1972 Topps, Bobby Valentine

#11 Bobby Valentine

Here is a card that I got signed during the final month of the baseball season. I have had this card since the early '90s. I got it from a friend just because I had never seen a card of Bobby as a player at that time. When I first started collecting, Bobby was managing the Rangers and I thought it would be cool to have a card from his playing days.

Fast forward to this season and Bobby was named the manager of the Red Sox. He seemed to be a signing machine and I had been intending to send him this card. But, I kept putting it off and putting it off until the end of August when it became apparent that he would not be returning to Boston next season. I then made it a priority to send it to him and it took just over two weeks to get it back. Despite the fact that Bobby had always been a good signer from his home address, I think it is more fun sending stuff to team addresses. I guess it just takes me back to my childhood.

Bobby played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons with the Dodgers, Angels, Mets, Padres, and Mariners. He was a .260 career hitter that tallied 12 home runs in the Majors. He was a starter for a few seasons early on in his career, but spent the better part of it as a backup. After his playing days, Bobby went on to manage the Rangers, Mets, Red Sox, and Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan.