Results: Josh Johnson Signing

Results: Josh Johnson Signing

As expected, the signing was tremendous.  The crowd was nice in size and the flow of people getting autographs was very steady during the time that I was there.  It was nice to see such a large turnout for this event since most sports fans in South Florida have been fixated on the Miami Heat for the last three weeks.

Anyway, I got to chat it up with a few fans while in line, and I am happy to report that Josh Johnson is extremely nice and courteous.  He shakes hands, greets everyone, and seems genuinely happy to have the support of the local baseball fan.

And now, on to the good stuff – PICTURES!!! 

Here I am with Josh

And finally, signed baseball #31 of my collection – autographed by arguably the best pitcher in the game!!!

Good times!!!

I have become friendly with the guy that runs this store in the mall, and if he is able to secure the next autograph event that he told me about, you are all in for a BIG surprise!!!  Stay tuned…

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck ‘Legendary Lineage’ Game-Used Jersey Card

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck ‘Legendary Lineage’ Game-Used Jersey Card

Just trying to add a few premium Fergie Jenkins cards to my collection when I can….

This one comes from the Upper Deck ‘Legendary Lineage’ set and it features a great Light-Blue swatch of jersey from Fergie’s playing days.  And while the card prominently displays Fergie wearing his Cubs hat, the piece of jersey is from a Rangers uniform that he wore during his days in Texas.  Yes, this is a little disappointing that the image and jersey relic don’t match, but I have kind of grown numb to that being the case with several of these kinds of cards.

Nonetheless, I am thrilled to add another great looking card to my Fergie Jenkins collection!!!

Check it out:

Happy Birthday Barry Bonds!!!

Barry Bonds turns 46 years old today.

Where, oh where has Barry Bonds been?  I can honestly say that I am not very pleased with how Bonds left the game.  I kind of feel unfulfilled with his exit from the sport.

We are all entitled to our opinions, and I know that we all have them when it comes to Bonds.  But, of all of the guys that have exited the game during the course of the last 2-3 years and are headed to Cooperstown, we saw sharp declines in their output – except for Barry’s.  We saw it from Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey Jr. and John Smoltz and Randy Johnson and even my beloved Greg Maddux.

But Bonds is the guy that I feel like he could have given us more to watch.  3,000 hits was very close.  As was 800 home runs.  I would have like to have seen him reach both milestones prior to his retirement from the game.

Happy Birthday Mr. Bonds – you are missed by this fan!!!

My Darryl Strawberry ‘Fab 5′ – Card #1

My Darryl Strawberry ‘Fab 5′ – Card #1

Now that my Darryl Strawberry player collection is complete I wanted to take the time to show off my favorite 5 cards from this set.

Card #1 – 1983 Topps Traded

For the first time in my ‘Fab 5′ series of posts, a rookie card claims the #1 spot as a favorite card in my player collections.  And it was not Fergie Jenkins or Andre Dawson or Dave Winfield or Rickey Henderson – It’s Darryl Strawberry’s 1983 Topps Traded rookie card!!!

I love everything about the 1983 Topps design.  From the team-themed colors to the large action photos.  I can honestly say that there are very few cards from this set that I don’t care for.

And now my Darryl Strawberry collection is complete!!

Josh Johnson Signing Tomorrow. I Can’t Wait!!!

Josh Johnson Signing Tomorrow.  I Can’t Wait!!!

Finally, the Josh Johnson signing that I have been waiting a few weeks for is tomorrow.  I am very excited to be attending this event, and I hope to snap a few pictures while there.

I am also going to bring my older son with me.  It will be interesting as he does not handle waiting around in long lines very well, but I am going to give it a shot anyways.  I am hoping that JJ will take a second to pose for a picture with the two of us so I can add it to our collection of pictures with other players we have together(Uggla & Conine).  And my son loves to offer up ‘High-Fives’ to just about anyone I introduce him too!!!

I am going to get a ball signed, and I think I am going to opt for ‘no inscription’ this time around.  With JJ’s career on a sharp rise, I don’t want to limit what this ball can be.  Currently, he is a 2-time All-star, and that seems like it would be the best inscription to add, but I think that he’ll be a 3-time All-Star around this time next year too…

Either way, I am ready to go!!!  Make sure that you come back and visit ’30-YOC’ tomorrow to get the story and see the pics!!!

Thanks.

Dale Murphy 1980 Topps

Dale Murphy 1980 Topps

Yesssssir, another close-up of my favorite Atlanta Brave!  It’s amazing how many cards of Dale Murphy are posed, close-up shots.  Once this collection is complete, I am going to have to a more thorough investigation to show you just how serious this is!!

Since there is very little excitement going on with this baseball card, I will drop a few numbers from Murphy’s 1980 baseball season on you instead…

In 1980, Murphy was just coming into his own as a professional baseball player.  He made the successful transition from catcher/1st base to outfielder and his confidence as a player showed in his offensive output.  In 1980, Murphy hit .281 while collecting 160 hits that included 27 doubles and 33 home runs.  He drove in 89 runs for the team while also scoring 98 times.  Murphy struck out 133 times while walking just 59, but this season was the start of his adapting to the game as he drew more walks each year after. 

Dale Murphy was elected to his first All-Star team in 1980.

Did You Know…

Cal Ripken Jr. homered in the game before he tied Lou Gehrig’s record consecutive games streak and in the game that tied and broke Gehrig’s mark.  Playing in his 2,129th consecutive game, Ripken’s third inning home run against Jim Abbott broke a string of 23 straight homerless games for the Orioles shortstop.  The next night, Ripken tied Gehrig at 2,130 straight games and celebrated by homering to lead off the sixth inning against California left-hander Mark Holzemer.  The next night, September 6, 1995, as he broke a record that many fans thought would never be broken, Rikpen swatted a pitch from Angels’ pitcher Shawn Boskie into the left field stands to lead off the fourth inning.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

My take - A truly wonderful event for all baseball fans, Cal was the classiest of players.  I still get chills watching him celebrate with the fans in Baltimore on that special night!!

My Darryl Strawberry ‘Fab 5′ – Card #2

My Darryl Strawberry ‘Fab 5′ – Card #2

Now that my Darryl Strawberry player collection is complete I wanted to take the time to show off my favorite 5 cards from this set.

Card #2 – 1987 Topps

Oh yeah baby – A true vintage look on this beauty!!

I love the 1987 Topps baseball card design, and I have to say that of all of the team logos that were present during the 1987 season, the Mets logo may look the best on this card’s design.

Straw was coming off of a World Series championship in 1986, and his ’87 season was one of his best!

Just 1 card to go…

Reader Poll: What Inscription Would You Get??

Reader Poll:  What Inscription Would You Get??

You may have read the other day that I will be participating in a Orel Hershiser signing next month.

I am opting for an Official Rawlings game ball, as I have wanted to add Hershiser to my collection of signed baseballs for some time now.

And now that it is official, I was wondering if and what inscription I should have Mr. Hershiser add to the ball.  For a mere $7 fee, he will add whatever I like.  And with a list of impressive achievements that is pretty lengthy, I have narrowed my choices down to a select few.

I am hoping that the readers of this site could voice their opinions as I am not ready to commit just yet.

So, if you had a chance to get Orel Hershiser to sign a ball for you, what inscription(if any)would you opt for???

1. 1988 Cy Young
2. 1988 World Series MVP
3. 1988 World Series Champions
4. ‘The Bulldog’
5. 3x All-Star
6. **no inscription**

See what I mean, quite a list huh…

Please review the above potential inscriptions and leave your comment on this post for me to review.  I will take all votes into consideration as I plan to get this Hershiser ball in the mail in the coming days.

Thanks for your help!!!

Haul #9 From “The Andre Dawson Firesale”

Haul #9 From “The Andre Dawson Firesale”

As we head into the third month of the ‘Andre Dawson Firesale’, I continue adding quality and quantity to my growing collection of ‘The Hawk’.

This time around, I added 6 cards – 2 serial numbered, 2 game-used relic cards, and 2 more autographs.

Here are the goods:

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Black & White SILVER - numbered 28/50

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings SILVER - numbered 39/50

2001 Upper Deck ‘Cooperstown Calling’ Game-Used jersey card

2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic – numbered 84/275

1982 Topps All-star - Autographed

1985 Fleer Limited Edition – Autographed

 

It’s awesome when both the quality and quantity are right on par with one another.  These are 6 incredible additions to my Dawson collection, and I cannot wait to see what I am able to grab next!!!

Stay tuned…