A whole lotta ink from Jeremy at Infield Single Cards

Ok, I admit it. One of the things I've loved since joining the blogosphere is surfing other bloggers' follow lists. Sometimes a post catches my eye and that is how I found Jeremy at Infield Single Cards. Jeremy had a list of autographs that he was willing to part with and a couple of the cards caught my eye. I made the initial contact and after an exchange of emails, a deal was struck. The cards arrived the other day and it was more than I could have ever expected.

The first autograph I was interested in was the Bryan Harvey. Harvey had several outstanding seasons for the Angels in the late 80's/early 90's before the Angels left him unprotected in the expansion draft due to a bad elbow. Jack Howell was supposed to be the successor to Doug DeCinces in the late 80's. He had decent enough power, but a low average stalled his Angel career. My one lasting memory of Howell was when he hit a broken bat homerun against the Yankees.

The other certified autograph I was interested in was the Team USA Cody Poteet. Cody is currently the Sunday starter for the UCLA Bruins. Command is an issue at times, but Poteet definitely has the stuff to be a big leaguer one day.

Jeremy also mentioned that he had an IP Shane Mack autograph. It's kind of embarrassing to say, but though I have almost the entire Mack card collection, I don't have a single autograph. Though the signature is a bit faded, it is still pretty cool and a welcome addition.

The package also included the surprise addition of several other Angel autographs, which mostly made me want to cry, and not out of joy. Due to the struggles of Jack Howell, the Angels signed Gary Gaetti in 1991 to man the hot corner. After a solid career with the Twins, Gaetti became arguably my least favorite Angel of all time (those were some AWFUL clubs). The best thing I can say about him is that he does seem to have a nice autograph. Luis Sojo is painful because he was traded to the Angels along with Junior Felix in exchange for one of my favorite Angels, Devon White. Let's just say that didn't work out on any level. Finally, there is Lance Parrish, who's prime years with the Tigers had long past when he joined the club. 

I don't want to leave this post on a bitter note, so I will say that things picked up with the surprise inclusion of a Tim Salmon autograph. The King Fish is my all-time favorite Angel so that "almost" makes up for having to re-live the Gaetti and Sojo nightmare.

Finally, Jeremy included one of the elusive '11 Topps Silver Diamonds I still need for my set. With the Pedroia in hand, I am down to 16 for the regular set.

I can't thank Jeremy enough for this great trade and stroll down memory lane.