1984 Topps, John Shelby

#86 John Shelby

This is the third and final John Shelby autograph. Like the previous two, this one was obtained in Baltimore this past September while John was the O's first base coach. You can see the first one here and the second one here.

John told me an interesting story while he was signing this card. He said that you have to be really careful with this card because it likes to smear. I just thought "whatever" and kind of chuckled. Then he said that he was serious; for some reason, this particular card smears more than his other cards. I just said "ok" and left that converation confused. Ryan, from the Great Orioles Autograph Project, was right beside me and I asked him if he knew what John was talking about and he didn't have a clue.

Is there a glossy version of this card? Was there a Tiffany set or were the Nestle cards glossy?

1981 Donruss, Jim Tracy

#520 Jim Tracy

Here is another TTM that I got back last month. Jim is the manager of the Rockies and I sent the card to them at the end of August. I got it back shortly after the Rox were eliminated from the playoffs. I sent this out not knowing if Jim signs or not, so I was pretty happy to get it back.

Jim's Major League playing career lasted two seasons and 185 at-bats in 87 games. He was a .249 hitter who had 5 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 home runs. After that, he played two more years in AAA and one year in Japan.

Jim is probably better known for being a manager than a player. He managed the Dodgers for five seasons. He had a winning record every year but one and he led them to the playoffs in 2004. His final season with them was 2005. After the Dodgers let him go, the Pirates quickly picked him up and he spent two seasons in Pittsburgh. He lost over 90 games in each of his two seasons there before they let him go.

I have no idea what he did last year, but he started this year as the Rockies bench coach. After Clint Hurdle got fired, Jim took over an under-achieving team and got them back on track. Under Jim, the Rockies went 74-42 and almost caught the Dodgers in the West. Instead, they settled for the Wild Card and lost in the first round to the Phillies.

I thought that it was pretty cool that Jim included his number from his playing days on the card. I liked that he put it in an easy to see spot, too.

'81 Donruss Tarcker: 39/100

1981 Donruss, Jerry Reuss

#417 Jerry Reuss

This is the second of two Jerry Reuss cards that I sent to him at the end of August. Here is the first one I posted. Compared to that one, this one looks more like I thought it would. Jerry looks like Jerry and Jerry didn't sign across his body.

Jerry had a long career, 22 seasons long to be exact. During that time, he was a two-time All Star, a three-time 18 game winner, and he won one World Series. He finished his career with 220 wins and 1,907 strikeouts. He even pitched for three teams in one season. That has to be worth something.

If this picture were taken today, you would see the rooftop bleachers and I think that the words "Eamus Catuli!" would be visible over Jerry's right shoulder.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 38/100

Happy Veterans Day

In observance of Veterans Day, there will not be a regular post today. Thanks to all that have served and those that are currently serving.

Come back tomorrow for some more autographs.



"Bandits for Life"

1981 Donruss, Gene Garber

#77 Gene Garber

Here is the second of two autographs that I got from Gene Garber last month. You can see the first one by scrolling down a bit.

Since I mainly talked about how much I supposedly look like Gene on the first post, I will talk about his playing career on this one. During a 19-year career, Gene pitched in 931 games. All but nine of them were in relief. He pitched for the Pirates, Royals, Phillies, and Braves and had 218 saves. He had a career high of 30 saves in 1982 with Atlanta. He was never an All Star and he never appeared in a playoff game.

Two stats stand out to me. One is that he made nine career starts (one with Pittsburgh and eight with Kansas City). In those starts, he recorded four complete games (all with KC). I guess that just goes to show how much the game has changed in the past 35 years.

The other stat is his 1979 line with Atlanta. That year he recorded 25 saves, which tied a career best at the time and was the second most in a season for him during his career. He finished third in the league in saves that season. But, he also finished the season with a 6-16 record and a 4.33 ERA. I don't know how to look that one up, but 16 losses by the closer with the third most saves in the league has to be some kind of record.

Finally, I can't finish my final Gene Garber post without showing off his business card that he sent along. Apparently, Gene is now an emu farmer. So, if you are ever in need of emu oil for pain relief or as a skin conditioner, you now know where to go.



'81 Donruss Tracker: 37/100

1981 Donruss, Bill Russell

#57 Bill Russell

Back to the good stuff, and yes, 1981 Donruss is the good stuff (when it's signed at least).

Here is the second Bill Russell card that I got back in the mail last month. You can see the first one if you scroll down a bit. If it wasn't for this card and my goal of getting 100 cards from this set signed, I probably wouldn't have sent the cards to him. But now that I did, I am gald that I did it. I especially like the third and final card that I'll show next week.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 36/100

1977 Topps, Steve Luebber

#457 Steve Luebber

Here is a card that I got signed at the Wilmington Blue Rocks playoff game in September. Steve is the Rocks pitching coach and he doesn't seem to like signing too much.

Before it started to rain prior to that game, I went over to the bullpen where Steve and the starting pitcher were. I asked him if the rain was going to hold off and he just mumbled something to himself. When he was heading back to the dugout the second time (once when the rain came and then before the game actually started), I called out to him twice to come over and sign and he just ignored me. Finally, my buddy yelled out his name loud enough to be heard on the other side of the diamond and he finally acknowledged us and came over and signed this card. Like Luis Pujols, Steve Luebber falls into the Mustafa category.



You just have to ask him three times.

Steve had a very long pitching career. His first season in pro ball was 1967 with the GCL Twins. His final season was 1988 with the Wichita Wranglers. During that time span, he had five stints in the Major Leagues. The first three came with the Twins 1971, '72, and '76. He pitched in 58 games as a Twin, mostly as a reliever. He then appeared in one game with the Blue Jays in 1979 and gave up a run without recording an out. In 1981, he pitched in seven games with the Orioles and posted a 7.56 ERA. That was his last appearance in a Major League game, yet he kept the dream alive and pitched for five more seasons in the minors.