| SIGNER: Orlando Cepeda BALL MANUFACTURER: Rawlings BALL TYPE: Official Minor League COMMENTS / CONDITION: As with all of my signed items, the signature is guaranteed to pass inspection by any major authenticator, or your money back. See photos for signature quality and ball condition. This ball will ship in an acrylic display holder. Combined shipping is available for multiple ball purchases. BIO: Orlando Manuel (Penne) Cepeda (Cha Cha, Baby Bull) was born in 1937 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He played major league baseball from 1958 to 1974 as 1st baseman and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, appeared in the 1962, 1967 and 1968 World Series, was selected 7 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Cepeda was the 1958 National Legue Rookie of the Year, and earned National League MVP honors in 1967. Orlando Cepeda retired from playing baseball in 1975 and was a Chicago White Sox coach in 1980. Away from the diamond, he continued to be recognized for charity work and humanitarian efforts. Cepeda lived and played in a time when the United States was at a crossroads of social change and racial intolerance. He was often the target of racial slurs, but the tough Cepeda always managed to remain proud and be a spokesperson and pioneer for Hispanic players everywhere. Cepeda joined the Hall of Fame in 1999, when the veteran's committee elected him, becoming the second native Puerto Rican to join the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his induction into the Hall of Fame, Cepeda said: "I'm proud to be a Puerto Rican and I will be a role model to the people of my country". SKU: BB1529
Item: BB1529
|