Learning About Billy Ripken

[The Ripken heritage really put this thing over the top.]
While writing last week’s post on apian baseball cards, I made an off-hand reference to the Billy Ripken “Fuck Face” card. If you collected cards in the late ’80s or early ’90s, it’s likely you’re very familiar with this infamous little collectible. If not, well, feast your eyes upon it:

[Photo credit: Snopes.com]

Yes, it was a baseball card with a very, very bad word printed right on it. And it was a sensation. Before the web even really existed, this card managed to go viral. Bill Ripken was always overshadowed by his Hall of Famer brother Cal, but for at least a few months in 1989, his name was on everyone’s lips. It was quite a time to be alive.

To learn more about this incredible piece of Americana, I offer two links. First, there’s Grant Brisbee’s fantastic retrospective from 2019, looking back 30 years later. When you’re done with that, visit the extensive BillRipken.com, an entire website “dedicated to the most famous baseball error card of all time”.

Link: https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2019/1/25/18174412/bill-ripken-card-1989-fleer-frick-face-look-google-wont-index-this-if-the-url-has-the-actual-swear