2005 Bazooka Wily Mo Pena

Who is this? Arizona Diamondbacks non-roster invitee Wily Mo Pena
What is this? An autographed 2005 Topps Bazooka card
Where'd I get it? Pena signed it last year during a Newark Bears game.
How much did it cost? The unsigned card came out of a pack.

Why is this so special? Wily Mo Pena was once a highly-regarded prospect. He played in two All Star Futures Games, and represented the Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He has playing in over 500 major league games.

Last season, Pena spent part of the season with the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League. If I recall correctly, he wasn't in the lineup on the day that I went. He was one of the last players out of the clubhouse, coming out after the national anthem, so I didn't think he would sign autographs. He surprised me, though; he kept signing even after the game started. Of course, his autograph isn't very pretty (I do think he signed the card longways.)

Here's my other one, a 2003 Fleer Tradition card.

2005 Topps Brandon Sing

Who is this? Sioux Falls Pheasants outfielder Brandon Sing
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps set
Where'd I get it? From Zach, who likely got it signed at an American Association game this summer.


Why is this so special? Brandon Sing was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 20th round of the 1999 draft. He advanced through the minor leagues, and hit enough home runs in 2004 to convince Topps to include him in their 2005 set. But he never made it past AAA and was out of affiliated baseball by 2008.

Last year, Sing played for the Bridgeport Bluefish. I saw them play more than a dozen times, including three trips to Bridgeport, but I don't think I ever got him to sign a card for my collection. He hit .305 with 23 home runs and 94 RBI last year.

Sing did not return to Bridgeport this year, instead opting to play for the Sioux Falls Pheasants in 2010. His autograph is about as legible as most modern ballplayers.

2005 Topps Total Scott Spiezio

Who is this? Former Seattle Mariners infielder Scott Spiezio
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps Total set
 
Where'd I get it? Spiezio signed it for me after warmups at a Newark Bears game earlier this year.
 
How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack.
 
Why is this so special? Scott Spiezio, son of former major leaguer Ed Spiezio, spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues. He has 996 hits, 119 home runs, 549 RBI and two World Series rings.

In 2005, Spiezio's second with the Mariners, he appeared in just 29 games. He was 3-for-47, though one of those hits was a solo home run.

Spiezio began the 2010 season with the Newark Bears, but is no longer listed on the roster. It's possible that he has decided to retire from baseball.

Of the four cards Spiezio signed for me this year, this is the most rushed signature.

2005 BBM 1st Version Luis Lopez

Who is this? Bridgeport Bluefish third baseman Luis Lopez

What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 BBM 1st Version set

Where'd I get it? Lopez signed it for me before a game between the Bluefish and Bears in Newark earlier this year.

How much did it cost? Around $3.

Why is this so special? Luis Lopez had a brief major league career, playing 41 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2001 and 11 games for the Montreal Expos in 2004. For the past three seasons, he's played for the Bridgeport Bluefish, which is where I've seen him play.

Lopez also played in Mexico and spent the 2005 season playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese Pacific League. The Golden Eagles joined the league to fill the void left when the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes merged after the 2004 season.

I'd love to tell you how Lopez did for the Golden Eagles in 2005, but Baseball Reference doesn't have them and the stats pages at JapaneseBaseball.com have been undergoing renovation forever.

Yesterday, I posted my 2nd Version Luis Lopez card. I'm not quite sure why I'm posting them backwards, but then again I'm a bit confused by the whole 1st and 2nd version concept. I'm used to players only getting a second card in a later series if they were traded early during the year (or late during the offseason).

Lopez's autograph didn't come out quite as nicely on this card, but it's still better looking than some I've gotten this year.

2005 BBM 2nd Version Luis Lopez

Who is this? Bridgeport Bluefish third baseman Luis Lopez

What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 BBM 2nd Version set

Where'd I get it? Lopez signed it for me before a game between the Bluefish and Bears in Newark earlier this year.

How much did it cost? Around $3.

Why is this so special? Luis Lopez had a brief major league career, playing 41 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2001 and 11 games for the Montreal Expos in 2004. For the past three seasons, he's played for the Bridgeport Bluefish, which is where I've seen him play.

Lopez also played in Mexico and spent the 2005 season playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese Pacific League. The Golden Eagles joined the league to fill the void left when the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes merged after the 2004 season.

This spring, I spent a little time looking for interesting items for some of the Atlantic League veterans to add to my collection, so I bought a pair of Lopez's Japanese baseball cards with the idea that I could get them autographed. Lopez, ever the gentleman, signed both of them for me earlier this year.

A few minutes later, he came back over and asked where I had gotten them. He never received copies of his cards - I'm not sure if he'd even gotten to see those particular cards before. I promised that I'd try locate them for him -- if he'd said something before signing the cards, I would have given him the ones I had.

Fortunately, the eBay seller I had purchased them from had a couple more. I bought them, and gave them to Lopez last week when the Bluefish were back in Newark. In appreciation, he gave me an autographed bat.

Lopez has a fairly stylized autograph, but it's one of the nicer ones I've gotten recently.

2005 Donurss Adam Loewen

Who is this? former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Donruss set
 
Where'd I get it? Loewen signed it for me before Sunday's game between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Trenton Thunder in Trenton
 
How much did it cost? I'm pretty sure I got the card out of a pack.
 
Why is this so special? Adam Loewen was the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft, the highest spot a Canadian player has ever been selected. He was once considered the top prospect in the Orioles' farm system.

In 2006, Loewen played for Canada in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Later that year, he made his major league debut with the Orioles. He made 19 starts in his rookie season, finishing the year with a 6-6 record and a 5.37 ERA.

In 2007 and 2008, Loewen missed a substantial amount of time due to injury. During the 2008 season, he made the decision to give up pitching.

Loewen's autograph looks like nothing more than some loops and scribbles, but I do give him credit for signing for everybody who asked.

2005 Topps Total Daryle Ward

Who is this? Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daryle Ward

What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps Total set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a Newark Bears game earlier this year

How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack of Topps Total, purchased in 2005. I really don't remember how much they went for.

Why is this so special? Ward spent parts of 11 seasons in the majors and currently has 90 big league home runs. He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh, 2004 and 2005. During that time, he hit for the cycle -- becoming part of the only father-son tandem to accomplish the feat.

He also was the first player to hit a home run completely out of PNC Park in Pittsburgh and into the Allegheny River, though he was not playing for the Pirates at the time.

Ward has one of the best-looking autographs I've gotten this year.

(Don't forget to enter the Auto-Matic for the People contest if you haven't already.)

2005 Topps D'Angelo Jimenez

Who is this? Former Newark Bears middle infielder D'Angelo Jimenez.

What is this? An autograph card from the 2005 Topps set.

Where'd I get it? In person before a Bears game last season.

How much did it cost? The card cost around 50 cents.

Why is this so special? D'Angelo played 8 years in the major leagues, starting with the Yankees in 1999. Throughout his career, he played for 7 different big league teams; the Yankees, Padres, White Sox, Reds, Rangers, A's, and Nationals. He had a career batting average of .263, with 568 hits, 228 RBIs, and 36 home runs.

Last season was his first season in the Atlantic League. He played in 38 games for Newark, batting .326 while collecting 47 hits.

D'Angelo's signature used to be longer and more detailed, but it is understandable that he shortened it. He has probably signed thousands of autographs in his career. He has an interesting way of signing the D in his first name, but I like his signature because it's short and recognizable.

2005 Topps Brett Harper

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers first baseman Brett Harper
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed between games of Wednesday's doubleheader between the Newark Bears and the Lancaster Barnstormers
 
How much did it cost? I think I came by this card in a trade, but I really don't remember.
 
Why is this so special? Brett Harper is the son of former Minnesota Twins catcher Brian Harper.

The younger Harper was the Mets' 45th round draft pick in 2000, and I get the feeling that the team never really expected him to do much.

Yet he hit at nearly every level of the minors. In 2004, he was the team MVP for the St. Lucie Mets and he was named to the Florida State League All-Star Game, though he was unable to play because he'd been promoted to Binghamton.

In 2005, he split the season between St. Lucie and Binghamton again, hitting a combined 36 home runs. He missed a good part of the 2006 season, but Harper returned to All-Star form in 2007 for Binghamton. Then the Mets let him go as a minor league free agent.

In 2008, Harper played for Fresno in the Giants' organization. Last year, he played for Las Vegas (Blue Jays) and Albuquerque (Dodgers) and this spring, he had a training camp invitation from the Red Sox.

Yet somehow, he's playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers and hoping that someone will give him one more shot. Harper will turn 29 in a few months, so he's not likely to be a star - or even a regular - in the majors. Still, I'm surprised he never got more of a shot.

Harper's autograph isn't the greatest - I can make out the "B," but that's about it. Topps didn't choose the greatest photo for his card, either.

2005 Topps Update & Highlights Mike Costanzo

Who is this? Mike Costanzo, third baseman for the Camden Riversharks 


What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps Update & Highlights set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before the opening night game between the Camden Riversharks and Newark Bears last week.

How much did it cost? I probably got the card out of a pack.

Why is this so special? Costanzo was the 65th player selected in the 2005 amateur draft and was once regarded as a top prospect by both the Phillies and the Astros. He has been part of trades for Brad Lidge and Miguel Tejada, and he represented Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Unfortunately, his plate discipline has left a lot to be desired. For his career, he's averaged over a strikeout per game. That's probably why he's playing for the Riversharks this year.

Costanzo was fairly friendly when I asked him to sign the card, so I wished him luck. His second at bat of the game, he hit a grand slam. Oops. :)

He has a pretty nice signature for a modern player.

2005 Somerset Patriots Giveaway Ryan Radmanovich

Who is this? Ryan Radmanovich, a former major league outfielder with the Seattle Mariners

What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Somerset Patriots giveaway set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a Somerset Patriots game in 2005

How much did it cost? Nothing. Both the card and autograph were free.

Why is this so special? Ryan Radmanovich played in 25 games for the Seattle Mariners in 1998, but he had a much more extensive minor league career. In 17 seasons, he hit 269 minor league home runs.

Radmanovich was the starting right fielder for the Canadian Olympic team in 2004, and he played for Team Canada in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006.

He spent five seasons with the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League and holds a number of team records. He was honored as a member of the Somerset Patriots All-Time team in 2008.

Radmanovich has an interesting autograph. The open loops at the top of the initial "R" and the "h" are unusual.

2005 Donruss Mariano Gomez

Who is this? Indians pitcher Mariano Gomez.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Donruss, card number 32.

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

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

Why is this so special? Mariano is now pitching for the Twins' organization in Triple-A Rochester. He's a lefty reliever with decent stats this year, so there's always a chance he could make his debut soon. Until then, I don't have a whole lot to say about him. With the sorry state of pitching in the league you have to think that an effective lefty would get a chance to pitch in someone's bullpen sooner or later. It's a decent looking card, I like the shiny holo stickers for autographs. At least you can see the sig unlike with that Marlon Byrd card. The signature starts off strong and then devolves into weirdness for some reason. One day I need to buy a pack of Avery labels and sign every dang one of them so I can feel the pain of these poor prospects that are leaned on so heavily for autograph inserts nowadays.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball Mark Romanczuk

Who is this? Team USA pitcher Mark Romanczuk.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball I think. I'm pretty sure this is from the Team USA box set, but UD sprinkles Team USA cards all over their products so I'm not sure. Card numer J-34, serial numbered 028/275.

Where'd I get it? Atlanta Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? Three buckaroonis.

Why is this so special? It's Olympics time, so I felt compelled to post a Team USA autograph. Unfortunately I traded away my only one a few months ago. Oops. I had a meeting for work yesterday though, which means I had an excuse to hit my favorite cross-town card shop and pick up some goodies without feeling guilty for burning all the gas it takes to get there. So who is he? Mark is a lefty hurler who played college ball for Stanford (apparently when he was 4 years old according to the Baseball Cube). He was drafted by the Diamondbacks, missed the 2006 season with an injury to his ulnar nerve, and now is pitching for the St. Paul Saints. Mark's signature is scraggly but bold, very appropriate for a lefty. I'm wondering how this card was manufactured now that I look at it. It looks like the card was originally two cards, one die cut for the auto and jersey and the other with a blank side. UD must have had Mark sign the blank side, then glued the jersey swatch above it and finally glued the two halves together. The devious part of my brain wants to pull out the X-acto knife and reverse engineer this card, but so far I have been able to restrain myself.

2005 Fan Favorites Mark Lemke

Who is this? Mr. Dirt himself, the immortal Mark Lemke.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Topps Fan Favorites, card number FFA-MLE.

Where'd I get it? Boston Sports Cards offa eBay.

How much did it cost? $5.99 with FREE SHIPPING MOJO!

Why is this so special? I'm a little bit in love with Mark Lemke. He's the hero of the stolen 1991 World Series, subject of the greatest card ever, inspiration for the Homestar Runner cartoon, his career is most similar to Sibby Sisti's and he is now one of the Braves broadcast crew who get me through many a long night at work. These guys did a better job summing up his career than I could so go there for a full bio.

This is my first certified Lemmer signature, mainly because this is his only certified signature. I found this out by poking around in Beckett's alphabetical checklist. I have an old copy from the early '00s that is mostly useless nowadays. There have been so damn many cards released in this century that the old book is the size of one of the old Sport Americana Annual price guides while the latest one is the size of the Yellow Pages from a large city. Beckett offers player checklists online now so there's probably not going to be another phone book put out for a long time, but I'm the kind of guy who likes ruffling through a lot of pages when I do research. The last time I was at the local card shop, I snuck a peek at their copy of the book. It had all the cards up till 1998 that were in the old book, and his 2005 Fan Favorites cards. That's it. Lemmer's been in one release since he retired. He's not even in any team issues sets. It's a travesty! Of course this means if I want to become the Mark Lemke Supercollector, I can use my old book as a checklist which is cool. I've got a start on his 2005 releases here now. If it weren't for those goddamn press plates, ould actually maybe pull off getting one of every Lemmer card. I've got the autograph though, which is better than an old hunk o' tin.

2005 Fan Favorites Frank Robinson

Who is this? Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Topps Fan Favorites, card number FFA-FR.

Where'd I get it? Champion Sports Cards, from a pack.

How much did it cost? How much were packs of this stuff anyway? Three or four bucks I think.

Why is this so special? Ok, I haven't gotten off to a good start this month. Don't expect to see another auto 'till next week either save some miracle. To make up for my slack here's an auto of Frank Robinson. There's maybe a handful of people who have had anywhere near the kind of baseball career Frank has. I think this might be a short print too, but who gives a crap. It's Frank Robinson. Short prints do not make him special, Frank makes him special. Go here to learn more about Frank if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Frank freakin' Robinson, man... Cards like this pulled out of packs mean I should not be griping about my luck ever.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Chone Figgins

Who is this? Angels jack of all trades Chone Figgins.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Diamond Kings, card number 7. The card is serial numbered 155/200.

Where'd I get it? Flea market dude.

How much did it cost? Seven bucks if I recall correctly.

Why is this so special? It's an autograph, bat and jersey piece card, that's pretty special I guess. Figgins is a pretty good player, a 60 steal guy in an era where speedsters are rare, and can play just about anywhere on the field. I've been a fan of Chone for a while, he's from Georgia and I was following his career early on when I picked up a couple of his rookies cheap. These kind of cards stuffed with relics and a signature are commonplace now, but this is the first one that I picked up. There were rumors that he might have been traded to the Braves to replace Andruw floating around for a while this offseason, but nothing ever came of them. It's still a nifty looking card even if it has been rendered dirt common by legions of hundred dollar and up per pack products. I dig Chones' C-squiggle-F-squiggle-dot-dot signature too. You can see a smiling face on the right if youuse your imagination. The most special thing about this is that I have managed to post a card every day this month. Hooray for me!

2005 Donruss Yadier Molina

Who is this? Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

What is this? A 2004 Studio autograph card inserted into 2005 Donruss. I'll explain later. Card number is 241 and it is serial numbered 083/100.

Where'd I get it? Not entirely sure.

How much did it cost? If I got it from a pack, three bucks. If not, who knows.

Why is this so special? In 2005, Donruss inserted 50 2004 Studio 'update' cards into their base brand packs. The cards had 2004 Studio stamped on them as well as a 2004 copyright date. The only way to distinguish these update cards from the regular '04 Studio cards is by the card number. [edit- I goofed] Numbers 1-200 are from 2004 Studio, 201-250 are the '05 inserts. There was a parallel autograph version called "Private Signings" and this is one of those parallels. They are sneaky, even the authentic signature impression on the sticker reads 2004. I got fooled the first time I posted one of these cards, thinking it was from 2004.

Everyone in St. Louis and half the people in New York know why Yadier is special. His home run in game 7 of the 2006 NLCS sent the Mets packing and put the Cardinals in the World Series. He's only hit 27 other homers in his 5 years with the Cards so he definitely has a good sense of timing. His brothers Bengie and Jose are also catchers in the majors and like Yadier have earned World Series championship rings. Yadier got absolutely hammered in a collision at the plate with Eric Bruntlett in a game on June 15th, but he's already back in the lineup for the Cards. Catchers are tough sonofaguns. This would be a dream card for any Cardinal fans, with the playoff hero posing with the Gateway Arch in the background. Like our buddy Miguel Montero (and Abe for that matter) Yadier has a pretty cryptic signature. m0_y0. It looks good though, I wish I had a funky signature like that.

2005 Sweet Spot Classic Phil Niekro

Who is this? Philip Henry Niekro, the finest knuckleballer to ever knuck a ball.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Sweet Spot Classic, card number PN.

Where'd I get it? Champion Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? $16.

Why is this so special? The scan sucks, but the card looks great. That's supposed to be copper foil on the front but after three scans I gave up on it looking like anything but mud. The ball is white, the stitches are red and there's a nice blue ballpoint signature right on the sweet spot of course. The ballpoint is key here as anyone who has ever watched their hero sign on a leather ball with a sharpie can attest. This is my third Knucksie auto on a ball, One is on an American League ball and the other was signed in blue sharpie in person so I don't mind the smudge. Phil was my favorite pitcher when I was a kid so Knucksie autos always welcome in my house.

I got this at the local card shop today. There wasn't anything I was really looking for, if I wasn't out running errands in the area already I probably wouldn't have gone. I found a Chipper card I didn't have, picked up the Trading Card History giveaway cards for the week an looked through the wax. Topps series 2 - meh. UD series 2 - I like retail better. SPX - $19 a pack, oh joy. They had Chrome packs for three bucks each or 6 for $17. The box of Chrome was was sitting on the autograph case so I absentmindedly looked in the case. They had a Brooks Robinson auto card for $18. Shameful, concidering the Chrome autographs of nobody prospects hiding in the box will book for at least that. I saw Phil and did a double take. Knucksie apparently got promoted from the Braves ghetto into the top shelf of 'good' autograph cards. the price tag said $20 and there was a 20% off sale. Sooo... I could get a pack of SPX or a handful of Chrome and chase an auto of God knows who, or get the signature of my childhood hero. Tough choice.

2005 Topps Finest Jake Stevens

Who is this? Braves pitcher Jake Stevens.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Topps Finest, card number FA-JST.

Where'd I get it? EBay auction.

How much did it cost? Would you believe a quarter?

Why is this so special? Yeah, I know. An autograph for a quarter? A refractor autograph for a quarter? I shiny, pretty, red and blue with little diamonds all over it refractor autograph for a quarter? And it's a Brave! What's up with this? Jake Stevens was a third round pick of the Braves back in 2003. He had a fantastic year for A-Ball Rome in 2004, winning 9 games and striking out over a batter an inning. In 2005 he hit all the top prospect lists (and check out the names on that linked list, holy frijoles!) and had 'rookie' cards all over the place in '05 card issues. He technically was in Upper Deck's prospect premieres set in '03, but those don't count this week. As his card issues went up, so did his ERA. He also had disciplinary issues, and got suspended and demoted. He still managed to pitch one game in Triple-A Richmond last year, getting a win in long relief. After that though all news dried up on 'ol Jake, which is strange for a 23 year old former top prospect. After some digging I found this link that stated he retired after getting suspended (or maybe cut) from the team last year. I got some confirmation on a autograph hunter blog, and if anyone would know they would. I guess that's why it was a quarter. It's still a Brave, and it's still shiny and it's still signed so who cares.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball Stephen Kahn

Who is this? Team USA pitcher Stephen Kahn.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball, card number S-38.

Where'd I get it? Atlanta Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? A buck.

Why is this so special? This is how far behind I am on this site - I already gave this card away in a contest. The scan is still on my hard drive so it's fair game for the blog as far as I'm concerned. The card shop I bought this from would probably be my regular shop if I lived on the East instead of the West side of town. The extra 35 minutes driving (at $3.89 a gallon yet) makes it a once every other month type trip, but it's worth it. Tons of cheap boxes and cheaper single cards. They even have monster boxes of junk commons for 10 to 15 bucks a pop, but I haven't been brave enough to pick one up yet. They have an autogamer binder on the counter with a bunch of cards ranging from a buck to 10 bucks. Each time I go I try to pick out a couple dollar autographs for the heck of it. This is one of the cards I picked out. It looked cool at the time but I guess it wasn't quite cool enough to keep. I think it found a good home at any rate.

I really don't know much about Stephen. He was picked by the Brewers in 2002, but decided to go to college instead. After a couple of seasons at Loyola-Marymount he was drafted by the Mariners. As far as I can tell though, he hasn't pitched since 2006. Nice sig though. The card still looks cool. I've decided I like the cards that embed the sticker auto inside the card like this one and 2008 Topps Moments and Milestones. They kind of seem classier than the ones that slap the sticker on top of the card. So, um, yeah. I just don't have much to say about this card. Maybe it's time for another trip out to the shop for more dollar autos.