2010 Newark Bears Daryle Ward Pocket Schedule

Who is this? Newark Bears first baseman Daryle Ward
What is this? An autographed pocket schedule
Where'd I get it? Ward signed if for me before a Bears game last week.
How much did it cost? It was free.


Why is this so special? For the second year in a row, the Newark Bears didn't produce a baseball card set due to lack of a sponsor. This pocket schedule is as close as we're going to get to an officially-sanctioned card of a Newark Bears player this year.

Ward is .283 with 14 home runs and 74 RBI in 102 games for the Bears this season. He leads the team in homers and RBI.

In an 11-year major league career, Ward played for six different teams. He spent the most time with the Houston Astros. He has a lifetime .263 average with 90 home runs and 373 RBI in 948 games.

Daryle Ward may have the nicest autograph of any active player that I've asked this season.

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.)

2003 Upper Deck Vintage Daryle Ward

Who is this? Former Houston Astros outfielder Daryle Ward
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Upper Deck Vintage set (I'm still trying to figure out how Topps' lawyers let this set go, but flipped over last year's O-Pee-Chee set)
 
Where'd I get it? Ward signed it for me before Sunday's game between the Newark Bears and York Revolution
 
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack back in 2003
 
Why is this so special? Ward spent parts of 11 season in the majors and currently has 90 big league home runs. From 1998-2002, he played for the Houston Astros. His best season with Houston was 2000, when he hit 20 home runs in a part-time role.

After the 2002 season, Houston traded Ward to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Ruddy Lugo. He would also play for Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Washington and the Chicago Cubs.

Through 16 games, Ward is hitting .323 with six home runs and 24 RBI for the Newark Bears. (That's one less home run and two more RBI than David Wright has in twice as many games, though Wright does not have the advantage of hitting against Atlantic League pitching.)

Ward has one of the nicest-looking signatures I've gotten since baseball season started this year.

2004 Topps Total Daryle Ward

Who is this? Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daryle Ward
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Topps Total set
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Newark Bears and York Revolution on Sunday
 
How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack of Topps Total, purchased in 2004. 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 an amazing autograph, especially for a current player.