" and "Opening Day" special sets are still seared into my brain. Baseball cards were Google before Google existed ... and way more accurate.
You nailed it. Best, most intense learning I ever did was hunkering down with a stack of cards for a few hours.
Donruss had two similar cards from their 1984 set. One had Bench and Yaz and the other Fingers and Perry. They called them "Living Legends". An interesting note is that although it was true that Bench, Yaz, and Perry called it quits in 1983, Rollie "Handlebar" Fingers actually played for the Brewers in 1984 & 1985 although he was out for the 1983 season. Donruss jumped the gun on that "Living Legend" because Rollie had more living to do!
Very true! Those cards were pretty awesome.
He was not so old in 1981, but to me Joe Simpson was one of the voices of the Braves, so to see his baseball cards is always kind of a shock. Looking over his cards, I own his '81 Fleer, but I dig this '81 Topps card: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/k3sAAOSwEX9ipzmV/s-l400.jpg
Nice. He was in some of the first packs I ever opened, and I seemed to end up with an avalanche of his 1981 Fleer cards somehow.
Hahaha, literally laughed out loud on a few of these. Crazy to think they all retired in the same year, with their last game on that same day. Cool story, great writeup.
Thanks!