1989 Topps
Man oh man, there was a time when a card like this would draw high acclaim from my friends. I picked it up a few years ago for a couple of dollars, which was a steal, as far as I was concerned. Can you really put a price on making your inner child happy every now and then?
If you don’t know Gregg’s story, he was a friggin amazing closer for the Orioles. I got to see him pitch in his rookie season in Baltimore, closing out an amazing game against the Blue Jays (my first major league game). He had a hell of a curveball, and though closers are generally overrated, I was always excited to see him come out of the pen. Unfortunately, his knee-bending curveball, as it often does, led to a torn elbow ligament, and he was never quite the same after that (a la Kerry Wood). He had a decent comeback year in 1998 with the Diamondbacks, then finished up his career with the Dodgers as a setup guy. Sad ending for a promising career.
