The 30-Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 18

"A card of a player who became manager of your favorite team."

1993 Upper Deck Mike Scioscia #688 - this card is sort of unique because presumably the image used was from a spring training game, yet Scioscia didn't make the San Diego Padres' Opening Day roster in 1993.

As a player, the longtime manager of the Angels probably shouldn't have been pictured in anything but a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform - though I guess 'transactions happen' when an old big league veteran has to try and latch on somewhere else.

Featured autograph - Mike Scioscia

Every year there seems to be an MLB organization that is outed as having a miserable, laughable, Mickey Mouse atmosphere behind the scenes - Scioscia's Angels fit that narrative this year and he might get the ax despite the money and years left on a long term contract he signed.

Winning smooths out a lot of the dysfunction but the Angels aren't competing for squat any time soon - with a bunch of gimpy, overpaid, underachieving fools save for Mike Trout and maybe one or two other guys.

It maybe petty and I'll always be an Angels fan, but there maybe is a little schadenfreude on my part to see the Angels struggle - as a guy who tries to go his share of Angels home games, every time I see Mark Trumbo or Jered Weaver turn their back on fans wanting their autographs, the ballpark experience cut short by overzealous ushers / ballpark security, I think what a fraud this organization has been and I just chuckle.

It all trickles down when there isn't enough winning done on the field - right now, it looks like the organization has no farm system, no clue and it is a dark time for Halos fans at the moment.

My autograph day - three distinguished, but random baseball guys

I decided to see what was going on with the in-person graphing scene since [as a baseball autograph collector] it's been a dry spell for me the last couple of weeks - I went to Angel Stadium and was able to get three guys before Sunday's day game, until leaving early to go to my sister's house for Father's Day lunch.

Mike Scioscia (1) - I got him to sign a 1991 Score card I probably should have gotten inked up two weeks ago; missed out on the Arizona Diamondbacks players [and some of their notable coaches like Matt Williams and Alan Trammell] while waiting for Angels to drive in.

Eric Young 1/2 - they were the same 2000 Topps card, so he maybe 'no dupes' or his limit is one.

Don Baylor (1) - I like how his autograph looked on the 1982 K-Mart card, though I wish I had an original Topps card for him to sign, even though I've gotten him at least several times in the past 10 years.

The 2011 Angels - a season recap perhaps...

I'd been hoping the Angels would still have some life in them but after losing 6-5 to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday - their opportunity to sneak into the playoffs through the Wild Card seems to have been obliterated.

Even if they sweep the Texas Rangers in their last three games - the Angels would still have to hope Tampa Bay and Boston lose the rest of their games to make things interesting.

I can't look past the fact the Angels are not making the playoffs but manager Mike Scioscia has done a credible job in leading his 2011 Angels - rebuilding with young kids who emerged as team stars and seemingly overachieving, winning nearly 90 games despite not having what seemed to be a 'championship caliber' team.

The team to beat in the American League West is obviously the Texas Rangers - they are the ones who ended up with former Halos fan favorite Mike Napoli, while the Angels got a broken down VW.