2004 Topps Total Bobby Brownlie

Who is this? Bobby Brownlie, the Chicago Cubs first-round draft pick in 2002

What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Topps Total set

Where'd I get it? I'm not sure, but I think I got this signed through the mail when Brownlie played for the Iowa Cubs in 2005.

How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack, so just the postage.

Why is this so special? Chicago Cubs fans -- if they remember Brownlie at all -- will just think he was a draft pick that didn't pan out (7 future major leaguers, including Matt Cain, Joe Blanton, Jeff Francoeur and Mark Teahen were selected after Brownlie.)

In central New Jersey, it's a different story. In Brownlie was a star for Edison High School, and he went on to Rutgers where he continued to dominate. He was the MVP of the 2000 Big East Tournament and earned the cover of Baseball America's 2002 college preview issue.

Twice he's played for the Newark Bears, and both times he was able to use the opportunity to get signed by a AAA team. Maybe he'll still get a chance to pitch in the majors.

Brownlie's autograph is distinct, with two strong B's, though a few of the other letters are missing.

Brownlie's autograph may be the last one I post to the blog for a little while. For the past three months, I've shown an autograph nearly every day. I think I'm out of cards that I haven't posted somewhere, and a few of the ones I've used in January have already been seen on my personal blog.

When I get new autographs, I will continue to post them here if they're not Mets cards. There shouldn't be a multi-month gap between posts again, but I can't keep the post-a-day schedule any longer.