1970 Topps, Marty Pattin

#31 Marty Pattin

Here is the third Marty Pattin card that I have posted on here. This signature was obtained at Royals Fanfest last winter. I got this card signed on my second trip through his line. On my first trip, he did not say a word to me. But, when I came through with this card, Marty's eyes lit up and he said "oh, to be that young again and know what I know now".

Marty's claim to fame may be that he was the fabled Duck in Whitey Herzog's Hungo, Mingo, the Bird, and the Duck bullpen quartet. Al Hrabosky, the Mad Hungarian, was Hungo, Steve Mingori was Mingo, and Doug Bird was the Bird. Marty was the Duck because of the great Donald Duck impersonation that he does. If you get lucky, you can sometimes hear him do that impersonation during signings.

Marty was an All Star with the Brewers in 1971, a season where he finished 14-14 with a 3.13 ERA. That was his lone All Star selection and it was probably his best season as a starter.

With the Royals in 1976, Marty pitched in 44 games (15 starts) and he finished the season with an 8-14 record with 5 saves and a career-best 2.49 ERA.

For his career, Marty is 114-109 with 25 saves and a 3.62 ERA.

1970 Topps, Diego Segui

#2 Diego Segui

Here is another card from the Kansas City A's reunion at the T-Bones game in July. This was the first card that I got signed that day by a former A and it is also the first Pilots card that I ever got signed. Diego was one of the two A's that I was able to catch before they headed up to their suite.

Diego pitched in the Major Leagues for 15 seasons. In that span, he managed to play for six teams- the A's (three different stints), Senators, Pilots, Cardinals, Red Sox, and Mariners. He was a starter early in his career, but he spent a majority of his time coming out of the 'pen. He was a twelve game winner for the expansion Pilots in 1969. That was the most games he ever won in a season and he did it in 66 appearances (8 starts). Four years later with the Cardinals, he posted a career high of 17 saves, as well. For his career, Diego was 92-111 with 71 saves and a 3.81 ERA.

I wonder how many players actually played for the Pilots and Mariners. There can't be too many.

1969 Topps, Jim Gosger

#482 Jim Gosger

I got this card signed at the Kansas City A's reunion as Jim was leaving the ballpark. He signed this card and I thanked him and then he replied with something that I had never heard before. He actually thanked me for asking for his autograph. I didn't even know how to respond to that and I just stood there thinking "did he just say that" as he walked off. Looking back on it now, I can tell that it was a sincere thank you and I hope that my asking for his autograph capped off his night at the ballpark. If so, it would most likely be a first for me.

Jim played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons with the Red Sox, A's, Pilots, Mets, and Expos. He was a light hitting outfielder that only appeared in more than 100 games in a season twice. He finished his career with a .226 average with 30 home runs.

I love the quote on his Baseball Almanac page. "I didn't think that I was I that bad of a ballplayer, but they're (the media) making a believer out of me." - Jim Gosger (1969).

This is the first Seattle Pilots card that I have posted on here. It is not the first Pilots card that I got signed (that one is for tomorrow), but it it the first to be posted.