2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Terrence Long

Who is this? A's outfielder Terrence Long.

What is this? An autograph card from 2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia, card number AI-53.

Where'd I get it? A blister package advertising one jumbo pack and a relic card for ten bucks.

How much did it cost? $10.

Why is this so special? Terrence was the first found pick of the Mets in the 1994 Draft, but he made his impact with the A's after New York traded him for Kenny Rogers in 1999. Terrence will always have a special place in my heart just for bringing the Gambler to New York in time for the playoffs. The next year Terrence had his best year in the bigs and came in second to Kaz Sasaki in the Rookie of the Year voting. After three more years of declining production and rising salary, the A's traded him to San Diego where he had one more decent year. Terrence finished out his career with a season with the Royals and a few games with the Yankees. I pulled this card when I lost my mind and bought one of those "Fat Pack + a Memorabilia card" things from Target. I not only beat the odds and pulled an autograph, but it's an amazing looking one at that. I never knew Terrence signed in Elvish. Terrence isn't one of the greatest players ever, but he indirectly made me a happy camper in 1999 and has a fantastic signature.

2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Marty Marion

Who is this? Cardinals shortstop Marty Marion.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia, card 158. The card is serial numbered 107/150.

Where'd I get it? Champion Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? $7.50

Why is this so special? Not to be confused with Marion Motley, Marty Marion was the St. Louis Cardinals' All-Star shortstop during the 40's. Marty was a key player on three Cardinal championship teams including his MVP year of 1944. Marty was a fantastic fielder at short and although his stats don't look that good to modern fans, was a good hitter for a shortstop of his day. Marty wasn't voted into the Hall of Fame, but he got a serious look from the Veteran's committee before they decided to stop letting anyone in. Marty was also part of a double play combination with the man with my favorite name ever, Creepy Crespi. I got this card last week when I went in the the local shop looking for a couple of packs to tide me over until Heritage came out. I found out they had a sale on autographs so I scrounged through their box and found Marty. I couldn't pass it up, and I still don't understand why I got an MVP from the 40's for less than a lot of Double-A scrubs on a "rookie" card. The card looks great, especially as it's a Spectrum holographic parallel, but the signature itself is just fantastic. It's unique, you can read every single letter and it has that brilliant giant dot of the i in Marion. After looking through my collection the past couple of months and seeing a whole bunch of scribbles and hieroglyphs from whippersnappers who couldn't hit a major league curveball if all of Western Civilization depended on it, seeing such a gorgeous autograph is incredibly refreshing. This is instantly one of the prizes of my collection. Thanks Marty!