Signed 8x10 Cecil Fielder photo

Who is this? former Detroit Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder
What is this? An autographed 8x10 photo
Where'd I get it? I got it signed at an autograph show in Secaucus on Saturday
How much did it cost? $35


Why is this so special? Cecil Fielder was one of my favorite players in the early 1990s. He played a little bit for the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1980s, but I don't think anybody other than die-hard Blue Jay fans noticed.

He went to Japan and played one season for the Hanshin Tigers, becoming a slugging superstar. Then he came back to America and joined the Detroit Tigers. He was a 3-time All-Star and two-time American League home run champion, hitting a career-high 51 in 1990.

Later in his career, Fielder was traded to the New York Yankees and won a World Series ring with them in 1996. He retired with 319 major league home runs during a 13 year career. He and his son Prince are the only father-son duo in Major League Baseball history to have 50 home run seasons.

Fielder has a neat autograph - he signed the big, looping "C" first, then filled in the rest of his first name. Next was the big, stylized looping "F," and finally the rest of his last name.

1995 Fleer Rookie Exchange Set Brian Boehringer

Who is this? former New York Yankees pitcher Brian Boehringer
What is this? An autographed card from the 1995 Fleer Rookie Exchange Set
Where'd I get it? Boehringer signed it for me at the MAB Celebrity Services Pinstripe Passion show in Secaucus yesterday.
How much did it cost? $10


Why is this so special? I wrote about Brian Boehringer for Dec. 22, 2010.

This card is one of nine in a rookie mail-away set produced by Fleer in 1995. It included Edgardo Alfonzo and 1996 NL Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth, but Fleer did not choose a bunch of future stars. I bought my set for a quarter at a baseball card show in 2008, mainly for the Alfonzo card.

When I looked through the cards, I realized that I'd seen 5 of the 9 players in the Atlantic League after their major league careers ended. I was able to get Alfonzo and Frank Rodriguez to sign their cards before or after Newark Bears games, but Boehringer, Darren Bragg and Brad Clontz were long out of the league.

After getting Boehringer's autograph, I now have a third of the set signed.

2003 Topps Fan Favorites Bob Watson

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.

1991 Leaf Jimmy Key

Who is this? former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jimmy Key
What is this? An autographed card from the 1991 Leaf set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Key late last year and asked him to sign it
How much did it cost? Not much... I bought a wax box of 1991 Leaf cards for less than $10 a few years ago.  


Why is this so special? Key won 186 games in his 15-year big league career. He spent 9 seasons in Toronto, but around here people remember him as a Yankee. Key has two World Series rings - one with each team - and four All-Star appearances.

Doesn't he have a great looking autograph?

1974 Topps Dave LaRoche

Who is this? former New York Mets bullpen coach Dave LaRoche
What is this? An autographed card from the 1974 Topps set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to LaRoche and asked him to sign it
How much did it cost? I don't remember.

Why is this so special? Once upon a time, I kept a small binder with a baseball card for each player, coach and the manager of the New York Mets' active roster -- back in the days before the widespread availability of the internet, it was a way to keep stats handy and remember some trivia.

I'd put the manager first, then the coaches, the pitchers, catchers, infielders, outfielders and finally the guys on the disabled list and in the minor leagues. I lost interest in keeping up this project sometime in 1992 or 1993 when LaRoche was the Mets' bullpen coach - this was his card in the binder. When I re-discovered it recently, I decided I'd mail it to him and see if he'd sign it.

Before he entered the coaching ranks, LaRoche was a relief pitcher for the Angels, Twins, Cubs, Indians, and Yankees during the 1970s and early 80s. He was a two-time All-Star and frequently finished among the league leaders in games finished.

LaRoche was best known for throwing a big, slow blooper pitch he called "La Lob" which would arc up to 20 feet in the air before dropping back in the strike zone. LaRoche's sons, Adam and Andy, are current professional ballplayers. Adam will play for the Nationals this season, while Andy just signed a minor league deal with the Oakland organization.

Dave LaRoche has the handwriting everyone expects of a left-hander, but you can make out a few letters in his autograph. Here's another card he signed for me.

1988 Fleer Jim Dwyer

Who is this? former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jim Dwyer
What is this? An autographed card from the1988 Fleer set
Where'd I get it? I purchased it from a SportsGraphing.com forum member late last year.
How much did it cost? $1-$2


Why is this so special? Dwyer spent 18 seasons in the major leagues as a part time outfielder, defensive replacement and pinch hitter. In 1976, he played 11 games for the New York Mets, so I needed his autograph for my collection. (This card will probably be a permanent resident of my binder unless I manage to track down another copy of his 1991 Wiz Mets card and get it signed.)

However, Dwyer spent most of his career in Baltimore. He won a World Series ring with the 1983 Orioles. In the series, he went 3-for-8 with a home run.

Dwyer also played in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball League after his major league career was over. He is currently a hitting coach in the Minnesota Twins farm system.

Dwyer's autograph is a bit tiny, and seems to be missing some letters from his last name.

1991 Donruss Darrin Fletcher

Who is this? former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darrin Fletcher
What is this? An autographed card from the 1991 Donruss set
Where'd I get it? Earlier this month, I wrote to Fletcher and asked him to sign it. I got it back about two weeks later.
How much did it cost? I got the unsigned card for a dime.


Why is this so special? It's funny how memory works. Fletcher played for four teams during the course of a 14-year major league career. I remember him almost exclusively as a Philadelphia Phillie - a team he played 55 games for between 1990 and 1991.

To be fair, Fletcher did have the best single day of his baseball career as a Phillie - he caught Tommy Greene's no-hitter in 1991.

Fletcher was an All-Star for the 1994 Montreal Expos - and he wasn't chosen just because the National League needed an Expo - three other Montreal players went to the All-Star Game that year. (There's every reason to believe that the Expos would have won the NL East pennant if the season hadn't been ended in August.)

He hit 20 home runs for the 2000 Toronto Blue Jays in somewhat limited playing time. But for whatever reason, I just remember Fletcher as a Phillie.

He's got a pretty nice autograph that's easy to read.