Featured autograph - Caden Dana

I have been hearing updates about the 20-year old pitching prospect on social media / X through this past year - so for future considerations, where I expected to add this card to my Angels all-time autograph collection, I picked up an on-card prospect auto back in May.

He made his Major League Debut on 9/1 against the Seattle Mariners and got the win - going 6 IP, 2 ER, 2H, 4K and 4BB.

Featured autograph - Michael Stefanic

I picked up this pack pulled autograph card to add to my all-time Angels collection - it ends being a pretty looking parallel that pops.

Stefanic has played in parts of two seasons with the Angels and while he might be a fringe big leaguer at 28 - he can handle the bat with a .326 lifetime average in the minors along with an on-base average of .412.

2023 Topps Series 1 hit - James Outman auto

Go figure, I finally get lured by a mass email to finally buy something through Larry Fritsch Cards, which was a hobby box of 2023 Topps - maybe I was worried about not getting their print catalogs again, but I know I'm still on their mailing list and browsing through the actual catalog goes over my head real fast.

While flagship Topps is pretty basic, there is a curiosity to see what the new cards are about for the current year - maybe blasters are $25 now, so to change things up, a lone hobby box [rather 3-4 blasters for the year perhaps] might have been a viable purchase for now.

Admittedly, there is no tradition where I bust a personal box of anything each year, though there might be a curiosity to be able to do so - especially a hobby version of flagship Topps, where I'm hoping on that slim chance to pull something nicer, something unexpected.

Bracing myself for some one color relic action of a minor star or rank and file guy, I was glad my hit was an autograph - Outman is unfamiliar to me, but coming up through the rich Los Angeles Dodgers farm system, he has put up numbers and might be a serviceable big leaguer for the next 5-10 years.

My card was apparently the black parallel of the 1988 Topps Baseball autographs inserts - my copy was serial #'d 099/199.

Panini redemption mail result from 2014

I had a bubble mailer dropped off in front of the door and since I haven't bought anything lately, I figured it had to be a redemption - why was the package dropped off where it was, instead of inside the mail box?

Inside was an 2021 Panini Prizm Rookie Autograph Silver Prizm Isaac Paredes Auto No.RA.AP - there was a preprinted note saying the card was a replacement for a redemption that could not be fulfilled.

My first guess was this was for a Garrett Crochet auto redemption from last year, which I didn't see listed under open/closed ticket status, when I reset my password to log into Panini’s Web site - I couldn't see whether it was for that redemption, though the Paredes was from a different Panini brand.

I wondered if it was for a 2013 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Brian Navarreto auto redemption from this blaster break - I scanned through some e-mails and last year, there was something from Panini that said any lower end redemptions still open entered through 2017 would basically be closed and there would be something of equal value sent out.

On the bubble mailer, there was a sticker label actually covering the ticket number and go figure, I was able to match it with my Navarreto redemption listed in my account on the Panini Web site - it only took 10 years to finally get something back, but I don't have to wonder whatever happened to the $2 autograph card I was promised.

The April 2022 trade that sent Paredes from the Detroit [Tigers] to the Tampa Bay [Rays] for Austin Meadows was panned, but Meadows just had a lost season with various ailments - Paredes only hit .205 last year, but his ability to walk and hit for pop made him a useful player with a 114 OPS +.

Featured autograph - Rhys Hoskins

This certified autograph card was the centerpiece in a small stack of cards I picked up at a card show - Hoskins doesn't quite register as a perennial all-star type, but he's more of a real solid power hitter who ends up having his share of hitting highlights over the course of a season.

I ended up picking up Hoskins and a Vladimir Guerrero [serial #'d to 99] card [$5] and a few more odds and ends - nothing mind shattering but more cards to squirrel away.

Featured autograph - Tim Salmon

I grabbed this card because it has an old-school 1975 Topps design and it's a certified autograph of 'home team' great - I'm generally content with my PC of miscellaneous Salmon cards, but I might see a newer looking card when browsing on ebay.

Because I don't pay attention to baseball card products year-to-year, where I scan checklists to see which team related guys I can look for - I might see a card like this as the newest, coolest 'must have' card, even if there have been other pack pulled Salmon autograph cards over the past 10 years that may as well be out of sight, out of mind.

Playing around with a reverse negative effect - it might be cool to have an actual double sided card that gives you this view.

2022 Topps Heritage hanger box recaps

During a Target stop I didn't plan to make, I saw a couple of couple of 2022 Topps Heritage hanger boxes - maybe the only baseball unopened left along with scattered 2022 Topps Big League blasters and other non-baseball miscellany.

Sometimes it is relatively stocked, but most times my card section ends up being wiped out - I still believe unopened retail baseball won't be the No. 1 trading card type to hoard and flip from big box stores, but it doesn't mean I can count on coming back to blasters or loose packs of something, where hoarders take it all.

Who really knows if it is a recipe for success as far as actually getting new cards in-hand or simply an impulsive, on a whim directive to keep me buying retail in-person - but the past three years have taught me to grab anything remotely interesting when available, even when it seems like the stock maybe down to that last hanger or blasters on the shelves.

I was inspired to do some Wander Franco hunting here - where I might end up pulling a base or even a parallel.

Box one

#295 Luis Robert

#20 Triston McKenzie

#91 Alex Dickerson

#247 David Fletcher

#57 Jake Cronenworth

#22 Anthony Alford 

#355 Kolten Wong

#246 Tyler O'Neill

#210 World Series Game 6 Freddie Freeman

#392 Max Kranick RC

#42 Adam Wainwright

#46 Willson Contreras

#64 2021 Stolen Base Leaders Trea Turner / Whit Merrifield

#90 Vidal Brujan RC - the wrong card to pull of a young Tampa Bay Rays infielder

#174 Lorenzo Cain

#150 Shohei Ohtani

#142 Logan Gilbert 

#214 Tony Santillan RC

#133 Dallas Keuchel

#250 Jacob deGrom

#62 2021 Runs Batted in Leaders Adam Duval / Salvador Perez

#181 Gavin Sheets RC

#35 Dustin May

#166 Gerrit Cole

#159 Lane Thomas

#21 of 25 Freddie Freeman - Candy Lid insert

#NAP-4 Shohei Ohtani - New Age Performers insert

#191 Carlos Santana

#95 Brandon Crawford

#356 Ian Anderson

#302 Freddy Galvis

#348 Patrick Corbin

#339 Joey Gallo

#400 Yu chang

#243 Harrison Bader

Box two

#217 Ronnie Dawson RC

#17 Justin Upton

#242 Jose Ramirez

#121 Nick Pivetta

#304 Myles Straw

#312 Chris Taylor

#378 Ozzie Albies

#323 Jon Lester

#400 Yu Chang

#243 Harrison Bader

#195 Eric Haase

#11 Mike Yastrzemski

#278 Harold Ramirez

#152 Yusei Kikuchi

#288 Wil Myers

#399 Jose Berrios

#128 Kyle Tucker

#265 Matt Duffy

#373 Luis Gil RC

#109 Carson Kelly

#55 Randy Arozarena

#41 Yoshi Tsutsugo

#249 Connor Wong RC

#310 Tyler Glasnow

#402 Matt Carpenter - SP; facing backwards

#ROA-OC Orlando Cepeda - Real One Autograph

#NF-3 London Bridge Opens - News Flashbacks insert

#328 Seth Brown 

#84 Jose Abreu

#51 Cal Quantrill

#29 Raimel Tapia

#237 Luis Arraez

#286 Marcus Semien

#360 Cole Irvin

#370 Joe Ryan RC

It's just all so random I pull a certified autograph of Cepeda - he was literally all over my mind prior to this break, since I just got a TTM response from him, maybe I was looking up his cards online and even saw another copy of the very card I pulled, hours before making the Target run.

Maybe I'll try to conjure up thoughts about a Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout pack pulled autograph - then see if something happens the next time I cave into bust random products where it's possible to pull their autographs.

A card show trip recap - feat. Tim Raines

Went to a card show and it was sort of a blur with all the foot traffic and commerce going on - I nearly had an anxiety attack because the room was packed and it was getting stuffy, especially spending too much time at one table trying to conjure up the right combination of cheap-o cards making up the bulk my '3 for $1' and '6 for $1' finds.

I stumbled upon one last table with some boxes of various odds and ends [autos / relics / otherwise 'hit' cards] - maybe a couple of other collectors were going through the other [non-baseball] boxes and giving the seller cards they had flagged.

The seller was literally pricing cards out and telling them to come back in an hour [to presumably finish their purchase] - maybe I'd stop at a table, grab the cards I wanted and see about paying for them right there and then.

Though it may be standard operating procedure, I find the concept of stacking cards for later somewhat odd - maybe I need to actually get to know the seller first before having a relationship where I can pull cards to reserve them.

The seller was looking on dealing for a handful of cards from this one guy [$500-$600 range] and I don't even know if I would be interested in anything - I found a Tim Raines certified autograph for $20 sticker and while Raines isn't quite that popular Hall of Fame legend, it maybe a no brainer picking up a HOF auto on a acetate card printed to be a little more unique.

Besides finishing his big deal, the seller was looking briefly at other cards that some flippers were showing him - he also finished up another deal where he was looked up a card on eBay and charged another collector $3 for a random card pulled from one of the boxes.

When I finally showed the Raines to the seller, he might have looked at for a moment and asked $15 for it - I relented to dig out the required cash out of my wallet and pay up, being able to take this card home for less than a blaster.

Showing off some card show stuff #1

These were there results of pick ups from a couple of trips to a table with dollar boxes - last year, I picked up $20 worth of cards from the same table [different location at the show], but the last few times I was at this show towards the end of October, I didn't see the seller setup.

The lure was finding the occasional loose old-school [early 1980s and before] and vintage [1973 and before] cards - where the boxes ended up being sort of a treasure hunt for notable names on cards at least 40 years old.

I ended up spending $21 on the cards pictured above and while it's not high brow material - I can make believe my finds are better than picking up a $20 blaster or comparable to the results, of one of those specialty, collector repacks I've seen online.

I'd moved on in my day, but still trying to see if I can rummage around cards at various tables when I was ready to leave - I ended up back at the dollar boxes, wondering if I can fish out at least 4-5 other cards I might have overlooked.

I grabbed the Russell Martin pack pulled autograph because I remember him being among a core of rising stars for the Los Angeles Dodgers through the late 2000s - at some point, while still trying to get autographs in-person, I felt he had gotten stingier about signing, so this random card ends up being a winning find in my book after Martin's career was over and done with.

I don't ever need a Troy Glaus memorabilia card again but 20 years ago, he was the Angels' young superstar slugger - where for at least a couple of years, the sky was the limit.

I'm not sure if I've ever had a 1987 Fleer Bo Jackson RC, which may have actually been his most popular rookie issue at his peak - to the naked eye, maybe it's a little off-center, but clean enough for me to overlook anything else.

Maybe I wasn't finding anymore 'cool' old-school and vintage cards, but grabbed this Topps insert game card of Orlando Cepeda - thought it has creases running along the card, where I wasn't paying much attention.

Finally I grabbed a really shiny Topps Finest parallel of Trevor Hoffman from the late 1990s - he was a notable relief star through the time he played, but maybe only years after the fact he's gets into the Hall of Fame, might I consider the occasional card I find as a keeper.

2021 Topps Chrome Update Series mega box recap #2

Pack one

#USC85 Shane McClanahan - Rookie Debut

#USC19 Andrew Vaughn - Rookie Debut

#USC91 Adam Duvall - Purple parallel

#USC67 Zack Wheeler

Pack two

#USC66 Geraldo Perdomo RC

#USC61 Michael Taylor - Purple parallel

#CPDC-22 Robin Yount - Platinum Players insert

#USC93 Rougned Odor

Pack three

#USC7 Ka'ai Tom RC

#USC58 Jorge Mateo

#USC2 Jarred Kelenic - Rookie Debut; Purple parallel

#USC59 Brent Honeywell RC

Pack four

#USC63 Ke'Bryan Hayes - Rookie Debut

#USC81 Clarke Schmidt - Rookie Debut

#USC100 Nolan Arenado - Purple parallel

#USC79 Taylor Trammell RC

Pack five

#USC42 Jameson Taillon

#USC80 Gilberto Celestino - Purple parallel

#CUSA-PW Patrick Weigel - autograph

#USC12 Ha-Seong Kim - Rookie Debut

I'd rather get a 'hit' from a Topps branded product opposed to Panini, where it might be worth something if it's a decent player - however, I don't know if pulling a fringy big league reliever sticker dump auto from Topps is that much better than finding a 'Chase Antle' sticker dump auto from a Panini baseball product.

Pack six

#USC49 Hirokazu Sawamura RC

#USC14 Victor Gonzalez - Purple parallel

#BGC-8 Cody Bellinger - Topps Black Gold 

#USC76 Marcus Semien

Pack seven

#USC27 Akil Baddoo RC

#USC6 Kevin Pillar

#USC56 Huascar Ynoa - Purple parallel

#USC57 Lance Lynn

Pack eight

#USC99 Charlie Morton

#USC5 Garrett Whitlock - Purple parallel

#ASG-35 Nelson Cruz - 2021 MLB All-Stars insert

#USC62 Khalil Lee RC

Pack nine

#USC24 Mark Melancon

#USC74 Jonathan India RC

#USC26 Tyler Stephenson - Rookie Debut; Purple parallel

#USC70 Logan Gilbert RC

Pack 10

#USC71 Bryan Garcia RC

#USC64 Adolis Garcia

#USC15 Ryan Weathers - Rookie Debut; Purple parallel

#USC86 Joey Bart - Rookie Debut

2021 Panini Mosaic mega box recap

Even with the lure of Shohei Ohtani on the packaging, a $34.99 price tag was a no go as far as an impulse purchase of a Panini Mosaic baseball blaster at Walmart - with a Target gift card handy, maybe I was looking to buy a mega box [$49.99], until settling for a couple of mega boxes of 2021 Topps Chrome Update.

As is, I am on the mailing list of an online retailer offering mega boxes for the same price as the blasters from Walmart - there was still some interest and while I've tried not to be a Panini baseball guy, I was looking for something different. 

I also got a 2021 Panini Chronicles mega box - which was priced a little less than they would outright from a big box store. 

Pack one - right side

#28 Rowdy Tellez

#83 Framber Valdez

#107 Carlos Correa

#165 Kyle Seager

#249 Luis Garcia

#289 Yermin Mercedes

#33 Josh Donaldson - Prizm parallel

#PD16 Nick Madrigal - Pro Debuts

Pack two - bonus Reactive Red parallels

#5 Roberto Alomar

#63 Isiah Kiner-Falefa

#21 Buster Posey

#168 Eugenio Suarez

#126 Max Scherzer

#183 Ryan Zimmerman

#283 Andrew Vaughn

#233 Jorge Mateo

Pack three

#85 Kenya Maeda

#43 Keston Hiura

#138 Gleyber Torres

#195 Trevor Story

#264 Ian Anderson

#215 Deivi Garcia

#V2 George Kell - Vintage insert

#ACE13 Aaron Nola - Aces insert

Pack four

#1 J.P. Crawford 

#153 Alex Bregman

#111 Will Smith

#258 Ha-Seong Kim

#209 Anderson Tejeda

#250 Jake Cronenworth

#198 Corey Seager - Silver Prizm parallel

#BF3 Marcelo Ozuna - Big Fly insert

Pack five 

#10 Albert Pujols

#68 David Fletcher

#134 Ramon Laureano

#191 Cavan Biggio

#149 Mike Soroka

#201 William Contreras

#ATG11 Alex Rodriguez - All-Time Greats

#PD8 Brailyn Marquez - Pro Debuts; Reactive Blue parallel 

Pack six - left side; bonus Reactive blue parallels

#91 Trent Grisham

#49 Starling Marte

#7 Andrew Benintendi

#194 Devin Williams

#152 Donovan Solano

#176 Jack Morris

#283 Andrew Vaughn

#249 Luis Garcia

Pack seven

#40 Aaron Nola

#97 Jacob deGrom

#123 Fernando Tatis Jr.

#180 Anthony Rizzo

#240 Tucker Davidson

#281 Jonathan India

#P10 Joey Votto - Producers insert; Mosaic Green parallel 

#P11 Billy Williams - Producers insert

Pack eight

#55 Hanser Alberto

#137 Salvador Perez

#194 Devin Williams

#152 Donovan Solano

#232 Mickey Moniak

#275 Nick Niedert

#56 Walker Buehler - Silver Prizm parallel 

#WT4 Nolan Arenado - Will to Win insert

Pack nine

#13 Kwang-Hyun Kim

#70 Trevor Bauer

#176 Jack Morris

#133 Dylan Bundy

#226 Brent Rooker

#271 Jahmai Jones

#SCR-CA Chase Antle - Scripts auto

#ACE7 Justin Verlander - Aces insert; Prizm Mosaic parallel 

Pack 10

#27 Early Wynn

#190 Cedric Mullins

#148 Adam Wainwright

#222 Dane Dunning

#ATG10 Larry Doby - All-Time Greats insert

#208 Evan White

#239 Keegan Akin - Prizm parallel

#V12 Bob Feller - Vitnage parallel 

I pulled no cards of the cover boy Ohtani but that's how it goes - I just had to shake my head at my guaranteed autograph hit, where I saw another copy pulled in another break and thought it would just be the worst that was my pull as well.   

I still don't get how a pitcher who has barely pitched in the past 3 years is my guaranteed autograph hit - I realize retail is a real crap shoot, but Panini should have done better besides inserting an autograph of an undrafted free agent who hasn't logged 1 inning in pro baseball. 

A couple of card show single pick ups

So at the card show where the last two posts worth of cards came from, I went back to table with what I term the dollar boxes of doom - through 2021, I was all about raiding those bargain boxes when I could get to them, but perhaps the relative quality had dwindled.

I didn't think I'd see the day where the dollar cards were now $0.50 each, but maybe the seller was preoccupied by other things - however my interests have shifted where I'd rather look for impulse purchases out of the scattered singles [$5-$20] boxes.

As is who knows if I can count on seeing cards I may have flagged in months and months ago - being generally in the same place, whether displayed in one of the showcases or in a box.

I plucked an MLB rookie year Derek Jeter insert and an Ichiro rookie year card, though I wasn't enthused about what I was finding - I thought this seller would have all these boxes of 'interesting' cards, but maybe it just depends on collections the person purchases, what maybe left and what he decides to put out.

I found a 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza RC #461 and while I really wanted a graded copy as part of my scratch the itch list - a loose, unslabbed card was in my wheelhouse as a notable single pick up where I'd rather have the card that not.

I still remember buying loose jumbo packs of 1992 Bowman for $12 each at least a few times off a random seller at the show that still runs at least a couple of times a week - after the fact, I don't think I pulled one notable player or rookie so maybe there was a sequence where pulling cards of note was a no-go.

I found several copies of the Carlos Beltran certified autograph card and while he has a Hall of Fame case with the career numbers that merit eventual induction - he may never avoid questions about his role in the Houston cheating scandal in 2017 and his firing as a New York Mets manager, before he even got to manage in a game.

As I considered making my singles purchases, I was absentmindedly digging through the $0.50 boxes - where I was trying to think about the combination of singles I'd relent to pick up, I just grabbed the Piazza and a Beltran for $20 to have a couple keepers beside all the other bulk cards I picked up.

COMC mail #2 - Angels material

The 30-35 cards I picked up through 2021 came in one bubble mailer where they were sleeved and packed into a team bag, sandwiched between two cards in top loaders - then packed into a larger, team set bag.

I usually do not worry about their packaging regardless of service - they do a pretty good job packing things up.

Go figure, Mike Trout, Tim Salmon, Vladimir Guerrero and Shohei Ohtani are on my Mt. Rushmore of Angels players I collect - I'm not really into odd sized cards like the ones modeled after tobacco cards, but I grabbed the itty-bitty Trout just to have something different in-hand.

The 1993 Donruss Dominators Salmon has been a curiosity though I must have been aware of the card only through the past 5-10 years, not when it was first issued - searching for different, random things down the COMC maze, I looked up the Salmon and figured I'd finally grab it for $5 and change.

Maybe odd sized non-card items are even less of a thing for me, but I found a seller with an oddball Vladimir Guerrero coin / medallion - it gimmicky, but the shine was undeniable where this item [picturing the elder Guerrero as an Angel] should be a no brainer pick up at less than a dollar.

With the Shohei Ohtani's, I tried to pick up some decent looking inserts / parallels regardless of value - where it's strictly $1 or $2 'fun and games' material rather than something higher brow other collectors are chasing after.

I believe in Jo Adell can still be a star for the franchise - it's a matter of when his prospect pedigree and natural talent translate into a breakout season he can build upon.

The 2020 Bowman's Best Franchise 2020 Die-Cuts Adell is too shiny, too funky to ignore - I'll take it all day for about a dollar.

I may have grabbed the 2021 Topps Stadium Club Adell RC because it is an 'awesome outfield' card - but it never hurts when it also pictures a young player for my 'home team' with star potential.

The Andres Galarraga is an on card autograph though it identifies him as a Colorado [Rockies] player - I had a few opportunities to get his autograph during his last years as a player but this packed pulled autograph gives me something I can file away in my Angels all-time autograph collection outright.

Finally I grabbed a photo variation of Anthony Rendon - besides the guys that have that modern day pro athlete personality, I can appreciate the low-key, metronomic types like Rendon, who I hope bounces back from an injury shortened 2021 season.

My little $5 dig at a card show

At the monthly card show I've gone to, there was a set up of 'overflow' seller tables because supposedly the main area was sold out - I took a little detour and found myself in the 'other room' first and figured I'd rummage through a random table's dollar and $2 boxes.

I picked up the following cards because they might be of interest - a 2021 Topps Heritage die cut of a promising rookie pitcher [Casey Mize], a 'pre rookie' parallel of basketball player Lamelo Ball, a 2018 Topps Mike Trout from the All-Star stamped factory sets [one of the bonus cards that were included] and a certified 'pink fireworks' autograph of San Francisco [Giants] pitcher Logan Webb.

I probably had the chance to get Webb's autograph in person when he was with San Jose in what was then known the Cal League in 2018 - even though he actually had some 'mainstream' cards from Panini dating back to 2014, he didn't register to me as anything but just another guy.

An 80-game PED suspension in 2019 pretty much confirmed Webb wasn't anything special - after getting to the big leagues in 2019 and pitching in parts of two seasons [having OK results despite inflated ERAs], go figure he has emerged as potential ace for years to come.

Topps redemption mail - Ha-Seong Kim

I pulled an autograph redemption in one of the 2021 Topps Stadium Club blaster boxes I picked up online - reading horror stories about not receiving a card promised and/or where the time element really drags on, I was pleased to get my promised card in about two weeks after entering the scratch off code.

I don't know much about Kim except he was a big time star in Korea and was supposed to provide immediate impact - however, he might be more of a future considerations guy at this point, buried on the San Diego Padres roster.

While it may have been a natural fit see Kim playing for Fernando Tatis Jr., who has since returned but is now playing the outfield - it just made more sense for the Padres to have made Jake Cronenworth to be their primary shortstop, where the 2021 All-Star gets the opportunity to play one position for a good stretch of games.

Maybe there was a scenario where Kim could have been the shortstop while Cronenworth played second base - but Adam Frazier is at second base, so at this point, two All-Stars aren't going to be moved around to make playing time for a guy who is still a bit of an unknown quality in Kim.

With how things quickly change with high end contending teams trying to upgrade when possible, who knows knows if Kim is in the Padres’ long term plans - if Kim isn't given a chance to play every day somewhere in the next few years, he'll be back posting superstar numbers overseas somewhere.

Featured autograph - Masahiro Tanaka

This is a card I probably didn't need in the 'here and now,' but even though Tanaka's stardom has devolved ever since he came over as a super hyped import from Japan back in 2013 - there was still some lingering scratch the itch allure with his autograph as some thing I've never gotten.

I like the card because it looks old-school cool, but then again maybe it needs a little ‘pop’ factor - the blue ink autograph gets my stamp of approval.

When he first came over, Tanaka was one of the autographs I've had to get because of his stature overseas - he might have been considered one of the best pitchers in the world.

As it goes, despite being a successful big leaguer for the New York Yankees, he's been more of an unspectacular innings eater - who has never pitched 200 innings in a big league season.

His stuff is good enough to get big league hitters out during most outings - but perhaps not good enough to consistently dominate with the lights out stuff he possessed in his first couple of big league seasons.

I don’t know how Tanaka is ever going to gain a higher level of prominence in the United States, especially if he ends up returning to Japan - but I like the feeling of adding the autograph of big leaguer who has been a ‘pro’s pro’ to my personal collection somewhere.

Featured autograph - Kenny Lofton

My last in-person encounter with the longtime outfielder was being denied an autograph after a Texas Rangers pre Opening Day workout at Angel Stadium in 2007 - because of this lingering memory, he isn’t necessarily ‘one of my guys,’ but I’ve got to give credit where it is due.

Lofton was a weapon as a leadoff hitter and even though he dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot - as one of the best center fielders of his era, he has a case for induction that maybe realized through the veteran's committee.

Past his supposed prime, it's weird Lofton bounced around so many teams - but he was able to stick around and be a productive offensive player until he was 40.

I didn’t think he had too many certified autographs and the ones listed had inflated prices for anyone who might have actually wanted them - it looks Panini had him sign a bunch of stickers to affix into their unlicensed baseball cards and new Lofton certified autograph cards have trickled out.

2012 Leaf Best of Basketball The Professor autograph #TP-1

I try not to touch anything Leaf, but during a card show rummage last summer, this was too gimmicky to pass up - I was vaguely aware of the AND1 Mixtape Tour during the 2000s featuring basketball players with all sorts of nicknames trying to clown on each other in streetball games.

With The Professor the only white guy on the tour - he probably was a novelty and curiosity for more suburban kids growing up back in the day.

The Professor was a relic of a thing that happened 15-20 years ago - but he is still out hustling on YouTube, so good for him.

Featured autograph - Patrick Sandoval

For my one or two dedicated readers, October was a hiatus month since I spent it out of the country and while I could catch up with blog reading - it's not as fun collecting without actually having cards in-hand to play with.

I've been feeling 'meh' about collecting anyway because it's been a solitary thing when sometimes I tend to crave feedback from outside sources - the last month has made me wonder if I can see where I can pull the plug because I'm clearly not getting what I may want from either collecting the cards themselves or trying to come up with some blog posts that mean something.

As far as the autograph pictured, Sandoval got called up for the first time this past year to see if he has a little potential to contribute in 2020 - I haven't been living under a rock, so with Angels old friend Joe Maddon coming back to manage, the Angels are expected to be in the hunt for more established arms for the rotation.

Who knows if Sandoval gets a serious opportunity to pitch for the Angels - maybe he impresses to find a spot in the rotation, though he might be fighting with guys like Griffin Canning [a probably lock, but he still has something to prove], José Suárez or Jaime Barría to be the No. 4 or No. 5 guy.

Maybe a possibility is Sandoval makes the team - but starts the season pitching out of the bullpen, to control his innings perhaps but also see where the lefty can match up strategically, especially with relievers having to face a minimum of three batters.

Featured autograph - Jaime Barría

After a solid rookie season in 2018, maybe Angels manager Brad Ausmus and/or pitching coach Doug White didn't like what they saw from this guy in spring training this past year - so in his sophomore season, Barría was never able to get into any sort of groove, bouncing back and forth between AAA and the big leagues.

Who knows if Barría will get a serious opportunity to pitch for the Angels in 2020 - but for my all-time Angels autograph collection, I was able to add this certified autograph.