1994 Fleer Greg Olson

Who is this? Braves catcher Greg Olson.

What is this? An autographed 1994 Fleer card, number 370.

Where'd I get it? In a trade with Russ.

How much did it cost? Received in trade.

Why is this so special? Another great auto out of nowhere! All star Greg Olson (not Gregg) was only with the Braves for four seasons but it sure does seem like he was there a lot longer. Great auto from a great guy who would stand on his head for the team. Thanks Russ!

2008 Topps Heritage ?????

Who is this? This is Mr. D. Layed Gratification.

What is this? A redemption card from 2008 Topps Heritage.

Where'd I get it? Out of a box.

How much did it cost? Never you mind.

Why is this so special? In the immortal words of Q*Bert:

@!#?@!

1996 Old Judge T-96 Frank Catalanotto

Who is this? Tigers second baseman Frank Catalanotto.

What is this? An autograph card from 1995 Old Judge T-96 Series, card number 7. The card is serial numbered 5533/6000.

Where'd I get it? I really don't have any clue. I've gotten these cards out of packs, in a large autograph lot and at a clearance sale for a quarter each.

How much did it cost? Anywhere from 25 cents to 5 dollars.

Why is this so special? This is proof that the Retro craze didn't start with Topps Heritage. This minor league set from the mid 90's featured a smaller card size (but not quite the same size as the original Old Judge cards), cardboard stock (also different from original Old Judge cards), a series designation of T-96 (which is actually a series of Prize Winning Dogs) and of most importantly, an autograph per pack. If I remember correctly, the set was filled with minor league prospects most of which didn't pan out very well and Vlad Guerrero. There were also a bunch of insert sets also with autograph parallels including Griffey Jr, A-Rod and Todd Helton. Frank is one of the players in the set who actually made a major league career for himself and is a good fourth outfielder and bench player. Frank started his career with the Tigers and has also played for the Blue Jays and Rangers. He also played for the Italian national team in the 2006 World Baseball classic. He is currently in the mix for a job in the Rangers' outfield. Frank has a nice looking signature considering his hand must have been about to fall off by the time he signed for the 5,533rd time.

2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Marty Marion

Who is this? Cardinals shortstop Marty Marion.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia, card 158. The card is serial numbered 107/150.

Where'd I get it? Champion Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? $7.50

Why is this so special? Not to be confused with Marion Motley, Marty Marion was the St. Louis Cardinals' All-Star shortstop during the 40's. Marty was a key player on three Cardinal championship teams including his MVP year of 1944. Marty was a fantastic fielder at short and although his stats don't look that good to modern fans, was a good hitter for a shortstop of his day. Marty wasn't voted into the Hall of Fame, but he got a serious look from the Veteran's committee before they decided to stop letting anyone in. Marty was also part of a double play combination with the man with my favorite name ever, Creepy Crespi. I got this card last week when I went in the the local shop looking for a couple of packs to tide me over until Heritage came out. I found out they had a sale on autographs so I scrounged through their box and found Marty. I couldn't pass it up, and I still don't understand why I got an MVP from the 40's for less than a lot of Double-A scrubs on a "rookie" card. The card looks great, especially as it's a Spectrum holographic parallel, but the signature itself is just fantastic. It's unique, you can read every single letter and it has that brilliant giant dot of the i in Marion. After looking through my collection the past couple of months and seeing a whole bunch of scribbles and hieroglyphs from whippersnappers who couldn't hit a major league curveball if all of Western Civilization depended on it, seeing such a gorgeous autograph is incredibly refreshing. This is instantly one of the prizes of my collection. Thanks Marty!

2000 Press Pass Brian Urlacher

Who is this? Chicago Bears assassin Brian Urlacher.

What is this? An autograph card from 2000 Press Pass.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack of 2000 Press Pass.

How much did it cost? 3 bucks for the pack I think.

Why is this so special? It's Brian Freaking Urlacher from his draft year. I was stoked to pull this out of a pack, I thought he would be one of the best players to come out of the draft. I was right! I was really into NFL draft picks sets in the late 90's and bought up a bunch of them at the time. Cards with the players in their college uniforms are pretty cool in my opinion. The past few years though I've given up on them. Three bucks for four cards just isn't a good deal and I have better ways to spend my cash. This sig from Urlacher is pretty sweet, it looks like he started signing when saw some guy carrying a football out of the corner of his eye. He hurried the last name and jumped up to pummel the guy. That'll teach you to carry a football around Urlacher!

2000 SA*GE Giovanni Carmazzi

Who is this? 49ers quarterback Giovanni Carmazzi.

What is this? An autograph card from 2000 SA*GE, card number A7. The card is serial numbered 554/999.

Where'd I get it? Bargain bin.

How much did it cost? A buck or so.

Why is this so special? Giovanni was a third round pick of the 49ers who spent a year on the bench without getting into a game. He bounced around NFL Europe and the CFL before retiring in 2005. Carmazzi is considered one of the busts of the 2000 draft, and was taken 134 players before Tom Brady. Giovanni is still a legend at Hofstra at least. SA*GE put their autos on these huge foil stickers that look pretty good on the card, but doesn't scan worth crap. Carmazzi has a simple, readable autograph with no nonsense junking it up. He also shortened his first name to Gio, a wise choice considering he had 999 of these to sign.

2006 Topps Chrome Darrell Rasner

Who is this? Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner.

What is this? An autograph card from 2006 Topps Chrome, card number 338.

Where'd I get it? Bargain bin.

How much did it cost? Not much.

Why is this so special? Originally out of the Expos organization, Rasner started six games for the Yankees last year. While he only went 1-3, he didn't embarrass himself either. Darrell is pretty far down the Yankees' depth chart, but could end up pitching in the bigs somewhere this season. I normally don't mind sticker autos, but they don't really work well on this design. The curve bumps it up into the photo and Topps would have been better off trying to get the sigs on the nice white space available under the photo. Darrell subscribes to the minimalist signature theory, and his auto consists of three lines, a curve, an arc and a backwards s. John Hancock it ain't.

1988 Score Mookie Wilson

Who is this? Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson.

What is this? An autographed 1988 Score card, number 474.

Where'd I get it? In a large autographed lot off of Yahoo.

How much did it cost? About a buck.

Why is this so special? MOOKIE!!!

2002 Studio Gabe Kapler

Who is this? Rangers outfielder Gabe Kapler.

What is this? An autograph card from 2002 Donruss Studio, card number 112. It is serial numbered 95/100.

Where'd I get it? I don't really know. Might have been a pack.

How much did it cost? No clue.

Why is this so special? It's not really surprising that Donruss went with the American Flag motif in 2002, it was pretty popular that year for some reason. It's a good looking set though, and Donruss did a few parallel sets (Donruss do parallel sets? No way!) that were autographed. This is one of those parallel sets, noted by the red foil logo, the serial numbering, the autograph sticker and notary public stamp on top of the sticker. Kapler is a decent fourth outfielder who is infamous for his many his shirtless photos on the interwebs. He had his best years with the Rangers before bouncing around to Colorado and Boston. After winning a championship with The Sox in '04, he signed to play in Japan, but got cut and was back in Boston late in the year. Kapler retired in 2006 and managed in the minors last year, but is attempting a comeback with the Brewers in '08. If he makes the team, the Brew crew will have two "Hebrew Hammers" patrolling the outfield with Kapler and Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun. Kapler is known as a tough player and good guy. This is a nice looking auto of a cool player, but it looks like Gabe forgot to finish out his last name.

2001 Topps Fusion Rocco Baldelli

Who is this? Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli.

What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Topps Fusion, card number FA31.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack I got from Target.

How much did it cost? 3 or 4 bucks, I don't remember how much those packs cost.

Why is this so special? Topps Fusion was a gimmicky product from 2001 that had cards from 4 or 5 different brands in the same pack. I think it was Topps Gold, Gallery, Stadium Club and something else. The cards weren't from the regular sets, this was a completely new set with cards that were kind of based on each set from that year. It was a stupid idea and was quickly forgotten. I still bought a few packs though and out of one of them was this autograph card. I didn't know who the hell Rocco was but it was a nice looking card of a prospect who had an easily recognizable name. I was happy when Rocco turned out to be a legit prospect and disappointed when he turned out to be made of glass. In the 06-07 baseball offseason, the Braves blog on AJC.com was buzzing all winter with rumors that Rocco would get traded to the Braves. It was some crazy package of Chuck James, Yunel Escobar, Jarrod Saltalamaccia and some one else if I remember correctly. Never happened, obviously. Thank God. If Rocco can stay healthy, he could do some real damage for the Rays. In the meantime at least I have a nice autograph on an obscure but good looking card.

1994 Signature Rookies Hiram Bocachica

Who is this? Expos prospect Hiram Bocachica.

What is this? An autograph card from 1994 Signature Rookies, card #21.

Where'd I get it? In a pack bought from Atlanta Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? Two bucks for the pack.

Why is this so special? This is the first autograph card I pulled from a pack. It wasn't a surprise, as every pack of these cards had an auto inside. The shop I bought it from had some packs for two bucks each and I bought one. In retrospect I should have bought more at two bucks a pack but I was in college, didn't have a whole lot of cash and wasn't terribly impressed by my pull. I tried following Hiram for a couple of years but he didn't make the show and I lost interest. To my surprise, he finally debuted in 2000 with the Dodgers and he put together an 8 year career in the bigs. He was the fringiest of fringe players to be sure, but he made it and was able to hang around at least. Good for you, Hiram. He will be playing in Japan for the Seibu Lions in 2008.

2002 In The Game Dany Heatley

Who is this? Senators winger Dany Heatley.

What is this? An autograph card from 2002 In the Game, card 139.

Where'd I get it? Ebay.

How much did it cost? Not sure. Under $20 though.

Why is this so special? I don't have any racing autographs so here's a hockey one instead. Dany is a big reason why I don't really follow hockey anymore. He was my absolute favorite player from the second the Thrashers drafted him. I remember when he was drafted - I was stuck at work and following the draft online. I was disappointed because I wanted the Thrashers to pick Dany and they had the second pick. The Islanders unexpectedly picked goalie Rick DiPietro instead of Dany and I was dancing in the cubes. Then came the accident, the lockout and all of a sudden he was gone. Off to lousy Ottawa. This is a "first signature card" and Dany's a superstar so it's probably worth some money, but to be honest I don't give a crap about it anymore. It'll probably go back in my hockey box to collect dust. Bummer of a post eh? Sorry about that, I thought this would be a cool card to post when I pulled it but I'm apparently more pissed off at the NHL then I realized. I'll post something nice tomorrow.

2005-2006 Topps Carmelo Anthony

Who is this? Nuggets Forward Carmelo Anthony.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005-2006 Topps, card ME-SM.

Where'd I get it? A pack I picked up at QuikTrip because they had no baseball cards.

How much did it cost? $1.99 for the pack.

Why is this so special? I blew it yesterday, so you get a special two-fer today. I used to pick up a pack of cards or two when filling up at the gas station. The past few years they have been kind of erratic with their cards though and they've finally stopped selling them altogether. A lot of times they didn't have baseball cards at all and I'd have to grab some other pack to get my ripping fix. One time I grabbed a pack of Topps Basketball for the heck of it. I opened it up and pulled this card. Not only that, I also pulled this card. That's right, a Carmelo Anthony and Shawn Marion autograph both in the same pack. What are the odds? I almost fell out of my chair when I pulled a Carmelo autograph, especially when there was another autograph in the same pack. A couple of years before I watch some guy drop literally thousands of dollars ripping tins of some high end product trying to pull a LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony autograph, and I just got one for two bucks when I filled up my tank and got a soda. Melo is holding some trophy in his photo, but I'm not exactly sure what it's for. I don't have a hell of a lot of basketball autos in the first place, and I find it amusing that I pulled two All-Stars out of a base product pack from a gas station. Carmelo's signature is simple and concise, and looks good on the hologram sticker.

2005-2006 Topps Shawn Marion

Who is this? Suns forward Shawn Marion.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005-2006 Topps, card ME-SM.

Where'd I get it? A pack I picked up at QuikTrip because they had no baseball cards.

How much did it cost? $1.99 for the pack.

Why is this so special? I blew it yesterday, so you get a special two-fer today. I used to pick up a pack of cards or two when filling up at the gas station. The past few years they have been kind of erratic with their cards though and they've finally stopped selling them altogether. A lot of times they didn't have baseball cards at all and I'd have to grab some other pack to get my ripping fix. One time I grabbed a pack of Topps Basketball for the heck of it. I opened it up and pulled this card. Not only that, I also pulled this card. That's right, a Shawn Marion and Carmelo Anthony autograph both in the same pack. What are the odds? I was most excited about Melo when I first opened it, but The Matrix is a pretty damn good player in his own right. Shawn was recently traded to the Heat in the Shaquille O'Neal deal. Shawn's signature it atrocious, there isn't even a hint of a S or M in that squiggle. The sticker it is on is different from the other Topps stickers I've see as well. It is gold and blue instead of the holographic silver they normally use. I'm not sure if this is a parallel or what, other than the sticker color it is no different from the Carmelo card.

1992 Topps Otis Nixon

Who is this? Braves outfielder Otis Nixon.

What is this? An autographed 1992 Topps card, number 340.

Where'd I get it? Given to me by my grandfather.

How much did it cost? Free.

Why is this so special? My grandfather was a salesman and continued to sell stuff out of his home through newspaper ads once he was retired. He met a lot of people doing this and met Otis Nixon's lawyer or agent one time while doing this. He apparently gave the guy a good deal, because he got this autographed card from him in appreciation. Otis was The Man, and I really wish he could have played in the '91 World Series. The ballpoint autograph is very clear and readable on the card. This card will always have a special place in my collection since it's from my grandfather.

1978 Topps Jerry Royster

Who is this? Braves infielder Jerry Royster.

What is this? An autographed 1978 Topps card, number 187.

Where'd I get it? In a trade with Kris, aka AlbukwirkE.

How much did it cost? Acquired in a trade.

Why is this so special? I helped Kris complete his 2007 A&G set and this card was a surprise in the package he sent me. Kris got a couple cards signed in person last summer and sent me the extra. This is a really sweet auto on a great card. I like the 1978 set if for no other reason than for the game on the back. Jerry's card is a strikeout though. Jerry played for the Braves for 10 years and was on many of the teams I grew up with. He was also on the 1976 Topps All Star Rookie team, maybe he'll get an insert card this year. Jerry became a coach when his playing days were done and has spent many years as a minor league manager. He also managed the Brewers for one year, which was technically not a minor league team at the time. He will be managing the Lotte Giants, and is the first American to manage in the Korean league.

2007 Bowman Heritage Sean Kazmar

Who is this? Padres shortstop Sean Kazmar.

What is this? An autograph card from 2007 Bowman Heritage, card number SG-SK.

Where'd I get it? Out of a blaster.

How much did it cost? Twenty bucks for the box , or $2.50 for the pack if you want to get technical about it.

Why is this so special? I pulled this auto out of a blaster of Bowman Heritage. It took me a while to decide on the Bowman or another box of TriStar, and the Bowman won out. I was rewarded with another hit. I was originally planning to buy another hobby box of Bowman Heritage, but it was so easy to pull a hit out of the blasters I ended up getting them instead. I still have my eye on a hobby box once I get my fill of 2008 products. I don't know much about Sean and it took me a while to stop thinking "Scott Kazmir" when I look at the card. Now I think of a Clash song, which isn't so bad I suppose. I still don't know much about Scott, I mean Sean, other than he's a AA middle infielder. The autograph is nice though, and I really dig the bat on his bat. I'm going to miss Bowman Heritage.

2005 Flair Steve Carlton

Who is this? Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Flair, number SS-SC. It is serial numbered 53/59.

Where'd I get it? Half-off bin from the local dealer.

How much did it cost? $15.

Why is this so special? Carlton has been a favorite of mine since the early 80's. I liked the Phillies and Mike Schmidt and I followed Carlton's chase for the home run record closely. I was really bummed when Lefty's career fizzled out with the Twins and Ryan blew past him. The resulting bitterness is probably why I never got all that into the Nolanmania of the early nineties. This card was in the half-off display case with a $30 sticker on it and I couldn't pass it up. The card itself is pretty blah, but it works well enough for an autograph card. Lots of nice, blank space for the autograph sticker. The autograph is pretty slick and it has a low, meaningless serial number. Who buys autograph cards for the serial number anyway?

1986 Topps Andre Reed

Who is this? Bills wide receiver Andre Reed.

What is this? An autographed 1986 Topps card, number 388.

Where'd I get it? An auction at a card shop in Salt Lake City Utah.

How much did it cost? $1.50.

Why is this so special? I used to travel every week for work, so I'd scout out the local card shops. In Salt Lake City somewhere on the south side, there was a shop that had a weekly auction where customers could put a lot on the wall and other customers would bid on it. I ended up going to Salt Lake for a few weeks so I would go during auction day. It was pretty fun, there were usually about 5-15 people wandering through the store outbidding each other at the last minute before time ran out. I got this card in a lot of four autograph cards I won at the store. They were all hand signed '86 Topps cards and I specifically bid on it for the Andre Reed. The Kutztown State alum, longtime Bill receiver and future Hall of Famer has a really big signature on this card. Great looking sig on a card from one of my favorite football sets.

2002 Topps Heritage Tom Brady

Who is this? Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

What is this? An autograph card from 2002 Topps Heritage, card HR-TB.

Where'd I get it? In a pack of '02 Heritage.

How much did it cost? Three bucks for the pack.

Why is this so special? It's a friggin' Tom Brady Autograph! So he lost, big deal. He is responsible for at least one championship this year. This came out of a pack of '02 Heritage that copied the 1957 Topps design. Brady managed to find a little bit of blank space in between the photos for his signature. This is one of the cards that inspired this blog. I have since found another autographed card that I'm even more embarrassed that I forgot I had. I'm saving it for a special occasion though. I've also decided that from now on I'm posting non-baseball autographs on weekends. I have a bunch of those too and I don't want to run out of baseball autos and post nothing but hockey cards I got out of a two dollar bin for a month.

2001 Bowman Pedro Liriano

Who is this? Mariners second baseman Pedro Liriano.

What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Bowman, card BA-PL.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack.

How much did it cost? Three bucks.

Why is this so special? Out of all the Bowman packs I bought in 2001, I didn't get a single Albert Pujols, but I did get this card. It was difficult to find information on this guy, there was a relief pitcher with the same name who pitched for Milwaukee and Philadelphia that kept interfering with my Google searches. The blurb on the back that Pedro hit .400 in the Arizona Fall League eventually helped me to track him down. After a great year for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2001, He didn't play at all in '02 and only played 43 more games in the minors. I don't know if he got injured or played in an independent league or what, he just sort of fell of the face of the earth. It's a shame too, he's got a really unique signature. The P is especially ornate for a baseball player's autograph, although I'm not sure what the PC- means at the end of the sig.

2001 Royal Rookies Ron Paulino

Who is this? Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino.

What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Royal Rookies, card #24. The card is serial numbered 3025/5950

Where'd I get it? In a large lot off autographs I won in an auction.

How much did it cost? Less than a buck.

Why is this so special? When I first got this card, Ron Paulino was nowhere on the prospect radar as far as I could tell. I filed it away as just another prospect auto that wouldn't pan out. Ron is now the Pirates' starting catcher. It just goes to show you have to be patient with these prospect autos. I can see why prospecting is so popular, it's a nice feeling when you look through your stuff and find a card like this of a minor leaguer who really made it. Ronny turns 27 this year and has the Pirates' catching job all to himself so he's definitely on my Fantasy league sleeper list for 2008. The signature on this card is simply spectacular. Ronny signed it so neatly right up the side of the border. I've never seen anyone else sign quite like that and I just love it.

1980 Topps Bruce Sutter

Who is this? Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter.

What is this? An autographed 1980 Topps card, number 17.

Where'd I get it? A card show in the late 80s.

How much did it cost? Two dollars.

Why is this so special? This is one of my first autographed cards, I got it from a dealer at a card show when I was a teenager. He had a binder full of autographed cards and was selling them for two bucks each. I picked Sutter because he had played for the Braves (albeit not very well). Now he's in the Hall of Fame, imagine that? The autograph on the card is remarkably like Sutter's actual signature.

1988 Topps Sparky Anderson

Who is this? Tigers manager Sparky Anderson.

What is this? An autographed 1988 Topps card, number 14.

Where'd I get it? In a repack tin from Target.

How much did it cost? Twenty bucks for the tin.

Why is this so special? A few years back Target had these tins filled with baseball cards they were selling alongside the blasters. They advertised one graded card, one autograph card and something like 200 cards for twenty bucks. I decided to try one out and bought it. The 200 cards were utter rubbish, mostly late 80's, early nineties junk if I recall correctly. The graded card was a Cal Ripken Ultra Gold Medallion card graded 10. Not too shabby. This card was the autographed card. When I pulled it I was a little confused, I expected a minor league autograph from Best or Just Minors since they were selling a lot of those at the time. This was really sweet, an auto of a Hall of Fame manager. This is one of his greatest cards too, featuring Sparky in full blown Jedi Mind Trick Mode. I can hear the conversation on the mound now:

Gassed Pitcher: Dammit coach! Don't pull me! I can get this guy out!
Sparky: (waves hand) You haven't got anything left...
Gassed Pitcher: i havent got anything left....
Sparky: (waves hand) It's time to go to the showers...
Gassed Pitcher: its time to go to the showers... (hands Sparky the ball)

Sparky went all out on this autograph too, he used every bit of that card. The card has a little COA sticker on the back, which looks odd on a 1988 Topps card. Still a great card, and completely unexpected from a repack box.

2007 Topps Anthony Lerew

Who is this? Braves pitcher Anthony Lerew.

What is this? An autograph card from 2007 Topps, card HA-AL.

Where'd I get it? Sports Card Alley.

How much did it cost? $5.

Why is this so special? I got this from my favorite dealer at the flea market this weekend. I found it in the 50% off case. It's an autograph of a Brave, so why not. Anthony Lerew was a top prospect for the Braves a few years ago, but has not fared well in the majors. This card features his first major league start on May 8th, when he took over Mark Redman's spot in the rotation. Unfortunately he got injured and had Tommy John surgery in June. Lerew probably won't be ready to go in 2008 and will have to fight for a spot in the bigs once he returns. I'm not sure what series this is from, it's probably series 2 or Updates and Highlights. I'm too lazy to look it up. Anthony's auto looks real good on the sticker.

1999 Fleer Mystique Tim Dwight

Who is this? Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Tim Dwight.

What is this? An autograph card from 1999 Fleer Mystique serial numbered 423/725

Where'd I get it? I have no earthly idea.

How much did it cost? I probably overpayed for it.

Why is this so special? The one special moment in that Super Bowl. The ONE moment I could look back on with pride, and I fell asleep. Argh.