Mailbox Joys: A Fisk To Remember

2009 Goodwin Champions #75 - Carlton Fisk

Recently, I added my first Fisk purchase in awhile. The resulting purchase arrived as if on cue on my birthday. I have been meaning to post this ever since.

This card, as many Fisk cards, hold a significance to me that is nearly impossible for me to comprehend. Since this is a blog, which requires words to coexist with the pretty pictures, I'll try to explain.

Many would think that Carlton Fisk being a Hall of Fame player who spent over half his career with my favorite team would be enough of a reason to collect him. Add that to me playing the position of catcher and I guess you could begin to understand why.

I've been known to chew out players (in a serious game, not one for fun) when they dog it and don't do the little things that they should, like run out a ball in play. I learned that lesson very early and I never forgot it. Sometimes it can be the difference between winning and whining.

I have a strong connection with the most iconic moment of Fisk's career. I was born 366 days after his dramatic home run in the 1975 World Series that changed how games are shown on television. I won't dwell on the fact that a rat ultimately played the most important part of making that piece of television history happen. It doesn't matter. It happened and the sport was changed.

On October 21, 1976, I was born in Chicago. It came one year (366 days, since 1976 was a leap year) to the day of Fisk's World Series home run. In a sense, you could argue that I was destined to be a Fisk fan. It's natural for people to seek out important events, births and deaths that happened somewhere in time on their birthday. Fisk's home run is second to only Ruth's called shot at Wrigley field in storied home runs during the World Series.

Maybe I collect him because of the close proximity to my own birth. Maybe it has to do with being an impressionable child and Fisk being the star catcher on my favorite team. It probably has a little of each and a smattering of other things.

I do know that this is a beautiful card and I am proud to have it in my collection. I am also relieved to find what I thought was the state of Florida behind the Red Sox logo to only be decoration and nothing more. Now I am one card closer to being through with the 2009 Goodwin Champions set.