The Rest of 2008 Topps Heritage, Part I

#7 Joey Gathright
#42 Jason Jennings
#96 Mark DeRosa
#123 Sam Fuld
#144 JR Towles
#152 Brian Bannister
#211 Mike Sweeney
#269 Horacio Ramirez
#417 Nate Robertson

Joey Gathright- I got this card signed by Joey by the Royals parking lot in 2008. Back then, he was signing just his initials. I got him five years later at an American Association game and he was signing his full last name at that point.

Jason Jennings- Speaking of the American Association, Jason did some time there in 2011. He signed this card for me at an Amarillo Sox game in 2011 while he was a member of the Grand Prairie AirHogs.

Mark DeRosa- I got this card signed at a Royals game in 2009. Mark was with the Indians at the time and he signed during batting practice.

Sam Fuld- Sam signed this card for me between games of a doubleheader in Des Moines, Iowa in 2009. He was playing for the Iowa Cubs.

JR Towles- JR signed this card for me after a Round Rock Express game in 2008.

Brian Bannister- I got this card signed at a Royals game in 2008.

Mike Sweeney- This card was given to me by Uncle Moe in 2009. I probably sent him some cards for his 2008 Topps set and he hooked me up with a few autos in return.

Horacio Ramirez- Horacio signed for me from the Royals parking lot after a game in 2008.

Nate Robertson- I got this card signed by Nate at a card show in Wichita in 2015.

The Rest of 2008 Topps, Part II

#208 David DeJesus
#237 Eric Wedge
#302 Horacio Ramirez
#313 Kameron Loe
#318 Ned Yost
#333 Jayson Nix
#342 Matt Belisle
#403 Nate Robertson
#404 Cecil Cooper

David DeJesus- This is another one that I got signed by the Royals parking lot in 2008. This one was done a month before the German and Gload cards from the previous post.

Eric Wedge- I got this one signed by Eric during Indians batting practice in Kansas City in 2008. In case you haven't heard, last month Eric was named the new head coach at Wichita State. Hopefully he can bring some luster back to a once proud baseball institution.

Horacio Ramirez- Horacio signed for me after a Royals game from the team parking lot in 2008.

Kameron Loe- I got Kameron after an Oklahoma Redhawks game in 2008.

Ned Yost- Ned yosted this card for me after Royals batting practice at The K in 2011. Normally, you can't see the Royals take batting practice at home. But, you can buy early bird stadium tour tickets that get you in just in time for Royals BP. They cost about $10-12 a person and you still need a separate game ticket. In all actuality, all the early bird ticket is good for is getting a great 'graphing spot.

Jayson Nix- I believe this is the third card I have posted of Jayson. There should be three more coming and all six of them came from the Kansas Stars game I attended at the 2016 NBC Wolrd Series.

Matt Belisle- Outside of The K in 2010. That was about the time that it really started to suck 'graphing outside that ballpark. Since then, it has primarily been about hitting up the visiting team as they straggle in.

Nate Robertson- Here is the third card of Wichita native, Nate Robertson, that I have posted on here. The first one came from a Wichita card show and the second was from a Stars game. This one was obtained at the same card show as the first card. That show was at Rock's Dugout in Wichita. Rock usually hosts six shows a year, but I think he cut back to four this year. He always either brings in someone to sign or he has Beckett there grading cards. Unfortunately, Rock hasn't had a baseball player there signing in quite some time and, because of that, I don't think that I have attended a show there in three years.

Cecil Cooper- I posted that first card of Cecil way back in 2009. That card was obtained through the mail, just like this one. But, this card was signed about a year ago when I was getting a bunch of Senior League cards signed. I needed Cecil for that set and sent this one along, too, just so I could have a manager card signed by him.

1999 Topps, Darryl Strawberry

#18 Darryl Strawberry

Here is the fourth and final card that I got signed by Darryl Strawberry when he was preaching in Wichita two years ago. There are four of us in the family and we all got one card signed. My wife and my then eight month old baby got extra cards signed for me. My oldest son got to pick out a card of Darryl for himself. This is the card he picked out and it is currently in my collection as he didn't really care for it. Had I known that before the event, I would have just picked out another Mets card of my choosing.

This was not the first time that had happened. I have a signed '84 Topps Ken Oberkfell in my collection that my kid abandoned.

I was hoping to post the picture that we all took with Darryl, but I am not even sure if we even have it anymore. It was on my wife's phone and that thing got wiped clean around that time. She is in bed now, but if she does happen to have it still, I will post in on here soon.

You can see my first three cards of Darryl here, here, and here.

The Super Regionals are set and there were a decent amount of upsets. No one has a chance of locking up all eight spots, but every one has a chance for points. Here are the teams that every one has a chance of getting in. They are all one seeds unless otherwise noted.

John- 2.Auburn, Stetson, Minnesota
Greg- Florida, Texas, 3.Cal St Fullerton, 2.Vanderbilt, UNC
Rod- 2.Tennessee Tech, Stetson, Oregon St
The Lost Collector- 2.South Carolina, Texas, 3.Cal St Fullerton, UNC
Kin- Florida, Texas Tech, Texas, UNC, Oregon St
Joey- Florida, UNC, Oregon St
Jeff- Florida, Texas Tech, 2.South Carolina, Oregon St
Wilson- Florida, Arkansas, UNC, Oregon St

1997 Ultra, Darryl Strawberry

#103 Darryl Strawberry

Here is the Yankees card that I picked out to get signed by Darryl two years ago when he came to Wichita to preach at a local church. I already posted a card of him with the Mets and Dodgers and I did not have a Giants card of him to get signed.

Darryl spent his last five seasons wearing Yankee pinstripes. Those five years were riddled with injuries and his treatment for colon cancer, but the Yankees kept bringing him back every year. The reason for that was because, unlike his Dodger days, he did real well.

Darryl played in 231 regular season games with the Yankees and he hit .255 with 41 home runs and 114 RBI. That is a 162 game average of 29 homers and 80 RBI. Who wouldn't want that in their lineup? That is even more impressive considering that Darryl played for the Yanks in his age 33-37 seasons.

Though past his prime during his second go-around in New York, Darryl still accomplished some feats. He had a three home run game in 1996, which was only the second of his career. He hit 24 homers in '98, he next to last season. He got to play in the postseason three more times and came home with a ring each time. Though his postseason numbers with the Yankees were not that great, he was red hot during the 1996 ALCS. In the four games he played against the Orioles, Darryl was 5-12 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI.

1991 Stadium Club, Darryl Strawberry

#301 Darryl Strawberry

Two summers ago, Darryl Strawberry made an appearance at a church in Wichita to preach. While I don't usually get all excited to go to church, I made an exception that day. The whole family made the trip to see and hear him and we all got to meet him afterwards. While his message might not have been entirely appropriate for our eleven year old, it was still a good message all the same. After his sermon, we got to get some cards signed and get our picture taken with him. I am sure I will show that picture on one of the posts.

Darryl played for four teams during his career and I got cards signed from three of those teams. I already posted the Mets card, so here is the Dodger one. Needless to say, Darryl's tenure in Los Angeles did not go as well as anyone would have hoped. He did good his first season there, hitting .265 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI. But, he could not stay healthy the next two seasons and played in only 75 games over the two years. The Dodgers ended up releasing Darryl during the 1994 season with a year and a half left on his contract.

With LA, Darryl hit just .243 with 38 home runs and 136 RBI.

1985 Topps, Darryl Strawberry

#278 Darryl Strawberry

Last summer, my dad and I were heading to a Wichita Wingnuts game. When we got off the interstate, my dad saw a sign by a church with Darryl Strawberry's picture on it. He pointed it out to me, but it was too late and I did not see it. My dad only caught part of he sign and he knew Darryl was coming to Wichita and that was about it. When I got to the ballpark, I hit up Google to see what it was all about. What I learned was that Darryl was going to be preaching at that church. I am not much of a church-goer myself, but I instantly knew I was going to be in church in Wichita that Sunday.

The church it was at did a really good job hosting the event. They invited everyone to wear their favorite jersey that day and to stay after the service for ballpark snacks and to meet Darryl. They even lead off the service by singing "Put Me In Coach". Darryl preached for about an hour and, even though I don't think it was the best message for the under 12 crowd, it was still a good service.

Everyone there wanted to meet Darryl after the event. Somehow, we ended up towards the front of the line. That was a good thing as it was the slowest moving line ever. There was a professional photographer there taking free pictures and that was what was slowing the line down. We were about forty people deep and it took us about forty minutes to get through it. I felt sorry to 200+ people behind us.

But, we made it through and Darryl was kind enough to sign a card for each of us and take a picture with us. When I post the next card of Darryl, I will show the picture, too.

When we were heading back home that day, my wife was looking at the signed cards and she commented on this one. She was wondering why I got this card signed since it was so dinged up. I explained to her that I pulled this card out of a pack thirty years ago when I was six. When I think of a Darryl Strawberry card, this is the one I think of and that is why I wanted it signed. Luckily, this card looks better than most of cards I have from then.

1972 Topps, Steve Kealey

#146 Steve Kealey

Here is the third and final card of Steve Kealey that I got signed at Rock's card show last year. You can see the first card of Steve that I posted here and the second one here.

Those first two cards showed Steve with the Angels. After three up and down seasons in California, the Angels shipped Steve to the White Sox just prior to the 1971 season. He would go on to play with the Sox for three seasons and get the bulk of his Major League time.

With the Sox, he pitched in 101 games and went 5-4 with 10 saves and a 4.50 ERA. In 1971, he had career highs in innings (77.1), strikeouts (50), and saves (6). Counting his time with the Angels, Steve had a career line of 8-5 with 11 saves and a 4.28 ERA.

The three cards I posted of Steve show a nice progression of eye-wear. His '69 Topps has him in sports goggles. He then swapped those out for some wire frame glasses on his '71. Then, when this card came out, Steve was either wearing contact lenses or forgoing glasses altogether.

1971 Topps, Steve Kealey

#43 Steve Kealey

Here is the second of three cards that were signed for me by Steve Kealey at the Wichita card show last year. I posted the first card of Steve earlier this month and it can be seen here.

Steve pitched for the Angels for parts of three seasons, never appearing in more than seventeen games. Over 38 appearances for the Halos, Steve made just three starts and was 3-1 with a save and a 3.82 ERA. One of those starts happened to be a complete game shutout of the Orioles. In that contest, Steve scattered seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. His two strikeout vivtims were Hall of Famers Brooks and Frank Robinson. That is not a bad night right there.

Steve was traded to the White Sox after the 1970 season.

Unfortunately, Steve had given up on the sports goggles by the time this picture was taken. Just see my previous post of him to see what I am talking about.

1969 Topps, Ken Berry

#494 Ken Berry

Here is the second card that I got signed by Ken Berry at the Wichita card show last year. I posted the first card of Ken almost a month ago and it can be seen here.

When I met Ken, I was surprised to find out that he is now an author. He has done a handful of children's book and recently completed his first novel, "Twin Snipers". He had some of his kids books at the show and was promoting his novel that had just come out. Ken was excited about the novel and gave me a synopsis, which was pretty cool.

I did not have any cards of Ken to get signed before the show, so I picked up three of them there. One was his '67 Topps card that I had already got signed through the mail a few yeas back. When I was standing in line, the dealer that hosts the show had a few other cards of him. I thumbed through them and found a couple of cards from the '70s that I wanted. He told me that those were four dollars each. I laughed because I thought he was joking, but he was not. So, I set them back down and stuck with my three cards from the '60s that I paid a dollar each for.

Ken's signature is made for ballpoint pens, not worn out Sharpies.

This is the final card from the '60s that I will post on here in some time. I only have a handful of cards from the '70s to post before I hit a backlog of '81 Donruss.

1969 Topps, Steve Kealey

#224 Steve Kealey

Here is the first of three cards that Steve Kealey signed for me at Rock's bi-monthly card show in Wichita last year. The day of that show was actually my first wedding anniversary. I got to spend the day with my pregnant wife going to a card show and then going brewery hopping afterwards. It was definitely one to remember, for me at least.

This card looks a little bare without Bill Harrelson's signature on it. Steve mentioned that Bill still signs these cards, I just have not found an address for him. Right now, I just have SCN's free account. Since this is the only card that Bill has, there has never been any activity for Bill signing whenever I check the latest successes page. I keep checking back, though, just probably not as much as I should be if I really want to get this card signed again.

I love Steve's sports glasses in his photo. Unfortunately, he will not be wearing those in the next card I post of him.

1968 Topps, Don Lock

#59 Don Lock

Here is the third and final card that I got signed by Don Lock at Rock's card show in 2013. The first card Don signed for me can be seen here and the second one here.

The first two cards I posted showed Don with the Senators, the team he spent the majority of his time with. But, that all changed when Washington traded him to the Phillies after the 1966 season. He did pretty good his first season in Philly when he hit .252 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI in just 112 games. But, his numbers fell off in 1968 and he hit just .210 with 8 dingers and 34 RBI. Those were all career-lows for him.

He played in four games with the Phils in 1969 before the dealt him to the Red Sox. He got into 53 games with them and had just 58 at-bats in the process. He finished that season with a .224 average with a home run and 2 RBI. He played one more season of AAA ball with the Sox before calling it a career and becoming a minor league manager for a few seasons.

For his career, Don hit .238 with 122 home runs and 373 RBI.

1966 Topps, Ken Berry

#127 Ken Berry

Here is a card that I got signed by Ken Berry at Rock's Dugout's bi-monthly card show in Wichita. I got three cards signed by Ken when he was there last summer.

I love going to Rock's shows, but I have not been to one this year. I suppose the main reason I haven't gone is because there have not been any baseball players there this year to sign autographs. On top of that, I have let my SCN account expire. Because of that, I do not have access to addresses and have not had the need to for some vintage cards. That is why all these old cards I am posting that were signed TTM are from two to three years ago.

This is actually the second card of Ken that I have posted on here. The first one was a card that I won from the Topps Diamond Giveaway. I sent that card to Ken in 2011 and had it back in just three days. That card can be seen here.

Speaking of Rock's Dugout, his card show is on Sunday. Again, there will not be a ballplayer there. But, Olympic bronze medal boxer, Nico Hernandez, will be there signing items for ten dollars.

1964 Topps, Don Lock

#114 Don Lock

Here is the second card of Don Lock that I have posted in the past month. This one, like the previous one, was obtained at Rock's Dugout bi-monthly card show in 2013. This one, unlike the previous one, came out looking really good as Don's Sharpie had not crapped out quite yet. Just check out the previous card of Don to see what I mean.

Don spent eight years in the Major Leagues, spending the first five with the Washington Senators. During that time, Don had two really good seasons in DC. That was in 1963 and '64, Don's second and third season in the Majors. Over those two seasons, he averaged a .250 average, 27.5 home runs, and 81 RBI. Even though he did not make the All Star team either year, he did collect some MVP votes for the '64 season. That year, he was clearly the best position player on a bad Senators team that finished the season 62-100.

For his career with the Senators, Don was a .240 hitter with 99 home runs and 286 RBI.

1963 Topps, Don Lock

#47 Don Lock

Here is a card that I got signed at a card show almost three years ago. Rock's Dugout, the oldest card shop in Kansas, hosts a bi-monthly card show by his shop in Wichita. Most of the vintage cards I get signed through the mail are bought at his show. Occasionally, Rock will bring in a local former athlete to sign and that is how I got this card signed.

I did not have a card of Don prior to the show, so I made sure to get there early enough to scrounge a few up from the dealers. I was lucky enough to find three that day and this one happens to be the third one that Don signed. He also signed a couple of 8x10s for us. As soon as he got done signing the first two cards and the 8x10s, the Sharpie Don was using crapped out on him. The signature on this card is the result from that crapped out Sharpie.

It's okay, though. This card still looks better than it did before it was signed. It just so happens that the other two cards he signed for me look a little better. Maybe if I can get myself in gear, I will post those two cards before the end of the year.

2006 Topps Heritage, Nate Robertson

#59 Nate Robertson

Here is a card that I got signed at a card show earlier this year. Rock's Dugout, the oldest card shop in Kansas, hosts a bi-monthly card show in Wichita. He tries to get local guys to come in and sign whenever he can and he just so happened to bring in Nate Robertson for the first show of the year this year.

Nate is retired from baseball now and is actually a part owner of the Wichita Wingnuts. Because of that, I always take a couple of cards of him to 'Nuts games just in case I ever run into him. I won't have to worry about that now, though, as I got all three cards I have of him signed at the show.

Nate actually pitched for the Wingnuts for a bit in 2012. I was hoping to make it down to a game during that time, but I was unable to. He made just three starts before signing with the Blue Jays.

Nate pitched last season with the Tigers AAA team before getting released in May. I talked to his brother last season, who just happens to be the Wingnuts GM, and asked him why he didn't pick Nate up. He said that Nate had retired. He pitched for the 'Nuts in 2012 just because he knew the Jays were needing a starter on their AAA team and he needed to be ready. But, since there wasn't anything looming in the near future for him last year, he was just going to enjoy his retirement.

Still, it would have been cool to see him pitch for the 'Nuts.

The Robertsons have quite an operation going in Wichita. Nate is the owner. Josh is the general manager. Luke is the pitching coach. Matt pitched for the team last year.

1994 Topps, Bret Saberhagen

#245 Bret Saberhagen

You didn't think I was going to get all of these cards signed by Bret and only get Royals cards signed, did you? No way, Jose. I had to get at least one Mets card signed and I would have gotten cards signed by him as a Rockie and Red Sock if I could have found some.

The eleventh of December, 1991, is still regarded as one of the saddest days in Royals history. It was on that day that the Royals traded two-time American League Cy Yound Award winner, Bret Saberhagen, (and Bill Pecota) to the Mets for Gregg Jeffries, Keith Miller, and Kevin McReynolds.

In hindsight, though, the trade does not look as bad today. It seems like the Royals traded Saberhagen at the right time. It would have looked a little better if the Royals had gotten some better players in return, but that is said of just about every single trade made.

Kevin McReynolds had two average seasons in Kansas City before being dealt back to the Mets. Gregg Jeffries spent just one season in KC before he was traded to St. Louis. Keith Miller lasted four seasons for the Royals, but he missed most of the last three because of injuries.

On the other hand, Bill Pecota played just one year for the Mets before leaving for Atlanta via free agency. Bret Saberhagen only lasted with the Mets for three and a half seasons and he was hurt for much of that time.

So in the end, this trade was pretty much a bust for both sides.

1991 Stadium Club, Bret Saberhagen

#28 Bret Saberhagen

Here is what I beleive is the fourth Bret Saberhagen card I have posted in the past couple of months. I am running out of stuff to say about Bret, so I guess I'll talk more about the card than him.

This is the first card that I have got signed from the inaugural Stadium Club set. The set was so pricey when it came out that I did not buy too many packs. As a result, I have little to rummage through when I try to find cards to get signed.

This card is from the Members Only set and, to be honest, I know nothing about the set. I don't know how they were obtained or how many cards were in the set. All I know is that they say "MEMBERS ONLY" in foil on the front and the backs are completely different than the regular set. The regular set had stats on the back and other stuff while this card here just talks about Bret no-hitting the Pale Hose. And yes, it actually calls the Sox the Pale Hose.

So, even though this card is from the Members Only set, I am still happy to have a '91 Stadium Club of any kind signed.

1989 Baseabll Card Magazine, Bret Saberhagen

#48 Bret Saberhagen

Here is the next Bret Saberhagen card that I was able to get signed at the Menards grand opening in May. Somehow, the card got a little crooked in the scanner, but I am too lazy to rescan it.

I took this card with me to get signed just because it is fun to get an oddball card signed sometimes. Unfortunately, oddball cards like this rarely hit the market anymore with Topps' stranglehold on the industry, but it was a different world in the late '80s. I am assuming that this card was part of an uncut sheet in the magazine and that someone took the time to cut it out and add to their collection. I don't remember Baseball Card Magazine, but since this card is numbered 48, I am assuming that they inserted five or six cards per issue over the course of the year.

I think it is funny that BCM copied a classic Topps design for this card. They did forget one thing, though, and that is the facsimile signature. Luckily, I was able to correct that by getting Bret to sign it himself. It is not signed in black like it should be, but Bret was pretty content with signing all the cards in blue that day.

You don't see this too often on cards, but check out the cutie behind Bret. It looks like she is posing for the photographer as well.

1986 Topps, Bret Saberhagen

#720 Bret Saberhagen

Here is the second Bret Saberhagan card that I got signed at my local Menards grand opening in May. If you haven't read about how great a show Meanrds does for their grand openings, just scroll down a few posts to the previous Saberhagen post and check it out. They seem to go all-out for them.

I have three more Saberhagen cards to post after this one and I am short on time, so I am going to keep this one short. But, I will say this. For some reason, I have always liked the '86 Topps All Star cards. They are similar to the base set, but are clearly different. There is no black on the border and these cards tend to look a little better than the base cards after twenty-five years of wear and tear.

I'm real OCD when it comes to my autographed cards and I like to store them in binders by year, brand, and card number (just like I post them on here). It just happened to turn out that this card sits next to my John Tudor All Star card from the same set. For those of you that don't remember or weren't around then, the Royals and Cardinals squared off in the '85 World Series and Tudor and Saberhagen were the number one starters for their respective teams. Every time I flip my binder to that page and I notice those two cards, I always chuckle to myself and mumble something to the effect of "suck it Cardinals".

1985 Fleer, Bret Saberhagen

#212 Bret Saberhagen

Here is one of six cards that I was able to get signed at a signing here in town back in May. That month, a new Menards opened up here and they went all out with their grand opening. For the first day of the week long grand opening, they brought in current Chief, Dwayne Bowe. I went there for that just to see how the setup was going to be and I posted my two Dwayne Bowe cards on Auto-Matic for the People. On the second day, Bret Saberhagen signed. The third day was the Menards racing team and the fourth day featured the former Chief, Christian Okoye.

So, while I would have appreciated more baseball players than football, I could not complain one bit. It's not everyday that a current Pro Bowler, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, the 1989 NFL rushing leader, and a NASCAR driver comes to Salina, Kansas to sign autographs for free. It was a top-notch event and I really appreciate Menards doing that. The only thing is is that they need to do that again. I haven't been back there since.

So, if you ever hear about a new Menards opening up near you, you might want to look into their grand opening. The one here in Salina went over really well.