1987 Topps Tim Raines

Who is this? Newark Bears manager Tim Raines
What is this? An autographed 1987 Topps card
Where'd I get it? Raines signed it before a Bears game last week
How much did it cost? 1987 Topps cards seem to spontaneously appear, and the autograph itself was free


Why is this so special? Tim Raines is a seven-time All-Star, and was the MVP of the 1987 game. He has three World Series rings (two with the Yankees and one with the White Sox) and had his number retired by the Montreal Expos. Raines has 808 career stolen bases, fifth all-time in major league history.

I don't think that Raines really enjoys signing autographs, but he does it for the handful of fans that come to Newark Bears games. His signature is impressively legible.

2010 Topps Pro Debut Collin Cowgill

Who is this? Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Collin Cowgill
What is this? A signed 2010 Topps Pro Debut card
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Cowgill at the beginning of July and asked him to sign it; I got it back on Monday.
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a box that cost approximately $30 last winter

Why is this so special? Cowgill came to my attention for his somewhat unusual name. When I looked him up online, I saw that he was having a great year for Reno in the Pacific Coast League. He hit for the cycle in June, and was batting .354 with 13 home runs and 70 RBI in 98 Triple A games when the Diamondbacks called him up.

Last night, he made his big league debut and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Hopefully he has better days ahead of him.

Cowgill has a loopy signature, and not much is readable beyond his initials. The silver pen was an interesting choice. Still, I'm happy to have this autograph in my collection.

2004 Topps Total Pete Laforest

Who is this? Quebec Capitales catcher/infielder Pete Laforest
What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Topps Total set
Where'd I get it? Laforest signed it for me before last night's game between the Capitales and the Newark Bears
How much did it cost? I got it out of a pack in 2004.

Why is this so special? If I didn't lose track of anything, this is the sixth item I've gotten signed for my own collection at a Can-Am League game this year. Most of the guys playing in the league just do not have cards.

Technically, this is not a Pete Laforest card. Sure, it's got his name on the front and his stats on the back - but the guy in the picture is current Camden Riversharks catcher Toby Hall. Not being a big Devil Rays fan, I didn't notice. Fortunately, Laforest was a good sport about it - I imagine he's been asked to sign the card hundreds of times since it came out. Still, it felt a bit awkward.

Laforest played in a handful of games for the Devil Rays in 2003 and 2005, as well as brief stints with Philadelphia and San Diego in 2007. He has 29 major league hits - including 2 home runs - in 68 games.

Laforest was a 2004 Olympian, representing Canada. He also played for his home country in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

There are a lot of overlapping loops in Laforest's autograph. I wonder if it would be less compressed on a larger item.

1993 Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Greg Legg

Who is this? Lakewood BlueClaws hitting coach Greg Legg
What is this? A signed 1993 Scranton Wilkes Barre Red Barons team set card
Where'd I get it? I wrote to the Legg c/o the BlueClaws at the beginning of July and asked him to sign it. I got it back about a week later.
How much did it cost? I found it in a dealer's dime box at a card show earlier this year.

Why is this so special? Greg Legg played 14 games for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1986 and 1987, but that's not why I remember him.

Legg played for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons in each of their first six years of existence, though he only reached the 100 game plateau in two of those seasons. My family had relatives in the Scranton area, and every summer we'd go out to visit. Going to a Red Barons game or two was usually the highlight of the trip. While Legg was never a superstar, you have to admit he's got a memorable name.

Legg retired as a player in 1994, but he remained in the game as a manager and a coach.

Although its a bit small, Legg has a clear and legible autograph.

2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Mark Cohoon

Who is this? Buffalo Bisons pitcher Mark Cohoon
What is this? An autographed 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition card
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Cohoon c/o the Bisons last month and asked him to sign it.
How much did it cost? The card was about a quarter, and postage was 88 cents.


Why is this so special? Mark Cohoon was a 12th round draft choice in 2008 who has enjoyed some success in the Mets' organization. He got off to a phenomenal start at Class A Savannah last season, earing a 7-1 record with a 1.30 ERA before being promoted to Double A Binghamton. After some early struggles, he rebounded and received the Sterling Organizational Pitcher of the Year award.

Cohoon began 2011 in Binghamton and was later promoted to Triple A Buffalo. Although he has had difficulties there, he was briefly considered for promotion to the majors when R.A. Dickey hurt his foot earlier this season.

Cohoon is not a hard-thrower, but he does have a reputation as a hard worker. He could be a solid, if unspectacular pitcher at the major league level.

Cohoon has simplified has autograph to include just a few letters - I'm not sure if this is to save time or because of the limited space on a baseball card. Nevertheless, it's more readable than many.

2009 Topps David Robertson

Who is this? New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson
What is this? An autographed 2009 Topps card
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Robertson and asked him to sign it during spring training.
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack in 2009, and I spent 88 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? Robertson is having a career year for the Yankees, leading some to believe he should have been selected for the All-Star team. I think he was a victim of his teammates' success - there are only so many spots on the team, and they can't all go to Yankees.

That takes nothing away from Robertson's success. In 33.1 innings, he struck out 53 batters while allowing 23 hits and 20 walks. His record is 1-0 with a minuscule 1.08 ERA through Saturday's games.

Robertson is in his fourth year with the Yankees. He pitched in Trenton briefly in 2007 and 2008, but I don't think I ever saw him as a member of the Thunder. He is the brother of former Athletics and Diamonbacks pitcher Connor Robertson.

I'm impressed with Robertson's autograph. It is legible, which is not the case with many current ballplayers. I'm more impressed that he's still taking time to answer fan mail during this fantastic run of success.

2010 Somerset Patriots Tim Raines Jr.

Who is this? Newark Bears outfielder Tim Raines Jr.
What is this? An autographed  2010 Someset Patriots team set card
Where'd I get it? Raines signed it for me before Monday's Newark Bears game.
How much did it cost? The autograph was free, and my Dad picked up the team set when he went to see a Patriots game earlier this month. It really didn't cost me anything.


Why is this so special? Tim Raines Jr. is the son of former Montreal Expos star Tim Raines. They got to play together in four games for the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the 2001 season, and for the second year in a row Raines Jr. is playing for his father's team.

Though the younger Raines is not the player that his father was, he did appear in 75 major league games. At age 31, he still has the speed to steal bases and he's one of the best players on the Newark Bears team. However, it's unlikely that he'll have another chance to play affiliated baseball at this point in his career.

Below is a Bowman Heritage card showing Raines Jr. as an Oriole that he signed for me last year.

2006 Bazooka Chris Capuano

I don't have time to continue posting an autograph every day. For the short-term future, I'm going to change the format a little bit - on Sunday night or Monday morning, I'll share the best autograph I added to my collection during the previous week.


For the longer-term future, I'd like to add a few more contributors. Email PaulsRandomStuff@verizon.net if you're interested and would like more details.

Who is this? New York Mets pitcher Chris Capuano
What is this? An autographed 2006 Topps Bazooka card
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Capuano at the Mets spring training camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back the day before the season started.
How much did it cost? I got the card out of a pack in 2006.

Why is this so special? Capuano was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Shortly after making his big league debut in 2003, Capuano was included in a 9-player deal that brought Lyle Overbay to the Milwaukee Brewers for Richie Sexson.

In 2005, Capuano won 18 games for the Brewers and in 2006, he was an All-Star. Then came the injuries. Capuano missed all of 2008 and only pitched 9 innings in the minor leagues in 2009 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Capuano returned to the majors last season with Milwaukee. Though he was effective in limited duty, the Brewers did not re-sign the 32-year-old lefty at the end of the season. Instead, he signed with the Mets and won the fifth starter's job out of spring training.

Capuano's autograph is a little bit sloppy, but definitely recognizable.

In addition to Capuano's autograph, I also received a signed Pedro A. Martinez card last week. (I already wrote about it on my other blog, RandomBaseballStuff.com.)

1988 Star Co. Sam Horn

Who is this? Former Boston Red Sox slugger Sam Horn
What is this? An autographed card from an 11-card set produced by Star. Co. in 1988.
Where'd I get it? Bought from a local card show dealer
How much did it cost? 50 cents (you can get your own full set for $32.95 on eBay if you want; I just have the signed checklist card.)


Why is this so special? Sam Horn was once a highly-regarded prospect. He hit 14 home runs in 158 at-bats for the 1987 Red Sox as a rookie. He never lived up to the expectations fueled by that early success, but he did play in the majors for parts of 8 seasons and went on to play in Taiwan.

Horn currently works for the New England Sports Network as a baseball analyst.

Horn's autograph is clear and easy to read, but the signatures on the Star Co. cards look very different from the other Sam Horn autographs I've seen on the internet.

2008 Topps Josh Johnson

Who is this? Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson
What is this? An autographed 2008 Topps card
Where'd I get it? I bought it from former Mike Pelfrey collector Anthony when he decided to get out of the baseball card hobby last fall.


Why is this so special? Josh Johnson is a two-time All-Star and the best pitcher in the Florida Marlins rotation. I watched him hold the Mets hitless for six innings earlier tonight en route to a 6-2 Opening Day victory. Johnson has a lifetime 8-1 record against the Mets in 13 games.

Though Johnson only had an 11-6 record last year, he led the National League in ERA (2.30) and adjusted ERA+ (182) last season. It's scary how good Johnson could be with better defense behind him.

Johnson's autograph isn't particularly pretty, but it's easy to make out his initials.

2009 Somerset Patriots Teuris Olivares

Who is this? former Somerset Patriots infielder Teuris Olivares
What is this? An autographed card from the Somerset Patriots 2009 team set.
Where'd I get it? Oilvares signed it for me last September before the final Newark Bears home "game" of the season. (It got rained out after an inning or two were played.)

Why is this so special? Since the 2011 baseball season will officially begin in a few hours, I wanted to make sure I posted the final autograph I got at the ballpark in 2010.

Teuris Olivares signed with the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He spent 9 seasons in their farm system. Since 2005, he's played in the Atlantic League, primarily with the Somerset Patriots.

When I went to Patriots games, I usually took the train - there's a NJ Transit station just beyond the outfield wall. Occasionally, I'd run into Olivares there before or after the games.

He's got an interesting autograph - it leaves out a bunch of letters, but you can read the ones that are there.

1994 Signature Rookies Hiram Bocachica

Who is this? Former Montreal Expos prospect Hiram Bocachica
What is this? An autographed Signature Rookies insert card
Where'd I get it? I purchased it from a dealer at the local card show this month
How much did it cost? 50 cents

Why is this so special? This is the second Hiram Bochachica card I've posted this year. The first one, from the 2003 Topps Total set, is one that I got signed in person last season. His autograph has changed a lot since 1994.

Bocachica has been playing professional baseball since 1994. He spent parts of 8 seasons in the major leagues and two more in Japan. In 2008, Bocachica hit 20 home runs for the Saitama Seibu Lions and helped them to win the Japan Series.

Last year, he split the season between Bridgeport in the Atlantic League and the Broncos de Reynosa in Mexico. For the Bluefish, he batted .282 with 8 home runs and 32 RBI in 69 games.

2001 Fleer Triple Crown Talmadge Nunnari

Who is this? Former Montreal Expos infielder Talmadge Nunnari 
What is this? An autographed 2001 Fleer Triple Crown card
Where'd I get it? I received it from Zach of Autographed Cards, who likely got it signed at some point last year at an American Association game.

 Why is this so special? I'm not completely sure, but given my inability to identify the set without searching online, I'd say this is the only 2001 Fleer Triple Crown card in my collection.

Nunnari was a first baseman who did a better job getting on base than hitting for power. In 8 minor league seasons, he hit a total of 30 home runs. Nunnari did earn a major league call up from the Montreal Expos in 2000. He had one hit in 12 at-bats, a single off of Florida Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett.

Nunnari last played in 2004, according to Baseball-Reference. Last season, he managed the Pensacola Pelicans in the American Association.

Almost a year ago, Nunnari shared some thoughts about baseball cards with Bo of Baseball Cards Come To Life.

I would never manage to decipher Nunnari's autograph.

2009 Topps Fredi Gonzalez

Who is this? Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez
What is this? An autographed 2009 Topps Throwback logo parallel card from a Target blaster.
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Gonzalez at Braves spring training camp and asked him to sign it
How much did it cost? The unsigned card came out of a $19.99 blaster box from Target.

Why is this so special? I had been doing pretty well with my spring training autograph requests for awhile, but when I got Gonzalez's card on Friday, it was my first success in nearly two weeks. Unless I get a big run of late returns, I'm going to cut back on the number of letters I send out next year - my success rate is currently around 35 percent.

Gonzalez has the unenviable task of taking over for future Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox in Atlanta this season. The Cuban native spent three and a half seasons managing the Florida Marlins before getting fired last year. He was named the 2008 Sporting News Manager of the Year.

Gonzalez doesn't have a very pretty autograph, but I imagine it's quick to sign.

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.

1994 Signature Rookies Paul Spoljaric

Who is this? Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Paul Spoljaric
What is this? An autographed insert card from the 1994 Signature Rookies set
Where'd I get it? Purchased from a dealer at the local card show
How much did it cost? 50 cents.

Why is this so special? I admit I purchased Spoljaric's card mostly because we share the same first name.

If I was paying more attention to baseball in the late 1990s, I might remember Spoljaric - he was a middle reliever for the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, and made a few appearances for the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies. In total, he appeared in 195 major league games between 1994 and 2000.

Spoljaric represented Canada in the 2004 Olympics.

I think it's interesting that "Paul" is written so clearly, but Spoljaric's last name sort of devolves into a condensed scribble. Again, I cannot imagine signing 8000+ cards.

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.

1994 Signature Rookies Brook Fordyce

Who is this? former major league catcher Brook Fordyce
What is this? An autographed insert card from the 1994 Signature Rookies set
Where'd I get it? Purchased from a dealer at this month's local card show
How much did it cost? 50 cents

Why is this so special? Brook Fordyce was a Mets prospect in the early 1990s, and at one point I hope that he would be the successor to Gary Carter. Fordyce did play in 4 games for the 1995 Mets, but he didn't stick. Fordyce did have a nice career as a major league backup catcher, retiring after the 2004 season.

I have a few other Brook Fordyce autographs obtained later in his career - in those instances, he signed his full name. On every Signature Rookies card I've seen, he signed "Brook 4-Dyce." I guess if I had to sign 8000+ cards, I would have been looking for ways to make the process faster or more interesting, too. :-)

2010 Topps National Chicle Tobi Stoner

Who is this? Buffalo Bisons pitcher Tobi Stoner
What is this? An autographed insert card from the 2010 Topps National Chicle set
Where'd I get it? Purchased from a dealer at the local card show last year
How much did it cost? Don't remember... around $5, probably


Why is this so special? I can only imagine what it was like going through school with the name "Stoner."

There's not a lot to say about Stoner's major league career to this point. Though he is American, Stoner was born in West Germany (his father served in the military and was stationed there.)

During the past two seasons, Stoner has pitched in a total of five games for the New York Mets, all in relief. It's telling that though the Mets invited him to camp again this spring, Stoner was never really talked about for any of the open bullpen roles.

He does have a nice, legible autograph.

1995 Signature Rookies Old Judge Jimmy Hurst

Who is this? Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Jimmy Hurst
What is this? An autographed insert card from the 1995 Signature Rookies Old Judge set
Where'd I get it? The discount box of a card dealer at the local card show
How much did it cost? 50 cents

Why is this so special? Jimmy Hurst spent 17 seasons as a pro baseball player. A 12th round draft choice in 1990, Hurst eventually made it to the major leagues for 13 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1997. He got three hits, including a home run off New York Yankees All-Star David Wells.

Hurst played home games in at least four countries during his career - the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. He was a star in the Atlantic League in the later stages of his playing career. He suited up for the Newark Bears, Nashua Pride and Atlantic City Surf. For the 2002 Atlantic League Champion Bears, he hit .341 with 35 home runs and 100 RBI.

Hurst's autograph is a little sloppy, but that could be forgiven considering the relatively small size of the card and the number he had to sign.