Bunny Brief

I ran across this card on eBay. The seller wanted $9.95 plus shipping for it. The most I'd be willing to pay for this parallel card would be $0.50. I think it's black bordered base card is worth only a dime. So, why would anyone sell this for ten bucks? Pure greed coupled with a public that doesn't know too much about the Conlon cards that came out in the early 90's. Ignorance and greed are a dangerous mix. Don't get caught in it. Study what you are looking at before you buy.

Seeing this name on a card stopped me in my tracks. I had never heard the name before. You tend to remember a name like that. It turns out that Bunny was Anthony Vincent Brief. Although, he was born Anthony John Grzeszkowski. I can't find any information on why his nickname was Bunny. I can't find any info on why his last name changed to Brief.

What I did find out shocked me a little. His major league career was certainly brief. He only played parts of four years in the majors, and only 1915 was spent with the White Sox. He also played for the St. Louis Browns in 1912 and 1913 and he played with the Pirates in 1917.

Bunny played 48 games with the White Sox in 1915 playing first base. He hit .214 that year. His major league career was spotty at best. His career average was only .223. Not even that great in that era. What really surprised me was his minor league career.

Bunny holds the all-time record for home runs in the American Association with 256. A form of that league still exists today, in it's fourth incarnation. He holds 8 home run titles! He also holds 5 RBI titles! Bunny led the league in runs 5 times, triples twice, doubles once and hits twice!

You'd think that with those kind of credentials, Bunny's name would be better known, especially with a name like that. Bunny Brief just rolls off the tongue. I guess Bunny is what you would call a 4A player. He's great at the Triple A level, but it never translates to major league success.

In 1921, Bunny had his best season playing for the Kansas City Blues. He hit 42 home runs, 191 RBIs, and had 166 runs scored. If only minor league success could have tranfered over to the majors, Bunny's name may be more recognizable today. At least Bunny got his chance a few different times in the majors. Some great minor league players never get that shot.