Today's card is Alan Wiggins's 1985 Fleer, number 48.There are a few things pretty much everyone knows about Alan Wiggins so I'll get them out of the way first.
1. In 1991, Wiggins died of AIDS-related complications. He has the dubious distinction of being the first Major Leaguer to meet that "fate". Former Dodger and Oakland A' Glenn Burke met the same end in 1995.
2. His career was marked by periods of cocaine use. He got busted and went to rehab in his rookie season of '82 and did both again in '85. The latter led to his trade to Baltimore.
3. His daughter Candice is the all-time Stanford women's basketball scoring leader and now plays for the Portland Pumas of the WNBA.
4. His son also became a basketball player. Alan, Jr. played at USF and went on to play professionally in the NBA Developmental League and Europe.
5. Wiggins stole 120 bases in 135 games with high-A Lodi in 1980.
6. A second baseman in the minors and from 1984 on, Wiggins spent his first two seasons in San Diego playing all three outfield positions and first base.
7. He wore #2 (hehe) and the color orange his entire MLB career.7 1/2. There is no such WNBA team as the Portland Pumas. Candice Wiggins actually plays for the Minnesota Lynx which sounds just as absurd.
8. He led the NL in two categories in 1984: Putouts as a 2B and times caught stealing. He was at least third in steals that season and second the year before.
9. Wiggins never played a full season again after leaving San Diego. During his time in Baltimore, he got into 76, 71 and 85 games.
10. Say what you will about Steve Garvey (and I do- frequently) but he was the only member of the '84 team to attend Alan's funeral.
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