2008 Donruss Threads Carl Erskine

Who is this? Legendary Dodgers' Pitcher Carl Erskine.
What is this? An autograph card from 2008 Donruss Threads.
Where'd I get it? I got this card (and four others seen below) signed by Mr. Erskine Through the Mail.
How much did it cost? I got the 2008 Donruss Threads card when I bought the set in 2009 and the other cards here and there over the years.

Why is this so special? Carl Erskine spent his entire career, which lasted from 1948 until 1959, as a member of the Dodgers. During that time, Erskine had a career 122-78 record and a 4.00 lifetime ERA.

While Erskine may not be as well known as some other pitchers from the 1950s, he was a key piece of the Dodgers' teams that won 5 National League Pennants and the 1955 World Series; threw two of the seven no-hitters pitched in the National League 1950s; and set a World Series single-game record by striking out 14 Yankees in 1953.

In addition to his performance on the field, Erskine stands-out for his generosity to fans, as demonstrated by his willingness to sign autograph requests Through the Mail. Erskine's signature is clear and stylish, and I like the way that he seems to look for an open space to sign on the card. In addition to the four cards of him that I have sent, I also asked him to sign the Ebbet's Field card from 2010 Topps.

2006 Topps 52 Rookies Tim Hamulack

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers relief pitcher Tim Hamulack
What is this? An autographed card from one of the Topps 52 Rookies sets... I think it's from the 2006 one.  Where'd I get it? Hamulack signed it for me before a Newark Bears game last year.
How much did it cost? If it's a 2006 card, I probably spent a quarter for it. If it's from 2007, I probably got it out of a pack.


Why is this so special? Hamulack, a 32nd round draft pick, spent nine seasons in the minor leagues with 5 different organizations before finally making his major league debut with the Mets in 2005. During that off-season, he was included in a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers that brought Duaner Sanchez to New York.

Hamulack got most of his major league experience with the Dodgers in 2006, appearing in 33 games. Since then, Hamulack has pitched for minor league or independent league teams. Last season, he was 6-5 with 11 saves and a 2.35 ERA for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League. I'm not sure where (or if) Hamulack will be playing in 2011.

Hamulack's ballpark autograph doesn't differ much from the facsimile signature on the card.

1988 Donruss Cory Snyder

Who is this? former Cleveland Indians outfielder Cory Snyder
What is this? An autographed card from the 1988 Donruss set
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Snyder after Thanksgiving and asked him to sign it. I got it back in Friday's mail.
How much did it cost? Postage, basically.

Why is this so special? Cory Snyder played in over 1,000 major league games during a nine-season career. He had a powerful throwing arm - in 1987, he had 16 assists in right field and made 9 errors.

Snyder also struck out a lot. He led the National League in Ks in 1993, and would have led the American League in 1987 except for a couple of guys named Rob Deer and Pete Incaviglia. But that made Snyder fun to watch - you never knew quite what was going to happen, but there was a decent chance that it would be exciting.

Before he turned pro, Snyder played for the U.S. Olympic team in 1984.

Here's the other card Snyder signed for me - it's a little easier to make out his autograph on this 1993 Leaf card.

1989 Fleer John Tudor

Who is this? Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher John Tudor
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1989 Fleer set
 
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Tudor and asked him to sign it earlier this year.
 
How much did it cost? Less than a dollar, including postage, since I sent it out with the 1986 Topps card I posted last month.
 
Why is this so special? John Tudor spent 12 seasons in the majors, retiring with a 117-72 record. In August 1988, the Dodgers sent Pedro Guerrero to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Tudor as they prepared their roster for the playoffs.

That year, the Mets swept the regular season series from Los Angeles, so the Dodgers went looking for lefty pitching to counter Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez.

Tudor started game four in the NLCS, but didn't factor into the decision. Los Angeles took an early lead in the game, but the Mets battled back and took a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning. Dwight Gooden pitched into the ninth inning for New York, but he allowed a game-tying home run to Mike Scioscia. Kirk Gibson hit another home run in the 12th off Roger McDowell to win the game, even up the series and swing momentum back to Los Angeles.

Tudor missed most of the 1989 season with an injury. He returned in 1990 to pitch one final year with the Cardinals before retiring.

Tudor's signature is mostly illegible, but you can read the letters "T" and "u" clearly. "J" "o" and "d" are visible with effort.

2003 Topps Bazooka James Loney

Who is this? Los Angeles Dodgers' first baseman James Loney

What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Topps Bazooka set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Loney at the Dodgers' spring training camp in 2005 and asked him to sign it. He sent it back before Opening Day that year.

How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack, and I don't remember what Bazooka packs sold for in 2003 or the cost of first class postage in 2005.

Why is this so special? Loney is a talented young first baseman who's been the Dodgers' starter for the past two seasons. He's got a lifetime .295 batting average, 45 home runs and 295 RBI after four seasons in the big leagues.

It may be a little difficult to tell because Loney signed in ballpoint, but he's got a very nice autograph.

2009 Bowman Andre Ethier

Who is this? Andre Ethier, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Bowman set

Where'd I get it? I got it in the mail with the other Andre Ethier autograph I posted last week.

How much did it cost? Absolutely nothing.

Why is this so special? This card was a gift from Ethier, and it's personalized to me. I think that's pretty neat.

You'll notice that Either's signature has changed significantly from the one Topps is using for the facsimile autograph on his card. The older one was much more legible, but I imagine that the newer one is quicker to sign.

Merry Christmas!

2009 Topps Andre Ethier

Who is this? Andre Ethier, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers

What is this? An autograph card from the 2009 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Andre Ethier back during spring training and asked him to sign it; I got it back yesterday.

How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack; the autograph was free

Why is this so special? Andre Ethier is a talented young hitter. This season, he won a Silver Slugger award and finished sixth in the NL MVP voting. Ethier hit a career high 31 home runs and had a career high 106 RBI. There's no reason to think he won't continue to improve.

I'm hoping that Andre Ethier is the one who signed my card, but I'm a little less certain than I am about most of the autographs I've obtained through the mail. There was some thought that a friend or relative was helping him to sign some fanmail that was returned earlier this fall.

At a quick glance, the signature on my card looks like some recent examples of his autograph that collectors have obtained in-person... but it's such a simple signature that it wouldn't be very hard to copy.

2002 Fleer Tom Goodwin

Who is this? Tom Goodwin, a former outfielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs

What is this? An autograph card from the 2002 Fleer set

Where'd I get it? I got the card signed at a Somerset Patriots game in 2005

How much did it cost? The card came from one of many, many packs I opened in 2002 to complete the Fleer set. The autograph was free.

Why is this so special? Tom Goodwin spent 14 seasons in the big leagues, and was an every day player for seven of them. He never really hit for average or power, but Goodwin was fast. He still had the speed to steal 23 bases at age 36 when I saw him play with the Atlantic City Surf.

In the majors, Goodwin once stole 66 bases in a season for the Kansas City Royals. (He also lead the league with 22 times caught stealing that year.)

Goodwin doesn't have the best autograph but you can clearly read his initials, at least.

1995 Signature Rookies Preview Ryan Luzinski

Who is this? Ryan Luzinski, a former minor league catcher

What is this? An autograph card from the 1995 Signature Rookies Preview set

Where'd I get it? I don't really remember. I have a ton of 1995 Signature Rookies cards, so I think I bought a lot of them somewhere along the way.

How much did it cost? No idea, but it couldn't have been much.

Why is this so special? Ryan is the son of former Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski. The New Jersey native was the first round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992. He played professionally for eight seasons, but never reached the majors.

I've always wondered if Signature Rookies made the players number the cards as they signed them.

2003 Topps Total Luke Allen

Who is this? Luke Allen, a former outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies

What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Topps Total set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed in person at a Somerset Patriots game in 2007.

How much did it cost? The card most likely came from a pack; the autograph was free.

Why is this so special? Luke Allen beat the odds. He was not a high-round draft pick. He wasn't drafted at all. He was just an amateur free agent with nothing invested in him.
Allen worked his way up through the Dodgers farm system and finally made his major league debut in 2002. His Dodger career included just six games, but he did get one hit -- a double.

That off-season, the Dodgers traded Allen to the Colorado Rockies for his future teammate on the Somerset Patriots, Jason Romano. Allen would get another two major league at-bats with the Rockies in 2003, but he'd never play in the majors again.

The Rockies released him at the end of the season. He played five different minor league organizations, two American independent leagues and Mexican baseball before ending his career after the 2008 season.


In 30 games with the Somerset Patriots in 2007, Allen hit .260 with five home runs and 9 RBI. He also managed to talk Sparky Lyle into letting him pitch in one of the last home games of the season.

If I recall correctly, he came into the game with a decent, but not huge lead. I think he retired the first two batters to face him. I know he got one strikeout. But once the hitters had seen his stuff, they began to hit him. He walked a batter and gave up a pair of hits, so Lyle had to take him out of the game before the inning was over. Allen was charged with two runs, although only one was earned.

Luke Allen has a unique autograph. The only letter that I recognize is the "A" in his last name, but his autograph is instantly recognizable if you are familiar with it.

1978 Topps Ron Cey

Who is this? Ron Cey, a former third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics

What is this? An autographed card from the 1978 Topps set, #630

Where'd I get it? My father gave me a small stack of cards that he picked up at a yard sale that one of his friends was holding this summer. This was one of the cards. I mailed it to Ron Cey last month and asked him to sign it, and I got it back about a week later.

How much did it cost? I'm not sure what the cards cost, but it couldn't have been much. Postage was 88 cents.

Why is this so special? Ron Cey was a very good ballplayer for the Dodgers in the 1970s. He made the All-Star team for six straight years from 1974-1979. He was the World Series MVP in 1981. He had over 1800 hits and more than 300 home runs in his career. And he was nicknamed "The Penguin" for his running style. I love nicknames.

You have to love that card, too. Check out the goofy smile, the dinged edges (and corners) and the terrible centering. It actually looks like a 30-year-old card. Cey's loopy signature adds to the appeal. It is thoughtfully signed in blue, matching the Dodger blue of Cey's uniform.