Although most of the sports exclusives possess no particular significance to the venue or team that gave them away, on occasion there were some sport commemoratives with a very clear connection to the team mascot or a player nickname.
For instance, some mascot connections, include: Cubbie (Chicago Cubs), Sammy (Chicago Cubs)Mac (Mark McGuire/St. Louis Cardinals), Waddles (Pittsburg Penguins), Stripes (Detroit Tigers), Roam (Buffalo Sabres), Snort (Chicago Bulls), Whisper (Milwaukee Bucks), Roary (KC Royals/Mascot named Sluggerrrs the lion), Glory (All-Star Game), Curly (Chicago Bears), Blackie (Chicago Bears), Rocket (Toronto Blue Jays), Derby (Indianapolis Colts), Addison (named after street of ballpark in Chicago)
Some player name or nickname connections, include: Sammy (Sammy Sosa), Mac (“Big Mac” Mark McGuire), Puglsy (Greg “Mad Dog” Maddux), Gracie (Mark Grace), Daisy (former announcer Harry Carey tagline: “Holy Cow!”)
There are even more beanies with subtle connections to the extensive list of sport giveaways from over the years. I hope to go into more depth about each at a later time.
But one of the most valuable and sought after sports commemoratives was named after the former Chicago Cubs Manager, Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr.
“Dusty” Baker was credited for the Cubs’ success during his first season on the job. In his first season as Manager, the Cubs achieved their first Divison Title in over 10 years and were just shy of making it to the World Series. During this landmark year (on May 4, 2003), the Cubs gave away “Dusty” the Beanie Baby to 10,000 young fans. Unlike the vast majority of Ty Sport Commemoratives, Dusty was never available to retailers or even or sale at the ballpark. Only 10,000 were ever produced and all were given away. Click here for an excellent article on the giveaway promotion.
Each subsequent year, the Cubs success began to dwindle. And at the end of the 2006 season, the Cubs did not renew Baker’s contract. Today, Baker serves as Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Nonetheless, Dusty serves as a unique keepsake for one of the most memorable Cub Seasons in recent history.
