Card fact: Well, the moment has arrived. This is my most favorite card in the set. It's also my most favorite card of all-time. Favorite card when I was a kid. Favorite card now. I traded HANK AARON for this card, for crying out loud. And, no, I don't regret it one bit.
What I thought about this card then: Must. Have. Card.
What I think about this card now: Between the two blogs, I'm sure I have posted this card more often than any other. It's about the 6th or 7th time. I think I've said all I have to say about it. It became my favorite during 1975, I traded the '75 Aaron card for it, and then somehow, tragically, I lost that first '75 Cey card.
Why did Cey become my favorite then? Well, I've studied my younger self enough to come to the conclusion that I liked players with long hair and mustaches and that wore helmets. Add the fact that he was a Dodger, and I think it was a natural fit.
Other stuff: Cey is the best slugger the Los Angeles Dodgers have ever had. He led the franchise in career home runs until Eric Karros broke it. He came through in the clutch in some big postseason moments, most notably during the 1977 NLCS against the Phillies and the 1981 World Series against the Yankees. I remember being especially proud of him when he broke the N.L record for RBIs in the month of April in 1978. And how about the diving catch on a bunt by Bobby Murcer in the '81 World Series?
"The Penguin" had a distinctive trot around the bases -- very much like a waddle. And his batting stance was memorable, too.
I still have no idea why the Dodgers traded him to the Cubs after the 1982 season. No one has been able to give me a good reason. Hey, I liked Pedro Guerrero, too, but put him in the damn outfield.
Cey is now one of the Dodgers' biggest ambassadors, a frequent TTM and in-person signer -- as I will attest. His daughter, Amanda, is a big-time event/party planner in San Francisco.
Back facts: I didn't know what monuments were as a 9-year-old. I thought those rectangular drawings in the cartoon were gas station pumps. I thought Jimmy Piersall was fielding a fly down at the local Sunoco station.
Also, I double-checked the game facts in the write-up. They're all correct. Cey was 3-for-4 with 7 RBIs, two homers and a bases-loaded single. He also struck out looking.
Other blog stuff: This is the second Dodger all-star on the N.L. team so far, so let's add Cey to the list:
AL
1B -
2B -
3B - Brooks Robinson
SS - Bert Campaneris
OF - Bobby Murcer
OF -
OF -
C - Carlton Fisk
P -
NL
1B - Steve Garvey
2B - Joe Morgan
3B - Ron Cey
SS -
OF - Hank Aaron
OF - Pete Rose
OF -
C - Johnny Bench
P -
