Rick (Still) Waits for the Next Move

You know, as long as Mike Greenwell is not involved

Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

1979 Topps Rick Waits (#484) - Card of the Day

This will be a somewhat short post today, because I’ve already written a lot of what I want to say before — see Truth in Advertising with 1979 Topps Rick Waits.

Yeah, as you might have guessed, today is Rick Waits’ birthday. He turns 72 years old and has been out of the game since 1985, when he was a still-young 33 years old.

Even with more than half his life now spent AFTER his retirement, Waits still spent parts of 12 years in the bigs. That longevity came despite a 4.25 ERA in 1400+ innings, including two seasons north of 5 and one above 6.

Waits also didn’t strike out a lot of batters and walked nearly as many as he K’d. He had occasional bouts of Gopher Ball Fever, too.

Even so, as a lef-thander who proved to be a durable arm, first as a starter and then as a long reliever, Waits was a fixture with the Indians for nearly a decade and then tacked on another three years with Brewers.

On his 1979 Topps card — and today, of course — Rick Waits for the diamond to fill in around him…and for your birthday wishes.

Pre-Rookie Statement

Waits’ last major league appearance was a one-inning relief stint against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 6, 1985.

It was young Mike Greenwell who knocked Waits out of the game — and out of his career, as it turned out — with a no-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning that scored Rich Gedman and moved Mike Easler to second base.

Greenwell wouldn’t even use up his rookie eligibility for another two seasons, by which time he was causing some hobby noise from the confines of the 1987 sets.

Among those was the iconic, woodgrained, love-it-or-hate-it 1987 Topps issue. That set was among the first I ever profiled on Wax Pack Gods — read all about it right here.

—

Speaking of those woodies, what’s your take on them? Amazing or abomination?

As a 15-year-old kid who had been disappointed with Topps designs since 1986, I fell in love with the ‘87s right away. Not sure if old man me would feel the same seeing them for the first time, but they’re ingrained (ahem) in my hobby heart and history at this point.

Anyway, I’d love to hear your take.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam