Wednesday, February 9, 2011

1994 Topps Stadium Club John Doherty 1st Day Edition



Who is this? former Detroit Tigers pitcher John Doherty
What is this? An autographed card from the 1994 Stadium Club set


Where'd I get it? Nick of Baseball Happenings got it signed for me last year. (Incidentally, Nick's conducting a private signing with legendary Cuban Hall of Fame pitcher and former Pittsburgh Pirate, Gonzalo "Cholly" Naranjo - click over for details)

Why is this so special? If you were looking for an average 1990s major league pitcher, John Doherty fits the bill pretty well. In five seasons as a starter and reliever, he had a 32-31 record with a 4.87 ERA and an adjusted ERA+ of 91.

This is the only signed 1st Day Edition Stadium Club card in my collection - I've never gotten any of the others I own signed. For those who don't remember collecting Stadium Club, the 1st Day Edition cards turned up at a rate of about one per box. Aside from the little rainbow foil stamp, there's no difference between the 1st Day Edition cards and the regular ones. Yet I was fascinated by them in 1993 and 1994, and even now I will buy them when I run across them.

Though some might deduct points for the printed initials, I rather like Doherty's autograph.

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