1982 Topps Bob Tufts

Who is this? Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Bob Tufts
What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Topps set
Where'd I get it? Nick from Baseball Happenings got it signed for me last month.

Why is this so special? Bob Tufts is the least famous of the three players pictured on the San Francisco Giants Future Stars card in the 1982 Topps set.

He appeared in 11 games out of the bullpen for the Giants in 1981, but by the time this card came out he had been traded to the Kansas City Royals in a 6-player deal. With the Royals, Tufts appeared in 10 games and earned his only two major league decisions in 1982 - both victories. He appeared in 6 more games in 1983, but never threw another major league pitch after that.

Tufts has a New Jersey connection - he is an alumni of Princeton.

While he does have a legible (if tiny) signature, Tufts chose the worst place to sign this card. I guess he didn't like the photo.

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.

1982 Fleer Doug DeCinces

Who is this? Doug DeCinces, a third baseman for the the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels in the 1970s and 80s

What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Fleer set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to DeCinces and asked him to sign it. I got it back about 10 days later.

How much did it cost? Postage, basically.

Why is this so special? Doug DeCinces who had to follow Brooks Robinson as the Baltimore Orioles' third baseman. While it couldn't have been an easy task, DeCinces did it well enough to get inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Over his 15 year career, DeCinces accumulated over 1500 hits, 237 home runs and over 800 RBI. He was an All-Star in 1983 and he won the Silver Slugger in 1982.

There aren't many fans of the early 1980s Fleer sets. There were a ton of errors and variations, and the photo quality really isn't all that it should be in a major league set. But that's part of the charm for me.

Most of the shots in the 1982 set don't really look like the work of professional photographers. They remind me more of the photos a fan might take with consumer-level equipment. Can't you imagine some fan with a field access pass asking DeCinces to pose for a quick photo when you see the shot on this card?

DeCinces has a reasonably neat autograph, but it looks a little cramped.

1982 Fleer Lonnie Smith

Who is this? Lonnie Smith, a former outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves

What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Fleer set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Smith a couple of weeks ago and asked him to sign it.

How much did it cost? Just postage.

Why is this so special? Lonnie Smith was a member of the 1980 World Series Champion Phillies. Though he was only a part time player, he had a good enough season to finish third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Smith hit .339 with 3 home runs, 20 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 100 games.

Smith was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1982 season. He had an All-Star year for his new team, hitting .309 with 8 home runs, 69 RBI and 68 stolen bases. He led the league with 120 runs scored.

Smith had another good season in 1983, but his star was beginning to fade by 1984. He soon found himself on a new team, the Kansas City Royals.

Lonnie Smith has a surprisingly neat autograph, though this one is a little bit smudged. You don't see that too often on 1982 Fleer cards.

1982 Topps Jeff Reardon

Who is this? Expos pitcher Jeff Reardon.

What is this? An autographed 1982 Topps card, card number 667.

Where'd I get it? I think a card show, but I'm not entirely sure.

How much did it cost? A couple bucks maybe.

Why is this so special? I don't want to get into Jeff's history because it's sad. Let's just say that even if you're a dominant closer that doesn't mean you won't have problems. Jeff actually had a short stint with the Braves in the playoff run of '92. I'm not going to get into that either because it's more sadness, at least for Braves fans. I'm still glad to remember him in a Braves uni, because he is still one of the great closers from the 80's. If the Hall of Fame ever gets generous and decides to let a flood of closers in, Jeff would probably go in wearing this Expos hat. He won the Rolaids Relief award with the 'Spos in 1985 as the best 'fireman' but his '82 and '88 seasons were statistically his best. Other than one pitch, Jeff was pretty damn dominating in his brief stint with the Braves as well. Reardon won a championship as the Twins' closer in '87. I think I got this card from a show at the Cobb Civic center a long time ago but I can't remember to tell the truth. It's a nice sig though, and you have the facsimile signature to compare it with right underneath.