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1963 Topps baseball card of one of the hardest throwing left-handed pitchers in baseball history, former Cleveland Indian Sam McDowell. “Sudden Sam” regularly led the American League in strikeouts during his career, and was an AL All Star six times. He battled alcoholism after his playing days ended but eventually got sober and worked as a sports addiction counselor for a couple of major league teams. McDowell also started a retirement community for former players – The City of Legends in Clermont, Florida. The character of Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson on the Cheers television show, was based on McDowell’s life.

1988 Opeechee hockey card of former NHL player Scott Arniel, courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com . Known as a “grinder” with some offensive skills, he carved out a solid 19 year career as a player, mostly with the old Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres. Arniel went into coaching after his playing days ended, winning a Coach of The Year Award in the American Hockey League in 2009. He is currently the head coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

1970 Topps football card of former NFL defensive lineman Charles “Bubba” Smith, who passed away recently. Smith was the top overall draft pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1967, and played most of his NFL career with them. He played on the Colts’ Super Bowl winning team in 1971, but refused to wear his ring because he claimed “the game was too sloppy”.  Smith enjoyed a successful comedic acting career after his playing days ended, his most memorable movie role being that of “Hightower” in the Police Academy movies. He also was known for appearing in the Miller Lite beer commercials.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com ,1975 Topps basketball card of one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, former Washington Bullets’ center Wes Unseld.  During his pro career, he was almost non-existent as an offensive threat, averaging barely over 10 points per game for the 14 years he played. Still, he was a major contributor defensively and under the boards, so dominant in fact that despite his paltry offensive stats, he was named one of the top 50 NBA players of all time and elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. Unseld helped the Bullets win the NBA title in 1978 and after retiring stayed with the team, serving in the front office and also as head coach for eight seasons.

1963 Topps baseball card of a member of the lovable and laughable New York Mets expansion team of the early 1960s, former catcher Clarence “Choo Choo” Coleman. The Mets had little success in their first few years but Coleman supplied a lot of comedy relief. He was known for outrageous comments and malapropisms. One example is his answer to broadcaster Ralph Kiner when asked “what’s your wife’s name and what’s she like?” His answer: “Her name is Mrs. Coleman and she likes ME, bub!” Former Met pitcher Roger Craig once said that Choo Choo, when catching, used to give the sign for what pitch he wanted thrown, then look down to see what it was.

1988 Opeechee hockey card of former NHL player Mark Napier, courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com . Napier played 19 seasons of pro hockey, starting in 1975 with the World Hockey Association before moving to the NHL. He was a part of Stanley Cup winning teams in Montreal and Edmonton. He did a lot of charity work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during his career, and  when he joined the Buffalo Sabres in 1987 he donned the jersey number 65, to draw attention to the foundation, since some children who suffer from the disease but have trouble pronouncing it refer to it as “65 roses”. Napier currently serves as president of the NHL Alumni Association.

With the recent unveiling of the team’s new uniforms, a good sports card to feature is this 1974 Topps football card of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson. The team will return to the white helmets this season, and also to their more traditional blue. The Bills originally changed their helmets from white to red because Ferguson was color-blind and had trouble picking out his receivers from among all the players on the field, causing him to throw more interceptions. All the other teams in the AFC East at the time had white helmets also. Ferguson played 12 seasons for the Bills and is generally considered to be one of their most successful signal-callers of all time, after Jim Kelly and Jack Kemp.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1992 Topps basketball card of recently retired center Shaquille O’Neal. “Shaq” played 19 seasons in the NBA with 6 different teams, winning 4 championships – 3 of which he was named Finals MVP. He also was a 15 time All Star and was MVP of the All Star game 3 times. He was known as a physical player and dominating rebounder, but also led the NBA in scoring twice, and was regularly named an All league defensive player. Off the court, he has appeared in numerous films and recorded at least 5 rap albums, and has dabbled in law enforcement training.

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” This is a 1948 Leaf baseball card of the “Yankee Clipper”, former New York Yankee centerfielder Joe DiMaggio. “Joltin’ Joe” was a classy and humble member of the Yanks’ dynasty in the 1940s. He played 13 seasons with the team, and was an All Star all of those seasons. He played on 9 World Series winning teams and was MVP 3 times, and is best known for his record that to this point has been unbreakable – a 56-game hit streak.  DiMaggio was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955, and outside of his exploits in the game was best known for his marriage to Marilyn Monroe and his long-time stint as pitchman for Mister Coffee. In 1969, he was voted as baseball’s greatest living player, and is mentioned numerous times in popular culture, including Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Old Man And The Sea, and the Simon & Garfunkel song Mrs. Robinson.

1970 Opeechee hockey card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former NHL defenseman Brad Park, who played 18 seasons, most notably with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Park, who along with his contemporary, Bobby Orr, revolutionized the defense position into the “offensive defenseman”, was an NHL all star 9 times. He finished second in the voting for the Norris Trophy for best defenseman 6 times. Park was elected to hockey’s Hall of Fame in 1988.