Who is this? Former Houston Astros outfielder Bob Watson
What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Topps Fan Favorites set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Watson at the Major League Baseball office in New York in December and asked him to sign it; I got it back on Friday.
How much did it cost? The unsigned card cost a dime.
Why is this so special? I'm not positive, but I think this is the first Topps Fan Favorites card that I've ever gotten signed.
Last month, Bob Watson marked the end of a 45-year career in baseball when he retired as Major League Baseball's Vice President of Rules and On-Field Operations. He had also been the general manager of the New York Yankees, helping to assemble the 1996 World Series winning team. The Houston Astros made Watson the first African-American general manager in Major League Baseball in 1993.
As a player, Watson is most famous for scoring the one millionth run in baseball history. (However, later examinations of baseball's records indicate that Watson's run really wasn't the millionth and it's impossible to tell who did score the milestone run -- see this interesting article by Joe Posnanski about the One Millionth Run)
A two-time All-Star, Watson is the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle in both leagues.
Watson had been a great through-the-mail autograph signer when he worked out of the Commissioner's Office. Hopefully he will continue to sign for collectors now that he's retired.
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