Featured autograph - Johnny Giavotella

The Angels picked him up recently and I was geeked up since I have this random card that he signed in ballpoint ink [through the mail] laying around - the signed card maybe of use if he plays in one game for the Angels in 2015 and I can slip it into my all-time Angels autograph collection.

More than likely however, the road to Anaheim isn't as clear cut as I assume for players like Giavotella - if he does stick around through spring training, he'll probably end up in AAA for much of the season.

Autograph request through the mail received: Andy Dirks

Andy Dirks c/o Detroit Tigers - he was having a breakout year in 2012, so I sent an autograph request towards the end of that season.

In March 2013, the Detroit Tigers returned one of my two cards my unsigned with a form letter in their own envelope - my SASE and my other card were not returned.

I haven't counted on getting through the mail requests back for at least several years but I saw one of my SASEs after checking my mailbox on Aug. 10 - I wondered who responded to me and inside the envelope was a signed card from Dirks, which surprised me since I'd counted him off as an apparent failure.

Featured autograph - Brandon Webb

I got this autograph card through the mail when I wrote to the former ace and recently retired pitcher of the Arizona Diamondbacks back in the mid 2000's - I don't think Webb was a guy who wasn't heralded nationally as the next big thing but stuck around and quietly proved himself to be a very good pitcher.

After Webb won the 2006 National League Cy Young and built upon that with a couple more great years - I thought this guy was living the charmed life, part of a core of young DBacks in the late 2000's that included Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Chris Young, Chris Snyder and Mark Reynolds in the mix.

Those core of Diamondbacks players never really developed as their individual careers sort of went all over the place - in the middle of his prime, Webb's once consistent career was derailed in 2009 and he was never able to throw a MLB pitch again.

I don't know if I followed Webb's career in-depth, but I find it perhaps morbidly fascinating when certain MLB players have enjoyed so much success - but are now 'has beens' or 'what could have beens' or have fans wondering, 'whatever happened to that guy?'

Featured autograph - Zack Greinke

I probably got this card signed through the mail years ago and I wish the other guy was in professional baseball somewhere because I'd still like to complete it - the card is going into my all-time Angels autograph box to represent Greinke's time with the Angels in 2012.

Obviously Greinke is the most prized free agent this off-season and I'd love for the Angels to have the means to plug him back into a depleted starting rotation for 2013 - who really knows [I'm not betting on it, btw] if the Angels are going to re-sign Greinke to a long term deal for $120 million or more.

If it happens and Greinke is back with the Halos for the next five-seven years - then the team is going to have to tear up the long term deal ace Jered Weaver signed and make sure the face of the Halos' starting rotation is paid comparably.

Autograph request through the mail received: Jordan Zimmermann

Jordan Zimmermann c/o Washington Nationals - maybe an unheralded pitcher in a starting rotation that maybe the best in the National League in 2012, Zimmerman signed my 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter card in blue Sharpie and didn't return the other card I sent; this request took about a month.

Autograph request through the mail received: Johnny Groth

Johnny Groth c/o home - he signed my card in blue ink for $5, though the autograph was smeared, so it was sort of a waste of a request to send.

I guess the $5 is just pocket change and if I was going to send an autograph request to an 85-year old guy to sign my card - I should temper my anticipation since who knows if someone like Groth can still do day-to-day things in his life such as respond to autograph requests.

Autograph request through the mail received: Ron Hansen

Ron Hansen c/o home - signed my card in blue ink with '1960 A.L. R.O.Y.' inscription in about a week.

For a card I picked up randomly, I really how this particular card turned out - maybe Hansen had to sign over part of his face and perhaps the facsimile autograph gets in the way, but the actual autograph on the card is nice, bold and clean.

Autograph request through the mail received: Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro c/o home - I sent $10 and my card was signed in blue ink with a 'H.O.F. 97' inscription and he responded to my letter.

I was worried about this request because I mailed it in a regular envelope and when I take to a person at the post office - I have to see my outgoing envelope squeezed to see if I have to pay the surcharge [$0.20] for additional ounces.

Maybe it is a problem I'm just being petty about, but it pisses me off because by the way my envelopes are being felt up - card (s) I'm sending out [I'm probably more concerned over cards from the last 10 years] are probably bent up and creased before I pay for my postage.

Maybe about a week later I get my request back from Niekro- I was pretty relieved that all the squeezing at the post office apparently didn't damage my card at all as I see no visible creases.

Autograph request through the mail received: Jim Nash

Jim Nash c/o home - personalized and signed my card in black Sharpie in about a week.

I looked at his stats before putting together my letter and discovered he was a pretty good starting pitcher - I would guess for every 'old school' MLB guy who took pride in throwing 250-300 innings for 10-15 years, there were pitchers like Nash who had success early on, but whose playing careers effectively ended towards their late 20s.

It seems like present-day starting pitchers have the ability to prolong their careers - even though it seems like they don't throw as many innings and at times, they seem to be 'babied.'

Featured autograph - Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin - I got the autograph card signed through the mail 'via venue' c/o the Atlanta Braves during the 2000 All-Star break.

I remember writing to Larkin and then Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star catcher Jason Kendall - Larkin responded with my card signed in blue ballpoint pen.

If I had a vote in the 2012 Hall of Fame ballot - I'd only vote for Larkin to be inducted with Ron Santo into the Hall of Fame this year.

While I've assumed he was a very good player, I don't think I've seen him as anything but a borderline Hall of Famer - however, Larkin was a 'one-team' guy who spent his entire 19-years as a MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds.

Looking at the shortstop position, Larkin was as good as you were going to get before guys like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra came onto the scene in the late 1990s - Larkin got on-base, hit for average, hit for some pop, stole bases and play pretty good defense.

Featured autograph - Edgar Martinez

Edgar Martinez - I got this autograph in the mail four or five years ago.

I have my issues with him being inducted in the Hall of Fame any time soon, but he probably became Seattle's Tony Gwynn - there were bigger superstars who may have overshadowed Martinez' playing career, but he was also the one All-Star who stayed with the Mariners from start to finish, building up a lot of goodwill in the community.

Featured autograph - Dale Murphy

Dale Murphy - I got this autograph card and probably one more signed through the mail about nine years ago. I have to dig it out somewhere, but I think he also responded to my letter that I sent to him.

From what I've read about him and from the cards I've flipped through over the past 20 years - I do know Murphy was an early to mid 1980s 'superstar' whose Major League career started to careen off course in his 30s.

Maybe if he'd maintained some of the numbers he'd put up in his peak - he'd be a Jim Rice sort of Hall of Fame inductee without receiving the 'hate' from 21st century baseball pundits, since by all accounts Murphy was a 'nice guy' during his playing career.

Autograph request through the mail received: Jose Cardenal

Jose Cardenal c/o home - signed my three cards [1975 Topps, 1977 Topps and 1978 Topps] in blue Sharpie in about three weeks; I remember him mainly for being a coach with the New York Yankees through the late 1990s, but played 18 seasons in the Major Leagues as well.

Looking at Cardenal's stats, he had his most productive seasons in the mid 1970s with the Chicago Cubs - he also played for the Angels from 1965-1967.

Autograph request through the mail received: Bob Locker

Bob Locker c/o home - the former Major League relief pitcher from the 1960s through early 1970s signed my card in blue Sharpie in about two weeks.

Autograph request through the mail received: Bill Sampen

Bill Sampen c/o home - signed my cards in blue Sharpie in little over a week.

Looking back at his Major League career, Sampen managed to find success as a relief pitcher for two or three years in the early 1990s - by the time he spent his last MLB season with the California Angels in 1994, it looked like his arm was toast.

Autograph request through the mail received: Carl Warwick

Carl Warwick c/o home - the 1964 World Series hero personalized and signed my card in blue ink in about a week.

Autograph request through the mail received: Tony Womack

Tony Womack c/o home - signed a 2005 Topps Turkey Red set card and a 2005 Topps card in black Sharpie in about two weeks.

He returned my third card unsigned and didn't bother to keep it - even though I wrote he can have it for his personal collection.

Autograph request through the mail received: Danny Tartabull

Danny Tartabull c/o home address - signed my cards in black Sharpie and kept one [1989 Sportsflics] in about a week.

Tartabull was never quite a 'superstar' for the teams he played for but was quite a productive player in his prime years - I haven't really been keeping up with mailing any autograph requests to players since the beginning of the year, but seeing recent Tartabull successes posted on message boards / forums / Web sites piqued my interest.

Skunked by A.J. Pierzynski's apparent ghostsigner

A.J. Pierzynski c/o Chicago White Sox [spring training] - I think I sent this request out on 2/18 and got it back on 4/20/11; the card was signed in blue ink but it doesn't appear to be Pierzynski's actual autograph.

I know of at least two variations of his autograph - one closer to his early signature, where it looks like Pierzynski has scribbled out his last name kind of letter-for-letter. There is also his 'current' autograph where it looks mostly like this and 'sloppier' variations of it.

The SASE I got back was postmarked from Phoenix, so I assume it was left behind at the White Sox facility at Camelback Ranch - instead of simply mailing my card back unsigned [maybe it was buried beneath a pile of letters that Pierzynski never touched], someone decided to have some fun at my expense.

Autograph request through the mail received: Augie Garrido

Augie Garrido c/o University of Texas Athletics - the longtime collegiate baseball coaching great signed my card in black ink in about two months or so.