2004 Upper Deck Vintage Denny Stark

Who is this? Bridgeport Bluefish pitcher Denny Stark
What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Upper Deck Vintage set
Where'd I get it? Stark signed it for me at a Newark Bears game this year.
How much did it cost? I probably got it out of a pack; I used to buy at least one blaster of any non-glossy finish set.

Why is this so special? Denny Stark was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 4th round of the 1996 draft. He pitched in the major leagues for both the Mariners and the Colorado Rockies. As recently as 2009, he appeared in a game with the Mariners.

In 73 major league appearances, including 42 starts, Stark has a 15-14 record and a 5.81 ERA. This year for Bridgeport, Stark had an 8-4 record with a 4.68 ERA in 37 games (17 starts).

For a modern player, he has a fairly decent autograph.

2003 Upper Deck Vintage Daryle Ward

Who is this? Former Houston Astros outfielder Daryle Ward
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Upper Deck Vintage set (I'm still trying to figure out how Topps' lawyers let this set go, but flipped over last year's O-Pee-Chee set)
 
Where'd I get it? Ward signed it for me before Sunday's game between the Newark Bears and York Revolution
 
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack back in 2003
 
Why is this so special? Ward spent parts of 11 season in the majors and currently has 90 big league home runs. From 1998-2002, he played for the Houston Astros. His best season with Houston was 2000, when he hit 20 home runs in a part-time role.

After the 2002 season, Houston traded Ward to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Ruddy Lugo. He would also play for Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Washington and the Chicago Cubs.

Through 16 games, Ward is hitting .323 with six home runs and 24 RBI for the Newark Bears. (That's one less home run and two more RBI than David Wright has in twice as many games, though Wright does not have the advantage of hitting against Atlantic League pitching.)

Ward has one of the nicest-looking signatures I've gotten since baseball season started this year.

2003 Upper Deck Vintage Darin Erstad

Who is this? Darin Erstad, an outfielder/first baseman for the Anaheim Angels, Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros

What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Upper Deck Vintage set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Erstad and asked him to sign it during the summer of 2003. I got it back in January of 2005.

How much did it cost? Just postage and the cost of the card.

Why is this so special? If you've ever gotten involved with the hobby of collecting autographs through the mail, you probably understand the appeal of getting a card back that you'd forgotten that you even mailed out.

Erstad was the California Angels' first round draft pick in 1995, and he reached the majors the next year. (He's the first Angels' player I've found who played for the California Angels, Anaheim Angels, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.)

Erstad won three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and was a two-time All-Star. His best season came in 2000, when he hit .355 with 25 home runs and 100 RBI. He led the league with 240 hits in 676 at-bats and 747 plate appearances.

Since 2006, Erstad has been a part-time player. He is currently a free agent.

Darin Erstad has a quick, squiggly signature. You can make out most of the letters in his last name if you know what you're looking for.