Christmas Gift to Myself - Signed 1987 Topps Darrell Porter

I had to buy myself a couple Christmas gifts, since my wife refused to look at my needs list and help knock cards off of my 1987 Topps set.  So, I picked up a couple cards and let her wrap them to give to me for Christmas.  Yeah, we are a bunch of weirdos.

I definitely needed Darrell Porter for my set, so when I saw this one pop up on Ebay, it made sense to go ahead and grab it.

Porter (b. 1952 - d. 2002) played in the majors from 1971 to 1987 for the Brewers, Royals, Cardinals and Rangers.  He had 1,369 hits, 188 home runs and a .247 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1974, 1978, 1979 and 1980.  His best finish in the MVP race was 9th (1979).  He appeared on the 1993 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

Porter was the 1982 NLCS and World Series MVP.

On August 5, 2002, Porter was found dead outside his vehicle after it had veered off the road and became lodged onto a tree stump.  The exact details of the events leading up to his death remain unsolved, but an autopsy revealed that he died as a result of cocaine abuse.  He had a history of substance abuse, having attended rehab in 1980.