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Death among the living

 
I came across this card while researching a topic a couple days ago.

I have this card, acquired fairly recently in my attempt to complete the 1970 Topps set. I had no idea of its significance.

It is the only card of Paul Edmondson. Even though he started 13 games in his first major league season in 1969 and pitched fairly well, he'd never have another card. He'd never pitch in another game.

He was killed in an automobile accident the day after his birthday in February 1970, and so his card is another one of those cards that was pulled from packs after the player had passed. I thought I knew all the examples of players who died during their careers, of cards issued of players living when the photo was taken but no longer living when the packs were opened.

Roberto Clemente, Don Wilson, Danny Frisella, Yordano Ventura, Ken Hubbs. I've written about some of them on the blog.


Here is another one.

I don't like writing about this one, not on this day, the anniversary of the boat crash that killed Steve Olin and Tim Crews.

It's not that I have any connection to either of those players. It's because March 22 is the day my daughter was born. It's a day of life, to celebrate life.

I don't like acknowledging death on this day. But I found myself reading about the crash and a retrospective on the 20th anniversary of it.  It was more horrible than I remembered, probably because I was 27 when it happened, still five years away from being a father, and now I am 56 with a daughter who is three years away now from being 27.

Steve Olin was 27 when he died. So was Paul Edmondson.
 
 

Tim Crews was 31. He was driving the boat. He was legally drunk, although that likely wasn't the sole reason why he drove into the pier.

I received this card that Crews signed from reader Richard. He said it was a favorite of his but it was time to let it go. To a Dodger fan.

Crews was on the Indians when he died, but I had known him only as a Dodger and that's the only MLB team he played for during his abbreviated career.

He was the first Dodger player that I knew who had died during his career. There had been a couple of Brooklyn players who passed while still playing long ago, but Crews was the first Los Angeles Dodger.

I don't remember how I found out about the accident. I would imagine it was the next day at work. This was a few years before the internet, so it's likely I read about it on the wire on our computer in the small bureau office where I worked. Perhaps my co-worker told me about it, he was always up on the latest sports news more than I was.

I know I felt it. Crews was a Dodger. Olin was my age. I had barely heard of him before the accident. He had a break-out year in 1992, appearing in 72 games. But I was a National League fan.

Now it's almost 30 years since Olin and Crews died. And anytime I see the anniversary of the accident brought up on this date, I go out of my way to avoid it because this isn't the day I want to hear about that stuff.

And now I'm the one bringing it up.

Finally time to realize there's death among the living, I guess.

It's a shame though.

Comments

Laurens said…
I remember having a Steve Olin rookie card because I might have seen pitch on TV one time. For just the brief period of time, I was proud to have it until a friend in class showed another kid and he laughed the card off as only being worth a quarter.
bryan was here said…
I still remember that. I'll never forget Dan Patrick on Sportscenter reporting on it and saying "Pitcher Steve Olin is dead". I had actually met him at a game the previous summer.

Bob Ojeda was also on the boat as well. From what I read, he had survivor's guilt for a long time afterward.

John Bateman said…
Did not know that about Edmundson - never heard of him, I thought I knew all the active players to die in the last 60 years.

1977 Topps set - Mike Miley and Lyman Bostock
Nick said…
Didn't know about Paul Edmondson either. Such a sad story. The first MLB player's death I can vividly remember is Darryl Kile - I'll never forget how much of a horrible, horrible day that was.
GTT said…
In a collection of Sports Illustrated stories I have there's a good one the Olin/Crews accident. Very sad.
Emily said…
I very much remember the shock of hearing about the boat crash in which Crews and Olin were killed. It was covered particularly closely in this area due to Bobby Ojeda's prior connection to the Mets and, as Bryan noted above, Ojeda took the fact that he lived while his friends died in the same accident incredibly hard. Olin was/is actually a "random" favorite of mine, as I was a big fan of sidearmers, particularly guys with average stuff who still find a way to be effective (Jeff Innis was another guy in that mold).
Billy Kingsley said…
That's tough to have something so sad come on a day you should be celebrating. Happy Birthday to your daughter though.
Being that auto racing is my main sport the spectre of death is always there a little bit...you hope and pray that it doesn't happen but you know that occasionally it will.
Luckily it isn't as prevalent in basketball and hockey but still happens. Just a couple of years ago an NBA player was shot and killed by a neighbor. Panini never bothered to make a card for him so he can't be shown in any tribute posts like these. At least these baseball cards can be looked at and the people on them remembered.
Fuji said…
It's never easy to read or hear about stories of athletes passing away, but it's especially more tragic when it happens during their careers because they typically are young. I mean it's never easy to hear about someone dying at young age. I don't remember where I heard the story of that boat crash either. I'm guessing it was on the local news or ESPN. But I do remember the story.

P.S. Happy belated birthday to your daughter.
Jafronius said…
Remember hearing about it as well. Sorry it comes on your daughter's birthday.
I definitely remember the boating accident and hearing about it on SportsCenter. I felt just awful at the news.

The first time that I remember hearing about an active player dying was while camping in NJ as a kid. One of the children at the next campsite over came running over crying and told us that Thurman Munson just died. I couldn't believe it.

These types of stories are just awful. Happy birthday to your daughter though - definitely a bright spot in your life.
Anonymous said…
Was listening to WFAN when the boat accident happened.
Alan Deakins said…
-I remember seeing it in the Clarion-Ledger the next day...it missed the press for the late edition...they discontinued the afternoon paper soon after...