Featured autograph - Greg Halman

Learning about Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman's death, it kind of hits close to home when I learn his brother may have been a suspect - my younger brother and I still live at home with our parents and at times there are petty feelings that sort of linger over the most mundane things.

There have been times over the years when things have escalated into arguments and while we obviously play for the same team - my brother and I haven't been particularly close and it seems like it has quite a while when we've seen each other eye-to-eye.

R.I.P. Greg Halman

Harmon Killebrew - rest in peace

Harmon Killebrew passed away on May 17 - less than a week after announcing he would giving up his battle against cancer.

I'm not sure if I had my picture taken with him but I was able to get his autographs at a golf tournament five or six years ago - one of the cards I was still hoping to get signed was his 2002 Donruss Originals card, which modeled after the 1984 Donruss design, featuring a black and white image of Killebrew.

Besides slugging 573 home runs in his career and receiving various accolades as a Hall of Fame legend - maybe an interesting aspect about Killebrew's career was getting to the Major Leagues at 18 as a bonus baby.

For parts of the next five years, Killebrew seemingly made token contributions for the Minnesota Twins - until finally getting an opportunity to play every day as a 23-year old in 1959.

Featured autograph - Duke Snider

Duke Snider's passing on Sunday may mean more to old-school baseball fans and in particular, those who grew up with the Brooklyn Dodgers - however he was a Hall of Fame legend who seemed to enjoy a reputation for being a gracious signer in-person or through the mail.

With regards to autographs, this story captures just about everything I know and perhaps want to say about Snider and signing autographs - perhaps good and bad.

As far as I was concerned, I never met him in-person and Snider used to refused or 'RTS' mail sent to his listed address - when I started to write him in the early 2000s.

In my experience, I remember having to mark the envelope, 'donation enclosed' to get any sort of positive response - things got better however and for a period of time the successes from Snider in the middle of the 2000s came flooding in.

Most seem to enclose any small fee sent to him, though other times I've read he signed TTM with no donation enclosed - one of the cards I was able to get signed TTM is shown in appreciation of the several times I was able to get something back from him during the past 10 years.

May Mr. Snider rest in peace.

A tragic week for the Halos

Nick Adenhart 1986-2009

My father roused me out of my dreamy sleep to say a young pitcher for the Angels was killed -the guy who pitched last night [Wednesday].

Last night I was watching the game and thought with the number of flameouts and never has beens - Nick Adenhart may have been the best pitcher from the 2004 draft.

Here he is pitching at 22 on opening week for the Angels - throwing six shutout innings. Watching him leave game, I said there he goes into the clubhouse [the young kid did his job].

I kind of went back to a half-sleep - I kept thinking it was a mistake and if someone was killed, maybe it was someone else. It wasn't Adenhart, right? He was the great hope for the Angels on the mound for the last several years and considering where he was, things kind of worked out for him Wednesday night.

Fans who follow the Angels' system knows the story about Adenhart being a 'highly regarded' 14th round choice - whose stock plummeted because he had to go get Tommy John surgery in high school.

All I knew now was an Angels pitcher was killed - it wasn't a dream and as Adenhart realized his dream for one night, it was all taken away hours later.

I didn't want to see it, didn't want the news confirmed, but I turned on the TV and it was on SportsCenter - anchor Chris McKendry [and Buck Showalter] was talking about Adenhart getting into a fatal hit-and-run accident [along with two others who perished with him, Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson and a former Cal State Fullerton baseball player Jon Wilhite who was in critical condition].

There was a statement from Torii Hunter read over the air - I go to MLB Network and Hunter was basically saying what was on the statement. You take it for granted, but never know when its your time to go.

Lots of things going through my mind and it seemed almost canned and petty - would I post a pic on the blog? What will the Angels do with a depleted starting rotation? The Angels were to induct Brian Downing and Chuck Finley to their Hall of Fame Thursday night, but the game vs. the Oakland Athletics was postponed and what may have been a celebration of two franchise stars turned into a mourning party.

Random memories as a fan - passed over an Adenhart 2004 Donruss EEE certified autograph rookie card and got a Phil Hughes instead [both were $5 each] at the 2006 Seattle Mariners/San Diego Padres Fan Fest card show in Peoria.

Saw him signing autographs at Rancho Cucamonga [Los Angeles Angels high-A affiliate] in 2006 after he was called up from low-A, saw him at Meet the Quakes day and got a mini-bat signed the same year - saw him a couple of spring trainings in 2007 and in 2009.

The Angels have had bad luck this week with Adenhart's death and an Angels' fan [Brian Powers] - getting into a fatal fight after an Angels' game opening night. You really can't say you hope things 'bounce back' into place, the way it was before like if this was a game played. I think you just let things sink in and let things be.

When reality hits - it leaves you cold and befuddled.