Rest In Peace Steve Macko

It's been nearly 45 years since former Chicago Cubs prospect Steve Macko passed away from cancer. I never watched him play, but I always remembered his 1981 Topps baseball card. Why? Mainly because he died shortly after the release of the card and back then, when I was 12 years old, baseball players didn't die. Or at least it didn't seem like they did.

Macko played just 25 games in the big leagues, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his. He hit. 250 with 15 hits in 60 at bats. Before coming to the Cubs, Macko was an All American at Baylor.

Looking back, it's crazy thinking about what could have been. Macko his .300 at AA in 1978 and made his major league debut a year later. His career came to an end in August of 1980 with a violent collision with Bill Madlock, whose hard slide caused severe bruising and swelling in his thigh. That aftercare from that collision led them to discover the cancer that would soon take his life.

According to former teammate Mike Krukow, Macko felt Madlock did him a favor by causing the injury that led to the early detection of his cancer. Unfortunately, it was not enough.

Steve Macko will live forever though his 1981 Topps baseball card, and for that reason, he will always be a baseball card memory. Rest in Peace, Steve!