2001 Pacific, David McCarty

#200 David McCarty

Here is a card that I got signed by David McCarty earlier this year. For a bit, I was sending out cards TTM to former Royals that I did not have signed cards from. That was how I got this one. I sent it to David in February and I got it back about five weeks later.

David played for the Royals for about two and a half seasons. His first season in Kansas City was his best season as a Major League player. That year was the only season that he played in over 100 games and he responded with a .278 average with 12 home runs and 53 RBI, all career bests for him. That was in 2000 on a very talented offensive squad.

I got to see David play two dozen times as a Royal and he always seemed to do well when I was there. He hit .295 with 10 RBI and 3 dingers in those games.

In 2003, with the Red Sox, David had the opportunity to pitch. He actually got three chances that season and he did well, posting a 2.45 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.

1998 Pacific Online, Rex Hudler

#562 Rex Hudler

I believe that this is tenth card of Rex Hudler that I have posted on here. Rex took over the Royals color commentator role in 2012 and I seem to get him to sign at least once a year. But, I am slowing running out of cards of him. And, at this point, he is not a priority anymore. I got the cards signed by him that I wanted signed. But, I still take cards of him to games just in case he might be the only autograph I get.

This card was first Phillies card that I got signed by Rex. I got it signed at a Royals game two years ago. I thought it would be the only Phils card of him that I would own, but I picked one up from a former co-worker last year and got that one signed at Spring Training this year. I posted that card last month and it can be seen here.

Rex spent his last two seasons in the Majors with the Phillies. He saw limited playing time and had less than spectacular results. He got 175 at-bats with the Phils and he hit .196 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI.

On the Royals broadcast last night, Rex was telling a story about how he once ate a June Bug at a game on a dare. Plus, he made $800 by doing so. It tasted like bacon he said.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Dave LaRoche

#97 Dave LaRoche

Here is the most recent card from this set that I have got signed. I got this card signed this summer when Dave was the pitching coach for the Kansas Stars. This was the first card from this set that I have got signed in two years.

When I went to my first Stars game in 2016, I did not expect Dave to be there. I should have known better since Andy and Adam were both there, but I was not prepared. So, I came ready this year with the only two cards of him that I owned and one from the '74 set that I picked up beforehand. I was unable to get Dave prior to the game, but I stuck around and was able to get him afterwards. He signed all three for me.

At the games I went too both years, there was a fourth LaRoche there, Jeff. I am assuming that he is the eldest brother, but there is not a lot of info on him.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Dennis Leonard

#84 Dennis Leonard

To my surprise, this is only the eighth card of Dennis Leonard that I have posted on here. Dennis is such a huge part of the Royals family, it seems like he is always signing autographs at events, whether it is Fanfest, alumni autograph Sundays, or the old winter caravan. This signature was obtained at one of the autograph Sundays at The K in 2015.

This was the first time that I got a senior league card signed at a signing. All the rest were either by the dugouts at games or through the mail. Since this was the only card I got signed by Dennis, I asked him his thoughts on the short-lived league. He told me that it was a lot of fun, but they could not get much fan support and that is what did the league in.

Personally, I would think that the senior league would be an autograph hunter's go-to place in Florida in the years before Major League ball. They played longer than Spring Training clubs did and most of the guys were former established Major League players, which would be better than 'graphing the Florida State League. But, it was a different time then, so who knows what it was really like.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Leon Roberts

#30 Leon Roberts

This is the third card of Leon that I have posted on here. The first one was a TTM success from 2012. You can see that card here. The second one was his '85 Topps card that my best friend, Dustin, got signed for me while we were at a Sacremento River Cats game in 2015. That card can be seen here. This card was also signed by Leon that day.

Even though Leon played in the Majors for eleven seasons, I have very few cards of him. In fact, all four cards I own are now signed. Leon coached in the Royals system last year, and when I went to Surprise for Spring Training, I had nothing of Leon to get signed. That is too bad because he has some really good-looking cards from the '70s. It is just that I didn't start collecting cards until Leon's playing career came to a close. That is why half of the cards I have of him are from after he retired.

I have four signed cards of Super Sox from this set. All four of them feature less than spectacular action shots. The three batter shots look identical to this, with the one pitcher shot looking a little better. Every other team has nothing but posed shots, with the exception of the Tropics, which has a mixture. Again, I am only going off of the cards that I have signed, so it is a small sample size. But, it seems strange that all of the shots in the set are posed except the Super Sox and a few random others (Willie Aikens being one of those).

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Roy Howell

#12 Roy Howell

Here is the second of two cards that Roy Howell signed for me through the mail in 2014. I posted the first card, his '81 Donruss, back in April and that one can be seen here.

Most times, when I send out an '81D in the mail, I will only send that card. But, after that set, this one might be my second favorite one to get signed. So, I will throw in this card with the '81D occasionally. In fact, I did that this morning when I sent cards to Doug Corbett to get signed.

I have about thirty cards from this set signed. I do not really send them out to get signed unless I send them with another card. But, I am seriously thinking about changing that strategy. I might start concentrating on this set more and send them out by themselves to guys that were not in the '81D set. That may be my new focus for 2018.

1998 Pacific Paramount, Brian McRae

#207 Brian McRae

Many months ago, I posted some minor league cards that I got Brian McRae to sign for me at Royals Fanfest earlier this year. Here is the final card that he signed for me that day. I bought this card of Brian because I did not have any Mets cards signed by him. I had Royals cards and Cubs cards, but no Mets cards. That is not an issue any more.

Brian played for the Mets for about two seasons. He was traded there towards the end of the 1997 campaign and played with the team before being shipped off to Colorado nearly two years later. In his one full season in New York, he hit .264 with a career high 21 home runs and 79 RBI.

Brian was hitting just .221 when he was dealt to the Rockies. His tenure in Colorado lasted all of seven games before his was sent to Toronto. He finished the season there and then called it a career.

As far as I can tell, there is not a Rockies card of Brian. There is a Blue Jays card, but it is from the 2000 MLB Showdown game. I may have to try to track one of those down for Fanfest this year. I am sure Brian will be there. Maybe he can bring his dad with him.

1998 Pacific Online, Doug Henry

#324 Doug Henry

Here is the last Doug Henry card that I will post for some time. I have a few that I haven't posted, but those are from some more recent minor league sets. With the rate that I am going, I might post one of those cards sometime in 2023.

Doug is the Royals bullpen coach and he is fairly reliable for signing out of the bullpen at Kauffman Stadium. He is kind of my go to guy if I am having a bad day 'graphing. When everyone else fails me, I go to Doug. That is how I got this card signed. I was at the last regular season game for the Royals this year and was not having much luck. So, I went over to the pen and got a few cards signed by Doug.

It worked out as I bought the cards before the season started just to get them signed by him. Before then, all I had signed were Brewers cards and a couple of Omaha Storm Chaser cards. But, that day, I added a Mets card and this Astros card. Now, all I need to do is find his Topps Total Royals card and I will be set.

Doug pitched for the Astros for two and a half seasons. He compiled an 11-8 record with 5 saves and a 3.88 ERA while in Houston.

For some unknown reason, I like this quirky set. The links do not work and they are badly placed on the card, but they help make the set what it is. Though I never bought any packs of this, I now have five cards signed from the set.

Speaking of badly placed links, look how much better these cards would have been if they were left off of the front.

1998 Pacific Online, Joe Randa

#281 Joe Randa

A couple of posts ago, I talked about how easy it is to have too many cards signed by one player. While it is not a problem for collecting, it can be a problem for blogging as it is easy to run out of things to say about a player, especially one that is retired and not making any news. That was the case for Jeff Montgomery. That should be the case for Joe Randa, too, since this is probably the eighth card that I have posted on here of him. But, luckily for me, this card does fill a specific niche for me. This is the only card that I have of him as a Detroit Tiger.

Joe spent one season in the Motor City. He ended up there from the Diamondbacks after they flipped him for Matt Fryman shortly after selecting him in the expansion draft from Pittsburgh. He had a bit of a down season with the Tigers as he hit just .254 with 9 home runs and 50 RBI. After that season, he was traded to the Mets before being dealt back to the Royals four days later.

I got this card signed at Royals Fanfest in 2013. For some reason, I wore my Omaha Storm Chasers shirt that day. Joe noticed it and must have assumed I was from Omaha because he kept going on about how nice of a city it is.

1994 Pacific, Damon Berryhill

#3 Damon Berryhill

Here is a card that I got signed at Spring Training this past spring. Damon is the manager of the Dodgers AAA team in Albuquerque and he was nice enough to sign three cards for me as the Dodger minor leaugers worked out. He was not too happy, though, to see this card. He told me that he hated this card. I commented that it wasn't the best swing ever and he replied that it was a "shit swing". At least he is honest. I only grabbed it because it was the first card I came across with him as a Brave.

Damon spent ten seasons in the Major League, seeing time with the Cubs, Braves, Red Sox, Reds, and Giants. He spent a majority of his time with Chicago, but he did play two full years in Atlanta. He played in 100+ games those two seasons, the only two times that ever occurred. He hit .236 as a Brave and, with the increased playing time, set career marks with 10 home runs in 1992 and 43 RBI both seasons.

Damon played in all six games of the 1992 Fall Classic. In game one, he hit a three-run home run off of Jack Morris to give Atlanta a 3-1 victory. He would get just one more hit, though, over the rest of the series.

Damon's Albuquerque Isotopes finished the season 62-80. This was Damon's first season at the AAA level.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Dyar Miller

#211 Dyar Miller

Here is the final card that I have to post from this unique set. The set dragged on a little longer than I wanted it to, but there wasn't much I could do when my computer crapped out on me.

I got this card signed at a Royals game in 2012 when the Cardinals visited the K. Dyar was the Cards bullpen coach at the time. Even though he has a few cards out from his playing days, those days were before my time and this was the only card that I had of him. But, since it was just one of the two cards I got signed that day, I am glad that I had it.

Dyar pitched in the Majors for seven seasons in the '70s and early '80s. He pitched for the Orioles, Angels, Blue Jays, and Mets and he relieved every game he was in except for one. For his career, he was 23-17 with 22 saves and a 3.23 ERA.

As you can see on this card, Dyar was a coach in the SPBA. He was also a player in the league, where he posted a 0-2 record with a 3.18 ERA. I have no idea how many appearances he made, but I do know that he finished the season as the Juice's manager. The club started off 9-12 before he took over and went 28-23 the rest of the season.

Dyar is currently the minor league pitching coordinator for the Astros.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Sal Butera

#209 Sal Butera

Here is the second card that Sal Butera signed for me through the mail last winter. The other card was of course his '81 Donruss card which can be seen here. Sal took just two weeks to get the cards back to me.

Sal has a World Series ring from his time with the Twins. He was on their championship team in 1987, though Sal was used sparingly. He appeared in just one game against the Cardinals and it was as a defensive replacement in the eight inning in game four. He did not bat. But, he did start a game against the Tigers in the ALCS. In game three, he went 2-3 in a game the Twins lost 6-7.

In the SPBA, Sal hit .283 with no home runs and 22 RBI. His 5 stolen bases lead the team. That was five more than he had in his Major League career, In fact, Sal never even attempted a stolen base in the big leagues. I wonder if that SPBA stat might be a typo.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Bob Shirley

#207 Bob Shirley

I finally have a new computer, so now I can get back to my semi-regular posting.

Here is the Bob Shirley card that I got signed when I sent him his '81 Donruss card in November of 2012. Bob signed both of the cards and had them back to me in a month.

Bob's Orlando Juice (the OJ's?) finished the season 37-35, just missing the playoffs by one game to the Bradenton Explorers. Bob contributed by going 6-6 with a 4.93 ERA.

I made it to three ballgames last week, seeing the Wichita Wingnuts, Kansas State Wildcats, and Kansas City Royals. It was an OK week as I got thirteen cards signed at the Nuts game, one at the Cats game, and four at the Royals game. But, the best part was that all three home teams won. The Nuts came back from an early 6-2 deficit to win. The Cats scored three in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with a victory. Then I got to see Alex Gordon go 4-4 with two home runs and six RBI in the Royals win. Not a bad week.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Johnny Grubb

#191 Johnny Grubb

Here is a card that I got signed through the mail this past summer. I sent this card to Johnny, along with his '81 Donruss card, at the end of August and I had them back a week later. Unlike the rest of the cards from this set that were sent out with an '81 D, Johnny's Donruss card has not been posted on here yet. It is a more recent acquisition and will be appearing here at a later date. At the rate that I am posting, it might pop up in 2018.

Johnny played in the Majors for sixteen seasons with the Padres, Indians, Rangers, and Tigers. He mostly played in the outfield, usually center or left, and was a .278 hitter for his career. He had 99 home runs and 475 RBI. He made the All Star team in 1974 as a Padre.

Johnny played for the Orlando Juice in the SBPA. The Juice missed the playoffs by one game. Johnny hit .305 for them with 4 home runs and 35 RBI.

After the steroid era, I am fairly certain that there will never be a professional baseball team called the juice ever again. Just a hunch.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Tim Stoddard

#182 Tim Stoddard

Here is the third and final card that Tim Stoddard signed for me at a Wichita State game last season. Tim is the pitching coach for the the Northwestern Wildcats and he also signed an '81 Donruss and '85 Topps for me.

Tim pitched in the Majors for thirteen seasons with the White Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Yankees, Padres, and Indians. He never started a game in his career, but he finished over half of the ones he appeared in. He finished with a 41-35 record with 76 saves and a 3.95 ERA. You would think that someone who finished 262 Major League games would have more than 76 saves, but it was a different game when Tim pitched in the '70s and '80s.

Tim's best season came with the O's in 1980. He finished that year 5-3 with a 2.51 ERA and a career-high 26 saves.

In the SPBA, it appears that Tim might have been a starter. He finished the season 10-2 with a 4.10 ERA. Tim's Tropics won the Southern Division crown and ended up in the championship game, losing 12-4 to the Pelicans.

Tim played basketball at North Carolina State and he is the only person to win a NCAA basketball championship and a World Series.


Tim also appeared in the movie "Rookie of the Year" as a pitcher for the Dodgers. I wish I would have realized that when I met him in Wichita. I definitely would have brought that up.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Stan Cliburn

#150 Stan Cliburn

Here is a card of Stan Cliburn that I got signed at a Wichita Wingnut game in 2012. Stan was the manager of the Sioux City Explorers at the time.

Stan played professionally for fourteen seasons in the Angels, Pirates, and Braves organizations. He spent a majority of those years in AAA and he hit .233 with 34 home runs and 170 RBI at that level. He did get a cup of coffee with the Angels, though, in 1980. That summer, he got into 54 games and he had 56 at-bats. He hit .179 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI. Unfortunately, neither Topps, Donruss, nor Fleer thought that Stan warranted a card in their 1981 sets.

After his playing days were over, Stan got into coaching. He got his first managerial job with the Watertown Pirates in 1988. He then went on to manage in the Rangers and Twins organizations, spending four seasons in AAA. He managed Sioux City the last three seasons, posting one winning season. The Explorers finished last season 38-62 and Stan was replaced during the offseason.

In the SPBA, Stan hit .281 with 4 home runs and 31 RBI. His Bradenton Explorers finished in second place in the Northern Division and lost to the Pelicans in their one playoff game.

Stan's brother Stew pitched for the Angels.

This has got to be one of the nicest signatures I have posted in a while.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Steve Luebber

#94 Steve Luebber

Here is a card that I got signed at Spring Training last year. Steve is the pitching coach for the Royals Carolina League team, the Wilmington Blue Rocks, and I was able to get him to sign this card after the minor leaguers worked out.

I was completely caught off guard by how easy it was to get this card signed. I had crossed paths with Steve three and a half years earlier and it was like pulling teeth to get him to sign for me then. I likened him to Will Ferrell's Mustafa character in the Austin Powers movie. You had to ask him three times to get anything out of him. This time around was the complete opposite. I asked him once and he stopped and signed with a big smile. To his credit, the first time I asked him was prior to a Carolina League playoff game and the second time was after a spring practice. I can totally understand how he was working when I asked the first go-around.

Steve pitched in the Majors for parts of five seasons with the Twins, Blue Jays, and Orioles. He both started and relieved and he posted a 6-10 record with 3 saves and a 4.62 ERA over 206.1 innings. Interestingly, he racked up two of his three saves in the same season that he pitched two complete games. The game is not played like it used to be. Case in point- Danny Duffy could have picked up an old-school three inning save yesterday. But, they put a different pitcher in for the ninth when the lead had been extended to 8-2. You want Danny to be a starter? Leave him in for the ninth and stretch him out a bit. You do not get that opportunity too often with todays specialized bullpens.

Anyway, for some reason, I cannot find any stats for Steve from the full season of the SBPA. But, I did learn that he was 1-1 with the Sun Sox, with a 3.07 ERA, when the league folded during its second season.

Steve has been the pitching coach for the Blue Rocks since 2007 and the first card I posted of him can be see here (hopefully the Austin Powers clip still works).

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Steve McCatty

#89 Steve McCatty

Here is the third and final card of Steve McCatty that I got signed at a Royals game last season. Steve is the pitching coach for the Washington Nationals and he signed the cards for me before the game. Since I am mainly only able to see the Royals on Sundays, my autographs mainly consists of the pitching and bullpen coaches anymore. I used to be able to get pitchers on Sunday, but they do not workout on the field like they used to.

The first card of Steve can be seen here and the second one here. I may have missed out on his '81 Donruss card, but at least I was able to get this one signed.

Steve spent his entire Major League career with the A's, so he looks at home in the green and gold of the Ft. Myers Sun Sox. Steve went 5-6 in the SPBA with a 4.60 ERA. His five wins were good enough to tie him for the team lead.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Rick Manning

#86 Rick Manning

Here is the third and final card that Rick Manning signed for me through the mail in 2012. The first card was Rick's '77 Topps that I unlocked in the Topps Diamond Giveaway. The second card was his '81 Donruss card.

Rick played in the Majors for thirteen seasons with the Indians and Brewers. He was a .257 hitter with 56 home runs and 458 RBI. He never played in the playoffs, but he did bring home a Gold Glove award in 1976.

Rick currently works with the Indians as the color commentator for their TV broadcasts. This season marks Rick's twenty-fifth year in that role. It just so happens that he started that gig after his season in the SBPA.

With the Sun Sox, Rick hit .288 with 6 home runs and 33 RBI.

1989-90 Pacific Senior League, Gene Richards

#48 Gene Richards

Here is the second card that Gene signed for me through the mail in 2012. The first card was his '81 Donruss card and that can be seen here.

Gene spent eight seasons in the Majors, playing seven with the Padres and one with the Giants. He never made an All Star team and he never played in the playoffs. The Padres made a World Series run in 1984 and, of course, that was the year Gene was with San Francisco. Gene was a career .290 hitter with 26 home runs and 255 RBI. His best season was probably the '78 season, his second in the Majors. That year, Gene hit .308 with 26 doubles, 12 triples, and 45 RBI. Those were all career highs. Gene also stole 247 bases in his career, swiping fifty or more twice.

In his one season in the SBPA, Gene hit .326 with 4 home runs and 25 RBI. He lead the Super Sox with 11 stolen bases.

Since the SPBA played during the winter, I think that the Super Sox should have been called the Winter Sox. Or maybe that could have just been a shortened version of Winter Haven Super Sox.