The Rated Rabbi Sports Card Podcast: Cards Against Time

Willie Mays, may his memory be for a blessing. But I have no reservations about selling his cards now. We celebrate Al Michaels, the greatest living sportscaster and the only announcer to call the Stanley Cup, the NBA Finals, the World Series, and the Super Bowl. One Super Bowl Michaels didn't do was Super Bowl XLI, when Prince gave the all-time best halftime performance. This leads us to Purple Rain, the top album of 1984, and the movie Purple Rain, featuring Apollonia, who caught the imagination of this 13-year-old adolescent. If Prince didn't win 1984 Willie Hernandez did, and Hernandez takes the hill in the bottom of the 8th to face the National League. Plus, the incredible story of trusting and acting on my intuition to win an incredible card for my PC. We end with a special announcement in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1984 All-Star Game.

A big finish to an incredible 80s joyride with Adam. We talk about our plans for the upcoming National in Cleveland, including our plans for opening 80s wax. We each share a mail day. We pull off a trade. And we end by opening some packs from 1982!

On Part 2, 1982 Brewers yield to Billy Ball, the early 80s Oakland A’s, and how Rickey Henderson redefined the meaning of a hero to Adam. We raise the stakes on our trade proposals, pushing bigger ticket items into the middle. Adam and I then move to 1987, remembering Adam’s exile to Barstow, California, and the oasis of being able to listen to KNBR’s Hank Greenwald calling Giants games way far away at Candlestick. For the Giants, their big trade in 1987 was their acquisition of Kevin Mitchell and Dave Dravecky. Dravecky’s dramatic comeback from shoulder cancer, his subsequent reinjury, and his ultimate amputation give us a lot to talk about and two amputees in one show. Finally, Adam steers us toward the King of Late Night, David Letterman. He goes with a special episode where Dave featured Harmon Killebrew and I went with one featuring Joe Niekro.

There are some friends who know us from all the way back. Friends with whom we can only and forever be ourselves. Joining me on this special three-part episode is my all-time best buddy and original card collecting friend, Adam Klusky. In Part 1, we dive into Adam’s card collecting “why?” and “how?” and what he’s looking to collect now. Adam also shares about his childhood and how cards and sports were sanctuaries during turbulent times. We then dive into the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. We talk key trades that put them over the top and Adam and I try to pull off a trade of our own while recording. I raise a toast to Harvey’s Wallbangers, Robin Yount’s HOF credentials are challenged, and we discuss the whereabouts of Harvey Kuenn’s prosthetic leg.

Reflecting on biblical theology, my recent Israel travels, and a rationale behind what defeats us. In this episode, we also remember the career of Hall of Fame slugger Jim Rice and his Red Sox and All-Star teammate Tony Armas. We take a dive into Howard Cosell, scratching only the surface of this complicated, iconic broadcasting figure. Dwayne Murphy, Randall "Tex" Cobb, the Jane Fonda Workout, and a Stroh's Beer commercial with some racial stereotypes that didn't age well also get our attention in this one.

We start with the question "Which Rice is the right Rice?" Then, it's on Remington Steele. It’s aged well. Was well ahead of its time. A commercial for American Airlines turns us to the 1984 Presidential Election and look back at the Democratic National Convention, which began less than a week after the All-Star Game in San Francisco. While Mondale was chosen as the sacrificial lamb vs. President Ronald Reagan, out in front of the Moscone Center protestors were calling on the government to recognize the AIDS epidemic. Unfortunately, it really took until Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive on November 7, 1991. I've got a 1992 card that commemorates his announcement. We then turn to the Golden Age of Serial Killers, 1970-1999. And no state had more prolific serial killers during these years than my beloved home state of California. With nods first to predecessors the Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, and others, I then give you my top-5 serial killers from the 1980s. Even if you live on the second floor, it might be a good idea to lock your windows tonight.