the pete van weiren memorial patch

when i first saw this 2015 topps heritage freddie freeman holofoil parallel

in the value-not value box i purchased recently, my first thought was: wow, this card would be great in brian's commemorative patch collection.  my second thought was: wow, this card would be great in my memorial patch collection.  my collection won out.

freeman is wearing the pete van weiren memorial patch on his left chest (that's the 40th anniversary of hank aaron's 715th home run patch on his right sleeve).  van weiren passed away on august 2, 2014 from complications due to lymphoma, and the braves added the patch to their uniform for the remainder of the season.

van weiren had been a braves' broadcaster from 1976 through 2008.  he retired after the 2008 season, not too long after his long-time partner skip caray passed away.  about a year later, van weiren was diagnosed with cutaneous b-cell lymphoma.  he was 69 years old when he died.