In late October, Nick Swisher took on the challenge of an appearance on Yahoo! Sports’ Old Baseball Cards video series with the goal of potentially finding one of his dad’s cards in a pack from back in 1983.
That pack wasn’t his — and he’d have to pull off a trade with host Mike Oz if it happened — but what this high-energy video did do was bring me out of hibernation.
It’s been a busy few years picking up treasures but they’ve all gone un-documented here where they should be seen but that all changed when my newest piece arrived today — a total surprise that genuinely confused me at first.
First, before you read another word, watch the video above …
Out of the blue, on Monday morning I received an envelope with a 1983 Fleer Rod Carew card inside with an autograph not from the Hall of Famer but from Swisher. My initial reaction was that somebody I bought something from over on eBay who knew about my SwishStash sent it to me out of the blue. Then I thought, “that’s an odd fake.”
Confused I flipped over the envelope and it was then that I saw the return address with the notation of “Old Baseball Cards” and all it clicked all this time since that video arrived.
As you saw in the episode, Carew’s headband got his attention — enough that Swisher had to lean into the camera and show viewers what he was looking at — and he marveled at the look noting how Carew “ain’t scarred to put some work in.”
Oz’s place in my fantasy league along with one of his iconic cardboard pals, Ben Aguirre, who I’m pretty sure provided my address, along with some ink from Swisher has led to this being one of the oddest and most-interesting pieces in my SwishStash.
It’s a Swish-used autographed baseball card — a one-of-a-kind that I don’t think can ever happen again … unless he somehow revives the Emmy-winning Swisher Unscripted and starts opening packs of cards over on FOX.
You never know … but, until then, this legendary piece is all mine and it simply can’t be rivaled.
Do you have a Swisher item I might want? Contact me on Twitter,@chrisolds2009
SWISHFAN.com 