1987 ron cey

in january of 1987, the cubs traded ron cey to the a's. here is his 1987 o-pee-chee card:

here's the topps front:

now the o-pee-chee back:

and the topps back:

i've been saving this 1987 variation for last, and it is indeed the last of the 1987 variations. the penguin, who was the la dodgers' leading career home run hitter until eric karros surpassed him, spent about half the season with the a's in 1987. he was released in july of that year, right around the same time fellow infielder steve garvey went down for the season with an injury and former teammate bill buckner was released by the red sox. only buckner returned for more big league action.

cey had hit just .221 in 45 games for the a's, primarily as a dh, although he also played some first base for the first time in his career. he hit 4 home runs to give him 316 for his career, and one of those bombs was hit at yankee stadium off of dave righetti - the first time he had visited the bronx since clinching the 1981 world series title there in 1981.

despite being released in july, cey was still featured in the 1987 topps traded set which i appreciated. although steve garvey was my favorite player, it was the penguin's poster that was on my wall.

voici à vous, 1987 ron cey!