1992 Score, Tyler Green

#810 Tyler Green

I got this card signed through the mail in either 1993 or 1995 (most likely '95). Green was a first round pick out of a local school, Wichita State. I'm a big WSU fan and try to go to at least one game a year and more if they host a regional. So, I was pretty excited when I got this card back. I wish that I would have had doubles of his '92 Topps card, which pictured him in the Shockers uniform. But, I didn't, so I sent him this one.

Tyler had an unsuccessful Major League career. He got called up to the big leagues within a year of being drafted. He pitched in three games (two starts) and gave up 6 earned runs in 7.1 innings. He was sent back down and spent the rest of the season and all of 1994 in AAA. He made the Phillies team out of Spring Training in 1995. He finished that year 8-9 with a 5.31 ERA. He only made 25 starts that year and missed all of '96, so he must have hurt his arm. He did, however, make the National League All-Star team that year. On July 1st, Tyler was 8-4 with a 2.75 ERA. He pitched one inning in the All-Star game and gave up hits to the first two batters he faced (Ripken and Boggs). He then struck out Kirby Pucket and got the next two batters to ground out. It was all downhill from there. On August 18th, he gave up 3 home runs and 4 runs in a 1.1 inning start. On September 8th, he had his last (and worst) start of the year. He gave up 5 earned runs in only a third of an inning. After that, he made one relief appearance and was shut down.

He made it back to the Majors in 1997 and '98, but he never regained that All-Star form again. In 1999 and 2000, he posted extremely high ERAs (over 7.50) for two different AAA teams and was eventually released and done with baseball.

1992 Score, Bruce Hurst

#111 Bruce Hurst

This is the second Bruce Hurst card that Rod sent me. As for the first one, I ended up giving it to 30-Year Old Cardboard when he won the contest on here.

To me, these are some decent looking cards. Some of the colors are a little goofy, but they are definitely a unique-looking card. The box on the side takes away from the pictures (and adds to the border), but at least the players picture goes over the box. Dave, from Goose Joak, liked this set enough to make a card of Scott Rolen in the style of '92 Score.

As for this autograph, I do not know how it was obtained. It would be fitting if it was acquired through the mail, like most of the other cards from this year that I have signed.

1992 Pinnacle, Tim Raines

#605 Tim Raines

I dropped the ball on this one. Of all the Tim Raines cards out there, I just had to send him this one. This dark one. This dark one where he isn't an Expo on it.

Here is another card that I got through the mail in the early '90s. I thought that this was a pretty cool card back then. I loved the Oakley M Frames and loved these cards. They got the idea for these cards (I think) from a subset that they put out in the hockey cards that featured goalies masks. Boy, was I stupid. You can hardly see the signature on it. For once. the scan looks great. It looks much worse in person. I don't know why I sent such a dark card to get signed. I'm sure that I had some junk wax from the late '80s I could have sent. I guess I sent this one because it was a cool card. I wouldn't know what to think if cards like this came out today.

Either way, Raines was a great player and I am glad that I have his autograph in my collection. Now that Rickey Henderson is off of the ballot, Raines might get a little more support for the Hall of Fame.

1992 Pinnacle, Jose Guzman

#98 Jose Guzman

I got this card signed through the, wait no I didn't. Sorry. I had been in a rhythm for a week or two now. I actually got this card signed at a Rangers game last September. Jose works for one of the Spanish speaking radio stations as a color man.

An autograph seeking Rangers fan helped me out on this one. We were standing around trying to get some of the Rangers pitchers autographs. I mentioned that I didn't come as prepared as I usually do. He asked what I meant and I told him that I completely forgot about the rosters expanding on the first (I had been on the road for for five days seeing four ballparks). He asked who I needed cards of and I told him. He went through his stack and pulled out a card for each person I named. I thanked him and asked if he would like a couple of hot dogs or a beer or something, but he politely declined. Well, none of those guys signed after their workout, so I gave the cards back to him. He didn't want them back but after I explained that I already had all of those cards and that he may need them before I would, he took them back. Then, he pulls out this Guzman card. He tells me to go up to the club level (or mezzanine or what ever it's called there) and walk under the booth with all of the flags. That is Jose's booth and he'll sign if you ask. So, I thanked him again and he got ready to leave and turned to this little boy that wasn't having much luck getting autographs. He hands the boy an '08 Topps Heritage card that he had gotten signed by Josh Hamilton that morning. What a nice guy!

So, after I did a few things that I needed to do, I went up by the booths. This is the only ballpark that I can think of where you can reach up to the booths from the seating area. Jose wasn't there, so I left and came back a little later. He still wasn't there. But, the guy that gave me the card was. He was getting one of the Mariners TV guys to sign (it was either Randy Velarde or Mike Blowers, I'm not sure why I can't remember which). He pointed out which booth it was again and told me to wait. The usher there was super-nice and she told be to have a seat until he got there. Eventually, he came and signed this card.

I never got the guy's name who gave me this card, but thank you.

1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier, Albert Belle

#100 Albert Belle

Through the mail. Early '90s. As for this card, I beleive that this was the second year that OPC made a set that was independent of the Topps set. If I remember right, both the '91 and '92 set looked exactly the same except this set had the '92 on it. There was no year on the '91's front. Also, the players name and position were slightly different in '91. On the '91s, there was two lines of text. The name was on top and the team and position was on bottom. The only place that I remember seeing these was at card shows at the mall.

Looking back on it now, I am surprised that I got this card signed through the mail. Albert didn't have the best reputation. To me, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would be an avid signer. Maybe I underestimate the guy (heck, supposedly Milton Bradley signs TTM). Or maybe I just got lucky and got to him early enough in his career. I don't know. Did anyone else out there have any success with him?

1992 Leaf, Terry Pendleton

#245 Terry Pendleton

Yep, I got this card signed through the mail over a decade ago. I probably got this one in 1992, the year after he was named the National League MVP.

I don't really remember much about Pendleton. I know that he was a third baseman for the Cardinals and the Braves. I don't remember him playing for the Marlins or the Reds, though. I barely remember him playing in Kansas City. I only remember that because I saw him play one time. The only reason that I wrote to him was because won the NL MVP.

But, he sure has a nice looking signature. I like how he doesn't lift up the pen between names. He just keeps on going.

1992 Leaf, Mo Vaughn

#103 Mo Vaughn

As you might have guessed, I got this card signed through the mail in the early '90s. There is something weird about this signature. You can't tell on the scan, but this signature has depth. You can kind of feel the signature if you rub your finger over it. It's like it was signed with a paint marker or something.

Mo Vaughn could mash. He had some great numbers until he started getting hurt. He had six seasons with over 30 homers and six with over 100 RBI. His career highs were 44 home runs and 144 RBI, both put up in 1996, the year after he won the American League MVP.

I have two memorable memories (if that makes sense) of seeing Mo Vaughn play in person. The first one was a game in Kansas City in 2000 while Mo was with the Angels. The game was tied with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Carlos Beltran was on third and Joe Randa was up for the Royals. Randa hit a pop-up into foul territory on the first base side that drifted back towards the tarp. Mo went after it and made a really nice catch bouncing off of the tarp. Beltran tagged up beat the throw to the plate. It's the only time that I have seen a walk-off sacrifice fly to the first baseman.

The second memory was at a Mets-Yankees game at Shea in 2002. David Wells was pitching a great of a game for the Yanks until Mo came up in the eighth. Roberto Alomar was on third and Piazza was on first with no outs, Yankees up 2-0. Mo hit an 0-1 pitch for a three-run home run. Wells walked the next batter and was out of the game. Armando Benitez closed the game in the ninth for a Mets 3-2 victory. That was one of the most fun games that I have ever been to.