I’ve been collecting baseball cards since, well, probably when I was about 10 or 11 years old. The first cards I remember buying for myself was a stack of 1985 Fleer commons from a comic book shop. My older brother also gave me his rubber-banded stacks of 1985 Topps Football when he left for the Army.
Anyway, I guess my point is, I should’ve known that Don Bessent (former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher) was born in my hometown, and died in my hometown…but I had no idea. He was from Jacksonville, Florida and graduated high school from here. He went on to play for the Dodgers for several years. I also didn’t know that he died tragically here in Jacksonville. In 1990 he was found deceased in his car, in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. He apparently died of alcohol poisoning.
A belated RIP to Don Bessent.









