1981 Donruss, Charlie Leibrandt

#421 Charlie Leibrandt

Here is the last '81 Donruss card that I got signed at Fanfest. I got this card signed after I got Greg Pryor's and right before I got Jamie Quirk's. He was walking as he was signing, so I'm not sure if his signature always looks like this or if the walking threw it off.

Charlie won 140 games in his career and helped his team go to the World Series three times, once with the Royals and twice with the Braves. While never making an All-Star team, he won 15 or more games four times including a career high of 17 with the 1985 Royals. That season, he won pitcher of the month twice and he finished fifth in the Cy Young award vote (with two other Royals finishing in front of him).

In three World Series, Charlie made three starts and five total appearances. He was 0-4 in the Series with a 4.84 ERA. Most of those numbers come from his Braves days. In the '85 Series, Charlie was 0-1 in two starts with a 2.76 ERA. The one game he lost in the Series was after he had pitched eight scoreless innings. With the Royals up 2-0, Dick Howser sent him out in the ninth and he gave up four runs before Dan Quisenberry came in to end the half of the inning. His next appearance was in the infamous Dekinger game. In 7.2 innings of work, Charlie limited the Cardinals to one run off of four hits.

The picture on this card throws me off. Most of the photos in this set were taken in Chicago. It is hard to tell where this one was taken. The batting cage blocks most of the background, but it appears that there is a blue outfield wall.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 44/100

1981 Donruss, Jamie Quirk

#341 Jamie Quirk

Like Greg Pryor, this is probably my sixth Jamie Quirk autograph that I have obtained. I also got this card signed in the same fashion as the Pryor card.

After I got Brett's autograph, I went over to where Pryor had been signing and was able to get his signature after his session was over. Feeling like I was on a roll, I went over to the third autograph line and waited for it to get over. The line was still pretty deep and I had to wait there about a half hour for it to finish. By the time that happened, there was about twenty people standing around doing the same thing.

I was able to get one signature fairly quickly (you'll find out in tomorrows post). After I got that, I looked around to see who was where. The only other person I saw signing was Jamie and he was walking away while he was doing it. I caught up to him and just barely got this card signed right before he went "backstage".

I think that the Collective Troll sent me this card.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 43/100

1981 Donruss, Greg Pryor

#278 Greg Pryor

I think that this is the sixth Greg Pryor card on here. But, this one is different from the rest. This one is on an '81 Donruss which makes it the best out of the six. Plus, you just can't beat the early '80s White Sox uniforms. Those collared jerseys just scream disco.

I got this card signed after I got the George Brett card signed. At Fanfest, there was three autograph tables set up. Since this year is the 25th anniversary of the Royals lone World Championship, they had a bunch of guys there from that team. There was about eighteen of them there and they were all divided up six apiece for the three tables. As soon as I exited the line with George Brett, I made my rounds to the other two lines to see if I could still get in one. They were both closed off, so I went back to the George Brett line to get in line for the next session.

While I was standing there, some guy ran up to his wife and said that Bret Saberhagen was signing for extra people. He got what he needed from her and made a beeline over to Sabes. I followed him and by the time we got there, Saberhagen was gone. But, Greg Pryor was standing around signing a couple of extras and I was lucky enough to get this card signed then.

I picked up this card from checkoutmycards.com.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 42/100

1981 Donruss, Dusty Baker

#179 Dusty Baker

Here is the second Dusty baker card that I got back a couple of weeks ago. This card was the main reason for writing Dusty. I threw in the '75 Topps card since I found it at the card shop and I like the set.

Like I said in the previous Dusty Baker post, I sent this card to Dusty during Spring Training last year. During the summer, I went to a Royals game when they were hosting the Reds. I was kind of frustrated because I didn't have his '81 Donruss card with me to get signed. In fact, by that point, I had practically given up on it. Luckily, he didn't sign any autographs that day, so I didn't miss out. By October, I had given up on this card and even put it on my want list so that I could try again. GCRL was nice enough to send one my way and now I have a duplicate.

I don't care for cards signed in ballpoint, but it doesn't look bad on the '81 Donruss set. This one looks much better than the one on the '75 Topps card.

I like how Dusty signs his name. His "t" and "y" morph together to form an original letter and then continues on to the "B" with out lifting the pen.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 41/100

1981 Donruss, George Brett

#100 George Brett

Here is my highlight from Royals Fanfest. I finally have a George Brett autograph and it is on an '81 Donruss card.

As for George Brett, he seems like the most unpleasant person in the world. You could just tell that he was hating life during the autograph session. He wouldn't talk to anyone in line or even look at them. It was very obvious that he did not want to be there.

The funny thing was that I ran into a guy I've met while getting autographs at Royals games and I asked him if he got George's autograph. He pulls out a ball that is signed and has a Hall of Fame inscription. I was surprised that he actually added the inscription and the guy said that he was pretty good with that and that there was a couple of people in front of him that even got him to sign his middle name. I asked him if George talked or looked at him and he said "no, but at least I got his autograph".

But, if you give George a microphone, he will talk and talk and talk. He's always good for interviews. I don't know if he is just sick of signing stuff for thirty-five years or what the deal is. Maybe he is just a private person. Well, he can't be too private. You'll know what I mean after seeing the following clip (NSFW).



That is the George Brett that I will remember. Maybe the next chance I have to get his autograph, I'll have him inscribe it "I shit myself twice a year".

'81 Donruss Tracker: 40/100

1977 O-Pee-Chee, Jim Rooker

#161 Jim Rooker

Here is the third and final Jim Rooker card I got signed at Fanfest. I of course got this card from checkoutmycards.com and even though it has a nice crease in it, I couldn't pass up getting a '70s OPC card signed. I think that I now have four OPC cards signed- one each from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s.

It seems that the main reason Jim was at Fanfest was to promote his new career. He is now writing baseball themed childrens book. Nearly the whole day I was at Fanfest, Jim sat at a desk selling books and signing autographs. The only time I didn't see him there was when Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews was there selling books and signing autographs. During that time, Jim was on the main stage being interviewed about his books. I was too far away to hear much of that interview, but if you are interested, you can check out his site here. If you buy a book, you can even get a free autographed card from him.

1975 Topps, Jim Rooker

#148 Jim Rooker

Here is the second Jim Rooker card that I got signed at Fanfest.

When I finally got through the long line to get into Fanfest, I headed to the first autograph line that I could find. I stood there for about an hour until the signing started. After I got my cards signed, I headed over to the next line to catch the tail end of it. To my amazement, they were not letting any more people into the line. Instead of signing for a certain amount of time like they had done in the past, they were only signing for a set number of people. So, I had been there for about an hour and a half and only had three cards signed. To add to my frustration, it would be another hour and a half until I got any more cards signed.

So, my Dad and I got in another line where a lady said that Billy Butler would be signing. Rather than just stand there, we took turns exploring the rest of Fanfest. There wasn't much there that interested us, but I did find a booth I didn't know about where Jim Rooker was signing. So I hopped in a line that had about six people in it and got my cards signed. Jim was nice enough to sign all three cards that I had of him.

While I was waiting in that short line, I saw another Royals alumni in the same area just checking things out. Once I had my Rooker cards signed, I went over to the other alum and he signed four cards for me. Those seven autographs were enough to cool me down a bit and I wasn't as pissed off as I had been before. But, my frustration would return about two hours later (I'll get into that one next week).

All three Jim Rooker cards I have were purchased from checkoutmycards.com. Of the three, this one is in the best condition. I probably could have bought this card at the local shop in better shape, but it is so much easier just getting it online.

1975 Topps, Dusty Baker

#33 Dusty Baker

If you saw my last post, you might have noticed this card on there. Obviously, this card was not obtained at Royals Fanfest. This signature was acquired through the mail about two weeks ago. I had sent this card to Dusty during Spring Training last year and, judging by some other blog entries, he is now getting around to signing all that stuff. Better late than never.

Dusty spent most of his career with the Dodgers and Braves. But when I think of him as a player, I almost always think of him as an Athletic. That is because when I was growing up, I had two cards of him and they both showed him as an A. I have a few more cards of him as a Dodger now, so he is slowing becoming a Dodger in my mind.

Since Dusty is a Brave on this card, here is a little tid-bit about his Braves days. I heard this somewhere and if I am wrong, please correct me. Dusty Baker was on deck when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run (the one that broke Babe's record).

I wish I knew what Dusty was thinking when this photo was taken. I can't tell if he has a "I know something you don't know" look or if he is trying not to laugh. Maybe the cameraman has a big bubble on his hat and it is both guesses.

The Joy of a Completed Page, 1975 Topps

I obviously stole this concept from Cardboard Junkie, but I couldn't help it. Plus, my joy is a little different. I haven't obtained nine cards in order for a complete set. All I did was acquire nine autographed cards from a set. It's nothing spectacular, but it is still an accomplishment for me.

I look forward to doing this as I go on, but it will be limited to my latest autographs. Therefore, you will not be seeing '81 Donruss, '86 Topps, '87 Topps, '04 Bowman, or even '08 Topps since I have had more than nine autos for those sets for some time.

Also, I know that the Dennis Loenard card isn't really complete. But, that is about as good as it is going to get.

Here's the tally for the sheet.

3 TTM
3 Strosfest
2 Royals Caravan
1 post game

1971 Topps, Jim Rooker

#730 Jim Rooker

This is the oldest card that I got signed at Fanfest and it is now my oldest signed Royals card. The older Royals don't usually come to Fanfest, so it was neat to see Jim there, even though I had never heard of him prior to the event.

Jim was an original Royal. He appeared in two games for the Tigers in 1968 and then was taken by the Royals as the sixth pick in the expansion draft. For the first-year Royals, he appeared in 28 games and made 22 starts. He finished the season 4-16 with a 3.75 ERA, 73 walks, and 108 strikeouts. He also hit .281 that year with 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 0 sacrifice bunts. In fact, his first two home runs came in the same game and they were both off of Jim Kaat.

I got two more cards signed by Jim and I will post both of them on Wednesday. Because of that, I am cutting the Jim Rooker story short. That way, I'll have something else to say on the next two cards.

I bought this card off of checkoutmycards.com. I had no idea how hard it is to find high numbered cards from the early '70s. This one cost me about two dollars and it isn't in the best of shape (you can see where the Sharpie tripped over the crease on the right side of the card). Plus, and I didn't notice it until I had the card in hand, the printer kind of overdid the black on the card. Oh well, it's always fun to have a card that has a little bit of personallity.

1999 UD Ionix, Kevin Brown

#50 Kevin Brown

This is the second Kevin Brown I have posted on here. The first one was a TTM return. This one is a Padrograph. Since I've talked about Kevin once before, I'm going to skip all of that banter and talk about the card instead.

This is the only Ionix card that I own. I have no idea how many years they were made and I'm too lazy to look it up. But this card has a ton going on with it. Because of that, it reminds me a little of the 1998 UD3 card of Gary Matthews, Jr.

This one has the small inset close-up of Kevin's face, like '83 Topps. Then there is the radiating effect coming from behind him like he is glowing or he is the center of an Imperial Japanese flag. After that, there is the chromey-oily look breaking up the radiating effect that fades out to some white borders. Like I said, there is a lot going on with this card. I wasn't really collecting at the time and I wonder if these cards were popular at all. They look like something I would buy one pack of just to see, only to be disappointed and never buy another.

This is the last card of 1999. Starting tomorrow, I will go through the older cards that I got signed at Fanfest. When I get done with that, then I will start onto the cards from 2000.

1999 UD Choice, George Lombard

#25 George Lombard

This is the second George Lombard card that I have posted on here. Like the first, Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, got this card signed for me at an Atlantic League game.

When Paul put out the offer to get cards signed for other people, I jumped at the chance. When I figured out who I had cards of, I emailed Paul the list. Paul replied and asked me if I had any extras of a few players on the list. The only person I had cards of was George and for some reason, I had five or six of this card. I sent them all to Paul and told him give the extras to his friends. I wasn't expecting to get one back because I was mainly concerned with the minor league card of George. So I was pleasantly surprised when I got this one back with the other. The black and white background really makes the autograph stand out.

For some reason, Upper Deck changed the name of this set in 1999. It used to be Collector's Choice.

1999 Upper Deck MVP, Carlos Hernandez

#182 Carlos Hernandez

Here is a card of former backup catcher, Carlos Herndandez. Carlos had a ten-year career with the Dodgers, Padres, and Cardinals. He spent most of that time as the Dodgers backup. But, in 1998, he was the Padres primary catcher.

That year, he played in 129 games and hit a respectable .262 with 9 homers and 52 RBI. He even started all four games of the World Series. But, for some reason, he ended up missing all of 1999. He was back with the Padres in 2000. But they traded him to St. Louis at the trade deadline. According to Baseball Almanac, Carlos hit a home run in the NLDS for the Cards that fall. But, Baseball Reference says he didn't. My money is on Baseball Reference.

I'll always remember Carlos as a Dodger. When I was a youngster, I sent a TTM request to Orel Hershiser. Orel didn't sign my card, but he included all sorts of goodies like pocket schedules, stickers, and the Dodger newsletter. He also sent me a small 8x10 poster of the Dodger roster and Carlos was on it. I had that little poster on my wall for years.

I guess I forgot to mention it earlier, but this card was sent to me by Rod, of Padrographs.

For some reason, this autograph and the one used on Carlos' Baseball Almanac page are not the same.

1999 Ultra, Michael Tucker

#187 Michael Tucker

Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, got this card signed for me last season at an Atlantic League game. Micheal last played in the Majors in 2006 and he spent all of '07 playing AAA. He appears to have retired after that and he sat out of the '08 season, only to make a comeback last year in the Atlantic League. He started out the year with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and finished it out with the Newark Bears. I'm not sure if the Bears acquired him to make a playoff push or what, but he was hitting .332 for the Blue Crabs.

This is the second Michael Tucker card that I have posted on here. The first autograph was obtained in 1995 or '96. It is kind of cool to compare the two signatures. They are both similar, but the older one has much more to it that Michael now leaves out. But, the new one has Micheal's uniform number that he wore as a Brave, 24. That's a nice addition.

A pack of Phungo and I've been BOpped

I got a couple of packages in the mail the other day, so I figured that I would show them on here.

First up is the pack of 2010 Phungo that I got. I didn't get any black bordered inserts, but I did get some cool cards. Here is the highlights of the pack.



I got lucky and got a pack loaded with Royals. That will probably be the last time that happens this year.

The first card is of Mike Moustakes, the Royals 2007 first round draft pick. Mike played for the Wilmington Blue Rocks last year and led them to the Carolina League finals.

The second card is of the Judy Johnson statue that sits in front of Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, Delaware. Judy, whose real name is William, was a Delaware native that was a star in the Negro Leagues in the '20s and '30s.

The third card is of Jim Eisenreich. I always think of Jim as a Royal and he usually attends Royals Fanfest. But, it is good to see that he also takes part in Phillies events, too. Jim is a good guy.

The fourth card is from Baseball Cards magazine. When I first saw it, I instantly thought I had a 2008 Topps Heritage card of Bret Saberhagen. Luckily, that notion didn't last too long and I was able to figure it out.

There were also Phungo cards of JA Happ and Ryan Howard as well as some assorted Royals cards. Overall, it was a great pack. Thanks Phungo!

The other package I got was from Rod, of Padrographs, and he Bipped me. Actually he BOpped me.



So there were only nine of them. I know it's low for Bippage, but it is still my first. But, he also included some '09 Topps U&H Royals cards and a bunch of Bos and Bretts. Thanks Rod!

If anyone needs a 1987 Topps Bo Jackson, I might have one or two I could spare.

1999 Ultra, Tony Womack

#111 Tony Womack

If I am not mistaken, this is the last autograph I have to post from the Collective Troll. The seventeen card well is now officially dry and I enjoyed each and every one of them. Thanks Marck! I'll always keep you in mind when I come across a current or former Rays player whose autograph you still need.

As for Tony, he spent thirtteen years in the Majors with the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Cubs, Cardinals, Yankees, and Reds, just like yesterdays Tony who played for seven teams in thirteen seasons. The main difference between the two is that I only saw this Tony play seven times (compared to 14 for the other Tony) and he only hit .138 in those games (compared to the other Tony's .408). So, while Tony Graffanino needed me at the ballpark as much as possible, Tony Womack needed me to stay home on gamedays.

Tony Womack started all seven games at shortstop in the 2001 World Series for the champion D-Backs.

When I looked at the giant scan of this card, I thought that I was looking at Chico Lind. The glasses must have thrown me off.

1999 Ultra, Tony Graffanino

#71 Tony Graffanino

Todays autograph is from journeyman utility infielder, Tony Graffanino. During his 13-year Major League career, Tony has played for the Braves, Devil Rays, White Sox, Royals, Red Sox, Brewers, and Indians. He has played every position in the infield multiple times and has even logged six games in left field.

I have personally seen Tony play in 14 games as a White Sock, Royal, Brewer, and Indian. In those games, he has played all four infield positions and has even pinch hit. The most amazing thing about it, though, is that Tony was 20-49 (.408) in those games with 11 runs, 11 RBI, 5 doubles, a home run, and a stolen base. Maybe if I would had seen him play in person many more times, he would be more of a household name.

I got this card signed last April when the Indians were in Kansas City. Tony only played in seven Major League games last year, so I am glad that I was able to catch him in that window. Since he was a former Royal and that was my first game at the "new" Kauffman, I asked him what he thought about it. He replied that it looked great and then signed my three cards.

1999 Ultra, Carl Everett

#22 Carl Everett

Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff, got this card signed for me this past summer at a Newark Bears game. If I remember correctly, Paul was hiding out somewhere during a rain delay when Carl walked by. That is when he got this card signed.

Carl Everett is a former first round draft pick and a 14-tear Major League veteran. 2006 was his last year of playing Major League ball and he will be Hall of Fame eligible in two years. Despite all of that, Carl is still playing in the Atlantic League. Since 2007, he has been a member of the Long Island Ducks and the Bears. Each year, he has hit over .300 and has knocked in 80 or more RBI.

During his Major League career, Carl played for the Marlins, Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Rangers, White Sox, Expos, and Mariners. During that time, he was a career .271 hitter that had one 30 home run season and two 100 RBI seasons. He has 202 career home runs.

When I think of Carl Everett, I think of the guy that does not beleive in dinosaurs.

This is a pretty cool picture on the card. It has a great shot of the Dodger Stadium wall and a giant Kirk Gibson looming over Everett. This might be one of the most zoomed out shots I have ever seen on a baseball card. You can tell that the photographer was trying to get a little more than just Carl.

As for Carl's signature, I have no clue what is going on with it. The more I look at it, the less sense it makes to me.

1999 Ultra, Shane Reynolds

#18 Shane Reynolds

This is the third and final Shane Reynolds card that I got signed at Astros Fanfest last year. After Royals Fanfest on Friday, I kind of miss Strosfest (or even last years Royals Fanfest). At least there, you had former players that signed for a set time and not a set number of people. In Houston, I was able to hit up every single free autograph session that they had. On Friday, I only got to a third of them.

You can see the first Shane Reynolds card here and the second one here. I wish I would have found a Braves card of him before I went to Houston. Oh well, at least I had the Jackson Generals card.

Before I got this card signed, I didn't have a single card from this set signed. Over the past year and with the help of a couple of bloggers, I now have five cards from this set signed. I know that it is not a lot, but it is five more than I had last year.

1999 Topps, Kevin Eberwein

#T41 Kevin Eberwein

This Padrograph is of the Padres 1998 fifth round draft pick, Kevin Eberwein. Kevin never made it to the Major Leagues and he only spent five seasons in the minors, all in the Padres organization. He had two stints at the AAA level, but in the longer of the two, he only hit .209 in 320 at-bats. He finished his career a .254 hitter with 64 home runs. I would write more, but that is about all I know about Kevin. I even checked Rod's post on him, and he didn't have much more to add either.

1999 Topps, Phil Norton

#428 Phil Norton

Here is a card that I got in the mail last month from Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff. More than likely, Paul got this card signed at an Atlantic League game. Phil Norton only pitched on 12 Atlantic League games, so it was a good job of Paul to get these (I am assuming he still has one for himself) cards signed.

I have never heard of Phil and, like Danny Klassen, I didn't think that he ever appeared in the Majors. Well, obviously he did. In fact, he appeared in 48 more Major League games than Atlantic League games. He spent parts of three seasons with the Cubs and Reds, pitching in relief with the exception of two starts. He had a 5.07 career ERA, but he finished with a .500 batting average (2-4).

I'm sorry this is such a short post, but I have had a long day and I still have to get my cards sorted for tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, there will not be a post. I'll do two on Saturday to make up for it.

1999 Topps/Topps Chrome, Danny Klassen

#212 Danny Klassen

Here is a card that I got signed in Round Rock, Texas in 2008. I got these signed the same day as I got the two Steve Woodard cards signed. I know that it is pretty bad that I got two nearly identical cards signed twice in one day, but it was the only cards that I had of those guys.

I got this card signed before the game that day. At the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, they have a row of wooden rocking chairs that can be rented out during a game. The chairs are in left field and are right by the locker room. At this game, I happened to catch Danny at the end of the row in his game pants and a t-shirt talking to the trainer. I asked one of the locals who it was and when I realized I had cards of him, I went and got them signed.

Danny was really nice and asked how my day was going. When I told him that I had been driving all day, he asked where I was coming from and where I was heading and told me to have a good trip. It was cool to have more than the usual "how's it going" chit-chat.

I didn't realize this at the time, but Danny played in 85 Major League games over five seasons with the Diamondbacks and Tigers. Prior to today, I just thought that he was a career minor leaguer. His career number aren't too impressive, but at least he was given a shot. He even got to represent Canada in the 2004 Olympics.

These are the first Diamondback cards on here.

Here are the rockers Danny was sitting on. That is probably him at the opposite end of the row.



As for the Royals Caravan yesterday, it was a complete joke. There was no autograph session. It took me awhile, but I finally learned that it was just a private party with the boosters. Why the Royals would even put that on the schedule and make it sound like a normal Caravan stop is beyond me. But, being the hound that I am, I was able to get one card signed by George Brett and two by Joe Randa. I'll have more on my less-than-memorable George Brett experience in a few weeks when I post the card.

1999 Topps, Jeff Montgomery

#179 Jeff Montgomery

Here is one last card of Jeff Montgomery, the Royals all-time saves leader with 304. Jeff has 66 more saves than the second place Dan Quisenberry and 215 more saves than the third place Joakim Soria.

At this point, I have no idea how many cards I have signed by Monty. I am going to guess that it is at least four and probably five. If he was going to be at Fanfest this year, he definitely would have been on the list of cards to get signed for other bloggers. But, for some reason he is not.

I have so many cards signed by Jeff that I do not recall where I got this card signed. It was most likely at some Royals Caravan stop, but that is as close as I can get. I do know that this was the first card that I had signed from '99 Topps. So, at least I know something.

Speaking of the Caravan, today is the day that it rolls through my town. In the past, the Caravan has always done a public signing here at the mall, a car dealership, or Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, that is not the case this year.

For some reason, the Royals have drastically shortened the caravan this year. Many towns that used to be on it are now left out. They are still coming to my town, but they are only doing a private appearance at a local elementary school. Normally, I wouldn't mind too much since I have autographs from most of the players and alumni that go on the trips. But this year is different. This year, George Brett is coming to town.

So now I have to drive to Manhattan and buy a $28 Kansas State basketball ticket to get George's autograph. And that is what I am going to do. I'm hoping that I can go through the line at least twice to make it worth it.

I'm used to being disappointed by the Royals on the field. But being disappointed in their Caravan is something new to me.

1999 Topps, John Valentin

#164 John Valentin

I got this card signed last summer in St. Louis at the Futures Game. John was one of the coaches for the USA. For the game, they usually have an honorary manager (for the US, it was Ozzie Smith) and the coaches are made up of up-and-coming minor leauge managers and coaches. John was the manager of the Dodgers' AA affilaite, the Chatanooga Lookouts. However the Dodgers must not have thought too highly of him since he is going to be the Lookouts hitting coach this year.

John had an 11 year career, spent mostly with the Red Sox. He started off as a shortstop, but moved to third when Nomar came up. His best season was probably 1995 when he had career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (102). He even won the Silver Slugger that year for American League shortstops.

According to Wikipedia, he was the first player to ever turn an unassisted triple play and hit for the cycle.

I could only find three cards of John to take with me to the game. He only signed this one card for me though and it was the darkest card out of the three. But, on a positive note, he was the only coach that I got to sign for me.

For some reason, I always got John Valentin and Jose Valentin confused. That makes sense, I guess, since their names are so similar. I just never really realized that John was practically a life-long Red Sock.

1999 Topps, Dave Martinez

#107 Dave Martinez

This is the fifth and final Dave Martinez card I have to post (unitl I see the Rays play again, at least). This one was obtained in September while I was at a Baltimore Orioles game. You can see the first three, which I got signed in Kansas City in 2008, here, here, and here. The fourth one, also obtained in Baltimore, can be seen here. I now have signed cards from Dave as a Cub, Expo, White Sock, and Devil Ray. I guess that the next time I see the Rays, I will be looking for a card of Dave as a Red, Giant, or Brave.

Here is a fun fact about Dave Martinez. In 2000, Dave played for four different teams. He started out a D-Ray. After 29 games, he was traded to the Cubs for Mark Guthrie. 18 games later, the Cubs shipped him to the Rangers for Brant Brown. 38 games later, he was dealt to the Jays for Peter Munro. That has got to be some kind of record.

Here is another fun fact. Dave pitched in two Major League games. The first one was in 1990 as an Expo. In that game, he pitched a third of an inning and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He pitched again for the White Sox in 1995. In that game, he pitched one scoreless inning and gave up no hits and two walks. In the two appearances, he had no strikeouts. His career ERA is 13.50.

1999 Topps/Topps Chrome, Steve Woodard

#60 Steve Woodard

I got both of these cards signed at the same time. Since they are practiaclly identical, I figured that I would put them into the same post.

I got these cards signed in Round Rock, Texas in 2008. Steve was in town with the visiting Isotopes. I got the cards signed after the game. This was the game that Steve was thrown out of before he even threw one pitch.

Of the three cards he signed for me, the regualr Topps card has the best signature. I'm sure Steve wasn't in the best of moods after getting tossed, so I am fortunate to even have one of the cards signed. Plus, it wouldn't have happened without the help of the EMT.

For some reason, my dad bought me a box of '99 Topps Chrome for my birthday that year. I hadn't opened a box of Major League cards since maybe '94 or '95, so I thought that it was kind of a strange gift. I was in college at the time and was only buying a pack here and there. Since I was a poor college student, I was actually hoping for some cash. But, I got the box of Chrome instead. Looking back now, it is actually a neat gift since I have very few cards from this era.

On a side note, I placed an order through checkoutmycards.com on Thursday and I paid ten dollars extra on shipping to make sure I would get the cards by this coming Thursday. I got the package in today. I was shocked. With the standard shipping charge, their site says the items will be packaged within three to five business days. With the priority shipping charge, which is what I got, it says the items will be packaged within two business. To have my cards not only packaged in two days, but also shipped to my house in two days, is truly amazing. Two Sharpies up for checkoutmycards.com!

1999 Stadium Club, Kevin Polcovich

#6 Kevin Polcovich

This beautiful card was sent to me by the Collective Troll. It is the only '99 Stadium Club card that I own and I think that, based on this one card, I missed out on that set. This card looks great and I would hope that the rest of the set would look just as good.

As for Kevin, he was a 30th round draft choice for the Bucs out of the University of Florida. In his sixth year of pro ball, Kevin got called up to Pittsburgh. He got into 84 games that year and he hit .273 with 4 homers and 21 RBI while mostly playing shortstop. One of his homers was off of Curt Schilling.

The next season, Kevin was on the big league roster all year. But, in 81 games, he only hit .189. That was his last season in the Majors. After that, he played two more years in AAA and one year that was split with an indy team and a AA team.

Even though his final big league season was less than spectacular, at least this great looking card came out of it.

Also, there is still time to claim a spot in the previous post. If there isn't any more selections by 9:00 central time tonight, feel free to grab more than five slots.

Get Your Royals Cards Signed Here

I am going to Royals Fanfest next Friday (I'm undecided on Saturday right now). There are a few players and alumni that are going to be there that I have plenty of autographs from. For those guys, I am willing to get stuff (preferribly cards) signed for other people.

Below, you will find a list of those players and whether I will be able to get one or two things signed. There are about fifteen players on the list. The only rule is that you may not take up both slots for any given player. Please be curtious to other readers and do not take up more than five slots. If there are still slots open tomorrow night when I get off work, feel free to grab some more.

Fanfest is next Friday, so you need to mail me your cards as soon as possible. If you really want something signed that is not a card, email me first. Here is the list.

Brian Bannister- Paul's Random Stuff

Willie Bloomquist- 2 slots

Kyle Davies-
1. Paul's Random Stuff
2. still open

Trey Hillman- 2 slots

Mitch Maier- 2 slots

Bryan Pena- Paul's Random Stuff

Robinson Tejada- 1 slot

Dennis Leonard- Night Owl

Mike Macfarlane- Paul's Random Stuff

John Mayberry- 1 slot

Jim Eisenreich- Paul's Random Stuff

Brian McRae- Wicked Ortega

Jamie Quirk-
1. Wicked Ortega
2. Orioles Magic

Clint Robinson (minor leaguer)- 2 slots

Keep in mind that claiming a slot and sending me cards does not guarentee you an autograph. These events can be pretty hectic and it is impossible to hit all of the autograph tables. Plus, Mayberry and Eisenreich are only scheduled to appear on Saturday and I am undecided on that day. But I promise that I will do whatever I can to get as many cards signed as possible. If you miss out on a slot of a certain player, feel free to send me a card of that player anyway. Some will be signing more than once, especially if I go both days.

To claim a slot, just leave a comment. If you do not have my address, email me at zman40 at hotmail dot com. The cards have to arrive in my mail no later than Thursday.

1999 Padres Keebler, Brian Boehringer

#20 Brian Boehringer

This awesome card is another Padrograph from Rod. If it wasn't for Rod's generosity, I would probably only have about ten signed Padre cards. But because of him, I have well over a hundred and more than any other team besides the Royals.

I'm guessing that this card came from a Padres team set. Oddball cards like this are tons of fun and are great cards for getting signed. I wish that the Royals would give out cards like this.

Brian pitched in the Majors for ten years with the Yankees, Padres, Giants, and Pirates. He was mainly a middle reliever, though he did start 21 games during his career and he recorded 3 saves. He never made an All Star team, but he did pitch in two World Series. 2004 was Brian's final season in the Major Leagues and 2007 was his last year in pro ball.

The green pen that Rod used here looks fantastic!

1999 Pacific Crown Collection, Wally Joyner

#245 Wally Joyner

Here is a Padrograph of Wally Joyner. Like the Alomar brothers and a few others, I actually had Wally's autograph prior to receiving that awesome package from Rod. The first Wally auto I had was actually my first TTM success and is still one of my favorites.

Wally appeared to be the next super star when he came into the league in 1986. He made his lone All Star team that year while hitting .290 with 22 home runs and 100 RBI. He followed that his sophomore year with 34 homers and 117 RBI. Unfortunately, he would only hit more than 20 home runs one more time in his 16 year career and he would never reach the 100 RBI plateau again. I have no idea if he just lost his power or if he was just content to be a contact hitter. Either way, he still had a nice career and finished with over 2,000 hits, more walks than strikeouts, and .994 fielding percentage.

Today, the Royals finally announced who all is going to be signing at Fanfest. I have many autographs of some of the players and former players. For the guys I do not need autos from, I would be willing to get some things signed for some of my readers. If interested, check back tomorrow for a detailed post about how it is going to work and which players are on the list.

1999 Pacific, Jamey Wright

#155 Jamey Wright

Here is the third and final Jamey Wright card that I got signed by the Royals parking lot last season. You can see the first one here and the second one here.

By the time Jamey got to the ballpark that day, it had began to sprinkle lightly. Somehow, I got lucky and only one card showed any sign of persipitation. That would be this card. You can see a little runoff on his middle initial and the Shaprie lost a little traction when it hit a wet spot by the "h" and "t" of his last name. I've had worse than this, so this is no problem at all.

I was surprised that I actually had this card to get signed. I probably bought two packs of this and this is the only one that I have signed so far.

The USA-Canada Worlds Juniors championship game is about to start, so I am going to end this post and go watch the game.

1999 Fleer Tradition, Stan Spencer

#496 Stan Spencer

Here is a Padrograph of Stan Spencer. Stan's Major League career spanned parts of three seasons and 23 games at the end of the last millinium. He was a former first round pick by the Expos and a Rule V pick of the Marlins. But, the only Major League team that he played for was San Diego.

Stan's career record is 3-9 with a 5.54 ERA and 107 strikeouts. Having pitched 118.2 innings, he was nearly a strikeout an inning type pitcher. His one drawback was giving up the long ball. In 38.1 innings in 1999, Stan served up 11 dingers. That's less than one every four innings and it helps to explain his 9.16 ERA that season. Some of the guys that hit home runs off of him that season include Barry Bonds, Jay Bell, Derek Lee, Robin Ventura, Mike Piazza, and Bobby Abreu. At least most of them came from some sluggers.

This is my earliest card from Fleer Tradition. Is this what they called their base set or did they not even have a base set at that point?

1999 Grandstand Hudsen Valley, Derek Anderson

#1 Derek Anderson

Here is a card that I got just before Christmas. Out of the blue one day, I got a random package in the mail from Paul, of Paul's Random Stuff. In it were about ten autographs and a heathy stack of Royals. Obviously, it was a very welcome surprise.

The wierd thing about this card, or Derek Anderson actually, is that I cannot find anything about him. My usual go-to place for minor leaguers is The Baseball Cube. On Derek's page there, all they have for him is that he was drafted by the Royals in 1994 and that he pitched for Somerset in 2005. Yet, here is a card of him from 1999 that shows him playing for the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League. The back of the card talks about him being a non-drafted free agent and mentions some of his stats through the first half of the season. So, he obviously pitched professionally beofre 2005.

As for the Renegades, they are still active in the New York-Penn League. They are also still affiliated with Tampa Bay, just like they were when this card came out.

I think that the coolest thing about this card is that it is from a short-season A ball team set. There can't be a ton of these out there. So, to randomly get a signed one is pretty neat.

1999 Donrus Signature Series, Bruce Chen

#120 Bruce Chen

Here is a card signed by journeyman pitcher, Bruce Chen. By journeyman, I am talking about pitching for ten different clubs in an eleven year Major League career. Bruce has pitched for the Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Orioles, Rangers, and Royals. Bruce decided to test the free agent market this year and there must not have been much of a market for him since he signed a minor league deal with the Royals, the team he played for last year.

I got this card signed in June while attending an Omaha Royals/Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines. In the second game of the double header, Bruce pitched a seven inning shutout while only giving up two hits. He signed this card for me outside of the ballpark after the game. He seemed like a good signer because he signed for everyone. I thought that that was pretty cool since his wife and kids were in town and they were having to wait for him to do all of the signing. You don't see many players put the fans before their family. He only signed two out of the three cards I had, but in that situation, I thought I was lucky just to get one.

I bought this card for cheap at checkoutmycards.com and it is the only card from the set that I own. I have no idea if actual autographs came out of these packs or not. Based on the name of the set, I would hope that there would be quite a few.

1940 Play Ball, Bob "Suitcase" Seeds

#91 Bob Seeds

This right here was the coolest Christmas present that I recieved this year. Actually, this is the best present that I have recieved in some time. This was given to me by my best friend, Dustin. Dustin used to do all of my scans for me before I got my own scanner and he was my lone reader when I first started this blog. He picked this card up from ebay. Apparently, my Lou Brissie post caught his eye when I was talking about my oldest signed card and he decided to get me an older one. This card is nine years older than the Brissie card. Not only is it my oldest signed card, it is also the oldest card that I own.

Prior to this card, I had never heard of Bob Seeds (aka Suitcase). That just makes it more fun learning about him and checking his stats.

Bob played for five teams in his nine year career. He was mostly a backup player, with the exception of the 1932 season. He was a career .277 hitter who had career highs in home runs (9) and RBI (52) in 1938 while appearing in only 81 games for the Giants. In 1936, he played in 13 regular season games with the Yankees and made it onto their World Series roster. He only made one appearance in the Series and that was as a pinch runner in game five.

In that game, the Giants grabbed a one run lead in the top of the tenth. In the bottom half of the inning, Bill Dickey lead off with a single and Bob was sent in to pinch run for him. The next two batters popped out and Bob ended the game by trying to steal second. At that point in his career, Bob had been successful in only 13 of 28 base stealing attempts. With the bottom third of the order up, the Yankees must have been desperate (or Bob said "screw it" and took off anyway). Even though they lost the game, the Yanks still went on to win the Series in six games.

On the back of the card, it says that Bob is the only Major League player to own his own ball club. That was the Amirillo team in the West Texas-New Mexico League. Also, it says that the Giants purchased him from Newark and he is called Suitcase because he has switched teams so many times.

Bob has been deceased since 1993, so I guess that this card could be labeled an "unpossible autograph".

Here is the dilemma I have with this card. This card is graded.



I'm not into graded cards and I don't have anyway to display this. Generally, I like to keep all of my signed cards in binders. So here is the question. Do I leave the card in the case or do I remove it? If I were to remove it, does anyone know the best way to do that with these cases?