1988 Topps, Jim Sundberg

#516 Jim Sundberg

Here is the fourth and final Jim Sundberg card that I got signed in the week leading up to the '85 Classic. This one, like the Diamond King card, was signed at the '85 Classic. The other two were acquired through the mail. It's really hard to tell, but if you look at the TTMs and the in-persons side-by-side, you can see that the in-person ones are much more rushed than the TTM ones. They all look like a jumbled mess, but the two TTMs are more consistent than the in-persons. I guess even retired ballplayers have a hurried ballpark signature.

By the time Jim joined the Cubs, he was 36 years old. But, he still played for them for year and a half before getting released early in the 1988 season. He was quickly snagged up by the Rangers and he was able to finish his career right where he started it.

Brian, at Play at the Plate, has left a couple of comments saying that Jim is now part of the Rangers postgame show (and I'm guess pregame too). So if you ever go to a game at Rangers Ballpark, you might want to take a Jim Sundberg card with you since the show is shot right off of the concourse. I've had success there before with Mark McLemore, but Brian got ran off by security last month. Either way, it is always worth a shot.