Check it out: The first payday during a memorable MLB journey

Dave Dravecky's tale is perhaps a somber one in MLB history, but this story isn't that ... this is one from the very beginning.

And, short of a contract signing bonus -- if there even was one -- this is about something at the absolute start of it all.

The newest piece in my collection wasn't some discovery curated and placed on the block with an auction house marketing team pumping it up to be something more, something beyond what it is. In fact, this was a random find over on eBay of all places where it had been sitting for at least months -- if not longer -- as part of a dealer run. It was simply one of many similar items bought in bulk years ago and I actually even passed over it a few times before some curiosity got me to stop and do some research. That's when I realized what I had found. Is it a monster? Probably not unless you like monster-sized trivia while digging on the cheap ... to be honest that's kinda my thing. Sure, it's not finding Earl Weaver's 1977 gamer at a thrift store or a razor-sharp Walter Payton Rookie Card for a buck at an estate sale ... but what I found seemed interesting to me and I think it might be to you, too.

Dravecky's story, to a degree, is captured on his 1990 Score baseball card above, but that's not where it all ended -- or where it began -- and that's something that got me to stop and look when it seemed unfamiliar on eBay. I first knew Dravecky as a San Francisco Giant and, of course, how his career ended, but his time in baseball didn't start around the arrival of his 1983 Fleer and 1983 Topps Rookie Cards as a San Diego Padre, either. No, no ... that's not the life of a 21st-round draft pick. It was a bit more complicated than that.

Dravecky's professional baseball career began back in 1978 thanks to the Pittsburgh Pirates -- he was the 531st overall pick of that year's draft -- taken right after another future big-leaguer, Otis Nixon (Cincinnati Reds), and before a guy who didn't make The Show at all like many 21st-rounders, Charles Kwolek (Texas Rangers). The draft back then was 48 rounds over three days -- three weekdays even, June 6-8 -- and there was no coverage like there is now. In fact, I don't even know for sure which day Dravecky was taken but let's assume it was June 8 since that spot is closer to the end of the 779 picks made. His road to The Show was not a quick one as his MLB debut wasn't until June 15, 1982, and that was in part thanks to an April 5, 1981, trade for minor-leaguer Bobby Mitchell who never made it to the majors ... but all that's getting ahead of things.

According to Dravecky's SABR biography, a few days after the draft the Youngstown (Ohio) State College standout "drove to [the] Pittsburgh office and signed a contract to play for $500 a month. Not knowing he could ask for a bonus or additional money, he thought $500 to play baseball was a dream come true." After that, he picked up another player and reported to his rookie-league team in South Carolina, the Charleston Pirates, where he pitched 20 games that summer. It was the start of a playing career that didn't end until 1989.

With that anecdote in mind, there's apparently no signing bonus for Dravecky, just ink on a contract. Looking at the amount on this June 30, 1978, check signed by Pirates Treasurer Douglas McCormick ... well, that sure looks like two weeks' pay -- short maybe some taxes taken out for the team's new left-hander, who did, indeed, sign the back. (Direct deposit just wasn't yet a common thing back then ... meanwhile, these days a piece like this likely never exists at all -- for any player.)

I'm pretty sure I have Dravecky's first Topps card tucked away in a box somewhere -- landed that set years ago -- but I probably skipped right past him to find the RC of another 1978 pick, a guy taken in the 20th round by a team that wasn't reflected on his debut card, either. (That was Philadelphia Phillies pick Ryne Sandberg ... things worked out for him.) After this find, I feel like I need to revisit some old boxes and track down the two Dravecky RCs as well as one of my 1990 Scores and get them all in some matching slabs for a simple collection showing a former All-Star and World Series pitcher turned author and motivational speaker. (His life after baseball has more chapters beyond that Score card's recap.)

So ... is this his absolute first paycheck as a pro? Given some days taken off the calendar for two post-draft road trips, it sure seems like it -- and it's the first autograph to confirm that payday, too. I found it for $207.18 less than it originally paid out, which was 46 years ago this month.

It's not the biggest find in my collection ... but it was worth every penny.

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