1999 Team Best Jason Standridge

Who is this? Devil Rays pitcher Jason Standridge.

What is this? An autograph card from 1999 Team Best.

Where'd I get it? El cheapo eBay Auction.

How much did it cost? One cent.

Why is this so special? Standridge was a first round pick of the Devil Rays in 1997 but only pitched 21 games for them before bouncing around to Texas, Cincinnati and Kansas City. He signed with Fukuoka of the Japanese Pacific League after being waived by the Royals. The Alabama native has dropped off the earth since then as I can't find any info for 2008. I used to be active in several simulation leagues that ran off of Front Page Sports '98, and Jason was in my bullpen for one of those teams. That's the reason I picked up his autograph, because of a computer game I played about 6 or 7 years ago. Hey, it cost a penny. Jason has a nice out of control signature with a bold J and a last name that looks like it's trying to eat itself. There's an inscription underneath that looks kind of like a bible verse, but I can't tell what it is. The Book of Squiggle 4:13. Actually, it might be Philemon. That kind of looks like Phil, right? No , there was no apostle Phil. It's a dude that Paul wrote a letter to. Actually now that I looked it up there is no Philemon 4:13 at all. So uh, yeah, I don't know what that is down there. Maybe Jason was going out with a Christian chick at the time and she was watching him sign these cards so he started putting random bible verses on there to make her happy. Maybe I should go to church tomorrow and ask the priest what the heck verse this is.

2001 Topps Fusion Rocco Baldelli

Who is this? Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli.

What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Topps Fusion, card number FA31.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack I got from Target.

How much did it cost? 3 or 4 bucks, I don't remember how much those packs cost.

Why is this so special? Topps Fusion was a gimmicky product from 2001 that had cards from 4 or 5 different brands in the same pack. I think it was Topps Gold, Gallery, Stadium Club and something else. The cards weren't from the regular sets, this was a completely new set with cards that were kind of based on each set from that year. It was a stupid idea and was quickly forgotten. I still bought a few packs though and out of one of them was this autograph card. I didn't know who the hell Rocco was but it was a nice looking card of a prospect who had an easily recognizable name. I was happy when Rocco turned out to be a legit prospect and disappointed when he turned out to be made of glass. In the 06-07 baseball offseason, the Braves blog on AJC.com was buzzing all winter with rumors that Rocco would get traded to the Braves. It was some crazy package of Chuck James, Yunel Escobar, Jarrod Saltalamaccia and some one else if I remember correctly. Never happened, obviously. Thank God. If Rocco can stay healthy, he could do some real damage for the Rays. In the meantime at least I have a nice autograph on an obscure but good looking card.

2002 Donruss Originals Brent Abernathy

Who is this? Tampa Bay Devil Rays second baseman Brent Abernathy.

What is this? An autograph card from 2002 Donruss Originals, card SM-35. The card is serial numbered 192/200.

Where'd I get it? A pack bought at the local Wal-Mart.

How much did it cost? However much a pack of Originals cost. Two or three bucks I think.

Why is this so special? Brent didn't have a heck of a lot of success in the majors, but this is still kind of a cool card. Brent is an Atlanta native and went to high school at Lovett High, which is close to where I live. He was a member of the 2000 Olympic Gold Medal team in Sydney. He had a decent debut for the Devil Rays in 2001, a not so good follow up year in 2002 and has bounced around many organizations since then. His 2001 performance netted him a lot of rookie and autograph cards in 2002. This card sums up the disappointing Donruss Originals set pretty well. It's a great looking signature on a nice looking card, plus it's even serial numbered, but it's still Brent Abernathy. I was really excited when I originally pulled this card though, so I like it anyway. Brent is currently in the Nationals organization and played for the Columbus Clippers last season. Brent even pitched a couple of games for the Clippers. Pete Orr better watch his back.