Top 5 Tribute: Orlando Cepeda

The baseball community lost another Hall of Fame member when the great Orlando Cepeda passed away on June 28th. In honor of the "Baby Bull", I present the top 5 cards in my collection:

 

1974 Topps #83 

 

Cepeda spent just a single year with the Red Sox, but it was a historic one. After the AL instituted the designated hitter rule in December of 1972, the Red Sox called Cepeda and asked him if he'd like to be the DH for their team. He accepted on the spot and became the first Red Sox DH in history. He had a chance to be the first DH in Major league history too, but a wild 1st inning from Luis Tiant gave that title to the Yankee's Ron Blomburg. Cepeda would go on to have a great season for Boston and became the first recipient of the Designated Hitter of the Year Award. He also became the first player in history to hit 20 home runs for 4 different teams.

 

1975 Topps #205 1967 MVPs

(Yastrzemski/Cepeda)  

 

Cepeda had his best year in 1967, winning the NL MVP award and leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory over Yastrzemski's Red Sox. Cepeda became just the second NL player to win the award unanimously.

 

2005 UD Past Time

Pennants #60 

 

In addition to his MVP and Designated Hitter Of The Year awards, Orlando Cepeda also won the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year and was an 11 time All-Star. In 1959 he became the first Peurto Rican player to start in an All-Star game.

 

2016 Stadium Club #63

 

This card hits especially hard, with both players passing away in the past month. While Mays was a franchise icon, Cepeda was regarded as the first great "San Francisco" Giant. (Mays of course played when the Giants were still a New York team, and Cepeda's rookie debut occurred during the franchise's first season across the continent.)

 

2016 Topps Heritage

- Baseball Flashbacks #BF-OC

 

In retrospect, it's hard to believe that Cepeda had a long and difficult journey to becoming a Hall of Fame member. For the first 12 years on the ballot (1980-1991) he failed to surpass 50% of the ballots cast, and on his 15th and final ballot, he just missed induction with 73.5% of the vote. He would have to wait an additional 5 years before he was elected by the Hall of Fame Veteran's Committee in 1999. (Even then, his induction was overshadowed by his induction "classmates", the trio of Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount.)

RIP, Mr. Cepeda. You will not be forgotten.

Repack Haiku #365 (Wil Cordero)

Before league caught up

Red Sox suspended him due

To domestic charge

 

1997 Topps #394 Wil Cordero

 

The Red Sox suspended Cordero for a modest 8 games in 1997 after he was arrested for domestic violence against his wife. Minutes after the Red Sox played their last game of the season, they made the easy decision to release him.

Resource: South Coast Today: Sox let troubled Cordero go

But Why This One Card?

Have you ever thought of a player, told yourself that you should really pick up one of his cards, put it on the back burner and forgot, only to think of the person months (even years) later and go through the motions again?

 

I finally did something about one of mine: 

 

I've been wanting this card for a long while, and finally got around to making a trade proposal on the TCDB. Now, most traders will try to get the most out of their postage and send multiple cards. Not me. I proposed a simple one-for-one card swap. It must have struck my trade partner, a nice guy named Vaughan, as odd, because he sent me the following message:

 

Why indeed? It's not a Red Sox card, that would be easy to understand. It's not from a set I'm looking to complete. In fact, I don't even see myself picking up another card from this Orioles-themed set. The set does play an important role, because it was designed to include every single Orioles player in modern history.

So who is Dave Criscione?

Dave's career in the Majors amounted to a grand total of 7 games across 2 weeks in 1977. But in those two weeks he lived the dream of every baseball fan. Imagine you were given just 7 games as a Major Leaguer, how would you envision the perfect version of it?

 

Maybe have one of the greatest managers of all time pencil you in on a lineup card? Dave Criscione played for the immortal Earl Weaver.

Maybe have your locker next to a future Hall of Famer? Criscione suited up right next to Brooks Robinson.

An ovation from the hometown faithful? Criscione actually got multiple in one day! (Once when the scoreboard announced the birth of his daughter, then later when he got his first Major League hit. He got one last round of applause when his sacrifice bunt put the winning run on third during an 8th inning rally.)

Of course, what dream MLB scenario wouldn't be complete with a walk-off home run? The very next day, Criscione entered the game in the 10th inning of a 3-3 ball game against the Brewers. In the bottom of the 11th, Brooks Robinson grounded out in what was eventually his final home stadium at-bat. That brought Dave up to the plate. With family in the stands to witness it, Criscione hit a deep drive to left for a game-winning home run!

 

That home run represented not just the only home run he would ever hit, but also the only run he would ever score and the only RBI he would ever tally. It also ended up being his last hit in the Majors.

 

7 games, 3 hits in 9 at-bats, 1 amazing HR - that was his Major League career in a nutshell. A blip in the history of baseball, but one every baseball fan would have given anything for. A dream fulfilled.

As to why Dave Criscione keeps popping in my mind as someone I needed a card of. The answer is quite simple:

 

Yep, he's the only one born in the same small town as me. I never met him personally, although if I recall correctly, my dad went to high school with one of his brothers. 

This card will get filed away with other cards that are special to me, easy enough to find, look at, remember that even someone from Dunkirk NY could make it to the Majors.

Resources and Fun Reads:

The Sabr Bio Project: Dave Criscione

 

Baseball Reference: Dave Criscione 

 

The Post Journal: Dunkirk Native Criscione Recalls Time In The Bigs

 

Chautauqua Sports Hall Of Fame: Dave Criscione  

When Topps Had Balls: NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 DAVE CRISCIONE