1982 Fleer Doug DeCinces

Who is this? Doug DeCinces, a third baseman for the the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels in the 1970s and 80s

What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Fleer set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to DeCinces and asked him to sign it. I got it back about 10 days later.

How much did it cost? Postage, basically.

Why is this so special? Doug DeCinces who had to follow Brooks Robinson as the Baltimore Orioles' third baseman. While it couldn't have been an easy task, DeCinces did it well enough to get inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Over his 15 year career, DeCinces accumulated over 1500 hits, 237 home runs and over 800 RBI. He was an All-Star in 1983 and he won the Silver Slugger in 1982.

There aren't many fans of the early 1980s Fleer sets. There were a ton of errors and variations, and the photo quality really isn't all that it should be in a major league set. But that's part of the charm for me.

Most of the shots in the 1982 set don't really look like the work of professional photographers. They remind me more of the photos a fan might take with consumer-level equipment. Can't you imagine some fan with a field access pass asking DeCinces to pose for a quick photo when you see the shot on this card?

DeCinces has a reasonably neat autograph, but it looks a little cramped.

2009 Topps Heritage Kenshin Kawakami

Who is this? Kenshin Kawakami, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Topps Heritage High Number Series

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Kawakami at the Braves' spring training camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back on Tuesday

How much did it cost? The card was about fifty cents, plus postage

Why is this so special? Kawakami had a decent, if not spectacular season for the Atlanta Braves last year. He started 25 games and appeared in seven more out of the bullpen. He finished the season with a 7-12 record and a 3.86 ERA. He also earned one save, by pitching four scoreless innings against the Mets in an 11-3 victory on Sept. 21. I was at that game.

In Japan, Kawakami was a star for the Chunichi Dragons. He was the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1998, when he went 15-6 with a 2.57 ERA.

In 2004, he had the best season of his career - 17-7 with a 3.32 ERA. He helped the Dragons to win a Central League title, was named the league MVP and took home the  Eiji Sawamura Award given to the best pitcher in Japan. He also threw a no-hitter.

In 2006, Kawakami again won 17 and helped the Dragons to another Central League title.

Kawakami signed a quick version of his English signature in ballpoint. Fortunately, he was able to find a fairly light spot to sign the card so the signature is pretty visible.

1991 Leaf Lonnie Smith

Who is this? Lonnie Smith, a former major league outfielder

What is this? An autographed card from the 1991 Leaf set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Smith earlier this month and asked him to it

How much did it cost? Just postage, really. The card came out of a cheap wax box I bought a few years ago.

Why is this so special? I wrote about Smith's early career yesterday, when I showed you the 1982 Fleer card Smith signed. After wearing out his welcome in Kansas City, Smith signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves for the 1988 season.

Smith continued to struggle in his first year in Atlanta, but he rebounded in 1989 to win the National League Comeback Player of the Year award. He hit .315 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI and led the National League with a .415 on base percentage. Smith continued to be a starter for the Braves in 1990 and 1991, when they began their string of playoff appearances.

Smith settled back into a part-time role in his final year in Atlanta in 1992. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1993 and finished his career with Baltimore in 1994.

The 1991 Leaf set isn't one of the most exciting designs of the 90s, but this card looks great signed.

1982 Fleer Lonnie Smith

Who is this? Lonnie Smith, a former outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves

What is this? An autographed card from the 1982 Fleer set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Smith a couple of weeks ago and asked him to sign it.

How much did it cost? Just postage.

Why is this so special? Lonnie Smith was a member of the 1980 World Series Champion Phillies. Though he was only a part time player, he had a good enough season to finish third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Smith hit .339 with 3 home runs, 20 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 100 games.

Smith was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1982 season. He had an All-Star year for his new team, hitting .309 with 8 home runs, 69 RBI and 68 stolen bases. He led the league with 120 runs scored.

Smith had another good season in 1983, but his star was beginning to fade by 1984. He soon found himself on a new team, the Kansas City Royals.

Lonnie Smith has a surprisingly neat autograph, though this one is a little bit smudged. You don't see that too often on 1982 Fleer cards.

1969 Topps Don Shaw

Who is this? Don Shaw, an original Montreal Expo

What is this? An autographed card from the 1969 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Shaw and asked him to sign it for me earlier this month. I got it back today.

How much did it cost? Around a dollar for the card and postage costs

Why is this so special? Don Shaw's major league career wasn't spectacular -- he played for four different teams over five season, appearing in 138 games and earning a 13-14 record with a lifetime 4.01 ERA.

He has a unique claim to fame - he won the very first game in Montreal Expos history. The victory came at the expense of his former team, the New York Mets, on April 8, 1969.

The card is another great example of the Topps airbrushing skills common in the 1960s and 70s. Shaw was number 182 that year, so there weren't any photos of players in Expos uniforms when it was produced. I wonder if the card company even knew what the hats would look like.

Instead of showing Shaw's blue Mets cap, the airbrush artists decided to black everything out but the bill. If they'd only left the orange NY logo, we'd have the forerunner of the Mets' current alternate cap. :)

Shaw has a small, quick signature. It's easier to read on a lighter background, but his first name gets a little lost here because he signed in ballpoint.

2009 Topps Frank Catalanotto

Who is this? Frank Catalanotto, a utility player trying to win a bench spot on the New York Mets

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

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Catalanotto at Mets camp and asked him to sign it. I got it back today.

How much did it cost? About a dollar for the card and postage.

Why is this so special? Frank Catalanotto started playing professional baseball in 1992, back when George H.W. Bush was President, Microsoft was introducing Windows 3.1 to the world, and Jay Leno was beginning his run on the Tonight Show.

He's signed thousands and thousands of autographs since then, but he's still willing to take the time to scribble his name on cards that people mail to him. That's pretty amazing.

The first letter in his autograph looks more like a "P" than an "F," but maybe that's just me. :)

2008 UDX Signatures Frank Catalanotto

Who is this? Frank Catalanotto, a former Texas Rangers' utility player who is trying to win a job with the New York Mets this spring

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 UDX Signatures insert set

Where'd I get it? Purchased at a local card show

How much did it cost? $5 (yes, I know I probably could have found a Frank Catalanotto autograph on eBay for 99 cents, but by the time I paid for shipping I wouldn't have saved that much.)

Why is this so special? Frank Catalanotto is a scrappy utility player who managed to make a nice career for himself in Major League Baseball. In 13 seasons, he has a career .292 batting average, 84 home runs an 456 RBI.

Catalanotto once went 6-for-6 in a game for the Toronto Blue Jays, setting a team record, and he's played for Italy in both World Baseball Classic tournaments.

For a guy with a long name, Catalanotto has a nice autograph. It might even look a little better if he wasn't trying to squeeze it on to Upper Deck's sticker.