Happy Birthday - Dave Dravecky

I thought for a new series that I could post on each of my player collections birthdays. I actually meant to start this at the beginning of the month but I missed a couple, oops! This will also be a way of showcasing that players cards and in a year, I can see if that collection has grown and by how much.

Not to mention with all the Michigan guys I collect, this will be quite a few posts.

From baseball-reference.com

Dave was born today in 1956, making him 65 years old

MLB debut - June 15th, 1982 (San Diego Padres)

Years Active -

• 1982-1987 (San Diego Padres)
• 1987-1989 (San Francisco Giants

Rookie cards w/Padres

Traded to the Giants

Cards listed on TCDB - 92

Cards I have - 61 (2 not listed on TCDB)

The 2 not listed on TCDB - both came from Padrographs

Where they came from - 

• Sportlots (21 cards)
• Padrographs (14 cards)
• Just Commons/Card Barrel (14 cards)
• Ebay (4 cards)
• COMC (3 cards)
• Unknown (3 cards)
• Blue Batting Helmet (2 cards)

While Rob at Blue Batting Helmet gave me my first 2 cards when I announced this collection, Rod of Padrographs gave me my first big chunk when it got going.

The first 2 cards from Blue Batting Helmet

I only have 4 post-career cards of him which is why TCDB only has him with 92 cards, they don't make too many of him anymore so this collection doesn't get added to very often (other than that last lot from Sportlots).

Post career cards - 3 of the 4 come from the set on the right.

Most of you know the story of Dravecky, that he developed Cancer in his arm, rushed back afterwards to get back and in his 2nd start back, shattered his arm, ending his season and career. In the postseason celebration at the end of the 1989 season, he broke his arm again. They found more cancer and ended up amputating his arm.

He wrote a book about it

The reason I collect him is when I was a kid, my father developed cancer in his arm. They amputated it above the elbow but didn't get it all and it ended up going to his lungs and killing him. So when Dave Dravecky started having the above issues, it connected with me and I've always remembered his story because of it.