2003 Topps All TIme Fan Favorites, Cory Snyder

#FFA-CN Cory Snyder

I graduated from college in 2003 and for some reason, I started to get back into cards that summer. I was amazed at all of the products that were out and I thought that the new cards that looked old were a cool concept. So, every time I went to Wal-Mart, I had to check out the card section and pick up a couple of packs. For some reason, I always grabbed a couple of packs of the All Time Fan Favorites.

After about a month of that, I noticed something. The box of All Time Fan Favorites was halfway empty and it seemed like I was the only person that was buying it. I also noticed that there was one autograph per box. After that, I started to buy the packs four or five at a time because I was determined to pull the autographed card. If you take the time to look at some of the autographs available in the set (there are at least 50 Hall of Famers), you'll quickly see why I wanted the autograph out of that box.

Obviously, I got the autograph from the box and it wasn't a Hall of Famer. But, it is an autograph and it is on-card, so I can't complain. I already had a TTM Snyder autograph from many years ago and it was fun adding a certified one to the mix as well.

The funny thing about this set is that if it came out today, I don't think that I would get into it like I did in 2003. But, that is just me.

2003 Topps All Time Fan Favorites, Jeff Reardon

#112 Jeff Reardon

Here is the third and final Jeff Reardon card that I have to post on here. This is actually the first one that I got and I got it through the mail in November of 2008. When I was choosing a card to send to him, it came down to this one and his '81 Donruss. Ultimately, I chose this one though I really do not know why. It might have been because '85 Topps was the first cards I had bought. The '81 Donruss card ended up getting misplaced for a couple of years. But thankfully, Ryan, from The Great Orioles Autograph Project, found me another '81 Donruss card to get signed. You can see that one here and an '88 Donruss card here.

I have one more card to post from this set before I post a couple of cards from the first pack of Topps Heritage I ever bought.

2003 Topps All Time Fan Favorites, Ernie Harwell

#107 Ernie Harwell

Here is a card that I got signed through the mail in November of 2008. It was around that time the I discovered The Bench and I started to write to retired players. I utilized this set a bit to send cards to players that I didn't have cards of or if I had cards of them that I didn't want to get lost in the mail. Luckily, I came across this card in the set and an address to send it to.

Harwell, the 1981 Ford C. Frick Award winner, broadcast in the Major Leagues for the Dodgers, Giants, Orioles, Tigers, and Angels. He began his big league broadcasting career in 1948 after the Brooklyn Dodgers traded catcher Cliff Drapper to the Atlanta Crackers for Ernie Harwell. It was the only time a player had been traded for an announcer. By 1960, Ernie was with the Tigers. He remained with them until his retirement in 2002 (though he missed 1993 because of a labor dispute).

In May, Ernie passed away after losing an eight month battle with bile duct cancer. He was 92 years old.

If you ever get a chance to attend a Tigers game at Comerica Park, make sure you check out the Ernie Harwell statue when you enter the park. Here is Ernie greeting me at a game in 2007.

2003 Topps All Time Fan Favorites, Vern Law

#102 Vern Law

This is the fourth and final Vern Law autograph that I have to post on here. You can see the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here. I got this card signed along with the first card. I thought that I read online that Vern charges eight dollars for TTM autographs. So I sent him a check for eight bucks and the Vern and Vance Law father and son card. When I got the card back, he wrote on the back of the envelope that the first autograph is free. So, I figured that he signed the father/son card and returned my check.

Nope. He kept the check and included this card. I think I would have preferred the check, but I really can't complain about it. I would have come out on top either way.

The funny thing about this card is that Vern signed it twice. He probably signed it in silver Sharpie first, wasn't happy with the results, and then signed it again in black.

2003 Topps All Time Fan Favorites, Bobby Richardson

#58 Bobby Richardson

Here is another card that was signed through the mail from the '03 All Time Fan Favorites set. That is going to be the them here over the next couple of days. I sent this card to Bobby on the third of December in 2008 and I got it back two days before the new year. Considering that I sent it to him around Christmas, that seems like a decent turnaround.

Bobby is probably best remembered for being the only player to win the World Series MVP award while playing on the losing side. He did that with the Yankees in 1960. For that Series, he hit .367 (11-30) with five extra base hits (two doubles, two triples, and a grand slam) and 12 RBI. In the regular season that year, Bobby only had 26 RBI in 150 games. That just goes to show how impressive his 12 are in only 7 games.

Bobby's best season was probably 1962. That season, he had career highs in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and average. Plus, he won his third and final World Series that year.

This card is a remake of the 1962 Topps set (next years Topps Heritage design). I hope that there are some photos in the 2011 Topps Heritage set that have Yankees Stadium in the background. Heritage has gotten so boring the past few years with all of their stupid Spring Training shots. I hope that improves a bit next year, though I doubt that it will.

2003 Topps All Time Fan Favorites, Boog Powell

#28 Boog Powell

Here is a card that I got signed through the mail last spring. I sent this card to Boog, care of his BBQ joint at Camden Yards, at the very beginning of the season and I got it back about three weeks later.

For some reason, this autograph looks a little different from some of the other cards I have seen signed by him. This one seems more squished together than most of them. Maybe he had a huge stack of cards to sign and little time to sign them or maybe it is ghost signed. I don't know.

Boog was a four-time All Star with the O's and he won the 1970 American League MVP, as well. I wonder if Topps issued this card as a 1970 card because of the monster year he put up in 1969 (career highs in average, hits, and RBI) or because of his 1970 MVP award-winning season. Maybe some of the other cards from the set that I will be posting will shed a little more light on that.

If you are ever at an Orioles game, make sure you take some cards of Boog with you. You can usually find him around his BBQ stand and I hear that he is really good about signing autographs. I was at an O's game last summer with Ryan, from The Great Orioles Autograph Project, and he pointed Boog out to me while he was just hanging out on Eutaw Street. Unfortunately, I did not have a card of him to sign. In fact, this might be the only Boog Powell card that I own. I know for sure that I do not have one from his playing days.

2003 Topps 205, Brian Burgamy

#138 Brian Burgamy

Like yesterday, here is another player that did not move too far up the organizational ladder. Here is Brian Burgamy, another guy from the long line of Padrographs given to me by Rod.

Brian was the Padres ninth round selection in the 2002 draft out of Wichita State (too bad I do not remember him playing there). Unfortunately, the highest Brian would get is to AA and he did not do so well there. In three stops at AA, Brian hit just .195 in 457 at-bats. But, Brian's career is still moving along as he is playing for the Atlantic League's Camden Riversharks. With them this season, Brian is batting .323 with 14 home runs. The 'Sharks still have 40 games left this season and Brian already has topped his former season-high home run total of 13. So, it's good to see that he is still going strong.

These 205 cards are kind of strange looking. I know that they are supposed to look like a vintage card, but, to me, they have too much of a middle eastern look for a baseball card. Plus, I do not like the fact that there is no position listed on the card at all (mentioning what position he played in college doesn't count).