2002 Fleer Tradition Josh Phelps

Who is this? Former Toronto Blue Jay Josh Phelps
What is this? An autographed 2002 Fleer Tradition card
Where'd I get it? Phelps signed it for me before a Newark Bears game last season.
How much did it cost? I got the unsigned card out of a pack.


Why is this so special? Josh Phelps was once a highly-regarded prospect. Over the course of 8 seasons, he appeared in 465 major league games for six different teams, though the majority were played for the Toronto Blue Jays. Phelps has 64 career home runs, which is the most by anybody born in Alaska.

Phelps spent most of last season with the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League, where he hit .310 with 10 home runs and 67 RBI in 100 games. This season, he will be playing in Italy.

Phelps really did not seem to enjoy signing autographs in Newark - I had to ask him at two or three different games before he reluctantly signed a card for me. As you might expect under those circumstances, his autograph isn't very pretty.

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.

2004 Topps Total Brian Boehringer

Who is this? Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Brian Boehringer
What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Topps Total set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Boehringer earlier this month and asked him to sign it. I got it back on Monday.
How much did it cost? Postage, basically.


Why is this so special? Brian Boehringer spent time in the Atlantic League in 2006 and 2007, winding down his professional career as a member of the Bridgeport Bluefish. I never had any luck getting anything signed. In 2006, he got picked up by an affiliated team before I ever saw the Bluefish. If I recall correctly, he spent most of 2007 on the DL - he only appeared in 5 games. And in independent baseball, teams rarely pay hotel bills for players on the DL to travel.

Boehringer made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1995. A year later, he was pitching in the World Series. In 1997, Boehringer was selected in the expansion draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but he never played for them - he was traded to San Diego that same day.

In 1998, Boehringer got to pitch in another World Series... but this time he ended up on the wrong side. He would go back to the Yankees briefly in 2001, but they traded him to the Giants midway through the year. Boehringer finished his major league career with the Pirates.

In a 10-year career that spanned from 1995-2004, Boehringer appeared in 356 regular season major league games. He was never a star, but he was a useful contributor out of the bullpen.

For a player with a long name, Boehringer has a decent autograph. Here's a 2004 Fleer Tradition card that he signed and personalized for me.

2000 Fleer Tradition Chris Stynes

Who is this? Former major leaguer Chris Stynes
What is this? An autographed card from the 2000 Fleer Tradition set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Stynes and asked him to sign it.
How much did it cost? postage, basically

Why is this so special? Chris Stynes may not be a household name, but he did have a good major league career. In ten seasons from 1995-2004, he played for the Royals, Reds, Red Sox, Cubs, Rockies and Pirates. He retired with a .275 career average, 51 home runs and 265 RBI.

Stynes also has one neat record - in 1996, he stole second, third and home in the same inning during a game between the Royals and Mariners.

Stynes has a clear, easy-to-read autograph. Here are a few other cards:

2002 Fleer Tradition Eric Munson

Who is this? Newark Bears third baseman Eric Munson
What is this? An autographed card from the 2002 Fleer Tradition set
Where'd I get it? Munson signed it after a game in Newark earlier this month.
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack.


Why is this so special? Eric Munson was the third overall selection in the 1999 draft. He was chosen ahead of Barry Zito, Ben Sheets and Brian Roberts, among others.

Munson appeared in 361 games over a nine year major league career with Detroit, Houston, Tampa Bay and Oakland. In 2004, he hit a home run 457 feet over the center field fence at Comerica Park, the longest home run ever hit there to that point.

Munson had been playing with the AAA Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League until July. He is hitting .206 with 4 home runs and 7 RBI in 17 games for the Bears.

Munson does not like to sign autographs before the game and made us wait around until afterwards to get our cards signed. Even though he made the last out that spoiled a ninth-inning rally, he kept his promise to sign autographs.

Here is the 2005 Fleer card that he also signed that day.

Munson has a loopy signature, but it hasn't changed much from the one printed on his 2005 card.

1999 Fleer Tradition Joe Winkelsas

Who is this? Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Joe Winkelsas
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1999 Fleer Tradition set
 
Where'd I get it? Winkelsas signed the card for me before a Newark Bears game earlier this year.
 
How much did it cost? About a quarter.
 
Why is this so special? Joe Winkelsas signed with the Atlanta Braves organization as an undrafted amateur free agent in 1996. He moved through the minor league system and earned a major league call-up in 1999. Winkelsas pitched in one game, and recorded one out.

That was enough for Fleer to make him a baseball card. Winkelsas doesn't have a great autograph, but he does take the time to neatly inscribe a Bible verse.

John 14: 1-6 reads:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

2003 Fleer Tradition Scott Speizio

Who is this? Newark Bears infielder Scott Spiezio

What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Fleer Tradition set

Where'd I get it? Spiezio signed it for me before a Bears game earlier this year.

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

Why is this so special? Scott Spiezio spent 12 seasons in the major leagues and won two World Series rings, with the 2002 Angels and the 2006 Cardinals. He is the son of former major leaguer Ed Spiezio.

If I could bring back one discontinued baseball card set, I'd revive Topps Total. It was perfect for autograph collectors because of the number of different players included and the lack of glossy coating on the cards. But if I could bring back a second discontinued set, Fleer Tradition would be the one I'd choose. It appealed to me more than the Topps Heritage sets, maybe because the cards weren't direct copies of a previous design (except in 2003). Or maybe it was because the pack prices were more affordable. I'm not really sure.

Spiezio's autograph looks like a scribble on this card, unfortunately.