1984 Fleer #491 - Jody DavisLooks can be deceiving. Jody Davis was a two time All-Star for the Cubs and a Gold Glove winner. On this card, he just looks like the batboy or the younger brother of a Cubs player. He almost looks like he could've been the inspiration for the Punky Brewster episode where Punky gets to watch the game from the Cubs dugout after Henry gets the wrong tickets from a scalper. Jody almost looks young enough to be down with Punky Power.
Jody Davis was popular in Chicago, but I'm not exactly sure why. Yes, he was a good defender and usually an average batter, but the extraordinary lengths that some of my childhood friends would defend him was mind boggling. I could see Jody winning in a battle against Ron Karkovice. Ron was a good defender, but I'd be lying if I said he was even close to average at the plate. My Cubs fan childhood friends thought Jody was better than Carlton Fisk. He was pretty good, but Davis was definitely not in that league of catchers. It's like saying that Joel Skinner was better than Johnny Bench in 1983 because he was younger and had a slightly higher average.
Any Cubs player on the 1984 team instantly had a following by the Wrigley faithful afterwards. In the same vein, the 1983 White Sox team were regarded in a similar fashion. Of course Ryne Sandberg was the talk of the town for the Cubs, and he definitely deserved all the accolades, but Jody Davis was the name that I heard almost as often. I still hear Jody's name mentioned today by Cubs fans. The love is still there for Davis, often at the expense of Damon Berryhill, his full time replacement.
It was strange seeing Jody in a Braves uniform for the final few years of his MLB career. It was a long, rapid slide for Jody after his Gold Glove winning 1986 season. Based on his association with the 1984 Cubs and his spectacular 1986 season, he has found a place in the hearts of Chicagoans. I would have to say that this is my favorite Cubs card because it shows Jody on the cusp of greatness. The childlike smile and the playful attitude displayed on the card gave no hints about what was on the horizon for Davis and the Cubs, but it looks like the journey would be fun.
8 comments:
Is this going to be a new feature?
Great post!
I meant favorite cards of the Cubs...
The favorite cards feature itself is one of my favorites.
We'll see if I go for a second round after I exhaust all the former and current MLB teams. :-)
I think Jody owed a lot of his popularity to Harry Caray. Do you remember Harry singing "Jo-Dee, Jo-Dee Davis" to the tune of "Davey, Davey Crockett'?
Jody had a few clutch hits/HRs and the next thing you know, Harry's pumping him up like he's the greatest catchers since Johnny Bench.
I agree with Wrigley Wax that Harry had something to do with it. A winning team is another reason. Third might be the lack of talented Cubs catchers and before after Randy Hundley. Geo Soto's sort of in the same place now.
I completely forgot about the Davey Crockett singing of Jody Davis' name! I'm sure that played a big part in his regional popularity.
I went to a game at Wrigley last month and saw a Cubs fan wearing a "throwback" Jody Davis jersey. It looked just like the real powder blue/pin striped away version they wore in 1981.
Up until that point, I had no idea someone even made a Jody Davis throwback
Jody Davis is one of the nicest guys. His parents lived down my street in Gainesville, GA (his hometown) when I was a kid and he was so nice to us neighborhood kids. One day we knocked on his parents door when he was home and he signed autographs for us. Too cool! Always been proud of our hometime boy!
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