1997 Collectors' Choice Tiki Barber

Who is this? Former New York Giants' Running Back Tiki Barber.
What is this? An autograph card from 1997 Collectors' Choice.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed in 2001 when the NFC Champion New York Giants practiced against the New England Patriots at Bryant College in Rhode Island.
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack of 1997 Collectors' Choice when I was 9 years-old.

Why is this so special? Tiki Barber is the New York Giants all-time rushing and receptions leader and was a three-time All-Pro running back. Barber shocked many Giants' fans when he chose to retire from football in 2006 after rushing for 1,662 yards and 5 TDs in his final season. However, after four seasons away from football, Barber is attempting a comeback to football for the 2011 season.

What makes this autograph so special is how well Barber signed it. In all of my years of autograph collecting, Tiki's signature is easily one of the best-looking and clear autographs that I have ever seen. It is also memorable because the Giants players were much nicer about signing than the Patriots players, even though we were almost all New England fans.

1997 Leaf Signature John Cangelosi

Who is this? former Houston Astros outfielder John Cangelosi
What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature set
Where'd I get it? I bought it on CheckOutMyCards.com last year
How much did it cost? I don't remember, but it was probably between $1-$3


Why is this so special? Cangelosi, a Brooklyn native, is one of the shortest players I ever saw in major league baseball at 5'8" When 6'10" future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson made his debut in 1988 with the Montreal Expos, Cangelosi was the first batter he faced -- it must have been quite a sight.

Cangelosi played for 7 different teams during a 13-year major league career. He appeared in the most games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but I wanted his autograph because he was a New York Met in 1994. Centerfield Maz recaps a mound-charging moment that has to be the most memorable event from Cangelosi's brief time in New York. (Fortunately, my own memories of the 1994 season have grown hazy over time.)

Cangelosi included almost all of the letters of his last name in his autograph, but just went with his first initial. I would have been more tempted to sign "John C"

1997 Bowman R.A. Dickey

Who is this? Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Bowman set
 
Where'd I get it? A trade with Pete27  

How much did it cost? I gave up a Brian Reith autograph to get it.  

Why is this so special? R.A. Dickey will make his Mets debut in less than an hour, taking over Oliver Perez's roster spot. Dickey will be the first starting pitcher in Mets history who goes by initials, and he'll be one of a very few knuckleballers to take the hill for the Metrolpolitans.

Aside from a spring training appearance or two, I've only watched R.A. Dickey pitch once. That one game was a gem. After giving up a leadoff single, Dickey set a Buffalo Bisons record by setting down the next 27 batters in order. SNY really picked a great game to broadcast!

The Mets will be Dickey's fourth major league team. He made his debut with the Rangers in 2001. He also pitched for Seattle and Minnesota. He's got a 22-28 lifetime major league record with a 5.43 ERA.

I can't really make out any letters in the signature, but that's not exactly unusual with modern players.

1997 Leaf Signature Series Mike Stanton

Who is this? Mike Stanton, a former relief pitcher

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? At the card show last weekend.

How much did it cost? $2. The guy I bought this from had some more Leaf Signature Series cards, but you'll be spared another run of obscure 1990s ballplayers like I had in November. After buying the Johan Santana card I posted Monday, I didn't have a lot of cash left.

Why is this so special? Mike Stanton spent 19 years in the majors, and he appeared in 1,178 games. At various points in his career, he was a setup man, a closer and a lefty specialist. He even started one game for the Yankees in 1999.

Stanton appeared in six World Series and won three rings. He made the All-Star team once, in 2001. Most will remember Stanton as a Yankee or a Brave, since those were the two teams where he enjoyed the most success. He also pitched for the Red Sox, the Rangers, the Mets, the Nationals, the Giants and the Reds.

Stanton's autograph is a little sloppy on this card, but it's pretty cool. You can almost make out all the letters in his name, and he's got a neat way of connecting the "S" and "t" in his last name.

1997 Bowman Sam Marsonek

Who is this? Sam Marsonek, a former pitcher for the New York Yankees

What is this? An autograph card from the 1997 Bowman set

Where'd I get it? I got the card signed at a Somerset Patriots game in 2007

How much did it cost? The card was probably a quarter or so; the autograph was free

Why is this so special? Sam Marsonek was the Texas Rangers' first round draft pick in 1996. He was traded to the Yankees in exchange for Chad Curtis in 1999.

Marsonek's major league career began on a Sunday afternoon in July 2004. He came in to finish a blowout victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Four outs later, Marsonek's major league career was over.

In 2007, Marsonek pitched for the Somerset Patriots in a final bid to get back to the majors. He got a contract from the Washington Nationals organization for the 2008 season, but he was apparently cut during spring training.

I'm not sure how I'd handle it if I spent all those years trying to get to the majors and my chance was over after facing just six batters. On the one hand, he can say that he got to pitch off the mound at Yankee Stadium -- not many people can. On the other hand, it would be awfully hard not to think about what might have been.

Marsonek's autograph is a simplified S_M_k, which he could sign quite quickly.

1997 Leaf Signature Series Mike Maddux

Who is this? Mike Maddux, former pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos and Houston Astros

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? This month's baseball card show

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? This is the last of the Leaf Signature Series cards I picked up at this month's card show. So I won't have any more to post unless I find another group of them next month. :)

Mike Maddux is the elder brother of future Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux. He spent parts of 15 seasons in the big leagues, finishing with a 39-37 lifetime record and a 4.05 ERA. After he retired as a player, Maddux went into coaching. He is now the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers.

As I noted yesterday, the Leaf Signature Series cards are well-designed to showcase the players' autographs.

1997 Leaf Signature Series Mike Magnante

Who is this? Mike Magnante, a former reliever for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, Anaheim Angels and Oakland Athletics

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? This month's baseball card show

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? Mike Magnante spent parts of 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily as a middle reliever. According to his Wikipedia entry, Magnante once struck out the side on nine pitches.

Donruss undoubtedly overestimated the value that collectors would place on autographed cards of players like Magnante, but they designed some nice cards that really showcase the autograph. And the players -- for the most part -- made sure to sign them with nice, clear autographs. Magnante is no exception.

1997 Leaf Signature Series Jorge Brito

Who is this? Jorge Brito, a former catcher for the Colorado Rockies

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? This month's baseball card show

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? There's not much to say about Jorge Brito. He was a backup catcher for the 1995 & 1996 Colorado Rockies teams, but he only appeared in 26 Major League games. His lifetime numbers are a .185 batting average, no home runs and seven RBI.

Brito spent 14 seasons as a pro, beginning in 1986 with the Medford A's and finishing with the Louisville RiverBats in 1999. He had over 2,200 minor league at-bats, finishing with a .240 lifetime average, 51 home runs and 276 RBI. That's a lot of baseball for what turned out to be a pretty brief shot.

Brito's signature is legible, but it's an interesting mix of cursive and printed characters.

1997 Leaf Signature Series Alex Arias

Who is this? Alex Arias, a former infielder for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? This month's baseball card show

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? Alex Arias was an original Florida Marlin, acquired in an expansion draft-day trade with the Cubs, along with Gary Scott, for Greg Hibbard. He is one of just two original Marlins who were still in Florida when the Marlins won the 1997 World Series. That's not bad for a utility infielder who never had more than 390 at-bats in a season.

Arias clearly took the time to write all of the letters in his name, but he doesn't have a particularly neat signature. Then again, neither would I if I had to sign a few thousand baseball cards. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

1997 Leaf Signature Series Alex Diaz

Who is this? Alex Diaz, a former journeyman outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros

What is this? An autographed card from the 1997 Leaf Signature Series

Where'd I get it? It was another purchase from this month's baseball card show

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? Alex Diaz started his career in the Mets minor league system in 1987. He was traded to the Expos in 1991 in a minor deal, and they flipped him to the Brewers later that year in another minor move. Milwaukee finally gave him the chance to play in the majors in 1992.

In 1995, Diaz appeared in 103 regular season games for the Seattle Mariners and six playoff games. He hit .247 with three home runs and 27 RBI. He also stole 18 bases. It was his best season in the big leagues.

Diaz briefly returned to the Mets system in 1997, but he never appeared in a major league game for New York. In parts of 8 seasons in the majors, Diaz appeared in a total of 366 games, hitting .239 with 8 home runs and 75 RBI.

Diaz has an interesting autograph -- it almost looks like he tried to draw a face in the "D"

1997 Donruss Signature Series Michael Tucker

Who is this? Braves outfielder Michael Tucker.

What is this? An autograph card from 1997 Donruss Signature Series, Millennium Marks serial number 0300.

Where'd I get it? Who knows?

How much did it cost? Couldn't have been that much.

Why is this so special? Michael Tucker was hot as anything in 1993 or 1994. I remember seeing his rookie cards all over the place. He was the Next Big Star! Him and Mike Kelly. I ignored him because he was a Royal and bought up all the Mike Kelly cards before he became a Star. Mike flopped and Tucker was traded to the Braves in 1997. So of course I snagged as many of Michael's cards as I could get my hands on. He had a good year with the Braves in 1997, an ok one in '98 and then got shipped off to the Reds with Denny Neagle. The only problem with this is that we gave up Jermaine Dye to get Tucker, and received Bret Boone from the Reds in return. OUCH. And this wasn't the 37 homer Mariners Boone, this was the hitting .252 stinkerooni Boone. So yeah, that didn't work out too well. Tucker had a decent career although he never came close to the star status predicted. He still lasted 12 years in the bigs as a platoon outfielder and had one last hurrah with the Mets in the 2006 NLCS. Plus he's fondly remembered by Royals fans apparently. I'm not sure where I got this, I probably paid too much for it in any case. It's still a Braves auto with a nice sig with the uni number inscription. It's got numbers stamped on the back too, wheee!