2021 Card-vent Calendar: December 18

December 18, 2021:

2001 Fleer Greats of the Game #8 Bobby Cremins AUTO

Dang, just when you think that Garry Unger will surely take the hair crown for this year's Card-vent Calendar, up pops one of the ten greatest heads of hair in the history of the universe, former Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins.

When I was a little kid just discovering what college basketball was all about, there were two things I remember jumping out at me.  The first was the logo/court/mascot/overall design scheme of North Carolina.  I was fascinated by the incongruity of this pissed-off-looking ram in a too-small hat, paired with the name Tar Heels.  Baby blue everything, and one of their guys going number one in what was the first NBA Draft I ever had any notion of.  None of it made sense, but all of it looked pretty neat.  Forever and always, North Carolina represents, to me, the line of demarcation between college and the pros.  It's just a weird thing that has stuck with me.

The second thing was, of course, the presence of Bobby Cremins.  I must have caught a random game on TV.  The first thing the eye notices is this mustardy-yellow court and jerseys to match.  Drab, depressing, kind of like Purdue but without the sunken bench area.  But shining like a beacon amidst the dank atmosphere was this man, kind of maniacal, with a floppy head of shock-white Muppet hair, well-tailored sports coat, and a tie that said he had a standing engagement at the yacht club later that evening.  Just an all-time great look, one that I'm hoping to achieve once my hair color completes the transition to complete white-out conditions.  At age 43, there are no areas of loss, thanks to my mom's dad, who rocked a crisp flattop until the day he died.  This is just a cool, cool card.