Remembering two of the good guys...

A couple weeks ago I blogged about Season finales and farewells and included an audio clip from the last broadcast of locally-known WMVR disc jockey Gordy Price. That same evening a friend of mine commented to me that as a kid, he too listened to Gordy, and even delivered his Sidney Daily News every day after school. He told me Gordy was the same in person as he was on the radio - full of life. This past Sunday the other radio deejay I listened to as a teen passed away. Casey Kasem, who was nationally known for his "American Top 40" music countdown, died at age 82. I especially enjoyed his long distance dedications and the positive stories that came out of them. Like Gordy, Casey was full of life. It's hard to find guys like that these days when shock jocks seem to dominate the airwaves. Casey said it best at the end of each and every broadcast with his signature sign-off, "keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Casey Kasem's final countdown in July 2009 ended an era

We also said good bye on Monday to another one of the real good guys, San Diego's "Mr. Padre" Tony Gwynn. When I was a kid, you were only as good as your baseball card. I loved collecting cards and if your baseball card was worth a lot, well, then so were you. In 1983 the three most valuable players in my book were Topps rookie cards #83 Ryne Sandberg from the Cubs, #498 Wade Boggs from the Red Sox, and #482 Tony Gwynn from the Padres. Those cards were worth $20-$30 back then, which was a small fortune to me. I never had the opportunity to watch Tony play much on television, since he was a west coast guy, but I certainly followed the stats on his baseball cards every year and always watched the All-Star game, which he played in 15 times during his career. Of course an all-star appearance meant an additional baseball card in next years edition. Those cards of the 80's have lost popularity in today's market, so my investment is worth about half of what it once was. But comparing Tony Gwynn and all his achievements to the players that came after him, he's no doubt one of the most valuable players that ever played the game! 

I still have the three best baseball players in 1983