The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck, Part I

#22 Lenny Dinardo
#36 Gregg Zaun
#146 Miguel Olivo
#162 Mike Bacsik
#185 Doug Brocail
#196 Chris Coste
#253 Kyle Davies
#336 Feilpe Paulino
#376 Brian Bannister

There are nothing but pitchers and catchers in this post.

Lenny Dinardo- Lenny signed this card for me before a game in Minneapolis in 2010 when he was with the Royals. It was at the final regular season series at the Metrodome.

Gregg Zaun- Lenny signed for me during batting practice at the K in 2009. He was with the Orioles at the time.

Miguel Olivo- I got this card signed by Miguel after a Royals game in 2008. He signed from the Royals parking lot.

Mike Bacsik- I got this card signed at a Wichita Wingnuts game in 2011. Mike was the starting pitcher for Ft. Worth that night and would not sign before the game. But, he came through afterwards, despite getting yanked in the first inning of the contest.

Doug Brocail- Doug signed this card for me at an Astros pre-season game at Minute Maid Park in 2009. Since it is dark picture, I thought that I would give the silver Sharpie a try. I did not like the results. Luckily, he was willing to go over it in blue for me.

Chris Coste- Last year, Chris got appointed to the coaching staff of the Fargo Moorehead Redhawks. So, I made sure to hit up a Wingnuts game while they were in town so I could get three cards signed. My two year old also got a card signed and he was thrilled as can be with it.

Kyle Davies- This is one of the many cards Kyle signed for me at the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Felipe Paulino- Felipe signed two cards for me at a Round Rock Express game in 2008. His unprepped '08 Topps card came out looking much better than this one.

Brian Bannister- Speaking of cards that came out looking bad, this one may take the cake. I am sure glad that I learned about prepping glossy cards at some point in 2009. This one was signed at a Royals game in 2008. He signed it after throwing 120 foot curveballs to Kyle Davies.

2008 Tristar Projections, Balbino Fuenmayor

#182 Balbino Fuenmayor

Here is a card that I got signed at a Burlington Bees game in 2009. Actually, my dad got this card signed for me. The Bees were a Royals affiliate at the time, so I was on that side of the field getting Bees autos. I sent my dad over to 'graph the visiting Lansing Lugnuts side for me and he was able to get two cards signed for me. This is obviously one of those cards.

If you have never heard of Balbino, you are missing out on an interesting story. The Blue Jays signed Balbino out of Venezuela in 2006 and he spent seven seasons in the Jays system. The only problem was that he never made it out of A ball. In fact, he spent parts of four seasons with Lansing. So, the Jays let him go and it was off to the independent leagues. Over a two year stretch, he played in the Can-Am League, American Association, and the Frontier League.

He did good enough there to get a look by the Royals in 2015 and made their AA team out of Spring Training. He then proceeded to tear up the Texas League and found himself playing for the World Team at the Future's Game during the All Star break. For that season, that was split between AA and AAA, Balbino ended up batting .341 with 17 home runs. He would then spend all of 2016 in Omaha where he hit .291 with just 6 homers.

The Royals released him after that season and he hasn't played affiliated ball since. But, he is still playing and is tearing up the Mexican League this summer. Through 99 games, Balbino is batting .329 with a career high 30 home runs. Being just twenty-nine years old, there still may be hope for him to return to affiliated ball.

The Rest of 2008 Topps, Part III

#429 Billy Butler
#441 Miguel Olivo
#483 Mike Jacobs
#498 Matt Chico
#549 Gregg Zaun
#556 John Gibbons
#577 John Buck
#589 Dave Trembley
#594 Andy LaRoche

Billy Butler- Like most of the Royals cards from this set, Billy signed this card for me by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Miguel Olivo- Also by the Royals lot in '08.

Mike Jacobs- Got this card signed by Mike at Royals Fanfest in 2009.

Matt Chico- I got this one signed at a Wingnuts game in 2012 while Matt was playing for the visiting New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League.

Gregg Zaun- Gregg signed this one for me in Kauffman Stadium in 2009. He was with the Orioles at the time and he signed right after batting practice.

John Gibbons- The former Royals bench coach signed this card at a Royals game in 2009.

John Buck- John signed this card by the Royals parking lot after a game in 2008. He made an error that cost his team the game, but was still kind enough to sign some autographs afterwards.

Dave Trembley- For some reason, I thought I posted Dave's 2007 Topps card. Well, it turns out that he wasn't in '07 Topps. I was thinking of the Sam Perlozzo manager card that I got signed. So, this card should have been posted on its own. I will make up for it when I get to 2009 Topps Heritage. Dave signed this card for me at a Royals game in 2009.

Andy LaRoche- I got Andy on multiple occasions as he once played for the Wingnuts and also played with the Kansas Stars. This is one of the ones he signed for me as a Nut in 2015.

Posting all of these cards from 2008 Topps makes me realize how much I miss manager cards. For some guys, a manager card would be the only Topps card they ever get.

The Rest of 2008 Donruss Threads

#65 Danny Duffy
#69 Ryan Patterson
#DK-6 Josh Vitters

We hit the about everything in this set, from a Hall of Famer to a career minor leaguer and everything in between. While Donruss Threads is not the most appealing set of 2008, it sure is a great set to get signed. With the overexposed white border, the signatures really pop off the card.

Danny Duffy- He signed this card for me prior to a Royals game in 2011. It looks like he is the last active Major League player that I have posted from this set, though he is hurt and yet to play this year.

Ryan Patterson- It has been just over seven years since I have posted a Ryan Patterson card. The last couple I posted were signed while he was a Wingnut in 2010. This one was signed the year before when he was with the Ft. Worth Cats and it was signed at a Lincoln Saltdogs game.

Josh Vitters- I posted the first Josh Vitters card less than a week ago. This one was signed at the same time as the first.

Up next comes my favorite set from 2008- Goudey.

2008 Bowman, Chase Lirette

#BCP234 Chase Lirette

On the way to the Future's Game in 2009, my dad and I took the scenic route. And by scenic, I mean that we ventured up to Burlington, Iowa to watch the Royals Midwest League team play. They were hosting the Jays affiliate that night.

Once I got inside the park, I hit up the team store and bought a Bees team set. With that set in hand, I set up shop on the home side of the field to get as many of those cards signed as I could. I tasked my dad 'graphing the visitor's side. I only had three or four cards for him to get signed and he succeeded with two of those. This is one of them.

Like that last player that I posted that signed in Burlington, David Wood, Chase was out of baseball after that 2009 season, too. Unlike Wood, though, he did not have a great 2007 season. So, I am a little surprised he even got a card in this set. In '07, Chase pitched in just 10 games and was 5-5 with a 4.42 ERA while striking out 41 in 59 innings of work in the Midwest League. He ended up dropping down to the rookie level in 2008, where he again pitched in 10 games, before repeating that Midwest League in '09. While he pitched more in '09 than any other season, appearing in 20 games and 85.1 innings, he was just 4-3 with a 5.70 ERA and 53 strikeouts.

Chase finished his four year professional career with a 13-12 record with a save, a 4.71 ERA, and 160 strikeouts in 210 innings of work.

2008 Bowman, Jacob Butler

#BP5 Jacob Butler

Here comes the first of many of the prospect and draft pick cards from 2008 Bowman. Most of these guys will be career minor leaguers, but there will be a small handful that did at least appear in a Major League game. Jacob Butler is not one of those guys.

I got this card signed at a Wingnuts game in 2009 while Jacob was with the St. Paul Saints. How is that for some bad luck? He does good enough in 2007 to get a card in the 2008 Bowman set, only to find himself in an independent league in 2009. Nonetheless, Jacob was a cool dude and very talkative.

Prior to meeting him, I wondered if the facsimile signature on his card might have been mistakenly taken from another player and put on his card. If Topps put the wrong picture on Brian Bannister's card, it is possible they could have put the wrong sig on a card, too. Besides, look at that signature. In now way, shape, or form does that look like Jacob Butler. So, before he signs this card, I ask him if they got the wrong signature on the card and he tells me that that is his sig. I was surprised and asked him why it looks like it ends with a "y". He said, "well, that's uh, uh, uh I'm not really sure what that is" and then slaps down a nearly identical signature on the card.

In 2007, Jacob had a full season in high-A in the Florida State League. Like I said, he did good enough to warrant this card, hitting .273 with 23 homers and 85 RBI. He got moved up to AA the next season and his numbers fell to .242, 16, and 64. He was just 25 years old at the time and the Jays cut him loose after the season. He played two seasons of independent ball before calling it a career.

I was looking at all the places that I got cards signed for this set and I probably got them signed in over a dozen ballparks across ten states. So, I made a map for this set showing all the places I got a card signed. Yesterday's card was signed in Oklahoma City and this one was in Wichita. I will update the map whenever I add a new place.

2006 Upper Deck, Ryan Roberts

#1209 Ryan Roberts

Card number 1209? How many cards are in this set? Good luck to anyone trying to get this set signed.

Anyways, here is a card of Ryan Roberts that I got signed at an Omaha Storm Chasers game in 2015. Ryan was playing his final season of baseball and spending the entire year with the Nashville Sounds. He stopped on his way out to the field and signed three cards for me.

Two of the three cards pictured him with the Diamondbacks. This was the only card I had of him with another team, so I had to get it signed. He has two cards with the Rays, but I apparently have neither of those cards.

Ryan's time in Toronto spanned all of 17 games over two seasons. In each of those seasons, he got a hit in 13 at-bats. That one hit he had in his first season, though, was a home run. So, he is in a special group of people that had a homer for their first Major League hit.

Ryan spent parts of nine seasons in the Majors. Over that time, he was a .243 hitter with 46 home runs and 169 RBI. He played in one playoff series, in 2011 with the D-Backs, and he did amazing. Against the Brewers, he was 7-20 in the five game series. He had a double, two homers, and drove in six.

2005 Topps, Guillermo Quiroz

#329 Guillermo Quiroz

Here is the second card that I got signed by Guillermo Quiroz at a Sacramento Rivercats game in 2015. I posted the first card three months ago and that one can be seen here.

On the first card of him, it is a close-up photo of him in a blue jersey. Because of that, I decided to have him sign in black. It worked out great for that card, but not so much with this one. With the limited space and dark gray jersey, a blue Sharpie would have came out looking better.

Guillermo played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons with six different clubs- the Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox, and Giants. Yet, despite playing for so many teams, Guillermo did not get into very many ballgames. For his career, he played in 148 games. Over that time, he hit .199 with 3 home runs and 34 RBI. His biggest season was in 2008 with the Orioles. That year, he played in a career-high 56 games and he hit .187 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI.

One of these days, I would like to get this card finished. Right now, Gabe Gross is coaching at Auburn. I was hoping I would have been able to get it done at the College World Series this past summer, but Auburn got knocked out in the Super Regional. Maybe next year will be different.

2003 Fleer Tradition, Eric Hinske

#483 Eric Hinske

I have only been to two Royals games this summer and the 'graphing has not gone well. The first game I went to was against the Yankees and I got shutout on autographs. The last game I went to was against the Angels. It was a three o'clock start time, so I got there early to try to get some of the players when they arrived at the ballpark. It was a complete waste of time since Hansel Robles was the only Angel to sign and I did not have a card of him. All of the players and coaches that came off the bus completely ignored everybody.

The one exception to that was Eric Hinske. He arrived early in a cab and was nice enough to sign for whoever wanted him to. He was pretty funny because he signed a ball for a kid who then asked him who he was and he started giving the kid crap for not knowing who he was asking an autograph from. The funny part was that the kid's mom didn't think Eric was funny and she started defending her little boy. Eric had a big smile on his face and told her "I'm just giving you a hard time; but seriously, you should know who you are asking to get an autograph from". The mom really didn't like that, but I thought it was funny and completely true.

Eric had a huge rookie season with the Jays in 2002. That year, he wound up hitting .279 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI. Those numbers were good enough to land him the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Unfortunately, even though he would go on to play eleven more years, he was never able to match the numbers he put up in his rookie season. He would, however, play in three straight World Series from 2007-2009 with three different clubs. He brought home a ring in two of the three.

Eric is currently the hitting coach for the Angels.

2003 Fleer Focus, Guillermo Quiroz

#175 Guillermo Quiroz

Here is a card that I got signed at a Sacramento Rivercats game in 2015. Quiroz was playing for the Cats at the time and he was nice enough to stop and sign two cards for me. I opted to get him in black because of the blue jersey and I must say that I am pleased with the results.

Back then, I used to always take a black and a blue Sharpie with me when I would go 'graphing. Since I used to do well with the Royals, it was a must with all the cards with blue jerseys like this one. But now the Royals are crap signers and I rarely bother with a black Sharpie any more. It is now blue or nothing.

Quiroz played parts of ten seasons in the big leagues with six different clubs. He topped out at 56 games in a season and was mostly used as a team's third catcher. There were five seasons when he played in less than five games and only two where he played in more than seventeen. For his career, he hit .199 with 3 home runs and 34 RBI.

1994 Fleer, Darnell Coles

#328 Darnell Coles

Here is the third and final card that Darnell Coles signed for my oldest boy at Spring Training last year. Darnell is the batting coach for the Brewers and he signed at Goodyear Ballpark at a game against the Reds. We saw the Brewers twice last spring and I tasked my son with 'graphing them for me. He didn't do great, but I have definitely had far worse days than he had.

We are going to see the Brewers play again this spring. Only this time, I will be 'graphing the club. Darnell is not a high priority this year, but I have pulled a Pirates card of him if he happens to sign. He already signed a Tiger and Mariner card for me. I will only need a Reds card signed by him if I get the Pirates one done.

Darnell played for the Blue Jays for two seasons. Over that time, he hit .234 with 8 home runs and 41 RBI. Despite playing for the World Champion Blue Jays in 1993, Darnell was not on any of their playoff rosters.

1992 Donruss, Tom Candiotti

#459 Tom Candiotti

Here is the first of three cards that Tom Candiotti signed for me on the last day of the regular season last year. Tom does radio for the Diamondbacks and the club was in Kansas City to finish out the year. I got to the park nice and early that day and was lucky enough to catch Tom as he was coming off of the team bus.

When I think of that Candy Man, I picture him playing for the Indians and Dodgers. Well, it turns out that he pitched for the Brewers, Blue Jays, and A's, too. His time in Toronto was extremely short, though. He was acquired by the club mid-season in 1991. Down the stretch, we went 6-7 with a 2.98 ERA and helped the Jays secure the division by seven games.

Unfortunately, he was not much help for the club when the postseason began. He got two starts against the eventual World Champion Twins and took the loss in Game One after failing to get out of the third inning. He got the start in Game Five, but got a no decision after the bullpen blew the three run lead it was handed. For the series, he had an 8.22 ERA over 7.2 innings. He gave up 17 hits and walked 2 while striking out 5.

The Jays did not bring Tom back after that season and he signed with the Dodgers.

I am kind of surprised that this is the only '92 Donruss I have to post. It seems like I have a ton of '92 Donruss and Fleer. But, I have so much that I hate going through them to pull cards. I know the card is in there, I would just rather not have to dig through so many cards to find it.

The '92 Donruss design sure looks good on Blue Jay cards, though.

1985 Blue Jays Fire Safety, Willie Aikens

#24 Willie Aikens

Here is another oddball that I was able to get signed at Royals Fanfest in 2014. This is a very blue set that was distributed by the Toronto Star and Midas. I cannot find any info about the set, but they are readily available from COMC, where I got this card. It is fun to note that the only positions listed on the cards are pitcher, catcher, infielder, and outfielder.

By the time this card came out, Willie Aikens Major League career was pretty much over. He only played in 12 games in 1985, hitting .200 with a double, a dinger, and 5 RBI. That home run that he hit was pretty memorable, though. It was of the pinch hit variety in the top of the ninth to tie the game. The Blue Jays went on to win in the tenth and Willie never played another game in the Major Leagues.

The College World Series field is set. Every team that is in was picked by at least one entrant. There were six number one seeds that advanced. There was one two seed and one three seed. Both the two and the three seeds were picked by BMan, who happens to be in the lead. Here are the standings heading into the Series.

B Man- 8 (2CSF, LSU, 3Texas A&M, TCU, pimped)
Greg Z- 2 (OSU, TCU)
Lost Collector- 4 (FSU, LSU, Louisville, Florida)
Rod- 1 (OSU)
NMC- 3 (FSU, TCU, pimped)
Joey- 5 (OSU, FSU, LSU, Louisville, Florida)
Wilson- 5 (OSU, LSU, Louisville, TCU, Florida)

The bracket portion of the contest will be up shortly. If you see any errors I might have made, let me know in the comments.

1982 Donruss, John Mayberry

#25 John Mayberry

Here is another Donruss card, just not of the '81 variety. This one comes from their sophomore set and the one major improvement in 1982 for Donruss was the Diamond King subset. While I did not buy my first Donruss pack until 1987, I was instantly hooked on the Diamond Kings when I saw them then. I still like the set and try to get them signed when I can.

I got this card signed by John at a Royals game last year. At Sunday games, the Royals bring in a former player or two and they sign for free in the team's Hall of Fame. That is one of the reasons I like going to Sunday games. Even if I strike out getting player autographs, I know I can always fall back on the alumni signing.

On the day John was there, I had two cards I wanted signed by him. But, I went to the Hall of Fame by myself and could only get one card signed. This one won out over his '76 SSPC card. That just goes to show how much I like Diamond Kings because that SSPC set is legit.

By my best count, this is the eighth card of John Mayberry that I have posted on here.

1981 Donruss, Roy Howell

#392 Roy Howell

Here is the card of Roy Howell that I got signed through the mail in 2014. Roy was the manager of the Tacoma Rainiers at the time and I mailed the card to the team. I sent the card to him in April and didn't get it back until right after the season got over in September.

Roy played in the Majors for eleven seasons with the Rangers, Blue Jays, and Brewers. Over that time, the third baseman hit .261 with 80 homers and 454 RBI. He made one All Star team and played in a World Series with the Brewers in 1982.

Roy's best season came the year following his All Star Game selection. As a Blue Jay in 1979, he had career highs in both home runs (15) and RBI (72). He also tied his single season high in doubles with 28. That was one of four seasons where he hit 28 doubles.

'81 Donruss Tracker: #212

1981 Donruss, Ernie Whitt

#390 Ernie Whitt

This card is kind of a rarity for 1981 Donruss. First off, it is not a posed shot. It looks like an action shot, but it is hard to tell what is going on with the way Ernie is holding the bat. The second thing is that, unlike most of the cards in the set, the photo was not taken in Chicago. Ernie is in his home whites, so the picture was taken at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. As far as I know, this is only the second '81D that I have posted on here that features a shot from Toronto. The first is a posed shot of John Wathan that I posted some time ago.

I got this card signed through the mail in 2013. It took ten days for Ernie to sign the card and get it back to me.

Ernie played in the Majors for fifteen seasons, spending all but three of them with the Blue Jays. Over that time, he racked up 938 hits, 134 long balls, and 534 RBI. He made the 1985 American League All Star team and went to the playoffs twice.

Despite being born in Michigan, Ernie seems to be Canadian from his long tenure with the Blue Jays. He is in the Canadian Hall of Fame and recently managed Canada in the WBC.

'81 Donruss Tracker: #211

2007 Turkey Red, Jamie Vermilyea

#132 Jamie Vermilyea

Here is the third and final card of Jamie Vermilyea that I got signed at a Wingnuts game last season. Jamie was the pitching coach for the Winnipeg Goldeyes and he signed the cards for me prior to the start of the game. The first card can be seen here and the second here.

I was a little surprised that I was able to round of three cards of Jamie from 2007. He only pitched in two games in 2006, and for his career for that matter. Yet, Topps put out of card of him in this set, Topps base, and Topps '52, all of which I got signed. They even made a card of him in their Bowman set. But other players that made their debut in 2006 were just relegated to the '52 rookie set. I wonder why they gave a few extra for Jamie and his six innings of work.

The 2007 Turkey Red set is a little different for Turkey Red, but I like it. For starters, the pictures are a little brighter than the first few sets. They look a little better that way and they turn out better when signed. The big difference, though, is the gold border. All of the previous Turkey Red sets had grey borders and they were a little tough to differentiate between the different years. Add in the super-small print of the copyright on the back and the task became even more difficult. Luckily, with this set, that was not an issue.

It appears that Jamie will not be with the Goldeyes this upcoming season. Right now, their manager, Rick Forney, is listed as the manager/pitching coach.

2007 Topps '52, Jamie Vermilyea

#69 Jamie Vermilyea

Here is the second card of Jamie Vermilyea that I got signed at a Wingnuts game this past season. Jamie is the pitching coach for the Winnipeg Goldeyes. The first card I posted of him can be seen here.

I really like the idea of the Topps '52 concept. It is an entire set of guys that made their debut during the previous season and, in many cases, is the only rookie card that player will ever get. Add in the fact that the set is printed on non-glossy Heritage card stock and you have definitely built a winner, especially for the autograph collectors.

The one problem with this set is that they put out the same set two years in a row. The 2006 and 2007 Topps '52 sets are completely identical except for the tiny copyright date on the back. I've recently been getting my collection a little better organized and, when it comes to these two sets, I just throw them all together. When I get a little more time, I will go back and strain my eyes to divide them up by year.

So, while I really like the idea of rookie sets printed on Heritage card stock, Topps overdid it by putting out the same set in consecutive years. Thank goodness they did not do it again in 2008. While I like the idea of a rookie set, something has to be done to differentiate them from year to year.

2007 Topps, Jamie Vermilyea

#UH203 Jamie Vermilyea

Here is the first of three cards that I got signed by former Blue Jay, Jamie Vermilyea. Jamie is the pitching coach for the Winnipeg Goldeyes and I got the cards signed at a Wingnuts game last season.

Out of the three cards that Jamie signed for me, this is the only one that I had in my collection to start with. The other two cards were purchased from COMC. Had I realized that Jamie only pitched in two Major League games, I may not have bought the other two cards. Yeah right, all three look great in my collection. It is just hard to come up with three posts for one guy with such little Major League playing time.

Like I said, Jamie pitched in two games with the Blue Jays in 2007. In those two relief outings, he logged six innings of work without allowing any runs. He gave up just five hits without walking anyone and striking out two. Even though it was a limited workload, those are some decent numbers to hang your hat on.

For as much crap as I gave the Update and Highlights set, this is how great the signatures can come out looking if the card is properly prepped. To see how bad they can look when unprepped, see my previous post or just wait for the next two.

2007 Topps, Jason Phillips

#UH120 Jason Phillips

If it was not for a brief baby post, this would have been back-to-back Blue Jays and back-to-back-to-back cards of guys named Jason. It is unlikely that the back-to-back-to-back names will ever happen again. There will probably be some back-to-back Jays coming whenever I roll back to '81 Donruss, though.

This is the fourth and final card of Jason Phillips that I have to post. I got this card signed at a Royals game in 2012 while Jason was the bullpen catcher for the Mariners. He was heading back to the dugout after working a bullpen session with Jason Vargas. I just yelled out "Jason!" hoping to get either's attention. Phillips was the one that acknowledged and he came over and sign my two cards for me. The other one he signed was a Dodgers card that I posted last year. The first two cards were Mets cards that he signed for me the year before. Here is one of those cards.

Jason spent his final two Major League seasons with Toronto. He only saw limited action and spent some time playing AAA in the Jays organization as well. He played in 80 games with the Blue Jays and he hit .219 with 1 home run and 18 RBI.

For his career, Jason played seven seasons with the Mets, Dodgers, and Jays and he hit .249 with 30 home runs and 168 RBI. His best season was with the Mets in 2003. That season, he hit .298 with 11 dingers and 58 runs driven in.

With the new manager in Seattle, it appears that Jason's tenure as their bullpen catcher may be over. He is currently not listed on the M's website as a member of the coaching staff. Mike Hampton, though, is listed as their new bullpen coach. I did not know that.