The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck Timelines

#85 Rico Washington
#95 Yaz Yabuta
#186 Chris Smith
#196 Joakim Soria
#328 Brandon Jones

This set was basically an Upper Deck version of Topps Archives. While some of the cards had their own borders made just for the set (see Washington and Yabuta), most of the cards were inspired by some Upper Deck cards that came out in the '90s.

Rico Washington- Rico signed this card for me at a Winguts game in 2010 while he was with the Kansas City T-Bones.

Yaz Yabuta- Yaz signed this card for me after a Royals game in 2009. He was in the parking lot and about to hop in his card before coming over and signing two cards for me.

Chris Smith- Chris spent a season playing for the Wingnuts in 2013, which is when he signed this card for me. When I last posted a card of Chris in 2015, he was pitching in the Padres system. The following year, he made it back to the Majors with the A's and pitched in 27 games with them between 2016 and 2017. He finished his career with a 1-4 record with a 5.41 ERA.

Joakim Soria- Joakim signed this card for me from the Royals parking lot in 2010. That was probably the last year that you could get a decent amount of autographs from the Royals lot.

Brandon Jones- I got this card signed by Brandon in 2014 at a Wingnuts game. He was playing for the Sioux Falls Canaries at the time.

The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck First Edition

#271 Rob Johnson
#278 Luis Mendoza
#297 JR Towles
#327 Kerry Wood
#408 Oliver Perez
#422 Wilson Betemit
#425 Bobby Abreu

I am not really sure what is going on with this set. I guess that it was Upper Deck's version of Topps Opening Day in that it lacks foil (although '08 Opening Day had foil). While all seven cards are foil-less, the cards come in two variations. The first three cards are from the main release of First Edition and the cards are glossy and they say "First Edition". The last four cards are from First Edition Update and the cards have no gloss and they do not say "First Edition". I have no clue why they switched up between the two releases, but I obviously prefer the non-gloss cards for getting signatures.

Rob Johnson- I didn't have much to choose from when I got Rob's autograph at a Rangers game in 2008. So, it was this card and his base Upper Deck card.

Luis Mendoza- Luis never pitched for the Red Sox. But, I guess this was the only photo Upper Deck had of him when they decided to make this card. Luis signed this one for me after the Royals home opener in 2012.

JR Towles- JR must have been a bigger prospect than Rob Johnson because I had a lot more options for cards with JR than I did with Rob. JR signed for me after a Round Rock Express game in 2008.

Kerry Wood- I got Kerry to sign at a Royals game in 2009 while he was with the Indians. Needless to say, but I was super-excited to get his autograph.

Oliver Perez- Speaking of the Indians, Ollie signed this card for me just last season when Cleveland came to The K. I saw the Indians play in Kansas City twice last year and Ollie signed both times. I took three cards to get signed the first time and he signed two of them. I got the third card signed when I saw them again a month later.

Wilson Betemit- I got Wilson to sign this card for me from the Royals parking lot in 2010.

Bobby Abreu- Bobby signed for me during batting practice at The K in 2009 while he was with the Angels.

2008 Topps, Part IV

#597 Kyle Davies
#623 Trey Hillman
#UH15 Kevin Cash
#UH89 Joakim Soria
#UH92 Eric Hinske
#UH144 Robinson Tejeda

I am almost done with '08 Topps, so I had to break down the last two post to six cards each. This one is a little Royals heavy.

Kyle Davies- Believe it or not, I got this card signed by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Trey Hillman- I almost posted this card by itself a few weeks back. Then I remembered that I posted a minor league card of Trey many years ago. This one was signed by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Kevin Cash- I got this card signed in Omaha in 2011 while Kevin was coaching for Round Rock. He has moved up a bit since then and is currently the manager for the Rays.

Joakim Soria- The one current player in the batch, who is currently pitching for the A's. Unlike the last two Royals, I got this card signed at Royals Fanfest in 2009.

Eric Hinske- I got this card signed last year outside of Kauffman Stadium when Eric got dropped off from an Uber. That is another thing that has changed while 'graphing outside of The K in the last ten years. Players now get dropped off from Ubers instead of cabs. The cabs could be seen from miles away and the Ubers now just magically appears. Eric was a coach for the Angels at the time, but has since moved on to the Diamondbacks.

Robinson Tejeda- I got this one signed by the Royals parking lot, but it was is in 2009. I think this is the first time that I got a players base card and update card signed from the same year.

2008 Goudey, Bobby Doerr

#26 Bobby Doerr

I know I said that I was going to change things up and not do individual posts of guys that have been posted on here before. But, I have three cards signed by Hall of Famers in this Goudey set and it does not feel right to just lump them together with the other guys. So, for now, two of the three Hall of Famers will get their own post. In the end, I am sure all three will get their own.

Here is the card of Bobby Doerr that I got signed through the mail in 2008. I sent two cards his way towards the end of the year and I had them both back and signed in about eight days. That turn around time still impresses me.

Bobby might have been one of the greatest signers to ever live and I have no clue how he was able to pull it off like he did into his late nineties. I can't imagine the amount of fanmail that he had to receive on a daily basis. That man had to have set aside time every day to keep churning out the autographs like he did. He was truly an asset to the autograph community and is dearly missed.

I posted the other Doerr card way back in 2010 and you can see that post here. That card is from a 2003 set. It is pretty sad that I have only gotten up to my 2008 cards since posting that card nearly nine years ago. If you don't want to go back to see that post, here is the card.

Four years ago, I posted another Bobby Doerr through the mail autograph. For Christmas in 2013, my then fiance ponied-up some dough and bought me a graded 1939 Playball Bobby Doerr. Being the autograph nerd that I am, I busted that beauty out and sent it to get signed. While his signature wasn't nearly as neat as it was in 2008, it still came out looking great. I am forever thankful for my wife for buying me that card. She is pretty freaking awesome.

2008 Bowman, Ryan Khoury

#BCP36 Ryan Khoury

Here is a card that I got signed at a Wichita Wingnuts game in 2012. This is the only mainstream card of Ryan that was made, so I went ahead and got the x-fractor version to get signed. I think I got a regular version of the card signed, too, but that card was given away at some point.

Ryan has a stylish autograph, but this one is lacking a bit. At Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the clubhouses are in left field. So, whenever players take the field, they usually come out carrying their bat, helmet, and glove. When Ryan signed this card, he was holding all that stuff in one hand while I held my card book for him to sign with his free hand. It still came out looking good, though.

Ryan played in the Red Sox system for six seasons, seeing action in AAA three different times. Over those six years, he was a .246 hitter with 24 home runs. He got released by the Sox during the 2011 season and caught on with a team in the Frontier League to finish the season. He then came to Wichita in 2012 and spent three years on the squad.

Ryan hit about .250 during his first two years in Wichita before breaking out in 2014. He had a career year that season, hitting .315 with 11 homers and 61 RBI en route to Wichita's lone American Association title. Ryan retired after that season.

1992 Score, Tony Fossas

#389 Tony Fossas

Here is the third and final card that I got signed by Tony Fossas at Spring Training last year. Tony was working with the Reds at the time and he signed for me while the team's minor league players were having their morning practice. You can see the first card of him that I posted here and the second one here.

Those first two cards both showed Tony with the Brewers. For whatever reason, I seem to have a decent amount of signatures from Brewers pitchers. Luckily, I was able to find this card and mix it up a bit. Even though I am not a Red Sox fan, signed cards of Red Sox players do not appear on this blog enough.

Tony pitched for the Sox for four seasons in the early '90s. During his tenure in Boston, he went 7-5 with 4 saves and a 3.98 ERA. It was with the Sox that he settled into his LOOGY role, pitching just 160.2 innings over 239 appearances.

After leaving Boston, Tony went on to pitch with the Cardinals, Mariners, Cubs, Rangers, and Yankees. He finished his twelve year career with a record of 17-24 with 7 saves and 3.90 ERA.

1991 Score, Danny Darwin

#24T Danny Darwin

Here is the third and final card that Danny Darwin signed for me at Spring Training last year. Danny was the pitching coach for the Reds AAA team and I got him to sign for me at the Reds minor league practice. You can see the first card I posted here and the second one here. On top of that, I got him through the mail on an '81D eight years ago and that one can be seen here.

That makes four signed cards of Danny Darwin with four different teams- the Rangers, Brewers, Astros, and Red Sox. Danny went on to pitch with four more clubs after his time in Boston, so I still have some work to do to get a card signed of him with each team he played for. That is probably not going to happen since there are not very many cards of him with the other four teams and I can't seem to find a single card of him with the White Sox.

Danny pitched for Boston for four seasons. During his tenure there, he went 34-31 with 3 saves and a 4.14 ERA.

By the time Danny was done pitching in Boston, he had played for four teams over a seventeen year career. He went on to pitch four more seasons, but he bounced around considerably. 1995 was spent with the Blue Jays and Rangers. 1996 was with the Pirates and Astros. 1997 was with the White Sox and Giants. 1998, his final season, was all spent with the Giants.

Danny finished his career with a 171-182 record with 32 saves and a 3.84 ERA.

1981 Donruss, Dennis Eckersley

#96 Dennis Eckersley

Here is a rarity for me these days with the '81 Donruss set. It is a card that was actually signed in-person. I got this card signed at the College World Series in 2014. AT&T always brings in former ballplayers to sign autographs during the opening weekend of the series. Most of the time, the player will only sign the 8x10 photograph that AT&T provides. I got lucky with Dennis, though, as he was signing everything that was given to him.

Some of the guys that I am missing from the set, that signed only 8x10s at the College World Series, are Dave Winfield, Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Jim Rice, Bruce Sutter, Ozzie Smith, and Fred Lynn.

When I think of Dennis Eckersley, I do not think of him as a member of the Red Sox. He played for them from 1978-1984 and was a starter the entire time. He had four double-digit win seasons, including a career high of twenty in 1978. During his tenure in Boston, Dennis was 88-71 with a 3.92 ERA and 771 strikeouts and one All Star Game appearance in 1982. Those numbers include the final season of his career, which happened to be with the Sox in 1998.

In May of 1984, Dennis was traded to the Cubs in the deal that brought Bill Buckner to Boston.

I love that Dennis included the Hall of Fame inscription to the card. I do not remember asking for it, but I probably did considering that I did not get one on the 8x10s or the other cards that he signed.

'81 Donruss Tracker: #186

1965 Topps, Bill Monbouquette

#142 Bill Monbouquette

Here is a card of former Red Sox pitcher, Bill Monbouquette. I sent this card to Bill in early 2014 and I had it back just seven days later.

Bill pitched in the big leagues for eleven seasons with the Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Giants. Over that time, he was 114-112 with 3 saves and a 3.68 ERA. He won double-digit games for six straight seasons with the Red Sox, including a career best of 20 in 1963.

Bill made three All Star teams during that stretch, but only pitched in one of them. That was the 1960 Mid-Summer Classic that Bill had the privilege of starting. He pitched just two innings in that game and gave up four runs with dingers by Ernie Banks and Del Crandall .

Bill's biggest feat was throwing a no-hitter in 1962 against the White Sox. In that game, he walked just one while striking out seven White Sox batters.

Sadly, Bill passed away last year.

1957 Topps, Pete Daley

#388 Pete Daley

Here is the last 1957 Topps card that I got signed through the mail in 2013. I sent this card to Pete in February of that year and had it back just over a month later.

Pete played in the big leagues for just seven seasons, seeing time with the Red Sox, A's, and Senators. He spent five of those seven seasons in Boston and was mainly their back-up catcher behind Sammy White. Pete was a .239 career hitter who finished with 18 home runs and 120 RBI.

Pete's best season was with the Sox in 1956. That year, he played in just 59 games. But, he had career-highs in average (.267), doubles (11), homers (5), and RBI (29). Pete would get more at-bats in three other seasons, but could never outdo the numbers he put up in '56.

I have never asked for an in-person autograph to be done in ballpoint pen. I always want it done with a Sharpie. But seeing a signature like this makes me consider rethinking my practice when it comes to older cards. I love the way the pen came out on this card. The look fits the time period better than any Sharpie would.

2006 Bowman, Edgar Martinez

#FG17 Edgar Martinez

Unfortunately, this is not an autograph of that Edgar Martinez.

This is from the career minor leaguer that happened to play for the Wichita Wingnuts in 2012. As you can see from the card, he used to be a legitimate prospect, having played in the 2006 Futures Game. That aspect was short-lived as he was out of affiliated baseball after the 2008 season.

I got this card signed prior to a 'Nuts game that season. When Edgar was signing the card, one of his teammates came over to see the card of him. He told that teammate that the picture was from "his Pedro Martinez days". They both got a good chuckle out of that. A few minutes later, that teammate came back over to see if I had any extras of the card. All that I had got signed that day. I offered one of those up, but he didn't want a signed one. I told him that I would get him later on in the year and I did just that. When I finally got Edgar his card, I had him sign my boy's glove that day and the kid still thinks that Edgar and I are buddies.

In 2005, Edgar posted a 1.89 ERA over stops at high-A and AA while striking out more than a batter an inning. The following year, his ERA was 2.61 in AA while his strikeouts dipped below the one per inning mark. He was bumped up to AAA for 2007 and he responded with a 5.16 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 68 innings. His ERA dipped down to 3.89 in AAA in 2008 as the Sox toyed with the idea of making him a starter. But, his strikeouts per inning dropped even more that season and they decided to cut ties.

Edgar joined the independent ranks the following season and pitched in three different leagues over the next four years. He has spent the past two seasons pitching in Mexico. He had a really good season for Oaxaca last year, posting a 1.49 ERA in 48.1 innings of work while striking out 44 with just 11 walks.

2005 Topps Total, John Halama/Lenny DiNardo

#599 John Halama/Lenny DiNardo

Here is a card that I originally posted on here in 2010. That was about a year after I got Lenny DiNardo to sign the card while he was with the Royals. That card sat in my binder for three years before I decided to send it to John Halama to get completed. So, in late August 2012, I sent this card to him, care of the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, with about two weeks left in their season. I started to think the card was a goner, but it eventually made it back home in the last week of October. And, as always, I am thrilled with the results. These puppies just do not look the same with only one signature on them. Just look at yesterday's post for proof of that.

John pitched in the Majors for nine seasons with seven clubs- the Astros, Mariners, A's, Devil Rays, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles. He played a season or less with all of those teams except the Mariners. With them, he logged four seasons and had three straight with double digit wins, including a career high of 14 in 2000. With Seattle, John was 41-31 with a 4.46 ERA. For his entire career, he was 56-48 with a 4.65 ERA.

John last appeared in the Majors in 2006. He joined the Atlantic League in 2007 and pitched there through 2012 with a few stops in AAA and Mexico. 2012 was his last season playing ball. Why I decided to wait until two weeks before John's career ended to write to him, I cannot explain. But, I am glad that I did it and did not wait a day later.

So far, this is the only TTM attempt that I have sent out to an independent league team.

1939 Play Ball, Bobby Doerr

#7 Bobby Doerr

I got it back today!! It had only been gone for less than two weeks, but it seemed like a lifetime. And now I have my first signed card from the '30s and my oldest signed card.

It all began on Christmas Day when my lovely wife bought me this card.

I had been asking her for Doerr's '38 Goudey for a couple of years, but that card was out of her price range. I figured that would probably be the case and told her that this one would work just as well. She found one for me and it showed up on Christmas Eve before I got home from work. She wrapped it up and then hid it underneath presents so I didn't know it was there. It was the last present opened on Christmas morning and I was shocked when I saw it. I really was not expecting her to buy me a card. I guess it shows that it doesn't hurt to ask.

Now that I had the card, the next step was unslabbing it. Luckily, there were plenty of videos on youtube about the subject and, after watching a few, I decided to give it a go. I was going to do it in front of my wife, but she couldn't bear to watch. She went to bed and told me not to make a mess. I got it out of its case fairly easily.

The next morning, the card was off in the mail. Little Mack was there to say goodbye.

Today, I got home from work and I went and greeted my wife. She told me there was something for me by the TV and I instantly knew what it was. I went over there and picked up the opened envelope. Since she paid for the card, and knew what was in the self-addressed stamped envelope, she figured that she had first dibs at opening it. And I am completely fine with that. Then she says to me "If I had known it was going to be that easy to get it signed, I might have bought you the Goudey card".

As if there was ever a doubt in my mind...

2002 Bowman, Chris Smith

#BDP53 Chris Smith

Here is the third straight card of a former Wichita Wingnut. This one is of the former Red Sox and Brewer, Chris Smith. Surprisingly, with such a common name, only one other Chris Smith has ever played in the Major Leagues. This Chris Smith signed three cards for me before a 'Nuts game in 2013.

Chris was drafted by the Sox in the fourth round of the 2002 draft out of UC-Riverside. He progressed up the organizational ladder and made his first stop at AAA in 2006. He spent most of the time at that level in 2007 and 2008. But, he did get the call to Boston in '08 and made his debut in June. He got called in to the second inning in a game against the Cardinals. Diasuke Matsuzaka got roughed up in the first inning, and was walking people in the second, so Chris was in for damage control. He pitched four innings and gave up three hits, one run, and had three strikeouts. The homer he gave up was a grand slam to Troy Glaus, but all three base runners belonged to Dice-K. It was smooth sailing after that.

Chris finished that season, his only one with Boston, 1-0 with a 7.86 ERA. He walked 7, struck out 13, and gave up 6 long balls.

1994 Ultra, Jeff Russell

#17 Jeff Russell

Here is the third and final card that Jeff Russell signed for me this summer. Jeff is the pitching coach for the Grand Prairie AirHogs and he signed the cards for me before a game in Wichita. You can see his A's card here and his Rangers card here.

Jeff pitched in Boston for a season and a half. After landing there via free agency in 1993, he had a very solid first season. He was 1-4 with 33 saves and 2.70 ERA. That was Jeff's third and final 30 save season. It was a little more rocky the following season, though. That year he was 0-5 with 12 saves and a lofty 5.14 ERA. The Sox traded him to Cleveland mid-season and he went 1-1 with 5 saves to finish off the season.

The following year, Jeff was back with the Rangers, the team where he had had the most success. He spent his final two seasons there and was 4-3 with 23 saves over the two years.

Jeff finished his career 56-73 with 186 saves and a 3.75 ERA.

1981 Donruss, Dave Rader

#512 Dave Rader

Here is the second card of Dave Rader that I sent out this past November. The first one was posted about nine months ago and it can be seen here.

There really isn't much to say about Dave that wasn't said in the first post about him. I will say, though, that Dave's tenure in Boston lasted just one season and he made the most of it. He only got into 50 games with the Sox, but he hit a robust .328 which is 70 points higher than his career average. Plus, over a quarter of his hits were for extra bases and he walked a few more times than he struck out. He finished the year with a .802 OPS, which was about 200 points higher than his career total. That just happened to be the final season that he played in the Majors. Had Billy Beane been a GM back then, he surely would have gotten another look with the A's.

Anyone notice that the Royals are still in the hunt with just two and a half weeks to go?

LET'S GO ROYALS!!!!!!

'81 Donruss Tracker: 156/100

1981 Donruss, Tom Burgmeier

#97 Tom Burgmeier

Here is my autograph from Tom Burgmeier. I sent this card to Tom in September and I had it back eight days later. Tom was the pitching coach for the Omaha Royals a few years ago and I tried to get his autograph at the ballpark a couple of times without any success. People have a 95% success rate when writing to Tom, so he is a good TTM signer. It is always funny to me when guys will sign every piece of fan mail that they get but are reluctant to sign at the park.

Tom pitched in the Bigs for seventeen seasons with the Angels, Royals, Twins, Red Sox, and A's. He never played in the playoffs, but he did rack up a record of 79-55 in 742 relief outings while converting 102 saves. His best season came in 1980 when he had a career-high 24 saves and posting a 2.00 ERA. He made his lone All Star team that season, but did not pitch in the game.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 102/100

1967 Topps, Dennis Bennett

#206 Dennis Bennett

Here is the fourth and final 1967 Topps card that I acquired through the Topps Diamond Giveaway. Prior to that giveaway, I had two cards from that set signed. Now, after getting another card returned in the mail this last week, I have seven signed cards from the set. I'm hoping that Topps does another card giveaway in the 2013 set as that was a cheap, easy, and fun way for me to get some older cards signed.

Dennis pitched in the Majors for seven seasons with the Phillies, Red Sox, Mets, and Angels. He both started and relieved during his career and only reached double digits in wins once when he recorded 12. That season was the 1964 season with the Phils and he also reached double digits in losses that year with 14. Dennis finished his career with a 43-47 record with 6 saves, a 3.69 ERA, and 572 strikeouts.

I sent this card to Dennis in early November last year and I had it back ten days later. Sadly, Dennis passed away about three months after signing this card.

I like how he signed the card right above his pre-printed signature. Luckily he signed it in blue instead of black so you can easily tell which one is which. It is pretty impressive how little his signature changed over the years.

1957 Topps, Milt Bolling

#57 Milt Bolling

Here is another card that I got signed to fill a hole in my Topps collection. Before I got this card signed, I did not have a signed '57 Topps. So, I picked this card up from checkoutmycards and mailed it to Milt in June and I had it back seven days later.

Milt played seven seasons in the Majors with the Red Sox, Senators, and Tigers. He saw some decent playing time with the Sox in 1953 and '54 and he hit .263 and .249 during those seasons. He posted career highs in runs, doubles, home runs, and RBI during the '54 campaign. During the 1955 Spring Training, Milt broke his elbow and was limited to just five games that season. In 1956, Milt played in only 45 games. Then, in '57, he was traded to the Senators after playing in just one game. He lasted one season in DC and then one more in Detroit before calling it a career.

This is my oldest signed Red Sox card. It is ten years older than my second oldest signed Red Sox card.

Just to clarify, this card is a little mis-cut vertically, but not horizontally. For some reason, my scanner chopped off the right border in the scan.

2006 Topps Turkey Red, Coco Crisp

#378 Coco Crisp

Here is the third and final card that I got signed by Coco Crisp at Royals Fanfest in 2009. That year was Coco's only season with the Royals and he only got into 49 games with them as he battled injury problems all season long. He ended up having surgery on both shoulders that season and the Royals didn't re-sign him. Because of that, these three cards that I got signed at Fanfest are the only three autographs that I have of him.

Coco has been playing for the A's since leaving Kansas City and, after battling injury problems his first season there, he had a productive year with them last year. He played in 136 games and hit .264 while sharing the lead league in stolen bases with 49. He is off to a bit of a slow start this year, though, as he is only hitting .197 through 19 games. Having played in so few games makes me wonder if he is battling the injury woes again this season.

I really liked this Turkey Red set when it came out in 2006. For me, it was so much more different than any of the other sets with its look and feel. But, I am not as pleased with it any more. Once I finally got some cards from the set signed, I started to change my opinion. It would seem like a great set to get signed except for the fact that the pictures are so dark that the autograph isn't as easy to make out as it should be. Luckily Topps fixed that aspect of the set by the time it had been reduced to an insert. But, by that time, it was too late.

On a personal note, I have now been to five Royals games this year and the team is a whopping 0-5 in the games I have been to. Welcome to the life of a Royals fan. I'm going to my first Wingnuts game of the year tonight and I am really looking forward to that. It seems like I have more cards to take with me to get signed than usual, so I am hoping to come home with a big score. It helps that the visiting New Jersey Jackals has former big leaguers Matt Chico and Angel Berroa on their roster.