1982 Topps

#14 Steve Howe

I don't know how I got this card. I had very few 1982 Topps when I got this, so I probably got it in a starter kit when I was young. I got it signed in 1993 or 1994 through the mail. Howe just got re-instated to baseball after his "lifetime ban" for substance abuse and I figured that I had better get his autograph before he got another lifetime suspension. Howe died in an auto accident in 2006.

1982 Fleer

#24 Dave Stewart

I got this card signed at the Willie Wilson Classic, also. Dave was the starting pitcher for the blue team and when he was done, he headed out to the locker room. By the time I got out there after the game was over, Dave was standing around in street clothes drinking a Bud Light. I almost didn't recognise him without the uniform on.

On a side note, tomorrow I'm heading down to Texas until Wednesday. I'll try to make a post or two over the weekend. But, there are no guarantees. When I get back I should have four more 1981 Donruss signed (I already got two of them signed Tuesday at a Royals game).

1982 Donruss 2

#643 Fergie Jenkins

I got this earlier in the season at the Willie Wison Classic in Kansas City. Ferguson was the premier player at the event (ie, he was the only Hall of Famer). Originally, Ozzie Smith and George Brett were supposed to be there, but they fell through and Jenkins stepped up into their spots. He was the starting pitcher for the green team and did pretty well.

Like every autograph I got at this game, I got after the game as the players went to the clubhouse (or left it) in right field. I gave Jenkins my book which had two of his cards, but he only signed this one. I can't complain, though. It's not every day that you have a chance to get a Hall of Famer's autograph.

1982 Donruss

#516 Clint Hurdle

I'm going to Kansas City tomorrow (today), so I figured that I would make a post now, since I won't have time after I wake up.

I got this autograph earlier this year at a Royals game. The Royals were playing the Rox and for those of you that live under a rock, Hurdle is the Rockies manager. He was one of the few people to sign that day (for the general population, but I'll get into that in a later post). Jamie Quirk, a formal Royal, wouldn't even sign.

1981 Topps

#410 Bert Campaneris

Earlier this year, I started buying old packs every once in awhile on ebay. Most of them were from 1981-1986. They were usually cards from before I collected or from my first years of collecting when those cards aren't in very good shape. This is one of the cards I pulled from a 1981 Topps rack pack. I got it signed at the Willie Wilson Classic in May. It's the only Campaneris card I had at the time, besides the '81 Donruss with a nice layer of gum on the front. But about a month ago, I found two more Campaneris cards that I had this whole time ('82 Fleer and '93 Ted Williams Collection). Maybe he'll be back next year.

Earlier I posted how Amos Otis had gained a few pounds since his playing days. That is not the case for Campaneris. He looked exactly the same in May of 2008 as he does on this 1981 card.

1981 Donruss 6

#447 Jim Slaton


This is the final installment of 1981 Donruss, for now. I got this card signed earlier this month at an Oklahoma Redhawks game (Pacific Coast League). Jim is the pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51s. The game was a Mickey Mantle bobblehead giveaway and Brad Penny made a rehab start for the 51s. I got a Penny autograph, but I didn't know he was going to be there, so I didn't have any of his cards (I got my ticket stub signed instead).

1981 Donruss 5

# 379 Luis Pujols

I got this card signed a little over a month ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pujols is the manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League. I got to Driller Stadium early and the Hooks were taking infield practice. When they finished, Pujols walked by and I asked for his autograph. He said "No, I have to go change" (the Hooks were practicing in shorts and t-shirts). So I tried again after the game. At Tulsa, the teams have to leave the dugout to get to the clubhouse so I went and stood by the clubhouse entrance. When he came by, I asked him again and he started shaking his head "no", and looked up and saw it was me again, signed my one card and kept moving. It was kind of weird, like the Will Ferrell character in the Austin Powers movie (except I only had to ask twice).

Speaking of weird, I had a card of John Tamargo who was a coach for the Hooks. He walked by after the game and I asked him to sign and he said "sure". I handed him the card and he says "That's my dad" and hands it back to me. Oops.