1991 Classic/Best, Mike Lansing

#45 Mike Lansing

The second card from the '91 Classic/Best set is of former Expos, Rockies, and Red Sox second baseman, Mike Lansing. I got this card signed through the mail. It was most likely in 1993, his rookie season. I always liked Mike because he played his college ball at Wichita State, which is about 80 miles south of where I live.

The autograph featured on this card is different than the one shown on the Baseball Almanac page. That one is a certified autograph, so it could have been the 2000th card that he signed that day. I looked for some autos from him on ebay and most of them look the same. The last names all looked similar to mine. But, none of them had the loop in the M of his first name like mine does. I got another card signed through the mail around the same time and it's signature looks just like this one. It's hard to imagine that a rookie in Montreal in the early '90s would have a ghost signer.

This card is cool because it features the old Miami Miracle. The Miracle were an independent team that played in the Florida State League. I guess that this was the time before indy leagues and there were a few teams that played in a minor league that weren't affiliated (the Peninsula Pilots were another). This is unheard of today, but this team spent seven seasons (four as the Miami Marlins) in the FSL as an independent team. Lansing is the only player from the '91 team to ever make it to the Majors. How about the teal and yellow uniform? That belt really stands out.