Celebrity Jersey Cards #812: Harold Carmichael & Billy Bean

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. I am continuing my season-long alphabetical march through all MLB teams. Today I get phanatical about the Phillies.

Born in Florida, Harold Carmichael starred at Southern University before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 7th round of the 1971 NFL draft. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career, at wide receiver. At 6'8", he was a force on the field, racking up almost 9,000 receiving yards 14 years, although he last season was only two games with the Dallas Cowboys, a stint which still annoys me. That yardage was impressive for that era. He signed with the Cowboys after being waived by the Eagles. He caught one pass in those two games and was cut. I hate seeing careers end like that. Carmichael went old school with his jersey as he made a Celebrity Jersey Card with the Phanatic.

Born in California, Billy Bean played six seasons with three teams in the MLB, as well as one season in Japan. His legacy goes well beyond the ball field though. A couple years after retiring, Bean came out as gay and was named MLB's first ambassador for inclusion in 2014. After years of working to promote inclusion, Bean died of leukemia in 2023. He earned his Celebrity Jersey Card while on the field for a Phillies game. Once again, the Phanatic got into the picture. Someday, I hope to meet the Phanatic.