A series where I post some thoughts about favorite cards. Previous cards in the series are available here.
You know that scent in the air in these early days of spring? That little bit of green grass coming to life? That faint touch of rain?
When I was a kid, it would always start a few butterflies going in the stomach.
Why?
Little League season was coming. And I wanted to do my absolute best—for my parents, for my teammates, and for our coaches, who pushed us to be excellent and expected us to work hard.
I was also collecting plenty of baseball cards back then, and this particular one brings back a lot of good memories.
Growing up a baseball-loving kid in 1980s New York, "Pags" was a favorite of mine. Game in and game out, he put forth the effort that New Yorkers wanted to see. He was just a classic hard worker. A classic player.
And if you want an example of a classic baseball card, that's it. The pose, the batting gloves, Yankee Stadium as a backdrop, the Yankees logo with the bat and top-hat.
I still remember the baseball card shop I bought this card from. On the ride back, just a block or so from home, I saw one of my friends riding his bike. My mom pulled the car over, and we said hello. My friend saw the binder that I was holding, and excitedly asked what cards were inside. The hobby was booming, and a lot of the neighborhood kids were collecting their favorite local players and watching them on TV.
Back then, Yankee games were televised on WPIX channel 11. (What a treat to have so many games available on basic cable!)
Another treat was listening to Phil Rizzuto call the games. I can almost hear him now.
"Holy cow, Pagliarulo got a hold of that one! That ball is . . . outta here!"
As Pags rounded third base, Scooter would continue.
"And you know what we say every time a Yankee hits a home run. Mike Pagliarulo, this Bud's for you!"
You can hear an example of the call for yourself after Mr. Pagliarulo's second home run of the game here:
In 1987, around the time I bought the card shown above, Pags was busy having his best season yet. He'd finish with 122 hits, 26 doubles, 3 triples, 32 home runs, and 87 RBI, with a slash line of .234/.305/.479. I was pitching and playing third base on my Little League team, and whenever I played third, I tried to work just as hard as he did.
His numbers declined over the next couple of years, partly due to elbow issues, and in 1989 he was traded to the Padres. A couple of years after that he signed as a free agent with the Twins. All the while, I was rooting for him and following him in the box scores. And I'm glad I did, because it was in Minnesota that Pags found his game a little bit, and had a career moment.
The Twins would go on to win that ALCS, and couple of weeks later they'd defeat the Braves in an exciting 7-game World Series. Notably, Pags went 3-for-3 with a home run in Game 4—against John Smoltz! That's another pretty cool feather in his cap. He finished up his MLB career with short stints in Baltimore and Texas, and also played one year in Japan with the Seibu Lions.
The card at the top of this post brings all that stuff back to me. And to this day, I still get a few butterflies in the stomach on these first spring days.
For the fact that one simple baseball card of a childhood sports hero can do all of that, 1985 Topps #638 has a spot in my box of favorite cards.
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