1989 Topps, Mark Salas

#384 Mark Salas

Here is the seventh and final card of Mark Salas that I have to post for now. Mark is the bullpen catcher for the White Sox and I have got him to sign three times at Kauffman Stadium over the years. This particular one was signed in 2015, the last time he signed for me.

Here are all the rest of the cards he has signed for me.

1989 Topps, Ken Howell

#93 Ken Howell

Here is the second of three cards of Ken Howell that I got signed at a Royals game in 2014. Ken was the assistant pitching coach for the Dodgers at the time and he signed the cards for me from the bullpen. I posted the first card three years ago and it can be seen here.

Ken was with the Dodgers in 1988 when they last played in the World Series, but he was not a participant. He spent a majority of the season pitching for the Dodgers AAA team and only got into four games with the big league club- one in July and three in September. On top of that, he did not do well in those four games, going 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA. He got knocked around a bit on the one start he made, but actually did okay in the three relief outings. But, those three outings were not enough and Ken was left off of the Dodgers postseason rosters.

While not 100% readable, Ken does have a nice looking signature.

1989 Topps, Neil Allen

#61 Neil Allen

Here is the second of three cards that Neil Allen signed for me this past season. Neil is the pitching coach for the Twins and he signed for me outside of Kauffman Stadium after stepping off of the team bus. I posted the first card back in July and that one can be seen here.

Neil had two stints with the Yankees. The first one lasted just half of a season after being purchased from the Cardinals in 1985. Over 17 games with Yanks, Neil was 1-0 with a save and a 2.76 ERA. That was the last save Neil would ever record.

After the season, Neil was dealt to the White Sox and he would play for them for a year and a half before getting released at the end of August in 1987. The Yankees picked him up and he would finish out the season with them and pitch for them for all of the '88 season. Over that time, Neil went 5-4 with a 3.80 ERA and 77 strikeouts. Neil was granted free agency after that season.

I still need Neil's '81 Donruss card if anyone has one to trade. See the tab up on the top right of the screen to see the rest of the '81 Donruss cards I need.

1989 Score, Bob McClure

#572 Bob McClure

Here is the second of three cards that Bob McClure signed for me at a San Francisco Giants game in 2015. Bob was the pitching coach for the visiting Phillies and he signed for me by their bullpen prior to the game. I posted the first card that he signed for me in August and that card can be seen here.

Bob pitched for the Mets during the second half of the 1988 season. After being released by the Expos in early July, the Mets picked him up eleven days later. With the Mets, he was 1-0 with a save and a 4.09 ERA in 14 contests. He walked 2 and struck out 7 in his 11 innings of work.

He was released after that season and would go on to sign with the Angels the following year.

With the Phillies currently looking for a new manager, Bob could possibly be looking for a new job next year if the new manager wants to go in a "different direction" with his pitching coach.

1989 Procards, Don Schulze

#753 Don Schulze

Here is the third and final card that I got signed by Don Schulze in 2015. Don was the pitching coach for the Nashville Sounds at the time and he signed for me prior to an Omaha Storm Chasers game. The first card of him that I posted can be seen here and the second one here.

Don pitched for four different teams in the big leagues- the Cubs, Indians, Mets, and Yankees. Of those four teams, he has a few Indians cards and one Mets card. I did not have the Mets card in my collection, but I was lucky enough to find this card from the 1989 Procards set.

This was the first minor league cards set that I ever found in packs and I could only find them at one spot. It wasn't at one of the local cards shops or at a big card show. I found these packs at a local gas station. Granted, it was a gas station with a really nice selection of cards, including a case with singles. But it was still a gas station, nonetheless. I only got a few packs from this set and about the only cards worth noting were of Jay Bell and Mark McGwire. I never understood why McGwire was in the set since he last played minor league ball in 1986, but I still thought it was a cool card. I ended up getting the Jay Bell card signed through the mail in the early '90s.

This is the fifth card of the Columbus Clippers that I have posted on here. I am not going to check, but that has got to be the most posts that I done for a single minor league team.

1989 Fleer, Pete Incaviglia

#523 Pete Incaviglia

I thought that this was going to be the last Pete Incaviglia card that I would post for some time and that I could take the easy way out by showing all of the other cards of Pete that I have posted on here. But, that is not the case. I still have one more after this one. So, here are a few random thoughts related to this card.

First off, I find the cropping on this card a little odd. Why allow Pete's head to peak over the border, but not his bat? Obviously, his head has to be in the shot. I just think it would make sense to have a little more bat in the picture. It looks like the bat would go behind his head anyway.

Out of the 1989 Fleer set, I only have ten cards signed. Of those ten cards, three of them are Rangers. No other team has more than one card. The other two are Ray Hayward and Steve Buechele. Like I said, random thoughts.

I got this card signed by Pete at a Wingnuts game in 2015 while he was the manager of the Laredo Lemurs.

1989 Fleer, Ray Hayward

#521 Ray Hayward

Here is the third and final card that Ray Hayward signed for me at the College World Series in 2014. Ray was the pitching coach for Texas Tech and he signed for me on the field as he was watching his guys get loosened up. You can see the first card I posted of him here and the second one here.

Ray started 12 games for the Rangers in 1988, his last season in the Majors. Over those starts, he went 4-6 with a 5.46 ERA. He lasted 62.2 innings and gave up 63 hits while walking 35 and striking out 37. The highlight of that season was the complete game shutout he hurled in Toronto. Over the 9 innings, he scattered just 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 5. That win improved him to 3-0 on the year. His ERA was 1.63 after that contest.

Ray began his tenure at Texas Tech in 2013. Under his tutelage, the Red Raiders pitchers have lead the team to the College World Series twice and won the Big 12 championship in 2016. On top of that, prior to the 2017 season, seventeen Tech pitchers have gone on to get drafted or sign free agent minor league contracts with clubs.

It looks like Ray will be taking on a new role next season. Though he will still be with Tech, he will no longer be their pitching coach and is instead listed as a special assistant.

I am glad that I got this card signed in black. Since I rarely get autographs from Royals anymore, I hardly bother with a black Sharpie. But, I was still carrying one around in 2014 and it came in handy on this card.