Index Card Brad Komminsk

Who is this? Braves boondoggle Brad Komminsk.

What is this? An autographed index card.

Where'd I get it? BP Sports Card Show 11/16/08.

How much did it cost? A quarter.

Why is this so special? There were several Brad Komminsk autographs in the binder where I found this one, but I purposely picked the ugliest one as it represents Brad's career better. This card wasn't actually signed in lime green, it most likely was black ink that faded after being left out in the light. Brad is the epitome of AAAA player as he utterly ruined pitchers in Triple-A, but couldn't hit his weight in the majors. I'm not exaggerating about that, his lifetime batting average was .218. He was a first round draft pick though and he killed in the minors so he ended up being the future franchise for the Bravos back in the early 80's. Even Hank Aaron labeled him a "can't miss" player and... wait, what does that say?!

In 1983, the Braves reportedly turned down a trade offer that would have sent Komminsk to the Boston Red Sox for Jim Rice.

WHAT!?!?!?!! OH GOD! WE COULDA HAD JIM RICE? FOR BRAD KOMMINSK???? OH GOD OHGOD!!!!! MURPH AND RICE IN THE SAME OUTFIELD?? JIM GIVING DALE PROTECTION IN THE LINEUP WHEN HORNER'S KNEES WENT ALL WONKY??? OH GOD!!!

Ugh... I'm gonna be violently and copiously sick. I-I'm sorry folks, I can't write about Brad Komminsk anymore. I have to go cry for a few weeks.

Oh. God.

Index Card Felix Fermin

Who is this? Indians shortstop Felix Fermin.

What is this? An autographed index card.

Where'd I get it? BP Sports Card Show 11/16/08.

How much did it cost? Twenty-five cents.

Why is this so special? I totally got this guy confused with Braves shortstop Felix Millan. Oops. Felix wasn't a bad player... he was a terrible hitter, but not a bad player. He knew how to bunt. He was good at defense. I remember him most with the Indians, but he played with the Pirates, Cubs and Mariners as well. He was with the '95 Mariners division winning team that lost to the Indians in the ALCS. The dude is a great manager too as he's won five Dominican league titles and one Mexican league title. So I got the wrong cat-like shortstop. It's still a decent autograph.

So what's up with the index card? Well, a lot of people collect signatures that way. They are easier to send through the mail for one thing. I didn't send it through the mail though, I bought it from a dealer at a card show. He had a bunch of cheap sigs on index cards and bumper stickers and stuff, so I picked up a few of 'em. It's an uncertified auto on a blank index card, but to paraphrase Lewis Grizzard, "It didn't cost but a quarter". The signature looks like the other ones I've found online so it's either legit or a master forgery. It's a nice signature too, starts off strong with bold Fs and Felix gives up on his last name and just scribbles away. I do that too. The bell in my last name just turns into a bunch of loops just like Fermin is now Feeeeeeeeen. I'd say it's worth a quarter. I got a whole post out of it after all!