1952 Topps, Carl Erskine

#250 Carl Erskine

For no apparent reason, I haven't posted a card on here for two weeks. It is Christmas time and my weekends off have been dealing with shopping and whatnot. Plus, we finally got our house a puppy last week. But, for whatever reason, I haven't felt like posting much lately, which is a shame because I have got a few '50s cards to show off and those are really hard to beat. So, I made time tonight to feature one last 1952 Topps card. This is now the sixth '52 that I have got signed and I got it through the mail two months ago. It took me a whole nine days to get back. If I am going to make it to nine signed cards from this set, I am going to have to purchase the remaining three signed cards.

This is only the second card of Carl that I have posted on here and it has been nearly eleven and a half years since I posted the first one. I originally posted a '55 Bowman of Carl way back in the first month of this blog. I got that card signed at a Brooklyn Cyclones game and it was a blast getting (at that point) my oldest signed card autographed in-person. Since then, I have added three more signed cards of him to my collection and even one to my son's, all through the mail. In fact, the next card that I have to post on here is one of Oisk.

In that first post many moons ago, I mentioned nothing of Carl's playing career. Back then, it was all about how I got the card signed. But, Oisk had great career, all spent with the Dodgers. He suited up for them for twelve seasons and got to call Brooklyn and Los Angeles home. He finished his career with a 122-78 record with 13 saves and a 4.00 ERA. He made one All Star team and pitched in five World Series, winning it all in 1955.

The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck Heroes

#88 Brad Penny
#142 Felix Pie

I guess this set was kind of an Upper Deck version of Topps Heritage. In the early '90s, Upper Deck had Heroes insert cards that focused on a different player each year and this set mimics those inserts. The 2008 version was a 200 card set that featured past and present stars along with some rookies. And the set had about a bazillion parallels of numbered variations. You could pull base cards numbered to 25, 49, 99, 149, 199, 249, 299, 399, and 499. It was a little ridiculous.

Brad Penny- I got this card signed by Brad at a Twins game in 2012 while he was with the Tigers. I missed out on getting a card signed by Brad while he was on a rehab assignment in Oklahoma City in 2008 because I did not know about the assignment. So, I was happy to make up for that at the Twins game and was pretty excited to get a relic signed by him. Five years later, I would add six more autographs from him to my collection when he played for the Kansas Stars.

Felix Pie- This is the third and final card that I got signed by Felix at an Orioles game in 2009. I was thinking that I got an Orioles card signed by Felix, but that is not the case. After having about 100 Cubs cards made of him in 2007 and '08, he only got three base cards in 2009 as an Oriole.

The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck, Part II

#407 Doug Davis
#427 Luis Hernandez
#446 Felix Pie
#518 Reggie Abercrombie
#526 Mark Teahen
#549 Delwyn Young
#670 Vincente Padilla
#712 Elliot Johnson
#98-JK Jason Kendall

Here are the last of the 2008 Upper Deck base set.

Doug Davis- Doug signed this card for me at an Oklahoma Redhawks game in 2012. He was playing for the visiting Omaha Storm Chasers.

Luis Hernandez- Luis signed this card for me after batting practice at The K in 2009 during his one season with the Royals. He would later go on to play for the Wichita Wingnuts. But, by the time he was in Wichita, all of my cards of him were already signed.

Felix Pie- I was able to get Felix by the Orioles dugout on my last visit to Camden Yards in 2009.

Reggie Abercrombie- Though he never played for the Wingnuts, he played in the American Association long enough for me to get multiple autographs from him throughout the years. This one was obtained in 2016 while he was with Winnipeg. He was still with the club this past season at the age of thirty-eight.

Mark Teahen- Mark was always a great signer while with the Royals. This is one of the cards that he signed for me by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Delwyn Young- I got Delwyn to sign two years ago while he was a member of the second, and last, incarnation of the Kansas Stars.

Vincente Padilla- Vincente signed for me at a Royals game in 2008. His Rangers were taking batting practice at the time.

Elliot Johnson- Elliot signed for me at a Scranton-Wilkes/Barre Yankees game in 2009. He was playing for the visiting Durham Bulls at the time.

Jason Kendall- Jason worked as a special adviser for the Royals for a few seasons and I was able to get this card signed outside The K in 2013. That day, I had just this one card of him and it was on the same page as two Emilio Bonifacio cards. When I gave him my book to sign, he said "dude, that's not me". When I pointed out his card, he was like "oh, I was going to say I'm not black".

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 Topps, Part I

#19 Robinson Tejada
#23 Chin-lung Hu
#34 Aaron Cook
#57 Wladimir Balentien
#133 Mike Bacsik
#148 Gerald Laird
#153 Luis Mendoza
#189 Esteban German
#196 Ross Gload

I posted thirteen individual cards from 2008 Topps with all but one of them being players that have never been featured on here. Now, it is time to the forty or so players that have been posted previously. This is the first in a five part series for this set.

Robinson Tejada- I got this card signed at a Royals game in 2008 while Rob was still with the Rangers. This is another example of me getting a guy's autograph before they become a Royal.

Chin-lung Hu- I got this card signed at an Oklahoma Redhawks game while he was playing for the visiting Las Vegas 51s.

Aaron Cook- Aaron signed two cards for me at a Royals game in 2008. He signed during batting practice and he is still the only starting pitcher to sign for me in the ballpark prior to their start. Both cards he signed for me were signed in black and both signatures were placed right on top of the pre-printed signature and are really hard to make out. That is why you should use blue Sharpies kids.

Wladimir Balentien- This is one of the three cards that Wlad signed for me at a Rangers game while his Mariners were taking batting practice in 2008.

Mike Bacsik- Mike signed three cards for me at a Wingnuts game in 2011 while he was playing for Ft. Worth.

Gerald Laird- Gerald signed three for me during batting practice at Kauffman Stadium during the 2008 season.

Luis Mendoza- Here is another future Royal. But, unlike Robinson Tejada, I did not get his autograph until he joined the organization. I got this card signed by the Royals parking lot after their home opener in 2012. This is the first card of Luis that I have posted on here, but he will be getting his own post shortly.

Esteban German- I got this card signed by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Ross Gload- I also got this card signed by the Royals parking lot in 2008, probably on the same day that I got the German card signed. It is crazy that I got so many 2008 cards signed in 2008. We are at the All Star break in 2019 and I only have two 2019 Topps cards signed.

2008 Topps, Blake DeWitt

#603 Blake DeWitt

Here is the card of Blake DeWitt that I got signed at an Oklahoma City Redhawks game in 2008. That was before Oklahoma City was the Dodgers top affiliate, so Blake was playing for the visiting Las Vegas 51's. I only have one card signed by Blake, but I do not remember if he was a one-per guy or if this was the only card I had of him at the time. Considering that Blake played in 117 games with the Dodgers that season, I feel fortunate to have caught him at one of the 27 games he played in for Las Vegas.

Blake lasted in the big leagues for just six seasons, seeing time with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Braves. Over that time, he was a .257 hitter with 21 home runs and 135 RBI. His best season was his rookie campaign with the Dodgers in 2008. That year, he batted .264 with 9 homers and 52 RBI.

On an unrelated note, I posted a Felipe Paulino card yesterday. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Felipe had been pitching in the Atlantic League this season and he got signed by the Astros yesterday. So, he may be working his way back to the Major Leagues for the first time since 2014.

2008 Donruss Threads, Duke Snider

#13 Duke Snider

In 2008, I got back into collecting autographs in a big way. After being away from the hobby for over ten years, 2008 was a reawakening for me. I started taking cards with me to games instead of balls, I started this blog, and, maybe most importantly, I got back into through the mail autographs again.

I started sending autograph requests through the mail during Spring Training in 1988. I only got one back, but I was so excited about it that I became hooked. I kept sending out TTMs to teams into my high school years before finding other interests. Then, in 2008, I found that there were databases online with retired players home addresses. Finding that rekindled my TTM spirit and I got back at it again.

This was one of the cards that I sent out TTM in my return to the hobby. Even though this set is great for autographs, I wish I would have sent another card. Ideally, an actual card of Duke's from his playing day would have been the best option. Second best option would have been a Topps All-Time Fan Favorite card. But, I went with what I had handy and it still came out looking great. It just didn't look time specific for Duke Snider.

Nonetheless, I still love this card and am glad to have it in my collection. Duke is a Hall of Famer that had five 40 home runs seasons, six 100 RBI seasons, made eight All Star teams, and played in six World Series. He got elected to the Hall in 1980.

I do not recall paying a fee for Duke to sign this for me, but I would not be surprised if I sent a ten dollar bill along with it.

I will say that for a non-licensed Donruss set, I am surprised that you can make out most of the team name on the front of the jersey, not to mention the cap logo.

2008 Bowman, Chin-lung Hu

#208 Chin-lung Hu

Here is a card that I got signed at an Oklahoma Redhawks game in 2008. The Redhawks were hosting a Mickey Mantle bobblehead giveaway, so I rounded up a group to make the four hour trip to OKC. The Las Vegas 51s were the visiting team and they were the team I focused on 'graphing that day. The 51s were affiliated with the Dodgers at the time and that is how I got this card signed. Interestingly, the Dodgers affiliate is now Oklahoma City.

I was excited to get a couple of cards signed by Hu at the time. But, Major League baseball never panned out for him. He played bits of five seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers and Mets and he hit just .176 over 193 at-bats. He did okay in his first call-up with the Dodgers in 2007, hitting .241 with two dingers 29 at-bats. Those were the only home runs he would ever hit as a Major Leaguer. Things went downhill from there. By his last appearance in the Majors, with the Mets in 2011, Hu went 1-20 with 11 strikeouts. He would spend the next season in the Atlantic League before calling it quits.

In 2006, I went to a Jacksonville Suns game (who were the Dodgers AA affiliate at the time) and I remember seeing some interesting tee-shirts at the gift shop. They read "Hu's on second". I almost bought one.

2007 Upper Deck, Joe Beimel

#767 Joe Beimel

Here is the second and final card that I got signed by Joe Beimel at the Kansas Stars game last year. I posted the first card three months ago and it can be seen here.

Joe pitched for the Dodgers for three seasons and did really well. He started off as a middle reliever before transitioning to the left-handed specialist role. Over that time, he had a record of 11-4 with 3 saves and a 3.14 ERA. That was the lowest ERA he had with any single franchise.

In 2008, Joe was 5-1 with the Dodgers and posted a career-best 2.02 ERA. By that time, he was in full LOOGY mode, logging just 49 innings of work in 71 appearances. He also got his first taste of the postseason that year. He appeared in three games of the NLCS and worked a scoreless two-thirds of an inning while walking two batters.

For his career, Joe was 29-34 with 5 saves and a 4.06 ERA.

Joe has an interesting signature where the first letters of each name are made with the same stroke. You really can't make out much more after that, though, and it looks like his name ends with a capital "S".

2007 Upper Deck, Delwyn Young

#23 Delwyn Young

Here is the first of three cards that I got Delwyn young to sign for me at the Kansas Stars game I attended in 2017. Unlike most of the cards I got signed that day, I had to wait around until after the game to get him to sign.

Delwyn played in the Majors for parts of five seasons with the Dodgers and Pirates. Over that time, he hit .258 with 17 home runs and 81 RBI. His best season was with the Pirates in 2009. That year, he got into a career-best 124 games and he hit .266 with 7 home runs and 43 RBI.

Delwyn would spend most of 2010 in Pittsburgh before spending all of 2011 in AAA. The following year, he would end up in the Atlantic League and spend the next four seasons there before retiring.

2007 Topps, Brad Penny

#UH244 Brad Penny

Here is the third card from Brad Penny that I got signed in Wichita in 2016 while Brad was playing for the Kansas Stars. I posted the other two cards in August and they can be seen here and here.

Those first two cards showed Brad with the Marlins, the team he came up with. Less than a year after helping them win the World Series, the Marlins dealt Brad to the Dodgers at the 2004 trade deadline. Unfortunately, the acquisition of Brad did not help the club down the stretch run. He battled injuries and pitched just 11.2 innings over three starts for the Dodgers. The team still won the National League West, but Brad was not available in the playoffs.

But, he did go on to have some good seasons in Los Angeles. In 2006 and 2007, he would post back-to-back 16 win seasons and make the All Star team each year. He even got the start in the '06 game. For his four plus years with the Dodgers, Brad was 46-33 with a 4.07 ERA and 462 strikeouts.

After becoming a free agent after the 2008 season, Brad would enter journeyman status by playing with five different clubs over the next six seasons. That whirlwind included two stops in San Francisco and a reunion with the Marlins. He finished his career in 2014 with a 121-101 record with a 4.29 ERA and 1,273 strikeouts.

During Brad's fourteen year career, I only got to see him pitch once. That one time happened to be a rehab start in Oklahoma City in 2008. I didn't even know he was going to be there, so I had nothing to get singed and the man signed for everybody prior to making the start.

2006 Upper Deck, Sandy Alomar, Jr.

#677 Sandy Alomar, Jr.

Here is the third card that I have posted of Sandy Alomar, Jr. I posted the first one, one given to me by Rod, ten years ago. The second one, a through the mail success from the late '90s, the next year. This one was obtained in-person in September.

Sandy is the first base coach for the Indians and I saw the Indians play in Kansas City twice this past summer. At the second game, I got to the park super-early to do some 'graphing outside of The K. It paid off when I saw a group of Indians coaches get out of a vehicle to enter the park. Sandy was the only one that I recognized out of the group and I called for him and asked for his autograph. He came over and signed one of the three cards that I had.

I had Sandy one-on-one and was a little disappointed that he didn't sign more than one, especially since his 1989 Topps Futures Stars card was one of the three. But, I could not be more thrilled with the way this one came out looking. There is just something about a clean-looking Dodger or Royals card signed in blue Sharpie.

Sandy's tenure in Los Angeles lasted all of 27 games in 2006. During that time, he managed to hit .323 in 62 at-bats with 5 doubles and 9 RBI. He was traded to the White Sox in July for a minor league player. This is the only card of Sandy as a Dodger.

2005 Topps Total, Jason Repko

#299 Jason Repko

Here is a card that I got signed at a Wingnuts game in 2015. Jason was playing for the Sioux Falls Canaries at the time and was nice enough to stop and sign this lone card I have of him. What exactly he signed is unknown to me as this might be the worst looking autograph that I have ever posted on here. I have absolutely no clue what is going on with that signature.

Jason spent parts of seven seasons in the Major Leagues with the Dodgers, Twins, and Red Sox. Over that time he hit .224 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI. His best season was probably his rookie year with the Dodgers. Though he hit only .221, he played in a career-high 129 games and responded with 8 homers and 30 RBI.

Despite playing in 360 games for his career, this is the only card of Jason that Topps ever made. Besides this card, he has just a 2000 Bowman card and an Upper Deck card from each year from 2005-07. All of his cards picture him with the Dodgers.

Jason actually has two games of postseason experience, both in the Division Series. One was with the Dodgers in 2006 and the other was with the Twins in 2010. In both instances, he entered the games late as a pinch runner and failed to score.

2005 Topps, Andy LaRoche

#687 Andy LaRoche

Here is the first of several cards that I got signed by Andy LaRoche over the past three years. Andy played a partial season with the Wichita Wingnuts in 2015 and I got him on two or three occasions in Wichita. He then played for the Kansas Stars for the two years they were around and I got him once more that way. No matter how many cards you had of Andy to get signed, though, he was a strict two-per guy.

This was one of the last cards that I got signed by Andy during his tenure with the Wingnuts. At one point during that season, I had stopped by my dad's house to look for something and I found a blaster box full of cards from 2005 that I did not know I had. In it was this card and I was able to get it signed at a playoff game that fall.

Andy's tenure with the Dodgers lasted 62 games over two seasons. During that time, he hit just .217 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI. At the trade deadline in 2008, he was dealt to the Pirates in the three team trade that landed Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles.

On a curious note, the Royals signed Andy to a minor league deal this past season even though he had not played affiliated ball since 2014. He was assigned to AAA Omaha, but was on the disabled list the entire season. What makes it even more odd was that he was on the Louisville Stars roster to play in the Bluegrass World Series in August. Whether or not he appeared in any of those games, though, I do not know.

2004 Topps Total, Tom Martin

#263 Tom Martin

Here is the second of three cards that Tom Martin signed for me a the Kansas Stars game I attended in 2016. I posted the first one ten months ago and it can be seen here.

This card exemplifies why I loved Topps Total. Tom Martin pitched in the Major Leagues for parts of eleven seasons. Yet, if it was not for Topps Total, he would have one lonely Major League card from the 1998 Topps set. But, Topps included him in two of their three Total sets to get him up to a measly three cards. That is three times better than one, though. Kevin McCarthy has been pitching out of the Royals bullpen for three seasons now and he has yet to receive a card because Topps does not like middle relievers. The inclusion of those unheralded bullpen arms is why I liked Total.

By the time Tom joined the Dodgers in 2003, he was playing for his fifth different Major League team after having previous gigs with the Astros, Indians, Mets, and Devil Rays. With the Dodgers, Tom became a full time LOOGY and pitched in a career-high 80 games while logging just 51 innings to the tune of a 3.53 ERA. It was more of the same the next season until the Dodger traded him to the Braves for a minor league player at the trade deadline.

In his season and a half with LA, Tom was 1-3 with a save over 127 games and 79.1 innings of work. He had a 3.74 ERA and stuck out 69 batters.

1996 Leaf Signature Series Extended, Carlos Hernandez

#77 Carlos Hernandez

Here is another card I got from Night Owl a while back in exchange for a Jackie Robinson manu-bat knob. Other autos he gave me were of Rick Dempsey, Billy Ashley, and Todd Hollandsworth. The other three cards were all base cards that had been signed at some point. This, an autographed insert, is more of what I expected to get in the trade since Greg isn't an autograph collector.

Carlos played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons with the Dodgers, Padres, and Cardinals. He spent the better part of his career in Los Angeles in the back-up catcher role. But, in 1998 with Padres, he was the team's primary catcher and he had a good season. He ended up playing in 129 games while starting 102 of those. For the year, he hit .262 with 15 doubles, 9 home runs, and 52 runs driven in.

For his career, Carlos was a .253 hitter with 24 homers and 141 RBI. He got to play in all four of the Padres 1998 World Series games and was 2-10.

1994 Bowman, Todd Hollandsworth

#359 Todd Hollandsworth

This is the second time that I posted a card of Todd Hollandsworth on here. I picked up a signed Signature Rookies card of him for sixty cents once and I posted that card almost four years ago. This one, on the other hand, was picked up in a trade with Night Owl a couple years back. I pulled a Jackie Robinson manu-bat knob out of a pack of Topps and I offered it up to him. In return, he sent me a small handful of signed Dodger cards. It was win-win for everybody.

If you compare this card to the Rick Forney card I posted yesterday, you will notice that this card is a bit different than Forney's '94 Bowman. This one is almost metallic with the Dodger logo etched into the backdrop. I looked up to see that this parallel was called and it turns out that it is not a parallel. It is just a cool looking base card.

Todd actually had two base cards in this set. The other one was just a normal card, though. It looks like both cards used the same photo, but this one is cropped a little tighter.

1993 Upper Deck, Tom Candiotti

#98 Tom Candiotti

Here is the second card that Tom Candiotti signed for me in Kansas City this past season. Tom is a broadcaster for Diamondback games on the radio and he stopped to sign for me after hopping off the team bus. I posted the first card last month and it can be seen here. I have one more card of Tom to post, but, since it is an older card, it will be years before it makes its way on here.

Tom pitched for the Dodgers for six seasons. Over that time, he racked up a 52-64 record with a 3.57 ERA and 718 strikeouts. He pitched in one postseason game for them, a 1996 divisional series match-up. He came into game three against the Braves, trailing 5-0. He pitched two perfect frames before being lifted for a pinch hitter. The Dodgers lost the game as the Braves completed the sweep.

If I had to guess, I might bet that this photo was taken July 7th, 1992. On that day, Tom pitched a complete game shutout against the Reds as the Dodgers won the game 1-0. He allowed just three hits and struck out five.

1993 Bowman, Billy Ashley

#210 Billy Ashley

Here is a card that I picked up in a trade with an unlikely trade partner. A few years ago, I pulled a Jackie Robinson manu-bat knob out of a pack of Topps. While the card was really neat, it did not fit into my collection. I offered it up to Night Owl in exchange for some autographed cards.

I fully expected to get a few certified autos of some lesser known Dodgers. But, Night Owl surprised me by sending me three cards like this and a couple of certified lesser known Dodger autographs. Night Owl will be the first to tell you that he is not an autograph collector. Sure, he has some and has even sent out a few TTMs to some of his favorite players, but it is typically not something he chases. Because of that, I did not expect to get any cards like this. My only guess is that he is such a great trader on the blogosphere that he gradually acquires cards like this. However he does it is fine by me as I fully appreciated the trade.

Billy Ashley was supposed to be a big thing in LA. He was the supposed to be battling out his fellow Dodger rookies for Rookie of the Year honors. He absolutely killed in in AAA, having back-to-back 100 RBI seasons and hitting 37 homers in 1994, winning Minor League player of the year honors.

But, he was unable to translate that success to the Major League level. He only played in 268 games with the Dodgers over a six year span. During that time, he hit .231 with 25 home runs and 77 RBI. He had almost 100 more strikeouts than hits as a Dodger. The Dodgers released him prior to the start of the 1998 season and the Red Sox picked him up. He got into 13 games with the Red Sox that season before spending the rest of his career mostly playing for independent minor league teams.

I love this look of this card. When I think of 1993 Bowman, I do not think of horizontal cards. I wonder if all of the horizontal cards in packs of '93 Bowman were all together in the pack like they are with current Topps packs. That is doubtful because Topps used to know how to collate cards.

1991 Stadium Club, Darryl Strawberry

#301 Darryl Strawberry

Two summers ago, Darryl Strawberry made an appearance at a church in Wichita to preach. While I don't usually get all excited to go to church, I made an exception that day. The whole family made the trip to see and hear him and we all got to meet him afterwards. While his message might not have been entirely appropriate for our eleven year old, it was still a good message all the same. After his sermon, we got to get some cards signed and get our picture taken with him. I am sure I will show that picture on one of the posts.

Darryl played for four teams during his career and I got cards signed from three of those teams. I already posted the Mets card, so here is the Dodger one. Needless to say, Darryl's tenure in Los Angeles did not go as well as anyone would have hoped. He did good his first season there, hitting .265 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI. But, he could not stay healthy the next two seasons and played in only 75 games over the two years. The Dodgers ended up releasing Darryl during the 1994 season with a year and a half left on his contract.

With LA, Darryl hit just .243 with 38 home runs and 136 RBI.