My First Autographs

Since I started this blog almost four years ago, I had always intended to write this post at some point, and I'm finally getting around to it. 

Below are the first autographs I believe I ever got in person, and I guess you can trace my autograph obsession all the way back to them. They were obtained at a Harrisburg Senators game in 1990, when I was only 7 years old. At the time, the Senators were the AA affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates and were a relatively new franchise, having started up just a few years before in 1987. I grew up in Carlisle, PA which is about 20 miles west of Harrisburg, and the Senators were by far the nearest professional baseball team to my town. 

Beginning in 1991, the Senators formed a partnership with the Expos/Nationals that exists to this day. They still play in the same stadium, now Metro Bank Park, which I knew as Riverside Stadium, but it received a major upgrade in 2009-2010. The stadium is unique in that it is located on City Island, in the middle of the Susquehanna River. 

I can't recall what caused me to get my cards signed that day, but I would speculate that I saw some other people getting autographs and liked the idea. I was obviously an autograph rookie at the time since I tried to get the players to sign with a dried up black pen. I'm guessing that I caught my dad off-guard by wanting to get autographs that day, because not long after this we started to carry a sharpie when we went to games. 

As far as I remember, Miguel Garcia was the first autograph I ever obtained, but his time in the Majors was behind him and he didn't leave much of an impression on me. Since he's from Venezuela, it's also very possible that he didn't speak English, which clearly would have made it difficult for seven year old me to relate to him.

But John Wehner was another story. He was a Pennsylvania native and rising star in the Pirates system. (Disclaimer- I was a Pirates fan back then, partially because of the Senators and partially because Sid Bream, who was from Carlisle, played for them. My Orioles allegiance began a few years later.) I remember that he was very nice to me, and upon having trouble signing the front of my card, flipped it over and signed the back. 

John never had much success in the big leagues but played in the Majors for 11 seasons, and I always supported him. My dad had him sign his Senators cap that day, and I believe the hat is still around the house somewhere. It was a great day for my dad and me, and it started a lifelong passion for autographs. 22 years later and I still enjoy getting baseball players to sign pieces of cardboard for me, but now this autograph collector is older than many of the players who sign for me. 

I also had to share these small "certificates of authenticity" that I used to create for all of the autographs I got in person to differentiate them from autographs I purchased at card shows. 

 Awesome, right?

Some More Inserts For Trade

So, pretty much the same deal as the last time, if you see something you're interested in, let me know and we can work out a trade or you can cover the shipping. If you've already requested a team in my last few trade posts, chances are that I've already pulled your requested teams/players from among these inserts.

This batch is mostly from 2011 Topps, but there are also a few Opening Day inserts.

Oriole #730- Pedro Swann

Before I start writing, this is always what I think about when I hear Pedro's name. I just had to get that off my chest before I try to say anything else about him, or there's no way I would be able to focus.

Pedro "Stop Looking at Me" Swann played in a handful of MLB games for the Braves, Blue Jays, and O's between 2000-03. He made his Orioles debut on September 15, 2003 and played in eight games at the end of that season, which would turn out to be the end of his time in the Majors. He continued to play professional baseball through the 2008 season.

Since he hung up his spikes, he has started up the Pro Swing Sports Academy in Wilmington, Delaware. He works there with another former Oriole, Carlos Mendez, and former MLB pitcher Dwayne Henry. One other interesting tidbit I read about Pedro is that he appeared in the Kevin Costner movie "For the Love of the Game" back in 1999.

Bobblehead of the Week- Northwest Arkansas Naturals' Vance Wilson

As some of you might recall, I have family who lives in the Northwestern corner of Arkansas. If I'm lucky, I travel out that way once every few summers to visit them, and my visits typically coincide with a Naturals' (the Royals' AA affiliate) homestand. Weird how that works out for a baseball fan, am I right? 

I believe during the summer of 2009, my visit also matched up with a Naturals' bobblehead giveaway of then Nats' catcher and former big leaguer, Vance Wilson. Vance was, and maybe still is, a neighbor of my Aunt's in Springdale, Arkansas, and the ballpark was only about ten minutes from his house. He recently agreed to become the manager of the hi-A Carolina League Wilmington Blue Rocks, based in Wilmington, Delaware, which I know is quite a distance from Springdale. Since the Blue Rocks play the Frederick Keys a few times each summer, I hope to have Lance sign my bobblehead at some point. 

The bobblehead is pretty decent looking, if not a bit wobbly on it's base, and the pose is very unique, in my collection at least. Since I attended this game with my family, I ended up with a few extra copies of this bobble, if anyone is interested in one, let me know. 

I'm a big fan of the Naturals' lightning bolt N logo, and now own a cap with a variation of it. 

The Royals' farm system has had a bunch of top prospects pass through town in recent years, so the Naturals' are competitive most seasons and my family is regularly treated to some exciting baseball action. The team has only been around for maybe five years, so the ballpark is new and has been mostly full each time I've attended a game. 

Unpossible Autograph Friday- Dick Brown, Oriole #192

(Every Friday, I profile a former Oriole who has passed away. I've substituted the word unpossible for impossible as an homage to a line from "The Simpsons". Young Ralph Wiggum, who is a few pennies short of a dollar, says "Me fail English? That's unpossible.")  

Continuing to count down my unpossible Orioles autographs, up this week is former Orioles catcher, Dick Brown. My autograph of his is obviously a cut signature, and it's affixed onto a 3x5 index card. He did appear on one card as an Oriole during his lifetime, a '63 Topps, so I'm hoping to one day upgrade the autograph in my collection to a signed copy of that card.

Dick was a big league catcher from 1957-65 and spent the last three years of his career with the Orioles. He made his O's debut on April 8, 1963, which was Opening Day that year, and was the 192nd player who donned the O's uniform in a game. During his time in Baltimore, he split the catching duties with John Orsino, and appeared in 59, 88, and 96 games during his stint with the O's. The discovery of a brain tumor cut his career short and forced him to retire at the age of 30 following the '65 season. He spent his remaining years as a scout with the Orioles but passed away due to that brain tumor in 1970; he was only 35.

His passing at a young age and over forty years ago seem to be the main factors behind the scarcity of his autograph. It's very rare to see one available for sale, and rarer yet to come across an autographed card. I have never seen a signed copy of his '63 Topps, but the fact that he lived for seven years after it was issued makes me think that some signed copies of it have to be out there somewhere.

Dick's younger brother, Larry Brown, played twelve seasons in the Majors from 1963-74, and appeared in 17 games for the '73 Orioles, making his Baltimore debut on April 15th and becoming the 286th player to appear in a game for the O's. Larry was kind enough to sign my TTM request, which you can see in the post (third card down) if you click his name.

RIP, Dick. You died way too young.

Oriole #732- Javy Lopez

Javy Lopez played with the Orioles from 2004-06, near the end of his fifteen season MLB career. He is best known for the twelve seasons he spent with the Braves from 1992-2003, during which time he was a key member of their perennially contending roster. During his time in Atlanta, he was a member of their 1995 World Series Championship team and was selected to three All-Star teams (1997-98, 2003). He was also behind the plate for Kent Mercker's no-hitter on April 8, 1994.

2003 was the best season of his career as he mashed 43 home runs, and had an OPS of 1.065 which is pretty insane for a catcher. His 43 homers are an MLB most all-time by a catcher during a single season. He was fifth in the N.L. MVP voting and earned himself a Silver Slugger award for his efforts.

Javy debuted for the Orioles on Opening Day 2004, April 4th, and his time in Baltimore started pretty well when he smashed 23 homers over that season. Now that was obviously well down from the 43 he hit the previous season but still solid for a catcher. Unfortunately, he declined in 2005 and even more so in 2006 and the O's flipped him to the Red Sox in August 2006 for Adam Stern and cash. It was a fairly precipitous fall for Javy.


Before I end the post, I want to comment on Javy's autograph. While I'm quite sure that my Orioles card up top is authentic even though I purchased it online, it is a pretty crappy signature. On top of the overall chicken-scratchedness of it, is the fact that his gigantic J is smudged. Overall, I like the card and I'm happy to have it signed but check out this example I have of his autograph near the start of his career. 

Can you say upgrade? Or downgrade if you're talking about my O's card.

Oriole #736- Keith Osik

The early 2000's were a time when I didn't spend much time thinking about the Orioles, so my countdown is rapidly approaching a number of players who I just don't remember playing in Baltimore. Keith is certainly one of the ones who I don't recall suiting up for the O's, which I guess is O.K. since he appeared in only 11 games for the team in early 2004, making his Oriole debut on April 7, 2004.

Osik spent much of his ten year MLB career with the Pirates, serving as Jason Kendall's backup, before bouncing from Milwaukee to Baltimore to Washington at the end of his playing years.

He currently is the head baseball coach at Farmingdale State College in Long Island, New York and also runs his own private baseball instruction facility, Keith Osik's Major League Instruction.

R.I.P. Danny Clyburn

Multiple news sites are reporting that former Orioles outfielder, Danny Clyburn, was shot and killed overnight in Lancaster, South Carolina. Apparently, Danny had been in an argument with another man when things escalated. The man who he was arguing with has been arrested and charged with his murder. Danny was only 37 years old, and his life was cut way too short.

I wrote a post about Danny back in January 2010, and don't have too much to add to that. Since that time I have discovered that he was the 612th player to appear in a game for the Orioles when he made his Orioles, and MLB, debut on September 17, 1997. And as far as I can tell, he is the first former Oriole to pass away in 2012.

Rest in Peace, Danny. It's always sad when a former player passes away, but is especially so in a violent situation like this one. I'm sorry that you have joined the sad fraternity of Oriole players who have been murdered, I believe joining only Howie Fox, who was stabbed to death in a bar he owned, way back in 1955.

Adios Jeremy

One of the first things that I read online this morning was about how Jeremy Guthrie had been traded to the Rockies for two pitchers, starter/swingman Jason Hammel and reliever Matt Lindstrom. At this point, I honestly don't know what to think about the deal. Guthrie's stats were frequently not pretty and he led the American League with 17 losses in 2011 and 2009, but he was a consistent bet to pitch around 200 innings, and has been the only reliable starter for the Orioles over the past three years. 

Being the O's #1 starter for the past few seasons, he was subjected to some tough match-ups against other team's stronger aces, and was often a victim of poor run support, at least in part to the O's hitters difficulties against some of baseball's best pitchers. As the seasons went along, and he wasn't always facing other top pitchers, I can't explain the continued lack of run support for Jeremy, but it was a consistent problem for him in Baltimore. I hope that he doesn't have similar problems in Colorado.

I'm not surprised that Guthrie was traded, as he was set to become a free agent after the 2012 season, and it  has been a frequent topic of discussion around Baltimore over the past season and a half, but I am surprised the trade went down when it did. I didn't expect any trades to happen this close to Spring Training, but all I can do is hope that Dan Duquette has a good plan of action in mind. While it would have been nice to receive some prospects in return for Guthrie, it sounds like that just wasn't an option. 

From an autograph standpoint, Guthrie at times was very personable and open, while other times he seemed to go out of his way to avoid signing for fans. He did sign for me a handful of times over his five years in Baltimore and I'm grateful for each of his signatures in my collection. Good luck in Colorado Jeremy!

Does Anyone Collect These Insert Sets?

So, here are a bunch of cards from some recent insert sets that I'm trying to unload; pretty much the same deal as last week, but with newer cards. I'm trying to clear out some room in my card area and I never bothered to work towards completing these insert sets, so they're just taking up some valuable space. I hope to soon update my base set need lists, as well as figure out which insert sets I want to collect, so I will gladly trade for anything I need there. I, of course, always appreciate Orioles cards too. And if you have a Bert Hamric autograph, you can have all of these!

Most of these stacks have multiple cards, so I have much more than what's just visible up top.

If you don't have anything I want/need, I'm happy to still send some cards your way, I just ask that you pick up the shipping, or if you want to request that I send something for future considerations, I'm cool with that too.

As you can probably tell, most of these are insert sets from 2008-09 Topps & Topps Heritage. Please let me know what your specific needs might be for these sets, I'm happy to look at small lists but prefer to not have to mess around with your master needs list. 

More of this type of post will be coming in future weeks, so I'm cool with adding cards to your pile if you've already made a request. 

I hope that I can help some of you out! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Orioles (Affiliate) Bobblehead of the Week- Matt Wieters Shorebirds

I think that it's safe to say that Matt Wieters is probably the best represented player in my bobblehead collection, with the only possible competition coming from Nick Markakis or Cal. Wieters has been my favorite player for pretty much the entire time I've written this blog, and is also one of the most popular guys among the Orioles' fan-base, so it makes since I would have multiple bobbles of his.

To date, I've displayed the following Wieters' bobbles:
Orioles SGA
Orioles Big Head Retail
Baysox figurine (I know it's not a bobble, but it's in the same category)

And up today is his Delmarva Shorebirds SGA bobblehead.
(OK, here's the deal, I know he is wearing a Keys uniform on the bobblehead and box, but the hi-A Frederick Keys and lo-A Delmarva Shorebirds both gave away this bobblehead during the 2009 season, the only difference between the two is that the Keys' version has the Comfort Inn logo on the base, while the Shorebirds version is logo-less. I do have both versions, but this is the only one that I have pictures of today.)

It's a pretty good looking bobblehead and box, with a relatively realistic catcher's pose. The face is fairly generic, but all-in-all I'm pretty happy with it.

My main gripe is that the back brim of Wieters' cap is about twice the size that it should be. But you can't tell that from the front, and I rarely turn my bobbles around, except when I take pictures of them to display them here. 

I have an extra copy of this bobblehead up for trade if anyone is interested. 

Unpossible Autograph Friday- "Toothpick" Sam Jones- Oriole #215

(Every Friday, I profile a former Oriole who has passed away. I've substituted the word unpossible for impossible as an homage to a line from "The Simpsons". Young Ralph Wiggum, who is a few pennies short of a dollar, says "Me fail English? That's unpossible.") 


In only one week's time, the featured 'unpossible" Orioles autograph jumps from Oriole #510, Francisco de la Rosa, to #215, "Toothpick or Sad" Sam Jones. The reason for this is not because Sam was the next most recently debuted Oriole to die (in fact 26 players who debuted between de la Rosa in 1991 and Jones in 1964 have passed away) but because I have already featured the autographs in my collection of those 26 others. So now it's time to talk about Sam. 


I want to first discuss his two nicknames. He earned the moniker "Toothpick" because he always like to chew on toothpicks as opposed to smoking/chewing tobacco. So as far as habits go, that doesn't seem too bad. He was named "Sad" Sam due to the dreary look that he typically had on his face. This nickname made differentiating his autograph from the original "Sad" Sam Jones ,who played professionally from 1914-35, something of a task, but I'm confident that the right signature is in my collection.  


"Toothpick" began his pitching career in the Negro Leagues in 1947-48 before jumping to the Major Leagues in 1951. He spent twelve total seasons in the Majors between '51-64 and, at times, was one of the most dominant and erratic pitchers throughout baseball. Between 1955-59 with the Cubs ('55-56), Cardinals ('57-58) and Giants ('59), he once led the National League in losses('55), wins, E.R.A, and shutouts ('59), struck out the most batters three seasons and allowed the most walks in four. During those years, he also tossed the first ever no-hitter by an African-American player in 1955, was a two-time All-Star ('55 & '59) and was the Cy Young runner-up to the White Sox' Early Wynn, also in '59. He would've won the N.L. Cy Young award, but that was back before there was a separate award for each league.


Sam's time with the Orioles came in 1964, at the tail-end of his MLB career: his Orioles debut came on September 4th, and he pitched in seven games over the final month of the season to the tune of a 2.61 ERA over 10.1 innings of work. 


He dealt with neck cancer and the ensuing treatment during the 1962 season, and a recurrence of the disease sadly ended his life in 1971, when he was only 45 years old. 




When I was trying to track down an autograph of Sam, I always figured that his autograph was so hard to find since he passed away way back in 1971, but it turns out that he was a heckuva pitcher too, which I'm sure contributes to the price and scarcity of his autographs on the market.


My autograph of Sam is an old cut signature that is glued to a 3x5 index card. No Orioles cards were produced of him during his lifetime so this bad boy is a permanent member of the collection.

In fact, the only Orioles card ever produced of him was this inclusion in the Crown set, that incidentally pictures him in a Giants cap. 

RIP Sam.