The rest of 2008 Allen & Ginter

#221 Tim Hudson
#237 Zack Greinke
#307 Pat Neshek
#US50 John Buck

I have over 250 cards signed from 2008 sets. Since I am doing good to average a post every other day, it is going to take me a year and half to get all of those cards posted. So, to help speed up the process, I am going to cut some corners for the first time ever on here. The new rule is that each player gets one post. If that player comes up again, he gets lumped into a set round-up post like this one. The one exception would be that if I only have one card from a set signed, it is getting its own post regardless. It only saved me three posts on this one. But, when I get to Topps, it will save me more than thirty posts.

Tim Hudson- Kansas Stars game in 2016

Zack Greinke- Royals Fanfest 2009, my first Greinke card on here since 2012. Can you believe I actually gave away a signed Greinke Sports Illustrated on here once?

Pat Neshek- TTM 2009, my first return from Pat

John Buck- Royals parking lot 2008

The links take you back to an original post of that player.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Lisa Leslie

#AGA-LL Lisa Leslie

For the first time on this blog, here is a non-baseball related autograph. That is one of the fun things you run into with Allen & Ginter. Surprisingly, this is the only signed non-baseball related A&G card that I own. While I have pondered sending out a few to get signed TTM, I have never pulled the trigger. A few that I wouldn't mind getting are Mark Spitz, Henry Rollins, Richard Petty, and Tommy Lee. Whether I ever get around to getting any of those signed is another question.

As for this card, I won it in a contest from Night Owl back in the day. I have no clue what I had to do to win it or why it was being given away. But, it featured an autograph, so I entered and obviously won. It also came with a relic card of Mark Buerhle.

Back whenever I won this card, I was always getting in on blog contests. Some I would win and most I would lose. But, anymore, it seems like I rarely bother entering contests. While there a many cool ones out there, I just don't care enough to enter. All I really care about are autographs. If those are not part of the prize, I am not interested. I figure it is better to let someone win that might actually enjoy the non-autographed prize then for me to enter just for the sake of entering.

Having said that, if Night Owl were giving this card away now, I am not sure if I would even enter. Sure, it is an autographed card. But, I don't like basketball and really do not like women's basketball. On the other hand, though, it is Allen & Ginter and it is of a person I have actually heard of. Lisa Leslie is one of two female basketball players I am aware of.

One year, I bought a box of Ginter and got a redemption card. I was pretty excited until I read who it was. It was the head basketball coach of the UConn women's team. Luckily, Topps was unable to fulfill it and they sent me a signed card of Gary Sheffield instead. That is a win in my book.

Editor's update: I lied. I also have an '09 A&G signed and framed card from a volleyball player. My bad.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Brandon Phillips

#285 Brandon Phillips

Here is a card that I got signed through the mail back when Brandon Phillips signed through the mail. At one point, he was a pretty reliable TTM signer. But, he hasn't signed anything TTM since 2009, which just happens to be the year I sent this to him. I sent it to him during Spring Training and I got it back just as the season was starting. I sent along an Indians card with this one, but that one did not make it home. I am not sure which card I sent him, but there is no way it would have came back looking as good as this Allen & Ginter.

Brandon played in nine Major League games last year with the Red Sox and hit just .130 in his limited action. Considering that he will be turning 38 this summer, I think the chances of him getting picked up by a team are slim. But, you never know.

If, in fact, he is done playing, he had a good career. Spending parts of seventeen seasons in the Majors with the Indians, Reds, Braves, Angels, and Sox, Brandon was a .275 hitter with 2,029 hits, 211 home runs, and 951 RBI. He was a three time All Star that snagged four Gold Glove awards and a Silver Slugger. He had double digit home runs in eleven seasons and he even reached the 100 RBI plateau once.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Bob Motley

#261 Bob Motley

Here is a card that I got signed at All Star Game Fanfest when it was held in Kansas City in 2012. It features Negro League umpire, Bob Motley.

Bob umped in the Negro Leagues for a dozen years, where he shared the field with legends like Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, and Willie Mays. After baseball integrated, Bob tried working his way into the Majors Leagues, but never got higher than AAA. In 1979, he did get the call to come work in the Majors during an umpire strike. But, he was unwilling to cross the picket line in order to reach his dream.

Prior to his umpiring career, Bob was a Marine in World War II. He saw action on Okinawa and received a Purple Heart after getting shot in the foot. Bob was recovering from his wound when he started umpiring softball games near the hospital grounds.

Sadly, Bob passed away just over two years ago. He was the last living Negro League umpire. About two months after that, the Negro League Museum in Kansas City unveiled a bronze statue of him.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Roy Oswalt

#225 Roy Oswalt

In the two years of the Kansas Stars, I made it to two games and I did really well 'graphing. With the help of my dad, I came home with over seventy cards signed. It was a mixed bag of players that signed for me. Some were guys that I had gotten during their playing days, like Brad Penny. Others were guys that I got both years AND during their playing days- I now have fifteen cards signed by Brandon Inge after my dad and I each got three signed each year, plus the three I had from his playing days. Then there is Roy Oswalt. I had never gotten him before and he was nice enough to sign multiples for us. He was on the team both years, but I only got him to sign the first year. He was a two-per signer and my dad and I both got him. I believe I got two Astros cards signed, as well as a Phillies and Rockies card. Unfortunately, I do not have a Ranger card of him in my collection.

Roy was definitely one of the better 'graphs that I got from the Stars. He is up there with Josh Beckett and Tim Hudson. While Roy never brought home any hardware or a title, he was a dominate pitcher for nearly a decade that won twenty games twice, hit double digit wins for eight straight seasons, struck out 200+ twice, and made two All Star teams. Plus, he helped guide his clubs to four postseason appearances.

Roy finished his career after the 2013 season with a record of 163-102. He logged over 2,200 innings and had an ERA of 3.36 with 1,852 strikeouts.

Merry Christmas!

2008 Allen & Ginter, Yuniesky Betancourt

#207 Yuniesky Betancourt

Here is a card that I got signed at Royals Fanfest in 2010. Yuni had come over from the Mariners midway through the 2009 season and by Fanfest 2011, he had been traded to the Brewers in the Zack Grienke deal. As much as I loved Lorenzo Cain, the best part of that trade was getting the Brewers to take Yuni.

To be honest, I really do not remember why I didn't care for him. Before he was dealt to Milwaukee, he had a career year in Kansas City. That season, he hit .259 and had career-highs in home runs (17) and RBI (78). Those are some decent numbers for a shortstop. Those 78 ribbies tied him for the team lead and he also hit three grand slams that year.

Yuni finished his career after the 2013 season a .261 hitter with 80 dingers and 457 RBI.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Scott Kazmir

#146 Scott Kazmir

Here is a card that I got signed at a Royals game in 2009. Scott had just been traded to the Angels about a week before that and I got lucky by spotting him mulling around in the dugout while the Angels were taking batting practice. I called over to him and he came over and signed one of the three cards I had of him. I do not remember what other two cards I had at the time, but I doubt that they were better than this card.

While looking at Scott's stats, I was surprised to see that he hasn't pitched since 2016. I knew he was traded this past off-season from the Dodgers to the Braves in the great salary dump trade. I guess I just never realized that the Braves released him in Spring Training and nobody ever picked him up.

If Scott's career is indeed done, he had a nice one. Playing twelve seasons with six teams, he racked up a 108-96 record with a 4.01 ERA. The three time All Star played in three postseasons. His best year was with the Devil Rays in 2007 when he went 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and a league leading 239 strikeouts. That was his only 200 strikeout season.

This is the first card on here that features a Tampa Bay Ray. I have posted a handful of Devil Rays, but this is the first one without the Devil moniker.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Geovany Soto

#118 Geovany Soto

Here is a card that I got signed at a Royals game in 2012. And by I, I really mean my future wife at the time. The two of us went to a weekday game against the Rangers and Geo was the starting catcher that night. He was out in the visiting team bullpen loosening up and I talked my future wife into asking for his autograph. I like getting autographs by the bullpen, but they usually consist of coaches or back-up catchers catching a bullpen session. Geo was down there by himself and I made my future wife ask for him to sign. I figured that he wouldn't sign since he was getting ready, but, in the off chance he did, he would be more willing to sign for a cute little female than my big, bearded ass. It actually worked and he even signed all three cards for her.

Unfortunately, my wife's autographing days are behind her. Ever since we had a little one, she gets tasked with watching over him while I do my 'graphing. One of these days, though, he will be 'graphing at my side and I may once again be able to put her to work for me.

Geo is one of those guys that had a monstrous rookie season and was never able to replicate it. He went off in 2008 with a .285 average, 23 home runs, and 86 RBI en route to an All Star Game selection and winning the National League Rookie of the Year. Even though he would play in the league for nine more seasons, he would never come close to those numbers again. By the time I saw him play that day in 2012, he wasn't even a .200 hitter any more. In fact, he barely reached double digit home runs in a season that he was traded for a minor league player that would never make the Majors.

In 2009, I went to an Iowa Cubs game and was impressed enough by a catcher's chest protector that I took a picture of it. It is Geovany's from the 2007 season when he was the Pacific Coast League MVP.

2008 Allen & Ginter, Jayson Nix

#82 Jayson Nix

Way back when in 2008, I started this blog. That was the year I got back into collecting autographs and I thought this blog would be a fun way to show off my cards. About a year into it, I thought I was going to eventually run out of cards to post on here. Well, long story short, it is ten years later and I am just now getting to cards that were made the year I started this thing. I started getting too many autographs and quit posting on a daily basis. Now, in 2018, I am posting a rookie card that was released in the year I started this blog and that guy doesn't even play any more.

Here is a card that I got signed by Jayson Nix at the Kansas Stars game in 2016. I was pretty lucky to get Jayson to sign because I did not recognize him at all. He was sporting a large beard at the time and he had always seemed pretty clean cut while he was playing. Eventually, he got close enough to me that I could barely make out his name on his bat. He came over and signed three cards for both my dad and myself.

Jayson had a whirlwind career. In his seven year Major League career, he saw time with eight teams. He started out with the Rockies before playing with the White Sox, Indians, Blue Jays, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, and Royals. Before this post, I had forgotten he played briefly for the Royals in 2014. I guess he didn't stand out too much when he went 0-11 in ten regular season and postseason games.

Jason finished his career a .212 hitter with 38 home runs and 130 RBI. His best season was probably during the 2010 campaign, which was split with the White Sox and Indians. He got off to a rocky start in Chicago, but ended up hitting .234 with 13 homers and 29 RBI after the Tribe claimed him on waivers in June.

2007 Allen & Ginter, Augie Garrido

#302 Augie Garrido

FINALLY!! Here is the first card that I have to post from 2007. I was beginning to think that I would never make it here.

This is a card that I got signed at a Kansas State baseball game in 2010. Augie is the long-time coach of the Texas Longhorns. It was an interesting experience getting this card signed as Augie would not sign before the game. Then, the game ended on a bang-bang play at first, killing the Longhorns rally. Augie went out to argue, but to no avail, and the game was over. So, he obviously wasn't in a very good mood after that, but he went and did his interview with the Texas media on-field. He was right in front of the dugout, so I went down there to wait and try to get my cards signed. While I was just standing there, the K-State security guard by the gate opened the gate up and let me on the field. It was a little awkward, but Augie just grabbed my book and signed my three cards while he was doing his interview.

That was the only time I have ever been on the actual playing field to get a card signed. I wish I could do that more often as it would make it a whole lot easier for me.

Augie has been the head coach at Texas since 1997. In that time, he has lead the team to eight College World Series appearances and they won it all twice. Prior to that, he lead Cal State Fullerton to three CWS championships. He was been named National Coach of the Year five times and he has the most wins by any college baseball coach at any level.