The Rated Rabbi Sports Card Podcast

On Part 2 of "Season, Team, Boom Box, and Screen: The 1986 New York Giants," Rabbi Seth Limmer and I unpack the history and glory of the Gatorade Bath. We agree on the unparalleled greatness of Lawrence Taylor. I offer a few select vignettes about LT, including the time he showed up to a team meeting in handcuffs. While we both agree that LT and Barry Bonds were two highly-problematic, drug-using superstars, we cannot achieve consensus regarding which one of them wore dangling earrings better. I watched MTV around the clock as a kid, but I'm shocked to learn Seth was not allowed to watch MTV growing up. Nevertheless, and even though we grew up on opposite coasts, our shared love of the Beastie Boys and our encyclopedic knowledge of their lyrics shines brightly as we run through "Licensed to Ill." I challenge Seth to finish a rhyme from each of the 13 tracks. All this and a surprise pack opening at the end!

In this special “Season, Team, Boom Box, and Screen” episode of the Rated Rabbi Sports Card Podcast, we welcome Rabbi Seth Limmer to the studio for a deep dive into his beloved 1986 NY Football Giants. Along the way, we wrestle with a Rashomon-like inquiry into memory, perspective, and truth as we recall the ferocious Giants’ defense, TE Mark Bavaro’s epic dragging of Ronnie Lott during a Monday night comeback, and the Giants’ 49-3 playoff obliteration of the 49ers in the Meadowlands. Of course, no conversation of that win is complete without Jim Burt’s devastating hit on Joe Montana and the human white flag of surrender embodied by backup QB Jeff Kemp. We also argue over the best number for a QB, remember when Montana and Walter Payton hosted Saturday Night Live the night before Super Bowl XXI, wax poetically over the perfection of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a Super Bowl location, and Seth fawns over scrappy WR Phil McConkey as the symbol of the NY Giants’ ethos. Plus, Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen in a full-length fur coat!

21 players made their all-star debuts in the 1984 All-Star Game. For 12 of the 21, the 1984 game would be their only appearance. Of those 12, five never entered the game. Not only do we run down the forgotten five who never played in their only All-Star appearance, in this episode we have fun with perms, debate the best and worst baseball song, and we remember the potent cocktail of heroin and cocaine that killed John Belushi. We also look back at when Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos dated Dodgers first basemen Mike Marshall and get all gooey inside when Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles does the side eye thing in "Walk Like an Egyptian." Pull up your leg warmers and come along for the ride.

The hobby is an alphabet of noise and I need to get quiet. When I get quiet, I listen. When I listen, I remember. When I remember, I return to the most significant question I can ask myself: "Why do I collect?" An episode about my "why," plus a super neat addition to the PC: A 1910 T212 Obak of San Francisco Seals second baseman Kid Mohler.

Pondering next steps on the PC Pyramid and basking in the glow of a Debra Winger Mail Day during the commercial break in the middle of the 6th. After ads for Sharp VCRs and fire-brewed Stroh's Beer, we flip the channel to a summer rerun of The A-Team. Hannibal, Faceman, Howlin' Mad Murdock, and B.A. Baracus and their black, GMC Vandura that always reminded me of a kidnapper van. Naturally, this opens the door to memories of the kidnapping panic of the 1980s, the birth of stranger danger, and missing children on milk cartons. Somebody pass me a candy cigarette. I need to take the edge off.

Once in a while, I have a Debra Winger Mail Day. Today is one of those days. Check it out.

Let's talk about collector constraint vs. collector restraint. Then, we give some love to 80s Minnesota icon, Kent Hrbek. We daydream about owning a U.L. Washington game-used toothpick. HOF legend Eddie Murray and his much lesser-known younger brother Giants 1st baseman Rich Murray both get our attention, but it's an at-bat at the very end of Eddie Murray's career that brings back memories of a 12th inning Brian Johnson walk-off homer against the Dodgers. Brian Johnson leads us to AC/DC front man Brian Johnson, which naturally leads to a debate over the greatest closer walkout music of all time. All this and more on the latest episode.

The final segment of my conversation with Matthew  @1956ToppsGuy . In this one, we wrap up our look at the 1989 Cubs and turn toward some pop culture highlights: Tim Burton's Batman revolutionizes superhero movies. Guns N' Roses reigns supreme and remains self-destructive. And it turns out Milli Vanilli had been fooling us with karaoke all along. Plus, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Matthew's epic trade for his 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. If you've ever dreamed about what it would be like to pull off a VERY high stakes trade, you're not going to want to miss this. I can't get enough of his story.

Continuing the conversation with Matthew  @1956ToppsGuy . In Part 2, we talk about the epic sweep of being a lifelong Cubs fan, his successful search for a 1995 Upper Deck Harry Carey-Michael Jordan card at the recent Burbank show, and Matthew shares the the origin story of his love of baseball, the Cubs, and baseball cards: His very first Cubs game in August of 1989 and a Topps Cubs promotional team set given away to fans that day. We also breakdown the Rafael Palmeiro-Mitch Williams trade and remember the "other" chase card in the summer of 1989, Jerome Walton's Upper Deck rookie card. Plus, some fun with the feud between 1989 Cubs manager Don Zimmer and Bill "Spaceman" Lee and we open a couple of packs together!

This one is a fun ride! On a special "Season, Team, Boom Box, and Screen" episode, Matthew⁠ ( @1956ToppsGuy  joins me for deep dive into the 1989 Cubs. On Part 1, we explore why he collects and the artistry of curating a coherent and cohesive collection. We also search for Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown's missing digits, take a ride through Cubs' history through Matthew's card collection, talk rookie cards vs. awesome cards, and a lot more.