1995 Classic Brooks Kieschnick

Who is this? Former Chicago Cubs outfielder Brooks Kieschnick
What is this? An autographed card from a Classic set in 1995
Where'd I get it? A dealer's dollar box at the local card show.
How much did it cost? $1


Why is this so special? Brooks Kieschnick is one of the more interesting baseball players from recent years. The Cubs selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 1993 draft. He was chosen as the National Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year twice and was a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class.

Kieschnick began his pro career as a hitter, and had cups of coffee in the majors with the Cubs, Reds and Rockies. But it had become apparent that he would not be the star in the major leagues that he was in college.

In 2002, Kieschnick took up pitching and by the next year, he found himself on the Milwaukee Brewers' roster. He pitched, he pinch hit, he played outfield - in an era of ever-expanding bullpens, how could you resist a player with that kind of versatility? In 2004, Kieschnick worked solely as a pitcher (and occasional pinch-hitter). It was his final year in the majors, though he spent one more year in the minors before retiring.

For a guy who had to sign over 3,000 cards for Classic, Kieschnick had a pretty good autograph.

On a separate note, I'm absolutely fascinated by the monthly traffic stats for this site. GCRL's John Wooden autograph is the most popular post this month (and all-time.) That makes sense - he's one of the most famous names featured on the blog.

The next most popular post? My cards autographed by New Hampshire Fisher Cats trainer Bob Tarpey and strength coach Brian Pike. I can't quite figure that one out.

Thanks to Stale Gum and Autographed Cards for referring the most traffic.

1992 Classic Four Sport Manon Rheaume

Who is this? Female hockey player, Manon Rheaume.

What is this? An autograph card from 1992 Classic Four Sport, card number 224.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack in 1992, probably from a card shop.

How much did it cost? Whatever the pack cost, plus two stamps.

Why is this so special? As far as I know, this is the first female to play professional hockey with the big boys. During the 1992-93 season, Manon got into two games with the Atlanta Knights (Tampa Bay's top affiliate) of the old IHL. Unlike Cammie Granato, who was known as a good hockey player playing against other women, Manon made her name playing against guys.

I remember the media making a big deal out of this with Classic doing the same by making a ton of cards of her for a few different sets. I sent this card to the Knights. They must have forward the letter to her, since it was unlikely that I actually sent the card to her while she was with the team (life was rough before the internet). In here two games with the Knights, she played sixty-six minutes and gave up seven goals. Ouch.

The next few years she played a few games in the ECHL, PSHL, WCHL and two more games in the IHL (where she did much better than the first time around). All told, she played in twenty-two minor league games (according to hockeydatabase.com).

Well, I just checked her Wikipedia page and she was not the first women to play minor league hockey. But, she was the first one to play in an NHL exhibition game, which she did twice. So, that is even cooler.

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.

What the heck is this

This is the first post of my new blog Auto-Matic for the People. It is a 1991 Classic Draft Picks card of Mike Kelly, the second overall pick in the 1991 draft by the Atlanta Braves, graciously signed by Chris Harris of Stale Gum.

I received this card directly from Chris in a trade. It is an official 1/1 card, there is no other like it in the world, unless Chris traded with a huge Mike Kelly fan recently. This is the first of many autographs that will be posted one per day, to so I can get organized and you can enjoy my autographs. Stay tuned, I'll explain this further (or you could click here) and there will be many autographs to come.

Auto-Matic... For the People.