2008 Allen & Ginter Casey Kotchman

Who is this? Casey Kotchman, a first baseman on the Boston Red Sox who used to play for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

What is this? An autograph card from the 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter set

Where'd I get it? Back in 2008, I wrote to Casey Kotchman c/o the Atlanta Braves and asked him to sign my card. He must be catching up on his fan mail, because I just got it back today.

How much did it cost? I probably paid a quarter for the card, and another 82 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? At the age of 26, Casey Kotchman has already played for 3 different Major League teams. The number 13 pick in the nation in 2001 hasn't quite lived up to expectations at the plate, but he's one of the best fielding first basemen in baseball. He can also say that he was traded for Mark Texieira.

Casey Kotchman's got an interesting autograph. You can clearly make out his first name, but his last name kind of trails off into a loop, for some reason.

1990 topps lance parrish

Who is this? lance parrish, catcher for the (then) california angels - better known as the catcher for the 1984 world champion detroit tigers

What is this? an "in person" autographed base card from 1990 topps aka (in my opinion) the ugliest topps set to date

Where'd I get it? in a trade i made with a co-worker about 12 years ago

How much did it cost? a lot. i traded a bunch of star wars stuff - the original stuff - figures, vehicles, etc. for a bunch of cards. i got a lot of cards, including a 1989 ud griffey jr and a 1971 topps nolan ryan, but i think i got the short end of the trade as time has passed

Why is this so special? is it special? lance did play in the dodgers organization late in his career, but never played in a game for the dodgers. he was a big part of the 1984 tigers, so he has that going for him.

here is my only lance parrish story. in 1989, i was living in orange county. i went to an angels/red sox game - jim abbot vs. roger clemens. i had clemens on my fantasy team, along with lance parrish. bottom of the first, parrish takes clemens deep - part of a 5 run first. clemens gets the hook after 2, and parrish goes hitless the rest of the way. turned out to be jim abbott's first career shutout.

1996 Leaf Signature Extended Series Chuck McElroy

Who is this? Angels pitcher Chuck McElroy.

What is this? An autograph card from 1996 Leaf Signature Extended Series.

Where'd I get it? A big pile 'o autos I won.

How much did it cost? More than the nickel or so it's worth.

Why is this so special? Chuck was a serviceable lefty relief pitcher who played 13 years in the league for 8 different teams. He had 38 wins and 17 saves in 654 appearances. His lifetime ERA is almost a half run lower than the league average, and he got just under a strikeout per inning in his career. He was once traded for Lee Smith. He retired in 2001 and that was probably the last time any of you out there thought of him, if you've ever thought of him at all. None of that matters because I LIKE CHUCK MCELROY. I like his name. Say it out loud. Chuck McElroy. I like his big ol' Urkel glasses. I don't even mind that he was a Cub. Chuck was a lefty setup guy in the '90s and he went out and did his job, usually well. You need reliable bullpen guys, just ask any fan of a team without them. He never pitched for the Braves (which may be why I have good memories of Chuck) but this card is still one of my more prized sigs.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Chone Figgins

Who is this? Angels jack of all trades Chone Figgins.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Diamond Kings, card number 7. The card is serial numbered 155/200.

Where'd I get it? Flea market dude.

How much did it cost? Seven bucks if I recall correctly.

Why is this so special? It's an autograph, bat and jersey piece card, that's pretty special I guess. Figgins is a pretty good player, a 60 steal guy in an era where speedsters are rare, and can play just about anywhere on the field. I've been a fan of Chone for a while, he's from Georgia and I was following his career early on when I picked up a couple of his rookies cheap. These kind of cards stuffed with relics and a signature are commonplace now, but this is the first one that I picked up. There were rumors that he might have been traded to the Braves to replace Andruw floating around for a while this offseason, but nothing ever came of them. It's still a nifty looking card even if it has been rendered dirt common by legions of hundred dollar and up per pack products. I dig Chones' C-squiggle-F-squiggle-dot-dot signature too. You can see a smiling face on the right if youuse your imagination. The most special thing about this is that I have managed to post a card every day this month. Hooray for me!

2007 Topps '52 Rookie Card Nathan Haynes

Who is this? Angels outfielder Nathan Haynes.

What is this? An autograph card from 2007 '52 Rookie Card, card number 52S-NH.

Where'd I get it? Out of a blaster of '52 Rookie.

How much did it cost? Two-fifty for the pack.

Why is this so special? This card was pulled during a live box rip on A Pack A Day. Nathan was a former first round pick of the Athletics, but ended up in the minors for ten years before he made is debut last year. Unfortunately with the addition of Torii Hunter, Nathan is falling way back on the Angels' depth chart and will have to fight hard for a job. Nathan's signature is really tight and looks good on this card even though there is only a tiny space for the player to autograph.