16 December 2013

a black armband for jim mckay

sportscaster jim mckay, best known for his 37 years as the host of abc's wide world of sports and coverage of the 1972 olympic hostage situation in munich, died of natural causes in june of 2008.  he had been a fixture in baltimore for a good part of his life - from high school to a job at the baltimore sun to a gig at their brand new television station in 1947 - and while he moved on to national and international journalism gigs, including his tenure as the primary olympics correspondent from 1964 through 1988, he remained close to his maryland roots.

in 1993, mckay purchased a minority share in the hometown orioles.  when he passed away, the team wore black armbands on their right sleeves in his memory.  the armband is visible on brian roberts' 2009 upper deck card
as well as george sherrill's
and adam jones'
 the card that will represent the armband in the binder, however, is roberts' 2009 upper deck icons card
the 2009 upper deck roberts goes to the double play binder, but for sherrill and jones there is no place in my collection.  for their cards, there is just the 'agony of defeat'.

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