Monday, July 7, 2014

Memorabilia Monday: An eBay Stadium Giveaway

I love the fact that eBay exists.  There are times that I wish that my local flea market or card show were more like eBay -- at least in terms of the available selection of items.  The problem is that I know it would turn out more like what Dave Chappelle envisioned the internet would be like if you could visit it

So, let's forget I ever thought about that.

Instead, for this edition of Memorabilia Monday, I'm highlighting a cool stadium giveaway from 1990 of Milwaukee Brewers cards.  It should surprise no one that these cards were sponsored by Miller High Life.  Miller Brewing is such a part of Milwaukee life that people take it personally there.  Seriously, saying you like Budweiser in Milwaukee is similar to saying you like Pepsi in Atlanta -- people immediately view you with suspicion and disdain for making such bad decisions in life.

Now, usually, when you get cards in a giveaway at the ballpark, they come in a cellophane wrapper.  Not these.  Here's the book that they came in:


The book contains four-pocket plastic sheets that hold standard-sized cards.  It's pretty unique in that regard -- I don't know that I have seen another similar card giveaway.

The cards themselves are not bad looking cards -- kind of generic except for including beer logos on them:




1990 was a strange year for the Brewers.  The team had been in decline from 1987 forward, and, as I have mentioned before, the Brewers had to make a splash in free agency -- signing Dave Parker -- simply to convince long-time shortstop and centerfielder Robin Yount to re-sign with the Brewers.  Despite making that signing and despite Parker having a fairly good year, the Brewers struggled and finished 74-88.  

This was in no small part driven by the fact that Paul Molitor missed 59 games due to injuries -- which were a fact of life in his time in Milwaukee -- and due to the fact that Robin Yount suddenly looked very old at age 34 in hitting just .247/.337/.380 in 158 games.  Closer Dan Plesac walked too many hitters, causing him to fall into a job-sharing position with Chuck Crim.

On the positive side that year, 21-year-old Gary Sheffield looked every bit the up-and-coming superstar that people were predicting for Dwight Gooden's nephew, and Parker contributed a decent season as well.  Ted Higuera chipped in with his last reasonably full season as a starting pitcher at the age of 32.

Still, this Memorabilia Monday was a throwback for me to my last summer as a full-time Wisconsin resident.  That August, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and came to the realization that I liked living in the South better than I did living in the cold of the Midwest.  So, despite the fact that the baseball season was not a great one, it still was a special one to me as I look back twenty-four years thanks to this great purchase off eBay.

3 comments:

  1. My theory is that there are a number of very strong fan bases there that support their team strongly and will buy nearly anything associated with the team. Add in that there are a disproportionate number of collectors in the Midwest because indoor hobbies are more prevalent due to the weather, and you have the reason for all these regional issues.

    That's my theory, at least.

    ReplyDelete