Who is the man: After failing to latch on with his hometown Detroit Tigers, Campbell made the most of a trade to San Diego in 1970, playing in a career-high 154 games for the second-year Padres. He hit only .219, but stole 18 bases and hit 12 home runs, which placed him among the team leaders.
Can ya dig it: I first came across Campbell when he was working as a broadcaster and studio analyst for ESPN baseball. When I found out that Campbell was once a major leaguer, I assumed he was the former pitcher for the Braves in the late 1970s, who was also named Dave Campbell. I never knew there was ANOTHER Dave Campbell. (Let alone this guy).
Right on: Kind of an awkward photo here, cropped strangely and off-center. It is such a severe head shot that Topps had to squeeze the signature in on a diagonal.
You see this cat Campbell is a bad mother: Campbell was forever working to make himself valuable. Not only did he play every infield position, but he practiced behind the plate, too, so teams would know he could catch if they needed a backup catcher. When he got hurt, he begged the Padres GM to let him do the color commentary for team broadcasts. When he was starting out as a broadcaster, he couldn't find a job, so he went to work as a manager in the Padres' organization. Then, when he found work as a broadcaster, he invented a baseball board game called "X-Tra Bases."
Shut your mouth: Campbell is known for his unflinching style in the broadcast booth. He's not afraid to criticize. That likely led to the Padres not renewing his contract when he worked as a broadcaster for them during the 1980s.
No one understands him but his woman: Here's a look at Campbell's board game. I'm too lazy to see if I can explain how it's played.
(A word about the back): I mucked up the scan. That gray bar in the right corner isn't really on the card.
I like his unflinching style. And that he's not Joe Morgan.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, knew him as an announcer but never sought his back story. Thanks for the info.
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