Featured autograph - Joe Saunders

There is a wall mural / display of current Angels players as one-time Little Leaguers along the Terrace Level concourse [where the concourse curves around, when walking towards right field from the first base side] at Angel Stadium - I think each Angel player featured on the wall actually took some time to sign an actual autograph, instead of a facsimile autograph applied to their 'bios.'

Roaming around at Angel Stadium on Monday, the day after the Angels' traded Saunders and prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Dan Haren - the Saunders display had already disappeared.

While Saunders was a 'bulldog' at times in his career for the Halos - it seems like he was more of a No. 3 or No. 4 guy and maybe it was a little disappointing to watch him struggle for periods of time.

Several years ago, I printed out an Wallpaper image of Saunders at Virginia Tech on 4x6 photo paper - I was finally able to get Saunders to sign it this past spring training.

Featured autograph - Shawn Green

Former Major Leaguer Shawn Green was another guy whose autographs I got at the 2010 All-Star Fan Fest in Anaheim - he made two appearances at the Fox sports West booth, but while I'm sure I brought particular set cards the first day he made an appearance, my visit to the All-Star Fan Fest was 'cut short' and must have put the cards somewhere to be forgotten.

On the second day Green was signing - I was rummaging through my stuff to see if I had the various setters I had brought the other day, but the cards were nowhere to be found.

I decided I wanted to get Green's autograph on something anyway - just so I could say I got him and add to my totals for the day, even though it wasn't on the setters I had intended on getting signed.

Collectors and autograph hounds are very particular on the things they want autograph - maybe the worst are the guys [like myself I guess] who need to get particular cards signed, because the process over getting a little piece of cardboard signed becomes an obsession.

I need a card or two from the Allen and Ginter's sets signed or from the 2004 Upper Deck USA 25th Anniversary set -as I try to get as many base cards from a particular set signed, I can't just have any old card signed.

There is also a premium to getting set cards signed by retired players - since a number of them disappear from the spotlight after their playing careers are over.

I hurriedly ran to the baseball card dealer booth [where I got the Frank Thomas cards from the previous post] and was bent on looking for Green's cards - one of the guys at the booth was like, "hey what are you looking for? You look like [you are on a mission to find something] - ah, Shawn Green."

I ended up buying a couple of cards that were really glossy for $3 - I took a risk, but the cards were nice looking and I was hoping they would come out clean after much prepping 'on the fly.'

2004 Leaf Certified Cuts Stars #S-32 / serial #'d 278/599 - I actually had to pay $2 for this, since it was marked as such on the penny sleeve.

2006 Topps Heritage Chrome #34 / serial #'d 1333/1957

Green 2/2 - after giving my name to be put on a list and waiting in line, I finally had a chance to approach him and he scribbled on both of my cards. It looks like they turned out fine with no streaking, no bubbling, etc.

Unlike the Thomas signing, this was an organized signing and there was a MLB authenticator to put a sticker on the back of my cards after they were signed - after the sticker is placed, the authenticator marks on a sheet, what type of item signed the stickers went on.

Featured autograph - Frank Thomas

1990 Topps rookie card

Frank Thomas 1/2 - walking around at the 2010 MLB All-Star Fan Fest in Anaheim, I saw the two-time AL MVP winner at the MLB.com booth / taping area and watched intently as he did an interview on stage.

I have various things [particular set cards I want signed, about eight or nine poster-sized 'cards' I bought six or seven years ago on eBay] at home, but wasn't aware he was making an appearance at the fan fest - I ran to a baseball card dealer booth and tried to squeeze in-between a man and woman leafing through monster boxes of cards to grab a handful of Thomas cards.

I was looking for 'setters,' but couldn't find any - I ended up picking up a couple of Thomas' rookie cards [paid $2 for the 1990 Topps and $1 for the 1990 Score], hoping to get him after his interview time was up.

An acquaintance asked Thomas about his 1990 Topps 'No Name on Front' error card - Thomas wasn't really aware of of the controversy of the 'NNOF' error card and was straining to answer the question other than to guess that was his rookie card.

Afterwards, it was a madhouse to get Thomas with 40-50 people following after him, just to try and get an autograph - he was signing, but it was difficult trying to get his attention, while watching weary security guards trying to shield him [in vain] from everyone who wanted an autograph and guide him out of the hall of the Anaheim Convention Center.

I tried to find an opening and one barely opened up - where Thomas grabbed my clipboard and signed the Topps card.

2010 MLB All-Star break events - a recap of sorts

Even though I was excited about All-Star break in Anaheim - I didn't bother with the events people cared about like the Home Run Derby [maybe $60 or so for a ticket to get into Angel Stadium] and the actual All-Star Game [maybe $150 for a ticket to get into Angel Stadium].

It seemed easy to 'whiff' on these events, because when I'm wired to look for autographs - paying $60-$150 for tickets just to be a 'non-VIP' spectator is just isn't going to cut it.

I did spend time at the Futures Game / Taco Bell Celebrity / Legends softball game[$20 for a ticket] the Sunday before the game was played and got a handful of prospects' autographs there including players like Mike Moustakas [U.S.A.], Eric Hosmer [U.S.A.] and Brett Lawrie [World] - though I didn't bother to get Angels' uber prospect Mike Trout and eventual game MVP Hank Conger.

I was able to also snag Jennie Finch's autograph as well as Fred Lynn's - even though I failed to account for the fact Mike Piazza was going to be around.

My goal as far as picking up autographs of the active players was to get some 'big fish' along the way - I wasn't not going to try and make it a goose chase with no results to show for the huffing and puffing. In the end, I didn't get much, but the following players signed and I was able to get them.

Marlon Byrd (2) - was able to get him twice.
Trevor Cahill 3/3 - signed three cards at one time.
Troy Tulowitzki (1) - my best success from an active player during the A.S. break, this was totally a fluke. The item he signed was actually a 6x8 sized 2007 Topps Turkey Red Cabinet.
Vernon Wells 2/2, 2/2 - he signed a bunch and was able to get him on two cards, two different times.

Kevin Frandsen - a pleasant surprise as a Halo

I've gotten current Angel Kevin Frandsen's autograph several times in spring training with the San Francisco Giants and maybe once in 2009 when he was with Fresno Grizzlies [when the team was playing in Las Vegas] - so I guess I knew who he was before being acquired by the Angels.

However, after being a waiver wire claim from the Boston Red Sox earlier in the year, Frandsen may have emerged as a semi-regular in Anaheim - with a gaudy .352 batting average [nice to look at, not likely to last] in 91 at-bats so far.  

Several years ago, the Giants were looking to get Frandsen into their starting lineup, but I think an injury wiped him out for a whole season - and he had to work his way back to the Major Leagues.

Between the nicks and dings suffered by Maicer Izturis and the injury suffered by Erick Aybar in 2010 - the Angels have had to move Brandon Wood [the once heralded uber power-hitting prospect of the organization is floundering] to shortstop, allowing Frandsen to get some playing time at third base. 

As an Angels' fan, I've noticed if a guy is going to be called up to the 'varsity' team in Anaheim - Manager Mike Scioscia is going to find an opportunity for the player to play a role with the team as opposed to merely have the guy rot on the bench.

If Frandsen sticks around, it looks like he'll be another 'scrappy,' guy Angels fans will come to embrace - he reminds me a little of Scott Spiezio, who blossomed as an Angel 10 seasons ago after being a castoff from the another Major League organization.

Card show finds Part IV - 2010 Topps Ryne Sandberg insert

The highlight of my $4 / 20 card splurge at a random card show booth last Saturday was finding a 2010 Topps Ryne Sandberg Cards Your Mom Threw Out insert #CMT32 - original back.

Card show finds Part III - rank-and-file cards

Rank and file cards - nothing to get too excited about, but cards I hope to get autographed through the mail or most likely in-person.

2005 Bowman's Best Craig Tatum #45
2005 Bowman's Best Brendan Ryan #94
2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Chris Denorfia #113
2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition School Colors insert A.J. Pollock #9
2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition School Colors insert Tony Sanchez #10
2010 Topps Henry Rodriguez #307
2010 Upper Deck Esmil Rogers #14
2010 Upper Deck Justin Turner #39

Card show finds Part II - 2010 Upper Deck USA box set cards

Found some loose cards from the 2010 Upper Deck USA box set - I picked up a box set several months ago, so these are just a few extra cards I hope to get autograph in the near future.  

Chad Bettis #3 - No. 76 overall to the Colorado Rockies.
Drew Pomeranz #13 - No. 5 overall to the Cleveland Indians [pictured].
Asher Wojciechowski #22 - No. 41 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays
Nick Castellanos #24 - No. 44 overall to the Detroit Tigers

Card show finds Part I - personal favorites who happen to be superstars

At a card show I frequent, I dug through a stack of cards that were a quarter each - I ended up getting 20 cards and was charged $4.

I am apathetic to base cards of superstars because they are not worth much and seem redundant, but for around a quarter each - there were some allure to jumping in and picking up the following cards because I've 'tagged' the players as 'personal favorites.'

Albert Pujols
2005 Bowman's Best #28
2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot #83
2010 Bowman #185 - x2

Ichiro
2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot #47 - not shown 
2010 Bowman #172 - obscured by the flash on my camera 

Ken Griffey Jr.
2010 Bowman #40

Stephen Strasburg - just living the dream

This isn't a recent Stephen Strasburg image, but one I took during the 2009 Arizona Fall League - take a look closer at the nice orderly crowd of adults jockeying to get Strasburg's autograph.

Maybe the most refreshing thing to see Tuesday night in Strasburg's Major League debut was he came out and lived up to the hype for one night - not in a pump your chest for everybody to see kind of way, but to simply go out and dominate with zero walks allowed and 14 strikeouts in seven innings kind of way.   

What wasn't surprising, but perhaps a little depressing is this whole cottage industry - where everyone wants a piece of Strasburg [his $16,000 baseball card], everyone wants a say [maybe the pundits or experts at various 'online outlets,' Baseball America, ESPN, et al] and/or everyone is looking to sell a piece of him [Major League Baseball, Topps].

He has an entire Major League Baseball career infront of him and perhaps he'll be a superstar realized - but there isn't a novelty factor to this guy because everyone basically predicted what he was going to do from the time he signed his first professional contract.

Now after his first Major League start along the way - all Strasburg has to do is strikeout 14 or more guys the rest of his starts [throw a no-hitter and/or perfect game, strikeout 20 batters] in 2010 as a tease to what he is going to do when he actually matures as a Major League pitcher.

So long Junior - a comeback scenario already being spun?

With his bat speed severely diminished and his ability to contribute to a floundering Seattle Mariners squad seemingly shot - it was time for Ken Griffey Jr. to 'man up' and retire. 

However, it seems harder for professional superstars in all sports to walk away and don't be surprised if there is a buzz of him attempting a potential comeback - even if everyone is paying their tributes and digesting the fact 'The Kid' may no longer roam the Major Leagues as this once happy-go-lucky superstar that had devolved into a shell of himself as he fought through numerous injuries through the 2000s.  

Perhaps Junior thinks he does have something left - just couldn't get his mojo going, with not being able to play every day and had this recent run of bad luck. 

It wasn't going to end up pretty with Junior in Seattle and at least Griffey Jr. did not leave the responsibility to the Mariners - of officially parting ways with what has been a sporting icon in the Northwest.

Featured card: 2010 Bowman Throwbacks Kendry Morales #BT 69

I picked up the Los Angeles Angels [Torii Hunter / Hideki Matsui / Kendry Morales] cards from the 2010 Bowman Throwbacks set because I still familiar with the 1992 Bowman set as one from a 'nine or 10 years ago,' though it has actually been 18 years since its release - I like the novelty of the reprinted card designs because there is a 'what-if' quality to them, even the cards themselves are anachronistic and some of the details on the original cards may not actually be mimicked on the insert cards.

When I overheard a couple of Angels fans [I'll assume] telling former Halo Adam Kennedy [during batting practice before the Washington Nationals / San Diego Padres game in San Diego on Saturday] - how Morales got injured after hitting a walk-off grand slam, I was in disbelief. The biggest news for this fan on Saturday wasn't Roy Halladay's perfecto, but the Halos losing their 'bully' in the middle of their lineup with light tower power from both sides of the plate.

Morales is probably close to as done for the regular season - who knows how he will bounce back if somewhat healthy enough to make a return this year.

In 2009, the Angels had to deal with Nick Adenhart's passing - but losing a guy for a chunk of the season because of an apparent walk-off celebration adds insult to injury and is a blow to a team looking for some consistency.

Maybe the real question is how are the Halos going to be able to get production from first base with the possible options they have available - will the Angels trade for a first baseman who can hit with some pop or is the organization content to 'fill in the blank' at first base with someone within the farm system or perhaps someone currently on the Angels.

My purchase - a 2010 Bowman Prospects set

I wanted to see what the 2010 Bowman cards looked like, but obviously it has been an overhyped product since its release - with the lottery / rat race mentality of speculators and collectors alike chasing Stephen Strasburg's first-year [non-USA team, not unlicensed Tristar] parallels / autographed cards. 

I ended up getting a hand collated base set of the prospects [around $30 shipped from a seller on eBay] - so at least I can have a basic Stephen Strasburg first-year card for my personal collection and also get a complete set of 109 other prospect cards featuring such up-and-comers like Jose Iglesias [Boston Red Sox], Starlin Castro [Chicago Cubs], Aroldis Chapman [Cincinnati Reds], Dustin Ackley [Seattle Mariners; card looks too dark for an autograph], Donavan Tate [San Diego Padres; card looks too dark for an autograph], Hak-Ju Lee [Chicago Cubs], Wilmer Font [Texas Rangers], Brett Jackson [Chicago Cubs], Thomas Neal [San Francisco Giants], Grant Green [Oakland Athletics], et al.  

The Strasburg card should be a $10-$15 card by itself, though by the end of the year - Topps will have likely rolled the presses on releasing various basic, non-autograph MLBPA rookie cards [~Actual rookie cards people! Not just these silly 'first year' cards printed of guys who haven't thrown one pitch or had one at-bat in the Major Leagues~] of Strasburg, along with more valuable parallels/ autograph cards. 

The Angels are not getting it done in the American League West

The Angels are horribly inconsistent and cannot get anything going at this point - they are my team and it is early, but it isn't fun watching a baseball team that can't consistently get off the mat. 

The Mariners were depending on one Milton Bradley to be a middle of the lineup force - so they suck too with Bradley taking his ball and going home. As much as I'd like to be a contrarian and root for Bradley the player and perhaps the person, his mood swings have made him an unsympathetic figure in my eyes. As much as he maybe calling out for help, it maybe time to cut the cord on his MLB playing career. 

Meanwhile in the rest of the suddenly 'weakened' American League West, the A's are emerging as a scrappy bunch who looks like they may stand out - I don't know if they have enough pitching and offense, while I think scrappy guys like Adam Rosales, Cliff Pennington and Kurt Suzuki can only take the team so far. 

However, unlike the 'Moneyball' era A's teams, my perception is the current A's are a more balanced team - with their ability catch the ball, run and perhaps do more than wait for the three-run home run from a Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada or Eric Chavez. 

Can it be conceivable the A's and the Texas Rangers will be the two teams in the AL West battling for the division title - the Rangers' lineup can score lots of runs and if their pitching holds up, it makes them a team with some staying power. It looks like Vlad Guerrero is getting some of his mojo back and if healthy, maybe a comeback player of the year candidate.

Torii is playing well, but the rest of his Angels' squad isn't coming together anytime soon.

Maybe the slumping Godzilla needs a rest. 

Featured autograph - Alex Gordon

I think everyone has always thought Alex Gordon looked the part of a Major League All-Star or even potential superstar - maybe I've seen him just a few times, but at the plate I've always assumed Gordon had the ability to battle pitchers into deep counts before lashing a line drives to the gap or perhaps even hit a long home run. He had the innate ability to make hard contact once the ball met his bat.

However, after not living up to the hype in parts of four seasons with the Kansas City Royals, with numbers of games played decreasing from 151 in 2007, 134 in 2008 to 49 in 2009 - the former uber prospect continues to be a question mark. Perhaps not being entirely healthy, he was sent down to the minors after hitting .194 with a .323 slugging percentage in 31 at-bats.

I'm not so sure the Royals have as much patience with Gordon like they did when he was burning through the minors - seems like he's more likely to go down the path of Sean Burroughs than Robin Ventura at this point.

Baseball cards and me - trying to be honest about my waning interest in cardboard

I don't feel like I can relate to collecting baseball cards right now because I've just gotten too lazy [in life] to care about them and I have these things going on in my mind - where I'm ambivalent towards my collection of baseball cards. 

I think at times I say, 'I'm too cool for cardboard,' since I live within 30 minutes of a Major League Baseball team and going to games takes up most of my leisure time [tough life] - and perhaps any sort of spending money I may spent for actual baseball cards is used to pay for tickets / gas perhaps and food. 

Back when I first started to collect, 15 or 20 years ago, I could never have imagined to get my little pieces of cardboard signed by the players shown on the cards - now I've got cards to sorted out by MLB teams with some knowledge of getting them signed on somewhat regular basis [whether it is cards featuring a college player, professional player from the minors to the Majors and even some retired guys]. 

Collecting baseball autographs in-person [maybe through the mail, though sending requests has slowed down for me] takes some precedent over merely collecting baseball cards of players pictured - and it gives me an excuse to conveniently ignore collecting baseball cards for the sake of collecting them like I see through other baseball card / trading card blogs.

Perhaps I'm not so eager to secure something for my 'personal collection' and I'm not as enthused buy into the hype of new releases - I'm a fickle baseball card guy as far as budget is concerned and I don't need another fancy set-builder product like Topps Chicle with unopened boxes around $80. 

At times I feel nostalgic about collecting the cards for themselves - maybe I'm trying to find a way to enjoy card collecting again, even though most of the cards I'll be trying to pick up are ones I'm trying to get autographed.

Featured links - collecting from two points of view

At times I feel like I've kind of lost something as far as collecting baseball cards for the heck of it and can relate to the point of view in this link - Are Cards Needed

Then again, I kind of see collecting baseball cards in a different, nostalgic, way when I read this - What He Left Behind

Featured autograph - Scott Brosius

I first got Scott Brosius' autograph in-person when he played for the Oakland Athletics back in 1996 - I ended up not collecting in-person autographs in 1997 and Brosius got traded to the New York Yankees after enduring a subpar year.

After a comeback season, including being part of a 114 win team and being named 1998 World Series MVP - Brosius had enjoyed some new prominence and got kind of elusive perhaps [for a good, but generally average MLB player] and I remember seeing him last in 2000, when he was getting dropped off at alternate players' entrance at what was then Edison Field in Anaheim.

I never got him on a 2000 New York Yankees team baseball I was working on back then - it was far from complete since I know Derek Jeter wasn't on there, but it was still from a championship season.

Brosius currently coaches a NCAA Division III [Linfield] baseball team in Oregon - they were in Orange County, California, playing Chapman University this past weekend. 

After a doubleheader on Saturday, I was able to get Brosius to sign the 2000 NYY team baseball [which features luminaries like Lance 'One Dog' Johnson and Todd Erdos, but missing Jose Canseco, Jeter, Ricky Ledee among other players I still need] - more importantly I also got a 2001 Fleer Tradition set card [I'd been holding off on actually sending with a donation to Brosius' baseball program] signed.

Featured autograph - Jason Heyward

I had an idea of who Jason Heyward was before he exploded onto the Major League Baseball scene this season - I'm hoping he follows in the footsteps of this guy as far as a baseball phenom who took the league by storm and as far as anybody can tell, hasn't ever looked back.

I got the 2009 Tristar Obak card signed in-person last year in the Arizona Fall League - which is the place to go to watch baseball's next star performers.

Featured autograph - Ubaldo Jimenez

Ubaldo Jimenez doesn't have much of an autograph - but I don't think his penmanship isn't much of a concern for Colorado Rockies fans who were treated to watch him throw the organization's first no-hitter.

These are no secrets, but on his good days, it seems Jimenez seems like he has no-hit stuff - he is also a big and strong guy who doesn't seem to get gassed as he gets into the later innings of a baseball game.