Baseball Cards & Baseball Autographs...

[Dalkowski110]

Aside from guns, those my big interests. I posted a little about that in Niner's thread about reminders of a Minor League Baseball Team. My favorite card (1910 T-211 John McGraw cigarette card...McGraw, a Hall of Fame manager, has been the favorite baseball personality of Dad's family for about four generations) and favorite autograph (1958 J.D. McCarthy Postcards Sandy Koufax, signed in person for Dad in late 1958) are viewable in that thread. My collection, card-wise, centers around three areas: pre-WWII sets, the Topps sets put out every year from 1951-current, and the Bowman sets that have all the good rookie cards from about 1996 to the present day. Autograph-wise, I collect a lot of the guys my father tells me about from the 1950's-1960's, whenever possible the guys my grandfather told him about from the 1920's-1940's, anyone who ever played for the New York Mets, recent (2005-present) prospects that I've been following since they were amateurs in some cases, but now on Minorleaguebaseball.com, and also Cuban ballplayers (I talk with a few guys that have come here via boat and never really stopped following the baseball there; they got me interested in Cuban baseball and the autographs are really a challenge. I use the best third party authenticator probably on the planet in PSA/DNA, but I can't get them directly from Cuba. For me to legally have them, they have to pass through a third country first. I have two guys who I usually get my Cuban autographs from. One is in the Dominican Republic, one is in Wales. I also got one rare team signed ball from a guy in Canada.).

I'll post some pictures of this stuff once I get it up on imagecave. Probably tomorrow or the day after.

[Niner]

Reminds me of when I was a kid in the 50's and early 60's. My brothers and I had a shoe box jamb full of baseball cards. They all got thrown out eventually by either my youngest brother or more likely my mother after the youngest left home.

Now days big time ball players sell their autographs for more money than any normal kid's yearly allowance. Of course kids can still get minor league autographs for free thankfully.

I got one autograph story. About twelve or fifteen years ago an old guy I knew wanted to get Hank Aaron's autograph for his grandson. He had one advantage. He knew Aaron's parents because they used to shop at his variety store on Davis Avenue in Mobile. So he called up Henry's dad and just asked him to get him an autographed baseball next time Hank came to visit. Told him it was for the grandson. Couple weeks later he got the ball. Free ball and free autograph from one of the living greats of the game.

[Dalkowski110]

There are some other guys that are great like that and will even respond to through the mail autographs requests. Aaron nowadays will send out a secretarial autograph. But some guys who were truly great that always respond are Duke Snider, Bob Feller, Goose Gossage, George Kell, and Ralph Kiner (send ANY of these guys a $5 bill and they'll send you back a letter [in the case of Snider, Feller, and Kell] and an autograph...I know they get heat for charging from some people, but look at what most of the modern players do and five bucks isn't too much). Earl Weaver takes a long time, but will respond (charges $5 for cards, but $10 for everything else). Bobby Doerr, the Hall of Fame second baseman, will sign ANYTHING for free and is probably the best through the mail guy you can get. Ditto to Sparky Anderson. Jim Kaat also signs for free. Carl Erskine does, too. Bobby Bonilla, who was seen as kinda surly during his career, has mellowed and will sign any card for free. Bill Lee will not only sign literally anything (if you send him a JERSEY through the mail, he'll sign it), but write crazy stuff ("Earth, 2008" and "Yankees Suck!" [if you specify you're a Red Sox fan] are my two favorites). Turk Wendell, who recently retired, will sign. In fact, he'll generally give you two autographs...he'll sign the front AND back of the card. I just a few days ago got back from 1960's-1970's Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren. Tons of retired guys sign through the mail. Paul Blair is great both through the mail and in person (when my father had realized he'd left his Orioles program in the car at a card show where he was signing, right near the end, Paul didn't want him losing his place in line, so he signed a dollar bill and jokingly said "There! Now my autograph won't ever lose value!"). Willie Randolph only signs in person, but signs free and generally is a good conversationalist (contrast this with 1950's Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe, a free in-person signer who barely acknowledges you). Ditto to Jim Bunning (though he actually signs through the mail replete with personalization if you postmark it from an address in KY). My namesake, Steve Dalkowski, signs through the mail and is great in-person, too.

Currently, there are a few good signers, though. Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek has not forgotten his own roots as a through the mail autograph collector and signs anything you send him courtesy of the Twins free (and will often include notes). Brian Schneider, Curtis Granderson, Jose Contreras (if you send in Spanish, I believe he also writes notes...one of the guys I talk to who saw him pitch in Cuba [his second game ever] got a two-page letter), Chad Bradford (who will also throw in Bible verses if you send him an 8x10; he sometimes signs them on cards, but the signing area is usually too small), Chien-Ming Wang, and Mike Mussina all sign for free. Some guys are hit or miss (such as Johan Santana, Billy Wagner, and Mariano Rivera), but those guys will guarantee you a return. Most Minor Leaguers sign through the mail. General Managers; some are good signers. Billy Beane will sign not only cards, but copies of the book "Moneyball." Pat Gillick, the Phillies GM, will sign and personalize (I think...I got him back as part of a hopefully-published article I'm doing on my namesake, Steve Dalkowski. Mr. Gillick signed the custom index card I'd included, personalized it, threw in a piece of his stationery, and called me on the phone!).

And these are verifiable, real autographs. Some guys have a ghost signer (like Aaron does now) or autopen the cards (David Wright), or worse, just stamp them (Reggie Jackson). Still others, like Willie Mays, Lou Brock, and Yogi Berra, have tried pricing themselves out of everyone's price range. Mays charges like $100 (but I got him back when he was $25). Brock is $75. Berra is $50. And remember, those other guys I mentioned up top were five dollars (which is about what you'd pay for a medium quality baseball card of them). Nolan Ryan kinda symbolizes what I'd refer to as "borderline" where I wouldn't advise someone to send to one way or the other. He takes forever, he charges extra for personalizing, and his starting price is $35. But he will sign, he will return the card you sent him, he gives all the money away to charity, and unlike Mays (especially), he takes care to sign a clean, recognizable signature. I will also buy (usually via eBay or arranged transaction, respectively) certified autographs or ones that my friends in the card world got themselves.

Anyway, my Dad has a handful of baseball cards from his childhood, but for the most part, we've had to rebuild his collection. Unlike most kids, Dad saved his cards. But a basement flood in his mother's apartment destroyed them circa 1967. A 1952 Bowman Roy McMillan rookie card he'd been using as a bookmark is the only survivor of that flood, save his Koufax signed postcard. I'm going to scan a bunch of pictures now, heh...

[Niner]

You are a serious collector! I've only noticed the online sellers of autographs and wasn't aware of how it worked for serious collectors in the know.

Great post.

[Dalkowski110]

Although I'm nowhere near done scanning, I should at least starting to get some things up...

I'll start off with my rarest autograph, a signed sports magazine poster of a pitcher I'm sure most of you have never heard of named Russ Christopher...

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The brother of middling outfielder Loyd Christopher (yes, that's how he spelled it), Russ was a pitcher, and a dominant one at that. Unlike a lot of pitchers of the 1940's, Russ threw submarine, too. That is, he threw sidearm and bent over to make it look like the ball was pretty much coming out of the ground. For a good idea of what this looks like, google "Chad Bradford," a modern pitcher who does something almost identical.

Russ was a starting pitcher during the war years, having been diagnosed with a heart condition. To this day, no one knows exactly what kind of heart condition Russ had. But he pitched very well for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1942-1947. In 1948, he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians and became that team's closer (and a closer in 1948 would pitch in all sorts of relief situations in addition to his primary role). As some of you may know, the 1948 Indians won the World Series. But Russ did not feel well when he pitched.

Russ told manager Lou Boudreau that he didn't feel "right" with regards to his heart, but would pitch anyway. Boudreau was worried, though. In Game 1 against the Boston Braves, he had the legendary Satchel Paige warming up alongside Russ, just in case. Russ struggled, giving up two hits and an earned run before handing the ball to Satchel Paige. "Ol' Satch" pitched two thirds of an inning keeping the Boston Braves off the board so that Cleveland could win, but it would be the last game Russ would ever pitch. Here's a youtube video of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKNV-Gxe ... re=related

In 1949, he reported to Spring Training and had a stroke (I believe...he collapsed). He was done with his professional career. His heart problems worsening, Russ died on December 5, 1954 of symptoms similar to rheumatic heart disease. To this day, no one is exactly sure of the illness that killed him.

[Dalkowski110]

Here's a random selection of some autographs.

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1965 Topps Tony Taylor and Ted Abernathy, both signed. Abernathy was actually quite similar as a pitcher to Russ Christopher...he threw submarine and was a relief pitcher most of the time. Tony Taylor is one of the better Cuban ballplayers to come along during the late 1950's era. He had a long career after coming out of the Cincinnati Reds system (their AAA team from 1952-1960 was in Havana).

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-1998 Team Best A.J. Burnett Minor League autographed card. A.J. is a pretty good pitcher whose career has suffered due to injuries.

-2004 Upper Deck Team USA 25th Anniversary Autographs Danny Graves autograph. Danny was and is the only player born in South Vietnam (USGI father, Vietnamese mother).

-1985 Donruss Barbaro Garbey signed. Barbaro played with Industriales de la Habana (the best team in Cuban baseball post-1961) in the 1970's and 1980's, but then threw a game for extra money after he could no longer stand living in poverty. He was the only baseball player sent here in the Mariel Boatlifts, but unlike a lot of the psychos and criminals that Castro found an excuse to send here, Barbaro made good and played for the Detroit Tigers. He's currently a hitting coach for high school players in MI.

-1993 Score George Brett signed. I don't think that needs much explanation.

-2008 Bowman Chrome Adrian Alaniz first year card autograph (he's a good prospect)

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-1963 Topps Rookie Stars Steve Dalkowski/Fred Newman/Carl Bouldin/Jack Smith. Yep, my namesake had a rookie card.

-1952 Topps Conrado "Connie" Marrero, autographed. Connie Marrero is the oldest living player born outside the United States. Although he pitched in the 1940's and 1950's, Connie had pitched for over 15 years in Cuban Amateur Baseball.

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These are all signed reprints (that is, the cards are reprints but the autographs are original) of 1952 Bowman cards.

-Johnny Groth (looked like a star at first, but then just kinda flamed out)

-Jerry Coleman (Better known as either a broadcaster or as a USMC pilot, flying Douglas SBD Dauntlesses in WWII and F4U Corsairs during the Korean War, flying 57 missions in total.)

-Harry "The Cat" Brecheen was a good pitcher and an even better pitching coach. He coached the famed Baltimore Orioles staffs of the 1960's, helping guys like Jim Palmer and Dave McNally in their development.

-Hank Bauer was a slugging outfielder, a fine manager, and a US Marine wounded at Okinawa (and also served 32 months in combat before that, receiving two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts; his older brother, Minor League catcher Herman Bauer, was KIA). Many forget that Hank was the player the Yankees traded to the Kansas City Athletics to get Roger Maris.

-Gus "Ozark Ike" Zernial was a fine catcher for the White Sox, Athletics, and Tigers for a decade. Although not known for his hitting for average, he sure could hit for power (he hit 42 homeruns in 1953). Also a good defensive catcher, his career was essentially derailed in late 1954 after he broke his collarbone for a second time.

-Gene Woodling was a good hitter with the 1950's Yankees. Because he batted left-handed, manager Casey Stengel often platooned him with right-handed hitting Hank Bauer. Both men's careers probably suffered as a result and Casey was fairly called on that, looking back on it. After the Yankees dealt him to Cleveland and he played full seasons, he started playing a lot better. He briefly played for the 1962 Mets, too, and was a pretty good scout in the Yankees organization after that.

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More of the same 1952 Bowman reprints, but real autographs.

-Dr. Bobby Brown, a utility infielder with the 1950's New York Yankees, was nicknamed "The Thinker." After his baseball career was done, he was a surgeon. And after that, he became President of the American League, 1984-1994.

-Wes Westrum was the catcher of the New York Giants during the 1950's. He shared the duty with Ray Katt, Sal Yvars, and Rafael Noble, but Wes was the guy who caught most of the games. He was probably the best defensive catcher and game-caller of the decade, and he was also a unique hitter. Though he had a ton of power, he swung at everything. My father distinctly remembers watching Wes on TV and listening to him on the radio. Usually, he'd either strike out or hit the ball half a mile. After his career as a catcher was over, Wes managed the New York Mets, succeeding original manager Casey Stengel.

-Willard Marshall almost certainly had some kind of injury that limited his power. A slugger, he hit 36 homeruns in 1947 (including 3 consecuive shots in one game!), but dropped off afterwards. And he could hit a curveball, too. No one is quite sure why he declined. It's possible he had a hand or wrist injury.

-Vern Law was one of the better pitchers of the 1950's and won the 1960 Cy Young Award for the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates (though that's often overlooked because of Bill Mazeroski's homerun). He had a good fastball, curve, and changeup and was a smart pitcher. He'd have been much better had he pitched with a better team early in his career (he injured his arm in 1961).

-Tommy Byrne. A southpaw, Tommy threw about 100 mph with zero control. Several batters who had faced Bob Feller (clocked at about 105 mph when converted to a modern radar gun) during the same era said Tommy was faster. In 1949 with the New York Yankees, Tommy went 15-7 in 196 innings, gave up only 125 hits, struck out 129...and walked an unbelievable 179 batters! He regardless managed to pitch 13 seasons in the Major Leagues and managed the 1962 Raleigh Mets, an early Mets farm team. He was the mayor of Wake Forest, NC (he was Wake Forest University's ace prior to joining the military during WWII) from 1973-1987.

-Saul Rogovin. Saul had a great fastball and a meteoric career, hurting his arm in 1953. Although he had better control than Tommy Byrne, he was similar in the sense that some batter claimed he was the fastest they ever saw as opposed to Feller.

-Sandalio "Sandy" Consuegra. Sandy was a very good Cuban League pitcher (and a decent hitter). Sandy at first chose the unlikely career path of going to the Mexican League in the summer (the Cuban Leagues were winter ball then, just like now). He pitched with Puebla from 1945-1949. Then the Washington Senators found him, noting he threw the best slider they'd ever seen. Unfortunately, he couldn't throw much else. He had a straight fastball and an okay palmball, but he really relied on that slider. As such, he was used mostly as a relief pitcher from 1950-1953. In the middle of the 1953 season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for cash. Bad idea. Sandy immediatedly posted a 16-3 record in his only season as a starter. He was an All-Star that year, too. The White Sox made him a reliever again in 1955, and he did well there until he had an arm injury in late 1956. He tried coming back in 1957, but by then was pretty much washed up. During his All-Star season in 1954, he was oddly tried out at third base, too. He only played it once during the regular season, but played it in a few exhibition games and during Spring Training.

-Max Lanier. Max Lanier, the father of Hal Lanier, for some reason kept on pitching through the war years until 1945 (which he missed most of). But from mid 1946-1949, he was suspended from pitching in Major League Baseball after he jumped to the Mexican League, where he was offered more money. He along with star pitcher Sal Maglie were reinstated in 1949 after a little-known player named Danny Gardella sued Major League Baseball and got back in. But by then, Max's fastball had lost a lot of its pop, and he started throwing a so-so sinker. Dealt to the New York Giants in 1952, he was the swingman there who pitched both low leverage starts and high leverage relief situations. But in 1953, he injured his arm and was done. My Dad remembers him a little, but not a lot. His father (my grandfather) often wondered what would have been had Lanier and Maglie NOT jumped to the Mexican League.

-Marty "Slats" Marion. A fair hitter, Marty was also a spectacular defensive infielder at shortstop. Even though he wasn't much of a hitter, Marty has sometimes been included in Hall of Fame discussions because he was THAT good a fielder. I think he falls just short, but not that short.

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-Steve Gromek, ace relief pitcher of both the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers throughout the 1950's. Although he was converted back into a starter late in his career, his fame came as the 1950's Indians' best reliever.

-Sebastian Daniel "Sibby" Sisti was one of the best utility players in Braves history. A fair hitter (struggled against right-handed pitching, but did well against the left-handers), Sibby could also play any position except pitcher and catcher. And he could play them well, too. He played 1939-1954, missing 1943-1945 due to military service (and also all but one game in 1946...he joined the US Coast Guard in late 1942 and initially wanted to stay in and become a career man). If you ever saw the movie "The Natural," watch for Pittsburgh's manager. That's Sibby.

-Murry Dickson (yes, he spelled it "Murry") was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and finished WWII at the rank of Sergeant. He'd come ashore at Omaha Beach ion the second wave and somehow survived. However, as a baseball player, he had anything but good luck. Pitching with the pathetic St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, Murry's best ever season was 1952 with the awful Pirates...when he went 14-21, despite posting otherwise fine numbers. Lifetime, he went 172-181. According to Bill James' statistical neutralization, he should have won over 200 games pitching with a halfway decent team. A smart pitcher, Murry threw at least TWENTY-ONE different pitches...a fastball, a curve, a sinker, a slider, a knuckleball, a screwball, and a forkball. He threw each and every pitch straight overarm, sidearm, and submarine. He also continually varied his pitching windup and Stan Musial called him "The Thomas Edison of Pitching" for his continual experimentations with new pitches.

-Lou Brissie was a symbol of courage. An NCO in Italy, he was hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell and almost had his legs torn off. But Lou refused to give up on pitching. With metal screws keeping his legs straight and in place, the tall left-hander won 44 games in the Major Leagues. Though he never had arm problems, his career was curtailed due to the wounds he'd suffered to his legs. At first, he cut back to becoming a relief pitcher. But in 1953, he was informed that he could either pitch until his legs gave out from under him or stop pitching. He stopped pitching. During his prime, Lou had an excellent fastball, a solid curve, and a knuckleball he used as a change of pace for his fastball. He pitched three innings in the 1949 All-Star Game. After he stopped pitching, he became the National Director of American Legion Baseball.

-Larry Jansen, nicknamed "The Dutch Master," was my Dad's favorite pitcher when he was a kid. A two-time 20-game winner with the New York Giants, he also had a significant career in the Pacific Coast League, which was very nearly a Major League. He had a very good slider for the time.

-Joe Adcock. Joe was one of the best Braves first baseman of all time. Had he not been stupidly platooned with weak-hitting George Crowe and Frank Torre (Joe Torre's older brother) by manager Fred Haney, he'd likely have had a shot at the Hall of Fame.

-Jack "Lucky" Lohrke was a utility infielder with the New York Giants with an unremarkable career but a fascinating life story. He saw combat throughout the entire Battle of the Bulge, and was twice involved in situations where the guy on either side of him was killed. En route from Camp Kilmer, NJ to CA (where he was to be honorably discharged), he was bumped from a flight on a C-47 for a US Army Colonel. The plane went down, killing everybody aboard. After Lohrke caught the correct flight, he left in Kansas City. He watched as the plane caught fire and burned up within thirty seconds of taking off. In 1946, playing for Spokane, he was told that he'd been called up to AAA San Francisco. Instead of taking the bus back, he hitchhiked. That proved to be a good decision...the bus went off a mountainside, killing nine players as it tumbled 350 feet. One of the handful of survivors was Elmer Schoendienst, the older brother of Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst. But Elmer's career was done after that. Jack Lohrke has no explanation for his good luck, but is reportedly so sick of being asked about it that he's agreed to talk about anything but.

-Earl Torgeson was one of the finest defensive first basemen of the 1950's, and probably of all time. He also briefly played professional basketball. He was also such a gritty ballplayer that his contemporaries remember him as being a guy who you'd simply like to avoid. He'd trip runners, be the first guy into the fight from the bench in a brawl, taunt umpires, and was in general not a guy you'd want to have on your bad side. His horrid attitude may have come from being taunted for wearing thick glasses as a youth, according to former teammates.

-Del Ennis was a slugging outfielder that played mainly for the Philadelphia Phillies. Teaming with Richie Ashburn, Granny Hamner, and Eddie Waitkus, he was a part of that famed 1950 Phillies team. He had very good plate discipline for a slugger, averaging only 61 strikeouts per 618 at-bats, yet also averaging 25 homeruns during the same timespan.

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-2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series Bobby Cox autograph. Cox is probably the best manager of the past 20 years and a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

-Ferris Fain was a good-hitting first baseman with remarkable plate discipline and tremendous fielding ability. He averaged under 30 strikeouts per 600 at-bats, yet in that same timespan, walked over 125 times. His on-base percentage over his career was a superb .424. Unfortunately, Fain was both a clubhouse poison and suffered unfairly from the bias at the time against first basemen who couldn't hit for power. Though he was a remarkable prospect, hee never quite panned out due to those reasons.

-Connie Ryan was a slick-fielding infielder for the Boston Braves, usually at second base. In 1952, Connie played with the Philadelphia Phillies as one of many guys they tried there throughout 1948-1960. Mostly a backup, he did have a good amount of power that showed when he was played every day during the latter stages of his career. Connie was also one of the few ballplayers in the 1950's to attend all four years of college. He did that after becoming the first man to receive a full baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University. I'm pretty sure he never played in the Minors, as a result (well, he did, but later in his career...he just went straight from college to the Majors).

-Clyde King was a bespectaled reliever with the Brooklyn Dodgers and several other teams during the 1950's. However, most of his fame came during the 1960's-1980's as first a pitching coach and then a General Manager. Although a fine coach, he made a so-so GM for the 1980's Yankees.

-Cal Abrams, an artilleryman in both the European and Pacific during WWII, was also a fine ballplayer. He got a late start, not starting pro ball until after he'd been honorably discharged. However, he did a fine job in limited action. In only two full seasons, he hit .286 and then .280, with on-base percentages of .368 and .391. He also had pretty good power. when he was in Brooklyn, he was the go-to pinch-hitter and beloved by the Brooklyn fans. As a result, when he passed away in 1997, his dying wish was honored...his dying wish was that he be buried in his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform.

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Perhaps no one represented the 1962 Mets in microcosm more than "Hot Rod" Kanehl. He hustled, he could play every position but pitcher and catcher, he gave 110%...and he still was awful. Although he had good speed, he could neither hit nor field. Adding to this was Kanehl's fascination with the New York City Subway System. Nicknamed "The Mole," he would often ride for hours on end while marvelling at the underground feat. Kanehl racked up so many hours that the City merely gave him a lifetime pass.

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Elden Auker was the best submarine pitcher of the 1930's. Pitching with the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns from 1933-1942, he went 130-101 over his career. He pitched in three World Series games with Detroit (2 in 1934 and 1 in 1935), winning one of them. Because of a facial resemblance to legendary New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson, his nickname was "Big Six," which had been one of Mathewson's many nicknames.

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-Johnny Antonelli, a pretty good pitcher for the New York Giants, and Robin Roberts, a Hall of Fame pitcher who made his name with the Philadelphia Phillies. Antonelli has the bizarre distinction of being the first New York Mets player to retire...just six days after the franchise came into existence. But this photo is from the mid 1950's.

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More 1952 Bowman reprints that were signed.

-Alex Kellner, a good sinkerball pitcher with the Philadelphia Athletics and probably the last ace of that team.

-Andy Pafko, a fine Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs outfielder from the 1950's. Pafko to the Cubs from the Dodgers was a coup. The Dodgers scored not only Pafko, but also Johnny Schmitz, Wayne Terwilliger, and Rube Walker. They returned Gene Hermanski (the only decent player they gave up), Joe Hatten, Eddie Miksis, and Bruce Edwards. Pafko was doing really well for the Dodgers when they inexplicably traded him to the Braves for a failed prospect named Roy Hartsfield. It was perhaps the worst trade in Brooklyn Dodgers history. Hartsfield never played one game for Brooklyn. And Pafko? He was the best guy off the Braves bench until about 1959.

-Bob Friend was one of a number of hardluck pitchers that played for the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates of the 1950's. Nicknamed "The Warrior" for reasons lost to history, Friend finished his career 197-230, despite a pretty good 3.58 ERA. Sure enough, when using Bill James' stat neutralization system, he goes 219-186. Had he had a winning record, Friend probably would have made the Hall of Fame. Although a franchise pitcher for the Pirates, he also briefly pitched for first the Yankees and then the miserable mid 1960's New York Mets.

-Dee Fondy was a slugging first baseman with a meteroic career during the 1950's. Playing only eight seasons (six and a half of them with the Chicago Cubs), Fondy was not only a good fielder but a great fielder. However, he couldn't hit for average despite good power. This is probably why he ultimately ended his career so early.

-Enos "Country" Slaughter was the very definition of hustle back in the 1940's. A Hall of Famer, Slaughter was a true five-tool player. Even after his best years were behind him, he became a terrific pinch hitter for the New York Yankees in the mid-late 1950's. He is best remembered for his mad dash during Game 7 of the 1946 World Series. Standing on first base with Harry "The Hat" Walker up and two outs and the game tied, Red Sox reliever Bob Klinger allowed a soft liner to left center. Neither Leon Culberson nor Ted Williams could get it, and Walker pulled up into second with a double. But that wasn't good enough for Slaughter. He passed through a stop sign at third, speeding home as Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky didn't get the ball home in time. The Red Sox threatened with two men on and no outs in the 9th, but couldn't get it done. Slaughter had made the difference and pretty much won that game and thus the 1946 World Series.

-Ray Boone was the first generation of Boones that played in the Majors. His son, Bob Boone, also played in the Majors. And his grandsons, Bret and Aaron Boone, are both technically still active. Ray was a disciplined hitter with very good power and a good glove at third base (he came up as a shortstop, but wasn't that good at short).

-Roy McMillan was a terrific fielder for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Braves in the 1950's-1960's. A shortstop, he had the misfortune of finishing up his career with the 1964-1966 New york Mets, although he did seem to give that infield respectability, according to Dad. However, during the height of his career, McMillan was awarded three Gold Gloves (1957, 1958, 1959) in an era where there were a LOT of good fielders at short.

-Ted Gray was a promising left-hander for the Detroit Tigers that my Mom recalls a little. Gray had a terrific fastball, but he couldn't really control it. As such, he often got frustrated after walking a guy (or three...) and then just threw it right down the middle. If the hitter could catch up to the 95+ mph heater that Gray had just unleashed, then that is what hurt him. After something in his elbow popped in 1954, he was done.

-2007 Bowman Chrome Prospects Grant Psomas. Grant is a promising infielder in the Florida Marlins organization.

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-2007 Upper Deck Artifacts Autofacts Mike Jacobs autograph. He's a solid first baseman for the Florida Marlins that came up with the Mets as a catcher.

-More 1952 Bowman signed reprints. The first is Bill Werle. Werle pitched in Cuban Winter Ball for the Almendares Alacranes (Scorpions) in the 1940's-1950's and was a mainstay in their pitching rotation. He learned how to change arm angles from manager Fermin "Mike" Guerra and used that approach in the Major Leagues with a good deal of success. Unfortunately, he hurt his arm in 1951 and never had the same kind of success.

-Elmer Valo was arguably the best pinch-hitter of the 1950's (him or Dave Philley...Smoky Burgess was still a regular catcher and was a PH during the 1960's). Playing for several teams, Elmer was a line-drive hitter with superb plate discipline. He was also the only player ever to be born in Ribnik, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

-Everett "Skeeter" Kell was the younger brother of Hall of Fame third baseman and broadcaster George Kell. Skeeter is actually a much harder autograph to get, though he only played in the Majors briefly.

-Johnny Schmitz was a very good sinkerballer with several teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, throughout the 1950's. Unfortunately, most weren't very good teams. an arm injury suffered in 1951 didn't help him, either. His nickname, "Bear Tracks" either derived from his shuffling around or from his huge shoe size. In his Major League debut, with two outs and called upon to retire only one batter, he threw only one pitch to get him. He was then pulled. Although now it's not incredibly rare to have a 1-pitch game, it was back then. And debuting with one was unheard-of.

-Lou Kretlow threw about 100 mph, though couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Bob Feller once said that if anyone ever approached him in speed, it was not Nolan Ryan, but rather Lou Kretlow (of course, Ryan disproved that with a radar gun reading, but it still speaks as to just how fast Kretlow was). A college man who attended all four years at the University of Oklahoma, he became a pro golfer after his baseball career was done.

-Mel Parnell was a very good left-hander for the Boston Red Sox from 1947-1956. A two-time 20-game winner (including 25 games one year), Parnell hurt his arm in 1954. He threw pretty hard and everyone remembered him as having a "maximum effort" delivery, so that one was probably coming a mile away, sadly. After his career was over, he became a broadcaster.

-Solly Hemus was a very good all-around player during the 1950's with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a shortstop and for the time, had a lot of power for a shortstop. In fact, he was a pretty good hitter in general for a SS. Not that he couldn't play good defense, either...quite the contrary, he was pretty good. Solly Hemus, after you look at his record and ask the guys who saw him play, ranks as one of the most underrated ballplayers of all time. Solly was also a solid manager for three seasons.

-Walker Cooper was a terrific catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, and a few other teams during the 1940's-1950's. His brother Mort was a pitcher and Mort and Walker were the only brother battery to appear in an All-Star Game. He also appeared in three World Series and hit well in all of them, batting an even .300 in WS play. Walker Cooper was also pretty fast for a catcher and apparently had healthy knees...he caught until he was 42 years old! He had good power and average, but after 1950, he was usually stuck on teams that already had defensive specialist catchers or merely ones better than he was at the time.

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-Sandy Amoros at an Old Timer's Game in Miami in 1985. Very shortly after that, he had to have a leg amuptated due to worsening diabetes. He's wearing a Habana Leones (Lions) uniform, and they were one of the two really competitive teams in Cuban Winter Ball during the 1940's-1950's. Their sponsor was Coca-Cola and they sometimes played with that on their uniforms. Sandy Amoros was a really good defensive outfielder in the Major Leagues, too. He made the famous catch in the 1955 World Series, robbing Yogi Berra of a homerun by reaching over the fence and catching the ball. Sandy also had good power and speed, but I think he crashed into a wall in 1957 and that really ended what was a very promising career in terms of his offense.

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-2000 Upper Deck Legendary Signatures Phil Niekro autographed card.

-1999 Fleer/Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game Autograph Collection Joe Niekro autographed card.

-2000 SP Authentic Chirography Jose Lima autographed card (not relevant to what I'm showing you, but I left it in there)

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-1965 Topps Dave DeBusschere autograph (yes, THAT Dave DeBusschere...he went 31-9 as a professional pitcher in the White Sox organization before hurting his arm and switching to basketball, where he became a Hall of Famer in that sport)

-2005 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Lance Niekro autograph (Lance is Joe's son. One of the more enjoyable parts of autograph collecting to me is to try and build families. As you can see, I have Phil, Joe, and Lance Niekro for two guys who were great and one who wasn't but still played ball and now wants to switch from first base to the pitcher's mound in his father's footsteps)

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-2008 Bowman Signs of the Future Gerardo Parra first year card autograph. Niner, this was the guy playing in Mobile I told you to keep an eye on. He can hit for average, power, can hit, run, and throw...he's gonna be something.

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-2001 Bowman Ricardo Aramboles autographed (This guy was an interesting story. He tried out for the Florida Marlins at age 14 and was signed...but the contract was voided. The very next year, undeterred, he signed with the Mets. Again, the contract was voided. Finally, at age 16, he signed with the New York Yankees. He sped through the system until he hit AA ball...and blew out his arm. I believe his professional career was done at the age of 22, despite technically having signed a contract eight years earlier.)

-2007 Bowman Heritage Daniel Murphy autographed. I got this one from a friend, and man, was I lucky to get it before he made the Majors and immediately hit the ground running!

-1992 Conlon Collection Joe Hauser autographed. Joe Hauser was a very good first baseman in the Majors during the 1920's with the Philadelphia Athletics, but had the bad luck of Jimmie Foxx nipping at his heels and breaking his leg at the same time. When Foxx got the 1B job, he knew he had to seek new employement. So, in 1930, he played for the one of the best clubs in the Minor Leagues...the Baltimore Orioles, a AA (equivalent to AAA) club at the time. There, he proceeded to pound 63 homeruns. Although he came back up with the Indians and hit well, he was inexplicably sent down again. And again, he was knocking homeruns left and right. This time, with the Minneapolis Millers, he hit 69. Until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, who did it with the aid of steroids, Hauser was the only professional baseball player to have 60 or more homeruns in multiple seasons. Why did he never come back? Probably because the Minor League teams that had him were paying him even more than the Major League clubs would. With this being the height of the Depression, Hauser kept the turnstiles moving. One wonders what would have happened had he been born ten years later or ten years earlier.

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-Signed 8x10 of Rene Arocha. Rene was the first Cuban defector to play in the Majors that escaped from the Castro regime. In Cuba, he pitched for Ciudad Habana Industriales, which was the best team there and before that for Ciudad Habana Metropolitanos, which is Havana City's second team. He pitched well here, too, though had an arm injury.

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A 2006 World Baseball Classic program signed by third baseman Michel Enriquez (at the top) and catcher Ariel Pestano (bottom). Both are members of the Cuban National Team, but both also play in the Serie Nacional, Cuba's equivalent to the Major Leagues.

Enriquez, an incredibly patient batter (he sometimes posts on-base percentages of over .500!), is incredibly feared as a hitter for a guy with very little power. He just hits singles and doubles, but plenty of them. In the Serie Nacional, he plays for the Isla de Juventud Grapefruit Croppers and is the undisputed star of the team.

Pestano isn't much of a hitter, especially in the offensively-strong Serie Nacional, BUT he is a fine defensive catcher. He catches for the Villa Clara Oranges, an offensive juggernaut type team that frankly can afford to have a guy like Pestano hitting in the .260's with no power. He generally bats 8th or 9th (Cuba uses a DH).

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Signed 8x10 of Pedro Luis Lazo. Pedro Luis Lazo is the best pitcher in Cuban history since 1961, when the league was overhauled. He's won 235 games pitching in short-season ball and throws a 96-97 mph fastball, a sharp slider that he turns his wrist COUNTERCLOCKWISE on to make it break, and a solid circle changeup. Lazo pitches for the Cuban National Team as a reliever simply because he has nearly unlimited endurance. In the Serie Nacional, he pitches for the Pinar del Rio Green Sox. His odd slider breaks more like a screwball than anything else. Jayson Nix of the US Olympic team found this out the hard way after he tried bunting that pitch; it ricocheted off his face.

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Signed 8x10 of Yulieski Gourriel. The son of Cuban great Lourdes Gourriel, Yulieski is even better. He's a five-tool shortstop/third baseman whose only significant flaw is his scattergun of an arm...he can't consistently hit the first baseman. If you watched the 2006 World Baseball Classic, you saw this was pretty evident. But he can hit, both for power and average. In the Nacional Serie, he plays for the Sancti Spiritus Roosters. The team is an offensive powerhouse, but leaves something to be desired with regards to pitching (they have exactly two good pitchers...)

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Signed 8x10 of Adiel Palma. Palma is one of the oldest members of the Cuban National Team. I think he came up in the late 1980's (1988 or 1989). His listed birth date is August 20, 1970, but he's probably five or six years older. His team in the Serie Nacional is the Cienfuegos Shrimpers. He winds up like a pitcher from the 1950's. And then there's this blurb from baseball-reference.com/bullpen...

"Through 2006-2007, Palma was 136-157 in 20 seasons of play in Cuba for a weak Cienfuegos club, striking out 1,743 in 2,316 1/3 innings, allowing 2,424 hits and 973 walks and throwing 172 wild pitches. He had also saved 13 contests. He was 14-0 for the Cuban national team through 2007."

Further, like many old Cuban pitchers, Palma almost certainly doctors the baseball. For some reason, as far back as the 1920's, ball-doctoring was never enforced in Cuba. Palma is also typical of most Cuban pitchers in that he commonly changes arm angles.

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Yasser Gomez signed 8x10. Yasser is the power-hitting centerfielder of the Industriales and typically bats fourth. He also hits for average, has good plate discipline, and is in general a five-tool player.

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Yadel Marti signed 8x10. A groundball pitcher, Marti throws a fastball, two different curveballs, a changeup, a sinker, and a doctored pitch. He twists around a lot like Luis Tiant, but comes straight over the top as his primary arm angle, not low three quarter.

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Victor Mesa managed the Cuban National Team for a while. Before that, he played center field for the National Team and the Villa Clara Oranges. Nicknamed "El Loco" for his general zanyness on and off the field, he has been the center of controversy for Castro's regime for a while. He's an outspoken opponent of communism and tests the limits regularly. But because he was probably the greatest all-around player of his time and is a favorite with the Villa Clara fans, the communists can't touch him. Also, at the end of his career, when Fidel Castro (who was a huge fan of Victor Mesa the baseball player) granted him three wishes (literally...), one was the sanctions on freedom of speech not applying to him (the other two, in keeping with his personality, were 20 pretty girls to act as his servants and a Japanese car [instead of a Russian one or an American one jury-rigged from the 1950's]).

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2006 Clasico Mundial Stickercards, Printed in Venezuela. These are the only cards ever printed for the Cuban Serie Nacional (the Serie Selectiva, or Summer Selective League, had a set printed in 1994).

-Alien Mora (Pitcher, Ciego de Avila Tigers)

-Yadier Pedroso (Pitcher, Habana Province Cowboys)

-Yunieski Maya (Pitcher, Pinar del Rio Green Sox)

-Vicyohandry "Villo" Odelin (Pitcher, Camaguey Ceramists)

-Vladimir Banos (Pitcher, Pinar del Rio Green Sox)

-Rudy Reyes (Outfielder, Ciudad Habana Industriales)

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-Alexei Ramirez (Second Base/Center Field, Pinar del Rio Green Sox. Has since defected and is playing second base with the Chicago White Sox)

-Eriel Sanchez (Catcher, Sancti Spiritus Roosters)

-Joan Carlos Pedroso (First Base, Las Tunas Wizards)

-Juan Carlos Linares (Outfield, Habana Province Cowboys)

-Leslie Anderson (Outfield, Camaguey Ceramists)

-Loidel Chapelli (First Base/Outfield, Camaguey Ceramists)

-Serguei Perez (Outfield, Ciudad Habana Metropolitanos)

-Yoandry Urgelles (Outfield, Ciudad Habana Industriales)

-Yoandy Garlobo (Outfield, Matanzas Crocodiles)

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-2001 Topps Archives Refractor Autographs Orestes "Minnie" Minoso autograph.

-1994 Garcia Photo, Ltd. Serie Selectiva Carlos Tabares signed card.

-1994 Garcia Photo, Ltd. Serie Selective Javier Mendez signed card.

Both Tabares and Mendez played for Industriales, which, as I've said, is the best team in Cuba. Tabares stuck around forever and played something like fifteen or sixteen seasons. Five tool guy, but with relatively little plate discipline. Javier Mendez was a pure power hitter. He had a great plate approach, but not that good a fielder. DH/LF type.

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Alexei Ramirez signed baseball. Ramirez is a prime example of a guy transitioning from playing with the Pinar del Rio Green Sox to the Chicago White Sox. If you think this guy is good...he's even better. As for this baseball, it was signed in Spring Training, 2008, right here in the United States. Welcome to American baseball Alexei...and welcome to a free country!

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Yobal Duenas signed baseball. Yobal Duenas defected from Cuba in 2005, signed with the Yankees, had two good seasons in AAA, and then called it quits at age 36 (or something like that...). He played second base and shortstop for the Pinar del Rio Green Sox.

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-1994 Garcia Photo Ltd. Serie Selectiva Antonio Pacheco autograph

-1994 Garcia Photo Ltd. Serie Selectiva Romelio Martinez autograph

-1994 Garcia Photo Ltd. Serie Selectiva Orestes Kindelan autograph

-1994 Fleer Ultra Jesse Orosco autograph (Just there when I scanned this...Orosco was a member of the 1986 Mets and is one of the best lefty relievers in history)

-1974 Topps Ron Hunt autograph (Again, just there...Hunt was the first star of the New York Mets)

Antonio Pacheco was a slugger in his playing days with the Santiago de Cuba Wasps. Now he manages the National Team (and Santiago de Cuba). He was probably the best-hitting second baseman in post-1961 Cuban baseball. A good analogy would be Ernie Banks, only Banks was a SS.

Romelio Martinez was a power-hitter that swung at everything and couldn't field. He played with the Habana Province Cowboys. I guess a good analogy would be Dave Kingman.

Orestes Kindelan was a catcher/first baseman/left fielder with the Santiago de Cuba Wasps. A slugger, he held the single season and career homerun records until Alexei Bell (see below) came along. Kindelan, currently the hitting coach on the National Team, is probably analogous to a Johnny Bench or Mike Piazza type.

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Rolando Arrojo signed 8x10. A truly great pitcher with the Villa Clara Oranges, he defected to the US in 1998. Although he claimed his birthdate was July 16, 1968, he was more likely born 1962-1964. As a rookie of about 34-36 years of age, Arrojo's best years were behind him. In his rookie year, 1998, he did very well with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But the next year, breaking down with health problems, he struggled. He then struggled for the Rockies, but did well with the Boston Red Sox as a swingman. When he retired after the 2002 season, he was somewhere around 38-42 years old. He regardless kept on pitching in the Mexican League. Although he had arthritis (among other things), he never developed arm problems.

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-1994 Garcia Photo, Ltd. Serie Selectiva Jose Ibar autograph

-1994 Garcia Photo, Ltd. Serie Selectiva Omar Linares autograph

-2000 Fleer Greats of the Game Autographs Davey Johnson autograph (Davey was the manager of the 1986 Mets and also the manager of the US Olympic Team...was just there when I scanned the cards)

-1987 Donruss Don Baylor autograph (Good outfielder who hit by a lot of pitches and while not great, was certainly solid. Again, was just there)

Jose Ibar's story is a tragic one. Blessed with an arm, dextrous fingers, and a brain, Jose Ibar threw a 95 mph fastball, a curve, a slider, a forkball, and a knuckleball, all of them terrific. He was very intelligent, often calling his own games when he pitched for the Habana Province Cowboys. He also pitched for the National Team for a time. Unfortunately, unlike Victor Mesa, who pretended to be crazy, Jose drew the ire of the communist authorities quickly. An anti-communist, Jose was not allowed to leave the island, even under supervision. Jose walked a thin tightrope after his career was over, and finally fell off. Jose has been one of the few Cubans to speak out for gun rights in that country. He's also a practicing Roman Catholic. Of course, with Castro being a tyrant, he immediately recognized Jose Ibar as a threat. One day, Ibar returned from work at his baseball consulting job and found that there was a pistol on his desk. It wasn't his and was planted, but Castro used it to place him under house arrest. He unsuccessfully tried to defect in 2003, and then was thrown in prison for ten years. I wish him luck and may God be with him. A good analogy to him as a pitcher would probably be Greg Maddux.

Omar Linares was probably the best third baseman in Cuban baseball history, post-1961 or pre-1961. He could hit like nobody else. For power and average. He also took a lot of walks, could steal some bases, and was an above average (if not great) fielder. He could do it all. Playing for the Pinar del Rio Green Sox, he hit .368/.491/.644 over his career with 404 homeruns and 246 stolen bases. He also did well playing for the National Team and seemed to thrive in international competition. A good comparison for Omar Linares would be George Brett, but with much more speed.

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-2000 Bowman Draft Milton Bradley autographed card

-2000 Bowman Draft Adrian Gonzalez autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Mike Stoldolka autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Juan Rincon autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Chad Durbin autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Kevin Gregg autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Jorge Cantu autographed rookie card

-2000 Bowman Draft Eric Byrnes autographed rookie card

-1943 La Ambrosia Deportiva Conrado Marrero rookie card

I got that pic for the last one. Skip a few pictures up and I have Conrado "Connie" Marrero's autograph. But this very rare card is his rookie card. It's a black and white photo that's been hand-tinted and was inserted with a candy called Ambrosia in 1943. Has his previous year's stats on the back, too. Marrero, if you'll recall, was a pitcher. Here's some more...

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-Antonio "Quilla" Valdes (Shortstop, in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Exile)

-Isidoro Leon (Ditto, except that Isidoro Leon also played Major League Baseball and was a pitcher)

-Antonio Suarez (Pitcher, later converted to shortstop, also in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Exile)

-Ernesto "Gallego" Estevez (Shortstop, in the CBBHoFiE)

-Luis Aloma (Pitched in the Majors briefly. Also in the CBBHoFiE)

-Orlando "Tango" Suarez (Catcher, in the CBBHoFiE)

-Felix del Cristo (Center Fielder, in the CBBHoFiE)

-Daniel Parra (Pitcher, and he was in Spring Training with the Washington Senators. He looked like a surefire Major Leaguer...was a left-hander...but then he hurt his arm. Also in the CBBHoFiE)

-Pedro Echevarria (Right Fielder, in the CBBHoFiE)

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-Pedro Jimenez (Pitcher, in the CBBHoFiE)

-Armando "Jo Jo" Baez (Right Fielder, in the CBBHoFiE)

-Julio "Jiqui" Moreno (Pitcher, and he made the Majors. Also in the CBBHoFiE)

-Mario Fajo (Second Baseman renowned for his defense. In the CBBHoFiE)

-Rogelio Valdes (Catcher...had one MLB at-bat with the Senators during WWII)

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Signed Official Cuban League Baseball. Some of the Industriales club signed it.

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You can see Yadel Marti...

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And Yasser Gomez...

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And Carlos Tabares...

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You can make out good-field/no-hit shortstop Yasmany Guerra pretty easily. Slugging centerfielder Yoandry Urgelles (a good comparison to him in the US would be Carlos Beltran) also appears upside-down. Whoops.

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Enrique Diaz. Enrique is a second baseman and is the leadoff hitter for Industriales. A VERY fast runner, he holds the single-season and career stolen base records in Cuba. A good comparison as a hitter and runner would be Lou Brock, though Diaz is a second baseman and Brock was a left fielder. Diaz is a better hitter than Maury Wills, otherwise I'd say he'd work.

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Serguei Perez (far left) and Alexander Malleta. Perez is a right fielder and a solid hitter. Nothing really special. Alexander Malleta (sometimes spelled "Mayeta") is a first baseman whom I'd compare to Ed Kranepool.

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Signed 8x10 of Vicyohandry "Villo" Odelin. Fastball, Curve, Slider, Screwball, Sinker. Throws pretty slowly, but is a very good pitcher and the ace of the Camaguey Ceramists. Also on the National Team.

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Alexander Malleta signed 8x10. Looks like he signed this one "Mayeta." Both spellings show up. Also on the National Team.

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Eduardo Paret signed 8x10. Shortstop who has been around for ages and plays on the National Team as well as the Villa Clara Oranges. Think Luis Castillo in his prime with less speed.

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Yulieski Gonzalez. Good four-pitch pitcher for the Habana Province Cowboys. Low 90's fastball, curve, slider, changeup. Tom Glavine during his Mets tenure would be a pretty good comparison as to how Gonzalez pitches. On the National Team.

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Frederich Cepeda. Left fielder/DH. Plays for the same Sancti Spiritus offensive powerhouse that Yulieski Gourriel plays for. Cepeda can't field to save his life, but rarely DH's when he plays for the National Team. He's an incredibly hitter, though. You're getting into Vladimir Guerrero or Jim Thome territory, now.

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Alfredo Despaigne signed 8x10. Despaigne is one of the best players in Cuba right now. He plays center field, left field, right field, and occassionally DH's. He plays for the Granma Chestnut Horses in Serie Nacional play and also plays for the National Team. If he can maintain his rise to the top, then you're looking at Andruw Jones before he fell apart.

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Norberto Gonzalez signed 8x10. The ace of the pitching-poor Cienfuegos Shrimpers and also a pitcher for the National Team, Norberto is a master at changing his arm angle. He'll throw three quarter, sidearm, and submarine. In fact, if you watched the Olympics and were wondering why he was getting two sets of signals, the first one was for the pitch, the second was for the arm angle to deliver the pitch at. Most Cuban pitchers will just change arm angles on a whim, but Norberto Gonzalez is so good at it that it's part of his game-plan. Because so much of his game relies on changing arm angles, it's tough to draw a comparison to him. I guess Stu Miller or Murry Dickson.

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Norge Luis Vera signed 8x10. A dominating sinkerball pitcher with a good slider, screwball, and curve, Norge Luis is the ace of the Santiago de Cuba Wasps and also pitches on the National Team. A good comparison would be late career Pedro Martinez minus both all the injuries and all the homeruns given up.

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Eriel Sanchez signed 8x10. A good catcher with Sancti Spiritus (and the National Team), I would say that a good comparison for him would be Joe Mauer with a bit less power. Sanchez is still young, but the fact that he's turning into a terrific hitter while retaining his defensive skills should keep him at catcher.

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Ariel Pestano signed 8x10. I described him above.

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-2006 Upper Deck SPx WBC Winning Materials Yunieski Maya signed jersey swatch card

-2006 Upper Deck F/X WBC Counterparts Ken Griffey Jr./Yoandy Garlobo (signed by Garlobo)

A good comparison to Yunieski Maya (who throws 96-97 mph with a good slider and changeup) might be a right-handed version of Oliver Perez. As for Garlobo, playing with hapless Matanzas while at the same time being the team's only hitter brings Rusty Staub and the 1973 Mets to mind.

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Alexei Bell signed baseball. Alexei is the number three hitter and right fielder for the Santiago de Cuba Wasps and the Cuban National Team. He holds the single-season homerun record and is on pace to break the career one held by Orestes Kindelan. A true five-tool player that excels in every aspect of the game, Alexei might be best-compared to Duke Snider.

And I'm not even half done yet, with either MLB or Cuban autographs...

[Niner]

That is a serious collection you have. Obviously a lot of time went into the post too. I appreciate the effort. Nobody has ever posted anything as detailed. I'll have to go back over it and read it a time or two. I'm really impressed by your knowledge as well as the obvious dept of your collecting. You no doubt are a serious fan of the game.

You are educating me. Thanks.

[Dalkowski110]

Thanks Niner! I've actually got quite a bit more that I scanned. All I need to do is upload and write the descriptions (which will take a while, but is very doable).

[Niner]

I'd love to see any you feel like posting.

I know there are some other guys that would be interested....Maybe educate some Brits on the American sport that requires more skill, situational awareness, and athletic abiltiy than probably any other team sport.

[Dalkowski110]

Now, here are some more cards, signed and unsigned, that are in my collection...

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-Spurgeon "Spud" Chandler signed card. He threw about a dozen different pitches and pitched in 11 seasons from 1937-1948 (he missed all but five games in 1944-1945 to WWII). Spud was 29 when he was a rookie, but won 20 games twice (and is, perhaps surprisingly, the only New York Yankees pitcher to date to win an MVP Award...he threw SIX shutouts another year). With a career pitching record of 109-43, his .711 Winning Percentage is the best of any pitcher with over 100 wins since 1920. Also, in 1,485 career innings pitched, Spud only allowed 64 homeruns. That's about 10 per 200 innings, which is shockingly low for the era in which Spud pitched. It's usually very difficult for a New York Yankees player to slip under the radar, but Spud somehow managed to do so.

-Monte Irvin signed card. Monte, a Hall of Famer for his exploits in the Negro Leagues (Newark Eagles), didn't lose any steam when he hit the Majors at age 30 in 1949 with the New York Giants. He had a great batting eye, some power, good speed, a great arm, and good (though diminishing) range in the field. He played in two World Series, both of which my Dad remembers. In 1951, he hit .458 in the Fall Classic and was just about the only Giants player the Yankees couldn't shut down. He dropped to .222 in the 1954 World Series against Cleveland, but still performed well in Game 4, breaking the game open against the Indians and letting the Giants cruise to the World Series victory. Over his regular season career, Monte hit .293 with a pretty high .383 on-base percentage.

-Nelson "Nels" Potter signed card. Potter was a member of the 1944 St. Louis Browns American League Pennant Winning team (the only pennant the Browns would ever win before the moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles). A solid pitcher, Nels was the victim of bad luck in that World Series. Posting a 0.93 ERA (not a typo), he received only one run of support in Game 2 (where he got a no-decision and the Browns eventually lost) and one more in Game 6 (which he lost, despite giving up just one earned run). He also pitched as a reliever in the 1948 World Series with the Boston Braves, though this time, he was pounded by the opposing Cleveland Indians. With the exception of the seasons he spent with the Browns (1943-1947), Potter was primarily a relief pitcher, though he was good in a starting role (he went 19-7 with a 2.83 ERA in 1944 and 15-11 with an even better 2.47 ERA the next year in 1945). In 1949, he was second in the National League in saves with 7 (sort of...the save statistic was invented in 1969; people pretty much went back and looked at the old boxscores to dig up saves from before then) and was also second in games finished (which he would have known about) with 29. Potter threw a good fastball, a terrific screwball, a good slider, a curve, and a spitball. He was in fact the first pitcher ejected from a Major League baseball game for throwing a spitball (the pitch was banned in 1920, yet it took until 1944 for Potter to be ejected).

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-Jack Hamilton signed 8x10. In the 1960's, Dad claims there was no pitcher who was more entertaining to watch. A little flaky, Jack never wore sleeves, and that included April in 40 degree weather. He also threw over 100 mph with consistency. Unfortunately, he had no idea where the ball was going. The memory my father has best of Jack was him facing Pittsburgh, walking somebody with the bases loaded to force in a run...and then striking out Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell in succession. His nickname was "Hairbreadth Harry" because he was so unpredictable with regards to his performance. In his rookie year with Philadelphia, Jack K'ed 101 in 182 innings...and walked 107. He also threw an incredible 22 wild pitches. He also owned Hank Aaron, giving up four singles to him in 19 at-bats. Roberto Clemente went just 3-for-14 against him. However, it was a sad event for which "Hairbreadth Harry" was best remembered. As usual, he was belting 100+ mph fastballs across the plate with zero control when Tony Conigliaro stepped to the plate. "Tony C." crowded the plate, forcing Hamilton to work with a smaller strike zone. He tried brushing Conigliaro off the plate with a fastball...but it got away from him, knocked Conligliaro unconscious, and almost killed him. Conigliaro was never the same hitter, and while his power numbers stayed about the same, his batting eye got to the point where he eventually completely lost his vision shortly after he retired. Hamilton, who didn't want to hurt anybody, was terrified to pitch on the inside corner, where he had thrived. His career as an effective pitcher was over within two years.

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-2007 Upper Deck Team USA National Signature Blue Ink Nick Hill autograph. Nick Hill still is the highest drafted player ever out of West Point. A left-handed pitcher with a good fastball and curve, Nick recently left the Seattle Mariners organization (placed on the "Military List"...he did not retire) to serve in Iraq. As a pitcher, he needs to work on his control and repeating his delivery a bit, though he should be fine. God be with you, Nick. I'm looking forward especially to seeing him in the Major Leagues.

-2007 Upper Deck Team USA Junior National Signature Blue Ink Jarrod Parker autograph. Parker is a top pitching prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and throws in the high 90's (and has a good slider, curve, and changeup). He has good, non-injurious mechanics and while he's not Major League ready yet, his numbers in professional baseball have been pretty unbelievable. He played with South Bend this year and if the Diamondbacks still have their affiliation with Mobile next year, Niner, you'll see him pitch.

-2006 Bowman Sterling Ronny Bourquin autograph. Ronny is one of the most patient hitters in the Minors and while he wasn't so good this year (he hit .235), he did keep his walk rate up (.339 on-base percentage). If I had to guess, he'll be a corner outfielder in the future and a utility player. He has no power; if he did, I'd say he'd be a starting player.

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The great Duke Snider. Duke, THE center fielder for the 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers (and probably the franchise's second most famous player after Jackie Robinson during its tenure in Brooklyn), hit 40+ homeruns five years in a row (1953-1957). In 1954, he hit .341. Over his career, he batted .295 (with an impressive .380 on-base percentage), hit 407 homeruns, and racked up 2,116 hits. He also had 1,333 RBI's. Duke was a five-tool player, hitting for average and power, possessing good speed (even during a low-stolen-base era, he stole 99 bases over his career), being a good fielder, and having a terrific arm. In 36 World Series games, he hit .286 (.351 on-base percentage), hit eleven homeruns, scored 21 runs, and drove in 26. He was also selected to EIGHT All-Star Games (before the voting was a joke), playing in seven. He went 3-for-11 with 3 walks during All-Star play, also scoring 3 runs. He was in the top five in the batting title race four times, in the top five in homeruns six times (and led the league in homeruns in 1956), and in the top five in RBI's four times (and led the league in RBI's in 1955). He went into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

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-2000 Bowman's Best Locker Room Collection Rafael Furcal autograph. Good shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers right now; he broke a rib after starting off the season on fire. A very good combination of power and speed, Rafael was the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year.

-2003 Donruss Rookies Luis Ayala autographed rookie card. Luis is the current New York Mets closer. He throws a good fastball and slider, thrown high sidearm. The Mets traded utility infielder Anderson Hernandez for him in early August.

-2006 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ultimate Rookie Signatures Anderson Hernandez autograph. Yep, right next to the guy he was traded for. Anderson never hit with the Mets, though he was good defensively. He actually hit AGAINST them pretty well last night playing with the Washington Nationals (for those who've stopped following baseball a while, the Montreal Expos moved to Washington in 2005 to become the Washington Nationals).

-1967 Topps Dick Selma autographed. Dick was a good pitcher for the Mets from 1966-1968, but when he was moved to the starting rotation, it proved too much for his arm. He hurt his arm in late 1968 and the Mets left him unclaimed in the 1969 expansion draft, where the San Diego Padres took him. He pitched poorly with them and was dealt to the Cubs, where he did okay. Then he pitched exclusively as a reliever with the Philadelphia Phillies and also picked up a vaseline ball. He was pretty effective until he hurt his arm again in mid 1973. He was out of the Majors rather quickly after that.

-1963 Topps Rookie Stars. Larry Bearnarth signed this one, and he was really the first Mets relief ace. Bearnarth threw hard (90's), but he also threw a "heavy" fastball where he'd pitch so guys would hit it on the ground. A good comparison for his fastball, says Dad, is current New York Mets right-handed pitcher Mike Pelfrey, though Pelfrey's secondary pitches are better. Unfortunately for Bearnarth, the defense behind him was awful and he looked worse than he really was as a result. He tried developing a curveball, but it really didn't work and ultimately only hurt him. I could see him on a good team these days as a middle reliever with millions in the bank.

-1963 Topps Richie Ashburn, signed. Richie was the franchise player for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1950's. He had incredible plate discipline, walked a lot, and struck out very little. He batted .308 over his career (with 2,574 hits!) had a .396 on-base percentage, and stole 234 bases during an era where stolen bases were quite rare. He won two NL batting titles (1955 and 1958), led the NL in hits three times, and walks four times. He was an All-Star only five times, though likely deserved more over his 15-year career. But he made the best of it and went 6 for 10 with a walk, a double, four runs scored, and one driven in (not bad, considering he was a lead-off hitter!). He was also a fantastic fielder, second only to Willie Mays among 1950's NL center fielders. Although overshadowed by Willie Mays, Duke Snider, and Mickey Mantle, who played at the same time, Richie is certainly a deserving Hall of Famer. Richie actually retired before the 1963 season began. The 1962 Mets had played so badly that Ashburn (the 1962 Team MVP and first ever All-Star) decided to retire rather than toil in last place.

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-1983 Fritsch Cards Boston Braves Don Liddle, signed. Don't know him? Well, flash backward to the 1954 World Series. If you're a baseball fan, odds are you know that Willie Mays made what is arguably the greatest catch (and return throw) in World Series history then. As a trivia question, you're often asked who he caught the ball off of. That would be Cleveland slugger Vic Wertz. But rarely do we hear about the New York Giants pitcher, left-hander "Little Don" Liddle (although 5'10" and 165, he received the nickname as a play on his last name). He also made a rare start in the 1954 World Series, winning it against the lefty-strong Indians lineup. Liddle was one of two good left-handers in that 1954 Giants bullpen (the other was Windy McCall). He was a fastball pitcher who also threw a good curve. An arm injury in 1956 ended his career.

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-2003 Topps Traded Signature Moves Joe Borchard autograph. A REALLY hyped prospect, Joe never learned how to hit a Major League breaking pitch.

-1959 Topps Ken Aspromonte, signed. Ken was a good utility infielder whose tremendous promise was never realized as a hitter (though he was an excellent fielder). Ken was dealt, drafted, or purchased no less than seven times by different teams all hoping he'd finally come into his own with them. Ken's brother, Bob Aspromonte (see below) also played Major League baseball.

-1965 Topps Stan Williams, signed. Nicknamed "Big Daddy," Stan was not a guy who you wanted to upset. He stood 6'5" tall and weighed 230 lbs. He also threw in the high 90's, probably touching 100 mph. Most guys that faced both Williams and teammate Sandy Koufax said that while Koufax was better because he had better control and movement, Williams was faster. But what made "Big Daddy" so mean was that he was a beanball pitcher. Not only that, but he LIKED being a beanball pitcher. He would practice his control by throwing at pictures of other players. He kept a book of MLB hitters with a certain amount of stars next to their names that indicated what kind of priority they had to have a fastball sail into their ribs. Ask Stan and the best hitter he ever faced was Hank Aaron. Therefore, Hank was probably the guy who dove out of the way of the most Stan Williams fastballs. Well, him or Frank Thomas. Thomas hit a homerun off Williams while with the Mets and showboated afterwards. He got hit five times after that. He only hit Aaron once, preferring to brush him back. Williams' career was the victim of a bizarre freak injury. While warming up, he broke the spike on one his cleats, fell off one of the two pitching mounds and badly twisted his ankle on the other breaking his fall. He could never generate the near-100 mph velocity he had before that afterwards and was primarily a relief pitcher.

-1973 Topps Clay Carroll, signed. The ace relief pitcher of the 1970's Cincinnati Reds (better known as The Big Red Machine), Carroll doesn't fit today's stereotype of a fireballing closer. Instead, Clay threw a fastball in the low 90's, a good drop curve, a sharp slider that looked far faster than it really was, and a rare pitch called a slip-pitch (some pitchers call it the "flail ball"). A slip-pitch is thrown limp-wristed with a fastball grip. You want the batter to swing at it, since he usually can't hit it off the ground. But it's a VERY tough pitch to master and difficult to repeat. If you do master it, it breaks downward at changeup speed. Carroll had it down pat, though, and used it to pitch effectively for fifteen years. In 1972, Carroll saved a then-unprecedented 37 games. In 1971 and 1972, he was an All-Star, which was rare for a closer at the time. In post-season play (22 games, 32 and a third innings pitched), he had a sparkling 1.39 ERA.

-1972 Topps Felix Millan, signed. An underrated player because of the dreadful 1970's Mets teams he played on, Millan had superb bat control was one of the toughest men ever to strike out. A three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner at second base, Felix batted .279 over his career with a decent .322 on-base percentage. He also had very good speed, though a leg injury curtailed it in 1972. After his MLB career ended in Spring Training, 1978, he signed on with the Taiyo Whales and played two years in Japan.

-1980's TCMA 1953 Bowman Color reprint Davey Williams, signed. Davey Williams was a pretty good second baseman with the New York Giants from 1951-1955 (with a call-up in 1949), but for some reason stopped playing afterwards. Dad thinks it was related to an injury, but the New York Giants' struggles with infielders really began when Williams' hitting went downhill in 1954. In 1955, his fielding also went downhill and he was released in August. He was out of Major League baseball at age 27.

-1979 Diamond Greats Russ Van Atta, signed. Russ Van Atta seemed destined for greatness with the 1933 New York Yankees, though he came up pretty late at age 27. He went 12-4 in limited action with a for-the-time-good 4.18 ERA. But in early 1934, he mangled his hand while cutting something. Despite numerous attempts to come back as a sinkerballer with the Yankees and then the awful St. Louis Browns, Russ could never regain his effectiveness.

-1979 Diamond Greats Bill Voiselle. A solid pitcher with the New York Giants and Boston Braves, Voiselle threw four quality pitches: a slow fastball, a changeup that was about 15 mph slower, a hard curve that broke 10-to-4, and a slow, looping curve that dropped 12-to-6. He was notable because he wore the name of his home town on the back of his jersey. Although born in Greenwood, SC, he lived in tiny Ninety-Six, SC. As such, he asked the league special permission to wear the jersey number "96" (until 1950, you had to wear numbers below 60) and was granted it. The number three starter on the 1948 Boston Braves, he was overshadowed by Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain, even though he was statistically better than Sain. After the Chicago Cubs released him in 1950, he was unfazed and played eight more years in the Minors. Although he probably threw in the 90's when he was a rookie, he was a finnese pitcher after the 1944 season. During that season, he went 21-16, threw 312 innings, and pitched TWENTY-FIVE complete games. Even for the time, that was probably excessive, especially considering he'd pitched in just six Major League games prior to that and was also not that heavily used in the Minors.

-1979 Diamond Greats Don Demeter, signed. Don was a power-hitting outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Detroit Tigers. He was initially groomed as Duke Snider's replacement in center field with Brooklyn (whom he played all of 4 games for). Although he only hit .265 during his career, his best career numbers were posted during the offense-weak 1960's. He also had pretty good plate discipline, posting a .307 on-base percentage. From 1961-1964, he hit 21, 29, 22, and 22 homeruns.

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-1979 Diamond Greats Alex Grammas, signed. Alex was a solid and very versatile utility infielder during the 1950's and 1960's, though nothing special. As a coach and a manager, however, he was far more successful. He was a good fielding coach that helped many young infielders, including Robin Yount. He was also a good bench coach and hitting coach.

-1979 Diamond Greats Marv Grissom, signed. The closer for the 1950's New York Giants, Marv had 19 saves during the 1954 World Championship season. He came up very late, finally pitching his first full season (50+ innings) at age 34 in 1952. He'd briefly pitched in 1946 and 1949 as well. Marv Grissom's problems was that he pretty much couldn't fool a good hitter two or three times through the batting order. He threw a fastball, a screwball, and literally nothing else. Leo Durocher, the Giants manager, realized that having Grissom pitch two or three innings would allow him to succeed and give him an effective reliever against both lefties and righties (due to the screwball's reverse break). Marv's professional career ended in 1960, when he was 42 years old.

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-Dr. Mike Marshall signed baseball. Mike Marshall was a right-handed pitcher and a terrific reliever during the 1970's. In 1974, he was the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award (he won it for the NL, pitching with the Los Angeles Dodgers). During that same season, he also pitched in an incredible 106 games and pitched 208 innings without starting a single game. Marshall was one of the first pitchers to take a scientific approach to pitching, reasoning that Ted Williams' approach to hitting could be countered. He recorded in detail every pitch he threw. He threw a fastball, a sinker, a screwball, and a curve. One of a handful of players to have a Ph.D, Dr. Marshall received his in kinesiology (not to be confused with "applied kinesiology," which is the new age medicine). He became a specialist in pitching mechanics, starting off with the premise to end arm injuries. And ever since, he's become baseball's first and only mad scientist. Dr. Marshall, while a genius, also happens to be paranoid, vindictive, egomaniacal, a know-it-all, a jerk, and some would argue a pathological liar. Dr. Marshall's bizarre pitching mechanics actually do work and are very easy on the arm, but it's basically his way or the highway. And once you're on the highway, expect to get your name dragged through the mud to the best of Dr. Marshall's abilities. He argues that traditional pitching mechanics do not work, that anyone who does not accept his system is out of their minds, that his pitchers can throw much harder than anyone else (paradoxically, Marshall Mechanics will slow a pitcher down, although they will also give his breaking stuff more movement), etc. He went down a road that would toe the line between genius and madness (trying to stop arm injuries), and in his case, the line became very blurred. Is his work valid? A lot of it is. Many of his findings can be put to good use on minimizing (though not ending) arm injuries. A handful of the pitchers that trained under him are professional quality. But Dr. Marshall's conclusions, refusal to work with anyone else, refusal to release his data for fear of being plagiarized, and abrasive personality have ultimately doomed him to merely take a back seat to whoever can work with others and sell his ideas while also compromising.

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-1963 Topps Galen Cisco, signed. Galen was one of the best pitchers on the horrid 1962-1965 Mets pitching staffs and while truthfully that's not saying much, he was a pretty good pitcher. He threw a very good fastball and a diving sinker that also acted as a change of pace (hence, he didn't throw a traditional changeup). He threw a curve, too, but that was rather unremarkable. Being a groundball pitcher with terrible defense behind him, though, was what ultimately made his numbers look far worse than they should have been. He'd be a good pitcher today.

-1979 Topps Jesus Alou, signed. Jesus was the youngest of the three Alou brothers and was a very good utility player for fifteen seasons. A solid pinch-hitter and a good fourth outfielder, but not someone you'd start every day.

-1994 Garcia Photo Ltd. Serie Selectiva Pedro Luis Lazo, signed. Note that in the 1990's, Pedro's signature was a little different than it is now (previous post, best pitcher in Cuba right now...pitches for the Pinar del Rio Green Sox). Very often in Cuba, players will change their signatures. I'm not quite sure why, but doing that seems to be popular over there and the leading authenticators (PSA/DNA, JSA, GAI) confirm it.

More later.