1982 Fleer Tom Herr

Who is this? 1980s St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tom Herr
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Fleer set
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed before Wednesday's doubleheader between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Newark Bears

How much did it cost? I'm not sure where I picked up this card
 
Why is this so special? You've got to love those old 1982 Fleer cards. Tommy Herr was lucky because the photo on his card is actually in focus, even though it's not a great shot.

Herr was a Cardinal for 10 seasons. He went to three World Series with them, earning a ring in 1982. He represented the National League in the 1985 All-Star Game, and he was the last National League player to drive in 100 runs while finishing the season with fewer than 10 home runs.

After he retired from baseball, Herr became the first manager of the Lancaster Barnstormers.  He led them to their only Atlantic League championship in 2006. Herr then left the team to manage the Hagerstown Suns in 2007. Last season, he returned to the Barnstormers as the team's bench coach. This season, Herr is filling out the Lancaster lineup card again.

Tom Herr comes from the era when players still had legible autographs.

1989 Donruss Danny Cox

Who is this? Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Danny Cox
 
What is this? An autograph card from the 1989 Donruss set  

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before yesterday's doubleheader between the Lancaster Barnstormers and the Newark Bears.
 
How much did it cost? No idea where I picked up the card
 
Why is this so special? Danny Cox spent 11 years in the majors, retiring with a 74-75 lifetime record. He pitched in three World Series - 1985 and 1987 for the Cardinals and 1993 for the Blue Jays

After he retired, Cox managed the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League for three seasons. He is currently the pitching coach for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League. And he still has that great mustache. :)

Cox doesn't have the prettiest signature, but it's fairly legible.

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 Brian Barton

Who is this? Former Cardinals outfielder Brian Barton 


What is this? An autograph card from the 2009 Topps set

Where'd I get it? This is the second card that Barton signed for me before an exhibition game between the Bridgeport Bluefish and Newark Bears on April 18th.

How much did it cost? The card came out of a blaster purchased at Target last year.

Why is this so special? I already wrote about Barton when I posted the other card I got signed, so I won't repeat that here.

Observant card collectors might notice that the card Barton signed is not from the regular Topps set. It's one of the variant editions produced for Target last year, printed on traditional cardboard cardstock and utilizing the classic Topps logo.

I originally thought this was s fun parallel set to try to collect. For Series I, Topps shipped full blasters of the variant cards. They had their own UPC code so you could easily find them if you were looking. My memory is a bit fuzzy a year later, but I think I spent between $80-$100 on them.

Series II came out with the same parallels, but there was a change in the program. Instead of getting a full blaster of the exclusive special cards, you only got two packs. At $1 per card, it was no longer a fun collecting project -- it was a huge money sink. I didn't buy any. The parallels continued into Series III, officially known as Topps Update & Highlights. I shudder to think how much someone would have to spend to put that whole set together.

Barton's signature still isn't very pretty, but I think it looks better on a card where it's not on top of a pre-printed facsimile autograph.

2009 Topps Jesse Chavez

Who is this? Atlanta Braves reliever Jesse Chavez
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps set
 
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Chavez around Opening Day and asked him to sign it. I got it back last week.
 
How much did it cost? Around $1 for the card and postage
 
Why is this so special? Chavez had a decent rookie season for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, though he did surrender an alarming 11 home runs in 67.1 innings. During the winter, he was traded twice. Pittsburgh sent him to Tampa Bay in the Akinori Iwamura trade, and the Rays dealt Chavez to Atlanta in the Rafael Soriano deal.

Chavez's signature is very scribbly, but I can make out the "J" and I think I see a "C."

2005 Topps Update & Highlights Mike Costanzo

Who is this? Mike Costanzo, third baseman for the Camden Riversharks 


What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps Update & Highlights set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before the opening night game between the Camden Riversharks and Newark Bears last week.

How much did it cost? I probably got the card out of a pack.

Why is this so special? Costanzo was the 65th player selected in the 2005 amateur draft and was once regarded as a top prospect by both the Phillies and the Astros. He has been part of trades for Brad Lidge and Miguel Tejada, and he represented Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Unfortunately, his plate discipline has left a lot to be desired. For his career, he's averaged over a strikeout per game. That's probably why he's playing for the Riversharks this year.

Costanzo was fairly friendly when I asked him to sign the card, so I wished him luck. His second at bat of the game, he hit a grand slam. Oops. :)

He has a pretty nice signature for a modern player.

2006 Topps Jason Botts

 
Who is this? Former Texas Rangers outfielder/first baseman Jason Botts 


What is this? An autographed card from the 2006 Topps set


Where'd I get it? I got it signed before Thursday night's game between the Newark Bears and the Camden Riversharks

How much did it cost? I'm pretty sure the card came out of a pack.

Why is this so special? Although Jason Botts wasn't selected until the 46th round of the 1999 amateur draft, he developed into one of the Texas Rangers' top prospects.

Botts made his major league debut on Sept. 14, 2005. He went 0-for-3 with a walk as the DH in a Texas victory over Baltimore. Botts appeared in 9 more games that September, and had short stints in the big leagues in each of the next three years.

While he never really lived up to expectations, Botts appeared in 93 major league games and has a lifetime .230 batting average, a .669 OPS, 5 home runs and 28 RBI.

In 2008 and 2009, Botts played in Japan. This year, he went to spring training with the Chicago White Sox but was cut. He is currently the starting first baseman for the Camden Riversharks in the Atlantic League.

Botts has an interesting signature, but please don't ask me to read it.