"SUPER" JOE Part 1

If Andre Thorton had not gotten injured there may not have been a " Super" Joe . Joe Charboneau got a chance to play on April 11, 1980 and took full advantage of it , going 3 for 3 with a home run. He finished the season hitting .289 with 23 homers and 87 RBI , more than enough to win the 1980 American League Rookie of the Year award . The fans and media in Cleveland were buzzing all season and talking of the days of the " Rock " ! But all the hype was short lived as injuries hampered Joe and brought an all too quick end to what seemed to be a very promising career.
Joe was drafted on 01/07/1976 by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the free-agent draft but for some reason , did not sign . 5 months later he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the secondary phase of the free-agent draft . This time he signed but then he was traded to Cleveland for Cardell Camper ( whom , I don't think , ever play in the Show ) .
He is also known and remembered for many of his zany antics such as dying his hair different colors , opening beer bottles with his eye sockets and shaving off a tattoo with a razor blade.

Cardell Camper--- His 1978 rookie card , one of 7 total cards , was the the only major league card he had.

1980 Indians team issued photo card ( light colored jersey indicates 1980 )

Joe's play in 1980 netted him an All-Star nomination in 1981 and a small ,1 1/4" x 1" , "card" that was part of several sheets inserted into the 1981 All-Star game program . That year the game was played in Cleveland.

He also made it into the the ever popular APBA game in 1981 .

1981 Donruss , one of Joe's first real baseball cards , came in the days of the never ending variations. ( see different versions below ) This being the premier year for Donruss , Joe was also one of 8 players featured on a sample promo sheet that year.

Version "A" . The sentence after 116 runs begins " For some reason..." .

Version "B" leaves out " For some reason " for some reason !!

1981 Drake's Big Hitters . Their first card set since 1950 . Stats and some info on the back are identical to 1981 Topps as they produced the cards.

1981 Fleer , also a comeback issue after an 18 year hiatus.

1981 Indians team photo card. This year features a dark colored jersey.

1981 Kellogg's This year the 3-D set was increased to 66 cards and produced in the standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2 " size.

1981 Topps / OPC Pretty much identical , including card #'s O-Pee -Chee was the Canadian version of Topps.

However, the OPC cards have their own logo , some french translations on the back and two different colored card backs. Some on white stock and some on gray with gray being more scarce.

TO BE CONTINUED !!!