Monday, October 19, 2009

1995 Collector's Choice, Joe Randa



#14 Joe Randa

This is the second or three Randa autographs that I got at Royals Fanfest. You can see the first one that I posted here. At the rate I am on, the third Joe Randa should pop up sometime in 2011 (although a Padrograph might make an appearance next year).

Joe was a fan-favorite during his time in Kansas City and I enjoyed watching him play. One of the reasons he was so popular was because he was always smiling. In fact, I think it is impossible for him to frown. He was called the Joker because he had the same permanent grin that Jack Nicholson's character had in the original Batman movie. If you don't believe me, just take a look at that card. He is in the act of throwing, yet appears to have an odd smile on his face. That's the Joker for you.

Joe had two stints with the Royals. Many KC fans were sad to see him go after the 2004 season. But the Royals front office wanted a youth-movement and they didn't see Joe in the plans. So Joe signed with the Reds and did good enough to get traded to the Padres before the trade deadline. With San Diego, Joe got his only playoff appearance as the Padres lost in the first round to the Cardinals, 3-1.
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5 comments:

  1. Goose JoakOctober 19, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    Nice one! I liked Randa too, though I'll never understand why he made it to the majors, and Joe Vitiello didn't, other than a cup of coffee. In the minors, I thought Vit was going to be the better of the two. Maybe it was the smile!

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  2. Rod (Padrographs)October 20, 2009 at 1:56 AM

    i say Joe play in single a short season when I went to meet Tim Flannery who was coaching the Spokane Indians against the Eugene Emeralds.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 20, 2009 at 6:54 AM

    Nice autograph.

    I'm still trying to figure out who at Upper Deck thought those pink backgrounds were a good idea, though.

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  4. zman40October 20, 2009 at 8:15 PM

    Rod- I can't believe you remember that. Did you keep score or something? I've been to a couple of NY-Penn League games and I only knew of one player before I got to the game. Looking back at them, I only remember two other players and one of them is out of baseball.

    But, I did keep score.

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  5. Play at the PlateOctober 21, 2009 at 12:27 AM

    I'm not a big fan of the pink background, but that card looks good with the auto!

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