Steve Garvey Beckett COA Autograph 1988 Little League Award Program Dodgers Padr

Description: This Steve Garvery Autographed 1988 Little League Award Program is the exact item you will receive and has been certified Authentic by Beckett COA #AA51893 and REM Fine Collectibles. The Bill Shea Distinguished Little League® Graduate Award was established in 1987 to serve a two-fold purpose. First, and most importantly, the award is presented to a former Little Leaguer® in Major League Baseball who best exemplifies the spirit of Little League. Consideration for selection includes both the individual’s ability and accomplishments, and the individual’s status as a positive role model. Steve Garvey was the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player in 1974 and National League Championship Series MVP in 1978 and 1984. He was an NL All-Star for 10 seasons and holds the NL record for consecutive games played (1,207). The Padres retired Garvey's No. 6 in 1988. Garvey was born in Tampa, Florida, to parents who had recently relocated from Long Island, New York. From 1956 to 1961, Garvey was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers during spring training. He graduated from George B. Chamberlain High School in 1966. Garvey was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round of the 1968 MLB draft (June secondary phase). He made his Major League debut on September 1, 1969 at the age of 20. He appeared in the 7th inning to pinch hit for Ray Lamb and struck out in his one appearance at the plate.[10] He had two more plate appearances in 1969 as a pinch hitter and recorded his first hit on September 10, off Denny Lemaster of the Houston Astros. He played third base for the Dodgers in 1970 and hit his first home run on July 21, 1970, off Carl Morton of the Montreal Expos. He moved to first base in 1973 after the retirement of Wes Parker. Garvey was part of one of the most enduring infields in baseball history, along with third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell, and second baseman Davey Lopes. The four infielders stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years, starting on June 13, 1973. Garvey is one of only two players to have started an All-Star Game as a write-in vote, doing so in 1974. That year, he won the NL MVP award and had the first of six 200-hit seasons. In the 1978 National League Championship Series, which the Dodgers won over the Philadelphia Phillies, Garvey hit four home runs and added a triple for five extra base hits, both marks tying Bob Robertson's 1971 NLCS record and earning him the League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award; Jeffrey Leonard would tie the NLCS home run record in the 1987 NLCS. Garvey's cheerful personality, his availability with reporters, and his willingness to sign autographs for fans made him a very popular player, and the Dodgers took advantage of this, making him one of the main focuses of their public relations campaigns. This caused friction with some of his Dodger teammates, such as Cey and Lopes, who thought Garvey was only acting this way to get endorsement opportunities. Cey, Lopes, and another unnamed player criticized Garvey in a mid-June 1976 San Bernardino Sun-Telegram article, which prompted manager Walter Alston to call a team meeting. At this meeting, Garvey said, "If anyone has anything to say about me, I want it said to my face, here and now." No one said anything. Tommy John thought it was at this point that Alston, who retired at the end of the year, began to lose control of the team. Late in the 1978 season, the rift resurfaced when Don Sutton criticized Garvey for being the only Dodger to get publicity, insisting that Reggie Smith was a better player. The day after the article appeared, Garvey confronted Sutton with a copy of it in the locker room of Shea Stadium, where the Dodgers were for a series against the New York Mets. When Sutton affirmed that the quotes were his, the two got into a brawl. Garvey threw Sutton into Tommy John's locker, causing 96 baseballs John had been signing to fall out. Neither was hurt, though, and the two managed to overcome their feud, making sure they were the first to congratulate each other on the field for the rest of the year. With the Dodgers, Garvey played in 1,727 games over 14 seasons and hit .301 with 211 homers and 992 RBI. He was selected to eight All-Star Games and won the All-Star Game MVP Award for the 1974 and 1978 games. He also won four straight Gold Glove Awards from 1974 to 1977, won the 1981 Roberto Clemente Award, and finished in the top 10 in the NL MVP Award voting five times. His first season in San Diego allowed him to break the National League record for consecutive games played, a feat that landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated as baseball's "Iron Man". In an unusual homecoming, Garvey tied the record in his first appearance back at Dodger Stadium in Padre brown. For breaking the record, he was named the National League Player of the Week. The streak ended at 1207 consecutive games played (from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983) when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate against the Atlanta Braves. It is the fourth-longest such streak in Major League Baseball history. It was Garvey's second season in San Diego, however, that would be his highlight in a Padres uniform. In 1984, Garvey became the only first baseman in MLB history to commit no errors while playing 150 or more games. He handled 1,319 total chances (1,232 putouts and 87 assists) flawlessly in 159 games for the Padres. Led by Garvey, winning his second National League Championship Series MVP award, the Padres won their first National League pennant over the Chicago Cubs in 1984. In Game 4, Tony Gwynn drew an intentional walk that Garvey converted into one of his four RBIs. After getting hits in the third, fifth, and seventh innings, Garvey capped off his efforts with a two-run walk-off home run off Lee Smith in the ninth inning. As he rounded third base, Garvey was met by fellow Padres who later carried him off the field in celebration. The home run became popular among San Diego Padres fans and was captured in a sequence of three shots by Padres team photographer Martin Mann. He was the only photographer to get a sequence of shots of the swing, and in an interview with The San Diego Union Tribune, Martin Mann said, “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen at a baseball game. It was just a magical night. There was something about that night, I don't know what it was. It felt like something was going to happen.” Garvey made his final appearance in a game on May 23, 1987, pinch-hitting for Lance McCullers in the ninth inning. He hit a flyout in his one appearance at the plate. In his 19-year MLB career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played. The Bill Shea Distinguished Little League® Graduate Award was established in honor of the many contributions made to Little League and the game of baseball by Bill Shea, President of the Little League Foundation. Bill Shea is credited with bringing National League Baseball back to New York in the early 1960s while also working diligently for the advancement of Little League. Therefore, it is appropriate that a Little League award bearing his name be associated with Major League Baseball. While not presented every year, the Bill Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award is typically presented during the week of the Little League Baseball® World Series held in August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS2015 - 2021 - NO AWARD2014 - ROY SMALLEY2013 - JOE TORRE2012 - JASON VARITEK2011 - TOM GLAVINE2010 - RON DARLING2009 - JEFF BAGWELL2008 - KENT TEKULVE2007 - TORII HUNTER2006 - MIKE FLANAGAN2005 - LARRY BOWA2004 - BILLY CONNORS2003 - SHAWON DUNSTON2002 - TOMMY JOHN2001 - OREL HERSHISER2000 - GEORGE BRETT1999 - ROBIN YOUNT1998 - DON SUTTON1997 - KEN GRIFFEY SR.1996 - NO AWARD1995 - ROCK MONDAY1994 - LEN COLEMAN1993 - GARY CARTER1992 - STEVE PALERMO1991 - DAVE DRAVECKY1990 - JIM PALMER1989 - TOM SEAVER1988 - STEVE GARVEY1987 - BOBBY VALENTINE

Price: 49 USD

Location: Beverly Hills, California

End Time: 2025-01-15T23:23:01.000Z

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