Game 7

 Twins fall victim to the hot bats of the White Sox. Robin Ventura leads the charge with 2 home runs in the 15 to 6 victory.

9 years before the strike shortened 1994 season Topps decided to take a chance by commemorating the first US Olympic team in history in the 1985 set. We all know who the star of that subset was, Mark McGwire. In just 3 short years it became the most sought after card of the decade. And in a related note, in the background of the Big Mac card you will see a partial stadium billboard advertising Marlboro cigarettes. Ironically the same type of advertisement sent the editors over at Fleer into a tizzy just 4 years later with several variations of the Randy Johnson rookie card. Although the Johnson was noticed after the infamous Billy Ripken F(*# Face card which is probably they reacted like that to Johnson promoting cigs. I guess it could also be that the 18 year tobacco law was into effect by then, so they would have had to edit that anyway. But I digress, Ventura was one of several prominent prospects for the second US Olympic team that headed to Seoul South Korea in 1988 and was then featured in the Update set, instead of having to wait for the 89 flagship set.

Ventura set the college baseball world on its ear in the 80's playing very well for Oklahoma State University. He was a three time All American, had a NCAA record 58 game hitting streak and won the Dick Howser award in 1988. Add to that the gold medal in the Olympics and he was one of the hottest prospects in baseball. 

He was drafted in 88 and by the fall of 89 he was in the bigs. In 1990 he made a horrendous 23 errors at 3rd base, but in 91, 92, and 93 won Gold Gloves each of those years. He also became the first AL third baseman to collect 3 straight 90 RBI seasons since Graig Nettles in 75-78, which seems a little odd, considering the hot corner is supposed to be one of the power positions and it seems weird that there wasn't one with that many rbis that consistantly for 15 years. Ventura's 18 grand slams rank 5th all time and his most famous one came in the 5th game of the 1999 NLCS where he only made it to first base before getting mobbed by teammates, as that bomb put the Mets in the World Series for the first time in 13 years, before getting soundly trounced by the Bombers in the Subway Series.

But, despite all his accolades and success on the diamond, and in the dugout as a manager of the Sox, Ventura will probably most likely be remembered for the game against the Texas Rangers on Aug 4, 1993. Facing Texas legend Nolan Ryan, Ventura was hit by the pitch. He started to head to first, but then threw down his helmet and charged towards Ryan. Nolan, caught him, put him in a headlock and tried, in baseball terms, to rearrange his face. The benches cleared and only a couple of punches landed solidly and it looked a lot worse than it was. But a moment in time that will live on. 

Ventura is in the College Baseball Hall of Fame and the OSU Athletic Hall and was inducted with Barry Sanders, and Country Music Superstar, Garth Brooks.

   


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