Taking the Plunge with Matt at Bob Walk the Plank

I had recently begun working on a new set, the  '13 Topps Gypsy Queen Minis, and much to my luck, a great new blogger named Matt at Bob Walk the Plank had recently opened up a box. I took the plunge and made contact with Matt asking if he might possibly have any of my wants. Matt graciously sent back 7 of my remaining set needs.

As I'm working on the set, any missing card is nice to get, but it's always great to add a new Mike Trout and Babe Ruth card to the collection, not to mention Mariano Rivera.

Matt was kind enough to also offer up a Garrett Richards Gypsy Queen autograph. Anyone who watched the Sunday night Angels game against the Yankees knows that Richards has some nasty stuff.

As a surprise, Matt also added this Flair autograph of Casey Kotchman. Kotchman was having his best season for the Angels in 2008 when he was traded to the Braves at the deadline for Mark Teixeira. When Tex signed with the Yankees that offseason, the Angels netted the Yankees first round pick as compensation which as most people know turned out to be... Mike Trout. Yeah, I think that turned out ok in the end for the Angels.

Thanks again to Matt for the set help and extra goodies.

2000 Peoria Chiefs

As I have previously mentioned, I like to collect the local kids from Southern California. In the 1998 MLB Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Tim Lemon in the second round out of La Mirada High. The previous fall, I had covered Lemon's exploits on the gridiron and that spring, I watched the toolsy Lemon on the baseball diamond. I figured he would be a cool player to track, follow, and collect. After a couple of years in Short Season ball, Lemon moved up to Low-A Peoria in 2000. (Lemon would play 7 years in the minors never getting out of High-A, and was even converted to a pitcher in 2004)

The Chiefs offered an internet broadcast of their games that season, and I remember listening to many a game in the afternoon. What I remember most about those games was a totally unknown hitter on the Chiefs by the name of Albert Pujols. I had never heard of him before which wasn't surprising since he didn't appear in the minors in 1999. Heck, in looking at the 2000 Baseball America Almanac, he is listed as Jose Pujols.

Pujols seemed to have an exceptional batting eye and had a knack for driving in runs, a sign of what was to come. He was promoted to High-A before the year was over and went on to win the Rookie of the Year with the Cardinals the following year. The rest, as they say, is history, or historic in Pujols' case. Congratulations Albert on hitting your 500th homerun tonight; I'll always remember those humble beginnings with the Peoria Chiefs.

 

1993 Upper Deck Mike Perez - Huh?

Over the weekend, I got my hands on a couple of 5,000 ct. boxes of 90's cards. Sure, these cards were mass produced, but they now make for great IP autograph opportunities. Plus, I never really appreciated the photography and the cards themselves back in the day.  

While sifting through the 1993 Upper Deck, one particular card struck me, #204 Mike Perez. On the surface, he is signing a baseball card, a common theme for Upper Deck that year. But if you look closer at the card, the image on the card is of the actual baseball card itself. WEIRD. And this was done in the early 90s, where the only photoshopping I thought existed was shabby ballcaps on players who changed teams. Anyways, the name Mike Perez had never meant much to me, and though the card is nothing more than a common in terms of value, in terms of uniqueness, it is definitely one of a kind.

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.

In Person Autograph - Marcus Wilson

So who exactly was Brent Mayne and the other 20+ scouts in attendance looking at? The answer would be Marcus Wilson, recently rated by Baseball America as a 2nd Team High School American and one of the top 25 High School players in the country for the 2014 draft. I'm not sure why Leaf put out a generic High School set on flimsy cardboard and no information on the back, but since the card exists, I was able to pick a few up.

While scouts look at tools and projection more than actual performance in a game, Wilson must've left some folks impressed as he legged out an infield single, hit a homer to left and doubled. Marcus signed a few of his cards after the game, making sure to take the time to spell out every letter. Here's to a successful baseball future, whether it be at Arizona State or in pro ball.

In Person Autograph - Brent Mayne

While at a UCLA baseball game a few weeks ago, my buddies and I began talking about former players who were now local scouts. The name Brent Mayne popped up and I knew that the former catcher was an area scout for the Padres. What I didn't know was that in 2000, Mayne was the first position player to win a game since the 1960's. I also didn't realize that a card existed of the event, in the 2000 Fleer Tradition Update set. I picked one up the following week and had been carrying it around with me wherever I went in the chance that I bumped into him. Well, today was that day.

 

I noticed Mayne standing by the visiting dugout and got verification from a fellow scout that it was indeed him. Brent gladly signed this card and now I can add this odd piece of history to my collection.

In Person Autograph - Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis

Indiana University traveled to Long Beach State this weekend for a three game series. In Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis, the Hoosiers happen to feature two members of the 2013 Team USA Collegiate National Team. Being that Southern California is a hotbed for Team USA High School and Collegiate players, I try to get as many of the players' autographs on cards as possible. When visiting teams have Team USA players, that is just a bonus. Schwarber and Travis were extremely accommodating after the game, signing multiple cards each, but the prize was getting them to sign the cover of this year's Baseball America College Preview.

I'm not usually a fan of getting magazine's signed, especially oversized ones like Baseball America, but this is still a nice collector's item, especially for those who don't live in the Midwest and wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity.