2004 Topps. Todd Self

#322 Todd Self

When I did yesterdays post about Omar Falcon, I was thinking that today's post was going to be very similar to that one. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out that Todd Self played in 21 Major League games in 2005. I had no idea.

Anyway, I got this card signed at a Tulsa Drillers game in 2008. I was bored on Fourth of July weekend that year, so I decided to go to Tulsa since that was the closest ballpark to me that I hadn't been to (four hour drive). That was Todd's fist season of not playing ball and he was the fourth coach on the Astros AA team, the Corpus Christi Hooks. This is the only card that I got signed on that day, though I do have another signed card coming up when I ran into him a year later.

Todd got called up to the Astros in May of 2005. In his short tenure with the 'Stros, Todd got 45 at-bats and he hit .200 with 7 runs, 4 RBI, 2 doubles and 1 home run. His one home run came off of Russ Ortiz. He is listed as a first baseman on this card, but he only played outfield during his cup of coffee.

After 2005, Todd somehow managed to spend a majority of 2006 in the American Association. It always amazes me when a player goes from the Major Leagues one year to the independent leagues the next. You would think that player would at least be a great roster filler on any affiliated team. But, what do I know? In 2007, he was back in the Astros organization and he spent the whole year with the AA Hooks.

Todd made a comeback attempt in 2009, but I will save that story for the next Todd Self card.

I find it odd that every Major League card made of Todd came out in 2004. No cards were made of him after his Major League debut. That just seems wrong.

Since this is the last card to show that I got signed at Drillers Stadium in 2008, I might as well show some pictures of the ballpark. The park is no longer used by the Drillers, but I believe it is still standing.

The exterior isn't really much to look at. There is a horse track right beside the ballpark and you have to walk across a bridge over the track to get from the parking lot to the park.




The fences were kind of close to home with a distance of 390 to center and 349 to left-center.



But, the most unusual aspect of the ballpark was the use of aluminium. Everything in the ballpark was made out of aluminium. The seats were aluminium. The bleachers were alumnium. The upper deck was aluminium. Everything was aluminium. Whenever they do tear that ballpark down, someone is going to make a small fortune recycling it.