1999 Topps/Topps Chrome, Danny Klassen

#212 Danny Klassen

Here is a card that I got signed in Round Rock, Texas in 2008. I got these signed the same day as I got the two Steve Woodard cards signed. I know that it is pretty bad that I got two nearly identical cards signed twice in one day, but it was the only cards that I had of those guys.

I got this card signed before the game that day. At the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, they have a row of wooden rocking chairs that can be rented out during a game. The chairs are in left field and are right by the locker room. At this game, I happened to catch Danny at the end of the row in his game pants and a t-shirt talking to the trainer. I asked one of the locals who it was and when I realized I had cards of him, I went and got them signed.

Danny was really nice and asked how my day was going. When I told him that I had been driving all day, he asked where I was coming from and where I was heading and told me to have a good trip. It was cool to have more than the usual "how's it going" chit-chat.

I didn't realize this at the time, but Danny played in 85 Major League games over five seasons with the Diamondbacks and Tigers. Prior to today, I just thought that he was a career minor leaguer. His career number aren't too impressive, but at least he was given a shot. He even got to represent Canada in the 2004 Olympics.

These are the first Diamondback cards on here.

Here are the rockers Danny was sitting on. That is probably him at the opposite end of the row.



As for the Royals Caravan yesterday, it was a complete joke. There was no autograph session. It took me awhile, but I finally learned that it was just a private party with the boosters. Why the Royals would even put that on the schedule and make it sound like a normal Caravan stop is beyond me. But, being the hound that I am, I was able to get one card signed by George Brett and two by Joe Randa. I'll have more on my less-than-memorable George Brett experience in a few weeks when I post the card.

1999 Topps, Jeff Montgomery

#179 Jeff Montgomery

Here is one last card of Jeff Montgomery, the Royals all-time saves leader with 304. Jeff has 66 more saves than the second place Dan Quisenberry and 215 more saves than the third place Joakim Soria.

At this point, I have no idea how many cards I have signed by Monty. I am going to guess that it is at least four and probably five. If he was going to be at Fanfest this year, he definitely would have been on the list of cards to get signed for other bloggers. But, for some reason he is not.

I have so many cards signed by Jeff that I do not recall where I got this card signed. It was most likely at some Royals Caravan stop, but that is as close as I can get. I do know that this was the first card that I had signed from '99 Topps. So, at least I know something.

Speaking of the Caravan, today is the day that it rolls through my town. In the past, the Caravan has always done a public signing here at the mall, a car dealership, or Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, that is not the case this year.

For some reason, the Royals have drastically shortened the caravan this year. Many towns that used to be on it are now left out. They are still coming to my town, but they are only doing a private appearance at a local elementary school. Normally, I wouldn't mind too much since I have autographs from most of the players and alumni that go on the trips. But this year is different. This year, George Brett is coming to town.

So now I have to drive to Manhattan and buy a $28 Kansas State basketball ticket to get George's autograph. And that is what I am going to do. I'm hoping that I can go through the line at least twice to make it worth it.

I'm used to being disappointed by the Royals on the field. But being disappointed in their Caravan is something new to me.

1999 Topps, John Valentin

#164 John Valentin

I got this card signed last summer in St. Louis at the Futures Game. John was one of the coaches for the USA. For the game, they usually have an honorary manager (for the US, it was Ozzie Smith) and the coaches are made up of up-and-coming minor leauge managers and coaches. John was the manager of the Dodgers' AA affilaite, the Chatanooga Lookouts. However the Dodgers must not have thought too highly of him since he is going to be the Lookouts hitting coach this year.

John had an 11 year career, spent mostly with the Red Sox. He started off as a shortstop, but moved to third when Nomar came up. His best season was probably 1995 when he had career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (102). He even won the Silver Slugger that year for American League shortstops.

According to Wikipedia, he was the first player to ever turn an unassisted triple play and hit for the cycle.

I could only find three cards of John to take with me to the game. He only signed this one card for me though and it was the darkest card out of the three. But, on a positive note, he was the only coach that I got to sign for me.

For some reason, I always got John Valentin and Jose Valentin confused. That makes sense, I guess, since their names are so similar. I just never really realized that John was practically a life-long Red Sock.

1999 Topps, Dave Martinez

#107 Dave Martinez

This is the fifth and final Dave Martinez card I have to post (unitl I see the Rays play again, at least). This one was obtained in September while I was at a Baltimore Orioles game. You can see the first three, which I got signed in Kansas City in 2008, here, here, and here. The fourth one, also obtained in Baltimore, can be seen here. I now have signed cards from Dave as a Cub, Expo, White Sock, and Devil Ray. I guess that the next time I see the Rays, I will be looking for a card of Dave as a Red, Giant, or Brave.

Here is a fun fact about Dave Martinez. In 2000, Dave played for four different teams. He started out a D-Ray. After 29 games, he was traded to the Cubs for Mark Guthrie. 18 games later, the Cubs shipped him to the Rangers for Brant Brown. 38 games later, he was dealt to the Jays for Peter Munro. That has got to be some kind of record.

Here is another fun fact. Dave pitched in two Major League games. The first one was in 1990 as an Expo. In that game, he pitched a third of an inning and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He pitched again for the White Sox in 1995. In that game, he pitched one scoreless inning and gave up no hits and two walks. In the two appearances, he had no strikeouts. His career ERA is 13.50.

1999 Topps/Topps Chrome, Steve Woodard

#60 Steve Woodard

I got both of these cards signed at the same time. Since they are practiaclly identical, I figured that I would put them into the same post.

I got these cards signed in Round Rock, Texas in 2008. Steve was in town with the visiting Isotopes. I got the cards signed after the game. This was the game that Steve was thrown out of before he even threw one pitch.

Of the three cards he signed for me, the regualr Topps card has the best signature. I'm sure Steve wasn't in the best of moods after getting tossed, so I am fortunate to even have one of the cards signed. Plus, it wouldn't have happened without the help of the EMT.

For some reason, my dad bought me a box of '99 Topps Chrome for my birthday that year. I hadn't opened a box of Major League cards since maybe '94 or '95, so I thought that it was kind of a strange gift. I was in college at the time and was only buying a pack here and there. Since I was a poor college student, I was actually hoping for some cash. But, I got the box of Chrome instead. Looking back now, it is actually a neat gift since I have very few cards from this era.

On a side note, I placed an order through checkoutmycards.com on Thursday and I paid ten dollars extra on shipping to make sure I would get the cards by this coming Thursday. I got the package in today. I was shocked. With the standard shipping charge, their site says the items will be packaged within three to five business days. With the priority shipping charge, which is what I got, it says the items will be packaged within two business. To have my cards not only packaged in two days, but also shipped to my house in two days, is truly amazing. Two Sharpies up for checkoutmycards.com!

1999 Stadium Club, Kevin Polcovich

#6 Kevin Polcovich

This beautiful card was sent to me by the Collective Troll. It is the only '99 Stadium Club card that I own and I think that, based on this one card, I missed out on that set. This card looks great and I would hope that the rest of the set would look just as good.

As for Kevin, he was a 30th round draft choice for the Bucs out of the University of Florida. In his sixth year of pro ball, Kevin got called up to Pittsburgh. He got into 84 games that year and he hit .273 with 4 homers and 21 RBI while mostly playing shortstop. One of his homers was off of Curt Schilling.

The next season, Kevin was on the big league roster all year. But, in 81 games, he only hit .189. That was his last season in the Majors. After that, he played two more years in AAA and one year that was split with an indy team and a AA team.

Even though his final big league season was less than spectacular, at least this great looking card came out of it.

Also, there is still time to claim a spot in the previous post. If there isn't any more selections by 9:00 central time tonight, feel free to grab more than five slots.

Get Your Royals Cards Signed Here

I am going to Royals Fanfest next Friday (I'm undecided on Saturday right now). There are a few players and alumni that are going to be there that I have plenty of autographs from. For those guys, I am willing to get stuff (preferribly cards) signed for other people.

Below, you will find a list of those players and whether I will be able to get one or two things signed. There are about fifteen players on the list. The only rule is that you may not take up both slots for any given player. Please be curtious to other readers and do not take up more than five slots. If there are still slots open tomorrow night when I get off work, feel free to grab some more.

Fanfest is next Friday, so you need to mail me your cards as soon as possible. If you really want something signed that is not a card, email me first. Here is the list.

Brian Bannister- Paul's Random Stuff

Willie Bloomquist- 2 slots

Kyle Davies-
1. Paul's Random Stuff
2. still open

Trey Hillman- 2 slots

Mitch Maier- 2 slots

Bryan Pena- Paul's Random Stuff

Robinson Tejada- 1 slot

Dennis Leonard- Night Owl

Mike Macfarlane- Paul's Random Stuff

John Mayberry- 1 slot

Jim Eisenreich- Paul's Random Stuff

Brian McRae- Wicked Ortega

Jamie Quirk-
1. Wicked Ortega
2. Orioles Magic

Clint Robinson (minor leaguer)- 2 slots

Keep in mind that claiming a slot and sending me cards does not guarentee you an autograph. These events can be pretty hectic and it is impossible to hit all of the autograph tables. Plus, Mayberry and Eisenreich are only scheduled to appear on Saturday and I am undecided on that day. But I promise that I will do whatever I can to get as many cards signed as possible. If you miss out on a slot of a certain player, feel free to send me a card of that player anyway. Some will be signing more than once, especially if I go both days.

To claim a slot, just leave a comment. If you do not have my address, email me at zman40 at hotmail dot com. The cards have to arrive in my mail no later than Thursday.