1993 Classic Four Sport, Jermaine Allensworth

#273 Jermaine Allensworth

Here is a card that was given to me by the Bob Apodaca Day contest #3 winner, Steve. He was the skillful winner of the Mickey Mantle bobblehead and he told me that he would send me this card as a way of saying thanks. I told him that it wasn't necessary, but he sent it to me anyways. Since I am not one to turn down autographs, I graciously accepted. Steve said that he pulled this card out of a pack back in the day.

Jermaine was the Pirates first round compensation pick in 1993, out of Purdue. He rose quickly through the minor league ranks and made his Major League debut in 1996. In 61 games that season, Jermaine hit .262 with 4 home runs and 31 RBI. In '97, he played 5 AAA games and spent the rest of the season with the Pirates, hitting .255 with 3 home runs and 44 RBI. He spent all of '98 at the big league level, but he ended up spending the time with three different franchises.

He started the season with Pittsburgh and was hitting .309 in 233 at-bats. The Pirates then shipped him to the Royals and he stayed there for 30 games and he hit .205 with them. The Royals then flipped him to the Mets and he finished the season with them, hitting .205 in 54 games. Jermaine played in 40 more games for the Mets the following season and that was the conclusion of his Major League career. He finished up as a .260 hitter with 15 homers.

Even though, Jermaine never made it back up to the Majors, he never quit trying. He retired just over two years ago after spending the final five years of his career playing in the now defunct Northern League.

Thanks Steve!

1991 Classic Four Sport, Bobby Jones

#82 Bobby Jones

Here is another autograph that I got through the mail right after he was called up. I probably got this in 1993 or maybe even 1994. Bobby pitched for ten years in the Majors, eight with the Mets and two with the Padres. In his first full year in the big leagues ('94), he went 12-7 with a 3.15 ERA. In '97 he was 15-9 with a 3.63 ERA and he made his only All-Star appearance. Then in '99 and 2000, he had ERAs that were over 5 and the Mets let him walk via free agency. The Padres picked up his services for $625,000 and he went 8-19 that season. Some how, the Padres brought him back the next year for $4 million. I didn't realize that 19 game losers were entitled to 300% raises. He made 19 appearances that year and went 7-8 with a 5.50 ERA and he was done.

This card came from the first ever set of Classic Four Sport. The set included nothing but draft picks from the four major sports. I liked the look of them, even though they had some thick borders. At least they allowed the player's photo to overlap the border. This is the only card from the set that I have signed, but I hope to get one of the hockey cards signed by March.

Also, I added a couple of players to my want list.