1979 TCMA Tidewater Tides Baseball #5, Jeff Reardon

Mets AAA affiliate Tidewater played at a pitcher-friendly International League park in 1979, finishing worst in runs scored and best in runs allowed. That staff featured bona fide future stars Jesse Orosco, Mike Scott, and Jeff Reardon, the latter two finding success further from New York's bright lights. (As of 2025, today's guest is 12th on the all-time saves list, slotted between Papelbon and Percival.)

Jeff's bland, ill-fitting Tides uniform made me think of Dirk Hayhurst's Out of My League. Among many other vignettes, Dirk tells the tale of minor leaguers jockeying for uniform pieces prior to opening day. Non-MLB teams watch their bottom line closely and don't splurge on--just one example--fitted pants. The more you know! (And his book helps you know a lot.)

Jeff's hometown is close to (but not quite) the stated Pittsfield, MA. The nearby Dalton raised Reardon and dedicated him a ball park in 1990, pictured in the home state Red Sox cap he wore from 1990-92.

25 players appear in the full Tidewater Tides set, including Letterman Top-10 List favorite Mookie Wilson.

1. Roy Lee Jackson
2. John Pacella
3. Jose Moreno
4. Frank Verdi
5. Jeff Reardon
6. Dwight Bernard
7. Mookie Wilson
8. Butch Benton
9. Ron Washington
10. Jim Buckner
11. Dan Norman
12. Mario Ramirez
13. Marshall Brant
14. Ed Cipot
15. Mike Scott
16. Stan Hough
17. Scott Holman
18. Kelvin Chapman
19. Mike Van De Casteele
20. Greg Pavlick
21. Bobby Bryant
22. Russell Clark
23. Jesse Orosco
24. Bob Gorinski
25. Earl Stephenson

Cardboard Zoo compiled a bunch of info for this TCMA set in 2011 and pointed, in turn, back here. Watch that you don't get caught in a link-following vortex!

Value: Semi-stars like Reardon run more than typical TCMA singles and this #5 cost $6 at a dealer on Beckett Marketplace.

Fakes / reprints: While I haven't seen any in the marketplace, future stars like Reardon do offer more risk of fakery once they reach MLB fame.