17 March 2012

i can see leary now

when i think of tim leary, i think of two things.  first, his 11th inning pinch-hit game winning single against the giants in an august game that is one of my all-time favorite television watching experiences and made me a believer in the 1988 dodgers, and second, his three scoreless innings of relief in game 1 of the 1988 world series kept things in check that made the dodgers' rally possible. 

i guess the third thing i would think of is that he is the guy who came over from the brewers in the greg brock trade.  i remember thinking 'we let steve garvey go for this?'.  leary disappointed in 1987, his first year with the dodgers, going 3-11 in 39 games (12 starts).  in 1988, he turned things around as his place in the starting rotation was solidified thanks to bob welch being traded to the a's.  leary went on to post a record of 17-11 with a 2.91 era with 6 shutouts.  he won the silver slugger (he hit .269) and was named the nl's comeback player of the year award for his work in 1988.

these days, leary makes appearances on behalf of the team, and he was recently kind enough to sign and return some cards for me.  like his 1988 topps card
his 1989 topps card
and his 1989 upper deck card
thanks tim - for that hit, that relief work, and these cards.

2 comments:

topher (Crackin Wax/Varsity Trading Cards) said...

What are your feelings on pen-signed cards? They scare me a bit. Like pushing the pen down on the cardboard is going to murder its overall personal and fiscal value.

gcrl said...

yeah, pen is not my favorite but it will do. i suspect some players must use ballpoint to make a point, but i don't know for sure. someday i will post my wes parker tom success and you'll see what i mean, although he goes to the other extreme and barely makes an impression with the pen.