Jeff Reardon 1992 Upper Deck

EDIT: Looks like I already wrote about this card a few years back. Oh well, here's another version.

On July 1, 2016 I received this card from the Baseball Card Bandit (BCB):

I'm back writing a bit about the BCB after a very long absence. I am not going to write really long entries on the blog, but I will write what I wrote on Facebook at the time and probably add a bit here and there. 

Here's what I wrote on July 1:

The BCB is at it again but this time there's a wrinkle in his (I assume it's a man) game. Look at the postmark! This card, of Terminator Jeff Reardon, was sent from New York City where Reardon spent the last 11 games of his career sans trademark beard. 

2019 Note: For some reason, I forgot about the three seasons he spent with the other New York team (the Mets) early on in his career. When I think of Jeff Reardon I think Expos or Twins first, Red Sox second and then Mets, Braves, Reds and Yankees in that order. 

Reardon was not needed when he was with the Sox (Boston had potential HoFer Lee Smith) but for some reason GM Lou Gorman picked him up. Maybe that's what led him to real world troubles he had in Florida after he retired. 

2019: Since I posted this three years ago, Lee Smith went from potential Hall of Famer, to actual Hall of Famer. I still don't understand why Lou Gorman added Reardon to the Red Sox in 1990. Lee Smith was still at the top of his game, he had struck out 12.2 SO/9, which dwarfed Reardon's 5.9 mark. And plus his ERA was a full run plus better than the Terminator. The only thing Reardon had on him was he had six more saves. The back end of the bullpen wasn't a problem at all. And to top it off you trade him for Tom Brunansky? Ugh. I hated that trade then and dislike it now. 

It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for Reardon, who was born in Dalton, MA. He did make the All-Star game the following year but the Sox stunk. I don't know, on paper, the Jeff Reardon signing is something that I should have loved when I was a kid: local boy comes back to his team, former World Series winner, proven major leaguer with a tough pitch. But even I knew the Sox could have spent their money differently. 

Or maybe it was just Florida. Man, that state just sucks.

2019: It wasn't "just Florida" and I can't believe I was so glib writing that. I can be a real prick sometimes. Since he retired, Reardon has had some major issues. They're a bit heavy and I don't want to really get into it, because he does seem like a nice guy. If you want to read more, click here.