2010 Lancaster Barnstormers Jason Simontacchi

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Jason Simontacchi
What is this? An autographed card from the 2010 Lancaster Barnstormers team set
Where'd I get it? Simontacchi signed it for me at a Newark Bears game last year.


Why is this so special? Jason Simontacchi has had a very interesting career in baseball. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round in 1996, but he only spent two seasons in their minor league system.

In 1998, Simontacchi was 10-2 with a 2.95 ERA for the Springfield Capitals, champions of the independent Frontier League. That got him another shot in affiliated ball, but it didn't work out in the Pittsburgh organization either.

In 2000, Simontacchi pitched in Italy. He also played in the Olympics for the Italian team. In 2001, he returned to America and had a lackluster season in the Minnesota Twins organization.

In 2002, Simontacchi finally had success in affiliated ball. He spent most of the season in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 11 and losing 5 as a 28-year-old rookie. Simontacchi remained with the Cardinals through 2004, but missed the 2005 season because of a shoulder injury.

In 2006 Simontacchi made his first appearance in the Atlantic League, pitching for the Bridgeport Bluefish. That got him another shot at affiliated ball for 2007. In an injury-plagued season, Simontacchi went 6-7 for the Washington Nationals.

In 2008, Simontacchi returned to the Atlantic League as a member of the Long Island Ducks. I'm not sure if he sat out the 2009 season or if he played in Italy again, but I can't find any stats. Last year, Simontacchi pitched for the Lancaster Barnstormers. He was 5-7 with a 5.78 ERA.

Simontacchi's career 26-17 record may not seem that impressive, but it really is remarkable when you think about his baseball journey.

For a guy with a long name who's signed thousands of autographs over the years, he still has a pretty nice signature too.

2009 Long Island Ducks Jason Norderum

Who is this? Long Island Ducks pitcher Jason Norderum
What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Long Island Ducks team set
Where'd I get it? Norderum signed it for me at a Newark Bears game last year.


Why is this so special? Jason Norderum began his pro career in the Montreal Expos system in 1999. He advanced as far as AAA in 2006 before being cut loose. Since then, he's played in a variety of independent leagues. I've seen him pitch for both the Lancaster Barnstormers and the Ducks.

Last year, Norderum was 1-1 with a 5.16 ERA in 31 relief appearances for Long Island. His autograph looks a bit like a seismograph reading, don't you think?

1999 Just Minors Grant Roberts

Who is this? former Binghamton Mets pitcher Grant Roberts
What is this? An autographed card from the 1999 Just Minors set
Where'd I get it? From a dealer at the local card show on Sunday
How much did it cost? I got it as part of a group of cards for $5


Why is this so special? Grant Roberts was a middle reliever for the New York Mets. From 2000-2004,  he appeared in 76 games and posted a 4-4 record with a 4.25 ERA. In the minors, he was a starting pitcher. For the Binghamton Mets in 1999, he was 7-6 with a 4.87 ERA in 23 games.

Roberts' career was plagued by shoulder issues for much of his career. He also had his share of off-field issues.

In 2002, Newsday printed allegations that Roberts and some of his Mets teammate used marijuana during the season, but team officials denied the report. Newsday also printed a photo of Roberts allegedly using marijuana in 1998. In 2005, Roberts was suspended for 15 games for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy.

Roberts didn't really drop letters from his name in his autograph, but it's a bit sloppy.

1996 Leaf Signature Dave Magadan

Who is this? Boston Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan
What is this? An autographed card from the 1996 Leaf Signature set
Where'd I get it? A dealer at the local card show on Sunday
How much did it cost? I got it as part of a group of cards for $5


Why is this so special? Here's the second of three autographs I picked up at the card show on Sunday. (I was going to try to keep up as I acquired new ones in 2011, but the mailman brought 13 more Monday - I think I'm just going to get back to posting cards in the order they come up in my scans folder.)

Dave Magadan spent most of his career with the Mets. He was a pretty good player, but he was unlucky in a few respects. He followed Keith Hernandez, one of the most popular players in Mets history. Worse, he was a first baseman who didn't hit home runs.

Magadan did a couple of things very well, though. He got on base and he hit for average. In 701 games for the Mets, Magadan had a .391 on base percentage - that's the second best career mark in team history. His .292 batting average with the Mets is fifth best in the franchise's career lists.

After leaving the Mets, Magadan became a role player, moving around a lot. He spent one season in Chicago, where he hit .254 with a .360 on-base percentage in 78 games.

Magadan batted lefty but threw with his right arm, so I'm not sure if he's right- or left-handed. His autograph looks like it belongs to a stereotypical left-hander, though.

Questionable 1983 Topps Dan Quisenberry

Who is this? former Kansas City Royals closer Dan Quisenberry
What is this? A signed card from the 1983 Topps set
Where'd I get it? I picked it up from a card show dealer who buys up collections and re-sells the cards  How much did it cost? Not much... I got it and a bunch of other cards for $5


Why is this so special? I have my doubts that this card was actually signed by Quisenberry, but I'm not familiar enough with his autograph to have an informed opinion. A look at the PSA-slabbed cards on eBay didn't do much to clarify the matter - just take a look at the variety of autographs there.

If anybody is familiar with Quisenberry's autograph, I'd welcome your opinion. I'd also be interested in seeing photos/scans of items that were signed in-person.

Quisenberry was a submarine-style closer in the early 1980s. A three-time All-Star, Quisenberry led the American League in saves five times and won five Rolaids Relief Man awards. He died in 1998 at the age of 45.

1994 Pinnacle Tim Belcher

Who is this? former Detroit Tigers pitcher Tim Belcher
What is this? An autographed card from the 1994 Pinnacle set
Where'd I get it? In November, I wrote to Belcher and asked him to sign it.
How much did it cost? Postage, basically


Why is this so special? This is my second autograph of 2011, and I will always remember that it was signed during 1/11 since Belcher chose to add the month and year when he autographed it. He's got a pretty good signature for a modern player, though he did drop some letters from his last name.

Belcher stamped the back of my envelope with this message "Thanks for being a fan of baseball! All the best, Tim." That's an unusual gesture, but kind of nice.

A major league pitcher for 14 season, Belcher retired with a 146-140 lifetime record. His best seasons came early in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a member of the starting rotation for the 1988 World Series champions and he led the National League in shutouts (with 8) in 1989.

Belcher also pitched well for the Royals, racking up double digit win totals in each of his three seasons in Kansas City. He only pitched for the Tigers for one season - 1994 - and it was arguably the worst year of his career. In a strike-shortened season, he led the American League with 15 losses. 

Keeping that in mind, I'm surprised he signed the card I sent - I would have picked a different one, but it was the only one I had.

2008 Long Island Ducks Jamie Quinn

Who is this? Long Island Ducks bullpen catcher Jamie Quinn
What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Long Island Ducks team set
Where'd I get it? Quinn signed it for me before a Newark Bears game last year.


Why is this so special? Not many teams produce a baseball card for their bullpen catcher. Not every minor league or independent league team even has a bullpen catcher - in those cases, the duty of warming up relief pitchers falls to the backup catcher or a coach.

Quinn did not spend the whole season in the bullpen last year, though. When the Ducks were short a catcher, they added Quinn to the active roster. He appeared in 5 games where he was hitless in 9 at-bats. He did drive in a run.

For a current player, his signature isn't too bad.