1993 Topps Stadium Club Yankees Sam Militello

Who is this? Former New York Yankees pitcher Sam Militello
What is this? An autographed card from from the Stadium Club Yankees set.
Where'd I get it? Out of a dealer's $1 box at the local card show
How much did it cost? $1


Why is this so special? Even though I'm a Mets fan, I have a certain degree of fondness for the Yankees teams of the late 1980s & early 1990s. Something about rooting for underdogs, I guess.

Sam Militello was an August call-up for the 1992 Yankees, a team that finished 20 games behind Toronto with a 76-86 record. I'm not sure whether Militello's promotion was due to an injury or a youth movement, but I suppose it doesn't really matter.

He won his major league debut, pitching seven innings of one-hit ball against the Boston Red Sox. Millitello made eight more starts in his rookie year, finishing with a 3-3 record and a 3.45 ERA. He looked like he would become a solid major league pitcher, maybe even a star.

Unfortunately, he got hurt in 1993 and only pitched in three major league games. He tried to make a comeback, but it never really worked out. Militello went into coaching - he is currently an assistant at the University of Tampa.

Militello has a neat-looking autograph. It wouldn't have gotten him a good grade in penmanship, but it is easily readable.

1992 Donruss Sam Militello

Who is this? Yankees pitcher Sam Militello.

What is this? An autographed card from 1992 Donruss "The Rookies", Card number BC-16.

Where'd I get it? Out of a large autograph lot won off of Yahoo! Auctions.

How much did it cost? Less than a buck.

Why is this so special? I don't have a whole lot of memories of Sam other than he completely tore up the minors, got called up to the Yankees, ended up on a bunch of rookie cards and then injuries ate him up. It's a shame, a guy with a name like Sam Militello should have had a long career with the Yankees. This is a really nice looking card of Sam but the gold foil is rendered invisible by the scanner. The signature is nice and clean though, a distinctive Smilitello with big swooping Ls. I wonder what those buildings are in the background. Sorry folks, the Yankees were completely off my radar in the early 90's and I just can't think of anything to write about today. There's probably a ton of Yankee fans with long tales of disappointment and woe out there, but I ain't one of 'em. I promise to have a more interesting post tomorrow.