2006 Topps Heritage Nook Logan

Who is this? Newark Bears outfielder Nook Logan
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2006 Topps Heritage set
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a Newark Bears game earlier this month
 
How much did it cost? I'm not sure, but I'd guess around a quarter for the card.
 
Why is this so special? Nook Logan spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Nationals. Speed, not power, was Logan's biggest asset. Unfortunately, Logan didn't get on base often enough to take full advantage of it.

Logan was named in the Mitchell report in December 2007, and hasn't played a game in the majors since. He spent time with the Long Island Ducks in 2008 before playing for the Bears this season.

Logan's autograph is just a quick "initials" version, since he signed my card while reaching over a rail & trying to hang onto his bats at the same time.

2010 Topps Heritage Tony LaRussa

Who is this? St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2010 Topps Heritage set
 
Where'd I get it? I wrote to LaRussa just after the season started and asked him to sign it. It came back in yesterday's mail.
 
How much did it cost? Around $1, including postage.
 
Why is this so special? Tony LaRussa is not my favorite manager in baseball, but there's no denying his success or his influence on the game. He's managed for 32 seasons, won 5 pennants and 2 World Series trophies, and is closing in on 5,000 victories.

LaRussa, for better or worse, transformed the way managers use their bullpens. He will, without a doubt, be a Hall of Famer once he retires and becomes eligible.

LaRussa signature is surprisingly readable considering the volume of mail he must receive.

2003 Topps Heritage Wayne Lydon

Who is this? Somerset Patriots outfielder Wayne Lydon.

What is this? An autograph card from the 2003 Topps Heritage set.

Where'd I get it? I got the card signed at last year's Atlantic League All-Star Game in Newark.

How much did it cost? The card probably cost around 50 cents.

Why is this so special? Lydon played his first seven seasons of professional baseball in the Mets organization starting in 1999, and then was traded to the Blue Jays, where he then played 4 years in their farm system. In 2002, Wayne stole 87 bases for Columbia in the SAL.

Lydon was selected to the Atlantic League All-Star Game last year as a Camden Rivershark. He hit .273 with 5 homers and 54 RBIs last season, in addition to 72 stolen bases. He is currently playing for the Somerset Patriots.

Lydon has a short "at the ballpark" autograph. You can make out "Wy L" although the W looks more like an N or a V.

2007 Topps Heritage Joselo Diaz

Who is this? Long Island Ducks pitcher Joselo Diaz
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2007 Topps Heritage set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Long Island Ducks and Newark Bears last week.
 
How much did it cost? The card cost 50 cents.
 
Why is this so special? Diaz signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 1996 as a catcher. After a few years in the minors, he was converted to pitching. He has played for seven different organizations in the minors and even spent a season as a Yokohama Bay Star in Japan.

Diaz has pitched in five major league games: four for the 2006 Kansas City Royals and one for the 2008 Texas Rangers.

Diaz has a neat autograph, which manages to be both distinctive and somewhat legible at the same time.

2010 Topps Heritage Craig Stammen

Who is this? Washington Nationals pitcher Craig Stammen 


What is this? An autograph card from the 2010 Topps Heritage set
 
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Stammen a couple of weeks ago and asked him to sign it. I got it back on Monday.
 
How much did it cost? About $1 for the card plus postage
 
Why is this so special? Craig Stammen is a talented young starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals. He didn't have a great rookie season in 2009, but he showed flashes of potential.

After getting knocked out in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 14, Stammen rebounded with a pair of strong starts against the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll face Ricky Nolasco and the Florida Marlins on Friday.

The way Stammen signed his first name, it almost looks like he wants to go by "CJ." His last name is pretty legible, though.

2009 Topps Heritage Kenshin Kawakami

Who is this? Kenshin Kawakami, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps Heritage High Number Series

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Kawakami at the Braves' spring training camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back on Tuesday

How much did it cost? The card was about fifty cents, plus postage

Why is this so special? Kawakami had a decent, if not spectacular season for the Atlanta Braves last year. He started 25 games and appeared in seven more out of the bullpen. He finished the season with a 7-12 record and a 3.86 ERA. He also earned one save, by pitching four scoreless innings against the Mets in an 11-3 victory on Sept. 21. I was at that game.

In Japan, Kawakami was a star for the Chunichi Dragons. He was the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1998, when he went 15-6 with a 2.57 ERA.

In 2004, he had the best season of his career - 17-7 with a 3.32 ERA. He helped the Dragons to win a Central League title, was named the league MVP and took home the  Eiji Sawamura Award given to the best pitcher in Japan. He also threw a no-hitter.

In 2006, Kawakami again won 17 and helped the Dragons to another Central League title.

Kawakami signed a quick version of his English signature in ballpoint. Fortunately, he was able to find a fairly light spot to sign the card so the signature is pretty visible.

2009 Topps Heritage Fu-Te Ni

Who is this? Fu-Te Ni, a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps Heritage High Numbers set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Ni at the Tigers' spring training camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back on Saturday

How much did it cost? I think the card cost about a quarter last fall.

Why is this so special? Fu-Te Ni is the sixth player from Taiwan to appear in a Major League Baseball game. He began his professional career with the Chinatrust Whales in 2007, but signed a minor league contract with the Tigers in 2009 after the Whales disbanded.

Ni was called up to the majors in June when Nate Robertson was injured, and he pitched well. He appeared in 36 games, striking out 21 in 31 innings and finishing with a 2.61 ERA.

I didn't see him pitch until the 163rd game of the season, the one game playoff between the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. With the Tigers down 4-3 in the seventh inning and Joe Mauer on first base with one out, Ni came in to retire Jason Kubel to keep the Tigers in the game.

I'm not sure what's going on with Ni's signature. It's not English, but it doesn't look a lot like the traditional Chinese version of his name - 倪福德 - either. It's one of the more unique autographs I have in my collection.

2009 Topps Heritage Koji Uehara

Who is this? Baltimore Orioles' pitcher Koji Uehara

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps Heritage High Numbers set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Uehara at the Orioles spring training camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back yesterday, signed.

How much did it cost? I think I spent about a quarter for the card last fall.

Why is this so special? Koji Uehara had a good career in Japan, winning 112 games while losing only 62 for the Yomiuri Giants. He won the Central League Rookie of the Year award and the Eiji Sawamura Award (the equivalent of the Cy Young Award) in 1999. He won the Sawamura Award again in 2002, and was an 8-time all-star.

Uehara pitched for the 2004 bronze medal-winning Japanese Olympic Team, and was a member of the Japanese team that won the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

I couldn't quite figure out Uehara's autograph until I looked at some examples online. He signed "Koji 19" in English... I guess if you want his full name, you'll have to look for one of the certified autographed cards out on the market.

Still, it's pretty cool. He may not have the best handwriting, but I guarantee that he did a better job signing his name in English than I could if I tried to sign mine in katakana.

2008 Topps Heritage Jair Jurrjens

Who is this? Jair Jurrjens, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Topps Heritage set, #511

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Jurrjens in April and asked him to sign it. He's catching up on his fanmail; I got it back yesterday.

How much did it cost? The card came from a pack; the postage was 84 cents

Why is this so special? Jair Jurrjens is a 23-year-old pitcher, and he already has 30 major league victories. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2008, trailing Geovany Soto and Joey Votto. He started a National League-high 34 games this year, pitching 215 innings en route to a 14-10 record.

I like Jurrjens' autograph. It is not particularly legible, but it is distinctive.

Joel Hanrahan Topps Heritage card TTM.

Who is this? Joel Hanrahan, right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals. He ended the 2008 season promoted to the position of closer; he had 93 strikeouts in 84.1 innings pitched.

What is this? A Topps Heritage (based on the 1952 design) rookie card.

Where'd I get it? First in a pack, then returned from Hanrahan through the mail.

How much did it cost? Fraction of pack cost plus two first-class stamps for TTM.

Why is this so special? Because our daughter Lucy's second favorite team after the Mets is the Washington Nationals. She just likes them. And the only baseball card collecting experience more enjoyable for us than finding a fun card in a pack--GU, auto, or whatever--is receiving an autograph through the mail. It lends at least the illusion of a personal connection to the player, especially when they add a note or personalize the signature. You can't imagine how much fun this is for a kid learning about baseball. As for Topps Heritage: they are built like cards of yore. Cardboard, no gloss, no refractometry. Just player picture and card design. And...they have never met a Sharpie they didn't like.