De Wayne Buice
Encyclopedia
DeWayne Allison Buice is a former Major League Baseball
relief pitcher
. Buice played two seasons for the California Angels
and half a season for the Toronto Blue Jays
. He was Pitcher of the Year and Rolaids Relief Man in 1987. He officially announced his retirement and played in his final game on June 27, 1989, but he continued to make appearances in the minor leagues into the 2000s, exclusively for teams in which he had an ownership stake.
Buice is one of six pitchers in the Angels' 48-year history to strike out at least 100 batters in a season without starting a game (109 in 1987). The others are Mark Clear
(105, 1980), Bryan Harvey
(101, 1991), Troy Percival
(100, 1996), Scot Shields
(109, 2004) and Francisco Rodríguez (123, 2004).
Buice finished with a career record of 9 wins versus 11 losses, 20 saves, 157 strikeouts and a 4.23 earned run average
over a 2½-year MLB career. Buice is currently the Reno Astros' co-owner.
trading cards company, and held that position from 1988 to 2000. Buice was in downtown Yorba Linda, California
one evening in November 1987, looking for a particular Chinese restaurant in the area, and after looking around the neighborhood without success, he went into a baseball card
shop called "The Upper Deck" to ask the person working there whether s/he knew the whereabouts of the restaurant.
Buice and owner Bill Hemrick struck up a friendship which led to Buice having an autograph signing at the store, and within weeks, Buice had become one of Hemrick's business partners.
Hemrick and then-partner Paul Sumner were starting a card company called Upper Deck. The two did not have the connections to help land them the necessary license from the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), which would allow them to use the names and likenesses of the players on the card. The only response they could elicit was that the players union wasn't accepting another card company for three more years. Buice was told that if he could help them secure a license, he was promised a 12 percent stake in the card company, also called Upper Deck. Buice would become a key figure in getting MLBPA officials to agree to a meeting. By the end of the 1988 season, Henrick and Summer received the license and were making baseball cards in 1989.
The company he started was called Upper Deck. The glossy cards featured holograms to protect against counterfeiting. There would be a high demand for the cards. Tom Geideman, one of Upper Deck's first employees who was responsible for picking the players who would be featured in the set, called the phenomenon cardboard gold. By the time Buice retired from professional ball at the end of the 1989 season, he had collected $2.8 million. Buice believed he was owed much more, so he sued Upper Deck executives. After a battle over his stake in the company was settled in court, he reportedly made $17 million on the deal.
Buice entered into a four year contract with the company. After the strike in 1994/95 was resolved, Upper Deck gave Buice six more years of ownership in the form of a contract extension. De Wayne Buice never worked for Upper Deck. Buice made the contact between Hemrick and the-then de facto commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig
, which earned Buice a twelve percent stake in the company. Buice earned $27 million, far more than his short MLB career brought him.
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Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. Buice played two seasons for the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and half a season for the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. He was Pitcher of the Year and Rolaids Relief Man in 1987. He officially announced his retirement and played in his final game on June 27, 1989, but he continued to make appearances in the minor leagues into the 2000s, exclusively for teams in which he had an ownership stake.
Buice is one of six pitchers in the Angels' 48-year history to strike out at least 100 batters in a season without starting a game (109 in 1987). The others are Mark Clear
Mark Clear
Mark Alan Clear is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the California Angels , Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers . He batted and threw right-handed....
(105, 1980), Bryan Harvey
Bryan Harvey
Bryan Stanley Harvey is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from to for the California Angels of the American League and the Florida Marlins of the National League....
(101, 1991), Troy Percival
Troy Percival
Troy Eugene Percival is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1995-2009 for four different teams, pitching primarily with the California/Anaheim Angels...
(100, 1996), Scot Shields
Scot Shields
Robert Scot Shields is a former American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played his entire baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, serving as their setup man since...
(109, 2004) and Francisco Rodríguez (123, 2004).
Buice finished with a career record of 9 wins versus 11 losses, 20 saves, 157 strikeouts and a 4.23 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
over a 2½-year MLB career. Buice is currently the Reno Astros' co-owner.
Upper Deck
Buice was one of the original managing partners of the Upper DeckUpper Deck Company
The Upper Deck Company, LLC , founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards...
trading cards company, and held that position from 1988 to 2000. Buice was in downtown Yorba Linda, California
Yorba Linda, California
Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles....
one evening in November 1987, looking for a particular Chinese restaurant in the area, and after looking around the neighborhood without success, he went into a baseball card
Baseball card
A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on some type of paper stock or card stock. A card will usually feature one or more baseball players or other baseball-related sports figures...
shop called "The Upper Deck" to ask the person working there whether s/he knew the whereabouts of the restaurant.
Buice and owner Bill Hemrick struck up a friendship which led to Buice having an autograph signing at the store, and within weeks, Buice had become one of Hemrick's business partners.
Hemrick and then-partner Paul Sumner were starting a card company called Upper Deck. The two did not have the connections to help land them the necessary license from the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), which would allow them to use the names and likenesses of the players on the card. The only response they could elicit was that the players union wasn't accepting another card company for three more years. Buice was told that if he could help them secure a license, he was promised a 12 percent stake in the card company, also called Upper Deck. Buice would become a key figure in getting MLBPA officials to agree to a meeting. By the end of the 1988 season, Henrick and Summer received the license and were making baseball cards in 1989.
The company he started was called Upper Deck. The glossy cards featured holograms to protect against counterfeiting. There would be a high demand for the cards. Tom Geideman, one of Upper Deck's first employees who was responsible for picking the players who would be featured in the set, called the phenomenon cardboard gold. By the time Buice retired from professional ball at the end of the 1989 season, he had collected $2.8 million. Buice believed he was owed much more, so he sued Upper Deck executives. After a battle over his stake in the company was settled in court, he reportedly made $17 million on the deal.
Buice entered into a four year contract with the company. After the strike in 1994/95 was resolved, Upper Deck gave Buice six more years of ownership in the form of a contract extension. De Wayne Buice never worked for Upper Deck. Buice made the contact between Hemrick and the-then de facto commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...
, which earned Buice a twelve percent stake in the company. Buice earned $27 million, far more than his short MLB career brought him.
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