Card fact: This is the final card issued of Ken Berry during his career. In fact, he wasn't a Brewer by the time the set came out. And if you pulled this card after June of '75, he wasn't in the majors anymore.
What I thought about this card then: I had the mini card, but I can't recall a thing. Since Berry disappeared right as I was becoming interested in baseball, I knew very little about him. I still don't know all that much. For the longest time, I got him confused with Rick Barry, the basketball player. That's very strange, because basketball was not a popular sport in my house growing up.
What I think about this card now: Berry looks like an actor from the '70s, but I'm blanking on the name.
Other stuff: Ken Berry was a starting center fielder, mostly for the White Sox, during the 1960s. He then played with the Angels in the '70s before ending with the Brewers and Indians. Berry was a fair hitter, but he was known mostly for his fielding and ability to make leaping catches.
Berry won two gold gloves. He also made one All-Star Game, in 1967, despite finishing the year hitting .241. He played from 1962-75. After his career, he coached in the minor leagues with the White Sox and founded a youth league in Kansas. He also was an advisor for the movie "Eight Men Out," and received a small speaking role at the end of the movie (he plays a heckler).
An in-depth interview of Berry can be found here.
Back facts: "Ken" must have come from Berry's middle name.
Other blog stuff: How about if I show the mini card next to the regular card?
That's starting off your Monday right.
Well, there was a Ken Berry who was in Mayberry RFD and a frequent guest on Carol Burnett. He had his own summer replacement series : "The Ken Berry 'Wow' Show".
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For a guy I've never heard of, he had a long enough career to avoid the write-up. I like the mini-regular comparison.
ReplyDeleteBerry was considered something of a star at one point in his career. He probably played at least in one all-star game and also won a gold glove. He & Paul Blair were considered the best center fielders in the American League at that time. I was a White Sox fan as a kid and he was one of our best players. Plus, as a seven and eight year old, I used to wonder if he was the same Ken Berry who played Captain Parmenter on F Troop.
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