Stan Musial

Who: Hall of Fame Outfielder & First Baseman Stan Musial

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: 1/1 Private Signing

Comments: Yeah, you know, there are just some autographs you have to have in the collection. This one goes without saying - Stan "The Man" Musial, one of the greatest to play the game.

I waffled a bit about what to have him sign. I do love getting signatures on any of the Goudey sets, but a vintage card of Stan would have been great. Since I didn't have any vintage featuring Mr. Musial, I went ahead and sent a card that I already had and really like. It will look great next to a few of the other Hall of Famers I have on 2008 Goudey cards.

Stan's signature isn't quite what it once was, but that's totally okay. He's getting up there in age - he'll be '90 this November, so it's understandable. I hope that he still has some great years ahead of him. Baseball could use a few more guys like Stan.

Jeremy Guthrie

Who: Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 3/10/2010 (14 days)

Comments: This the second of two cards that Jeremy signed for me. The other is a Goudey as well. This one came out particularly nice with the black marker on bright, contrasting colors. Like the other one, this card took a little beat of a beating during it's visit with the USPS. No matter though, great return for the collection.

Justin Masterson

Who: Pitcher Justin Masteron

Team: Boston Red Sox

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 ()

Comments: Justin gave me such a great lookin' autograph last season, I had to write him again. Boy, did he come though, too. No longer with the Sox, Justin is throwin' for the Indians. Maybe I'll get to see him pitch against the Reds this season at GABP during inter-league play.

Phil 4:13

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Jeremy Guthrie

Who: Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 3/10/2010 (14 days)

Comments: Dude, Goudey. Keep it rockin'! This one comes from Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Jeremy kicked out 10 wins last year, but tied for the league lead in losses with 17. Well, he pitches for the Orioles, who are pretty miserable, so it's okay. 10 wins on that team are pretty damn good.

Nice little personalization on this one. Good stuff. I like Jeremy's autograph - it's got a nice little curvy kick to it. Too bad his black glove is hiding a bit of the signature.

The card took a bit of a beating in the mail. There's a decent little crease across the top of the card.

Jeff Francis

Who: Pitcher Jeff Francis

Team: Colorado Rockies

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 3/5/2010 (9 days)

Comments: I took this spring training as an excuse to send out a truckload of Goudey cards to get signed. I just love the look of an autographed Goudey card. Just to clarify "truckload" I think I send out maybe 23? It's a lot for me, that's for sure.

So yeah, Jeff! Pretty cool he got back with me on the autograph. Looks good. I think some of the marker rubbed off in the envelop during transit, but no biggie. Jeff has put together a nice little career so far with the Rockies. Hope he keeps it up.

J J. Putz

Who: Pitcher J J. Putz

Team: Seattle Mariners

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Ah yes, another Goudey to add to the collection. New White Sox member J.J. Putz signed this bad-boy for me at Soxfest 2010. While signing, he joked with me and one of the White Sox staffers about how odd the illustration of him looked on the card. It made him "look like a real ginger." Ha, pretty good stuff.

This is the first card featuring a Mariner that I've had signed. Nice! Wonder how many other baseball teams I don't have at least one card from? Probably quite a few.

Jake Peavy

Who: Pitcher Jake Peavy

Team: San Diego Padres

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Wow, what a score here. I was pretty jacked to get Jake's autograph at Soxfest. He couldn't have been any nicer with the fans too. It was the first autograph line of the day for us on that Saturday - a great way to start out.

Before Soxfest I was pretty torn on what card to get signed by Jake. I really did getting the '08 Goudey set signed, and Jake has a card in there. But, that card has him with a big glove right on the "sweet spot" for a signature. This card was utterly perfect for an autograph, so it won out. Jake has a pretty unique signature - glad to have it in the collection.

Bruce Jenner

Who: Olympic Decathlete Bruce Jenner

Team: USA

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 01/19/2010 (64 days)

Comments: I have one other card signed by Bruce, a 2008 Allen & Ginter - a sweet card. A set that I like to focus on these days is the 2008 Goudey set, so I sent this card to Bruce to sign recently. I think this will be it for a while with Mr. Jenner. He's been kind enough to sign for me twice through the mail - pretty cool.

2008 was pretty good for Bruce Jenner cards. He had a nice little run between the Allen & Ginter and Goudey sets. He didn't make it into the 2009 Goodwin set did he? I have a couple of Bill Rogers cards from that set to get signed sometime too. What can I say, I like the runners!

Jay Bruce

Who: Outfielder Jay Bruce

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Two words: JAY BRUCE.

Nice. Really nice one to get. These Goudeys are great for the signatures. I've got a nice little Reds set going with BP, Volton, and Votto.

Orlando Cepeda

Who: Hall of Fame First Baseman Orlando Cepeda

Team: San Francisco Giants

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: In Person

Comments: Nice to get another Baseball Hall of Famer on a 2008 Goudey card. They usually come out pretty well, but this one isn't the best. It's partly my fault, when Mr. Cepeda asked how I would like it signed I said along the shoulder/sleeve area on the card. It just wasn't enough room for him. Oh well. I really like this card, but it's too bad that there is that black jacked sleeve right in the sweet-spot of the card. The signature probably would have looked just fine across it though. Oh well... still happy.

Juan Marichal

Who: Hall of Fame Pitcher Juan Marichal

Team: San Francisco Giants

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: In Person

Comments: I was able to meet Juan Marichal at the Cincinnati Moeller Sports Cards and Memorabilia show this fall. He was nice as ever and signed my '08 Goudey beautifully! They always come out so well. I thought about bringing a vintage card, but didn't have Marichals that were in great shape and didn't want to spend an arm and a leg getting a nice one. Since I do liked getting the Goudeys signed, it worked out well... especially considering another Hall of Famer that was signing at the show has a card in that set as well.

I paid $20 for Juan's autograph - seemed reasonable for a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Adam LaRoche

Who: First Baseman Adam LaRoche

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 10/3/2009 (142 days)

Comments: Coming...

Chone Figgins

Who: Third Baseman Chone Figgins

Team: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 9/28/2009 (26 days)

Comments: Coming...

Ryan Church

Who: Outfielder Ryan Church

Team: New York Mets

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 9/21/2009 (205 days)

Comments: Really nice to see this one back! I sent a pair of cards to Ryan during spring training this year and even with the trade to the Braves, he kept up with his mail and I got them both back signed. Ryan hasn't had quite the year that offensively that most expected, but he's still a pretty solid player. He's a great non-Red to add to the collection. I always dig getting these Goudey's signed too. They look great with ink on them.

Tony Perez

Who: Hall of Fame First Baseman Tony Perez

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 9/5/2009 (206 days)

Comments: I was shocked to open up an envelop addressed to myself and find an autographed Tony Perez inside. I sent this '08 Goudey to The Doggie during spring training with slim hopes of ever seeing it again. What a great return. It pays to take some chances every now and again - not that writing a letting and sending an inexpensive card is a gamble... well, you know what I mean.

On on the heels of telling the world that I was go try and have all of the Reds in the 2009 Goudey set sign their cards, this card comes in and has got me thinking about how to complete the 2008 set. Agh!

Well, competed sets or not, I'm really happy to have an autograph from Tony Perez in my collection. What a great signature too!

UPDATE: Looks like some other folks got returns from The Doggie as well. Very nice.

Joey Votto

Who: First Baseman Joey Votto

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2007 Bowman Sterling

Acquired: In Person

Comments: Really stoked to add this one to the collection. I'll be working on getting all the Reds cards from the 2009 Goudey set signed. Even though it's a small set of cards, there will be some tough ones. - Davey Concepcion and Johnny Bench. I'm not sure how to track down Davey right now... and Johnny will just be a little expensive.

Joey signed this card for me at Jungle Jim's, which is probably one of the most insane grocery stores in the world. After playing and extra innings game against the dodgers last week, and striking out FOUR times in that game, Joey made it to the signing and couldn't have been any nicer. Even after waiting in line over an hour from when he arrived, he was just as nice to us as if you first person in line. Joey's got it down... and I know fans appreciate that. He is truly one of the good guys in the game.

What a fantastic card, too. Great illustration of Joey on his follow-through swing. Epic moment. Great card for an autograph.

C.C. Sabathia

Who: Pitcher C.C. Sabathia

Team: Cleveland Indians

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 8/29/2009 (199 days)

Comments: This was a nice surprise here. It's not often a top-tier player like C.C. is so great about signing autograph requests through the mail. I shot this off to C.C. during spring training. It took a little while, but it was well worth the wait. The signature turned out great on this card. I'm happy to have him on an Indians card too, instead of a Brewers or Yankees cards. So, this one is a big win all around.

Edinson Volquez

Who: Pitcher Edinson Volquez

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 8/4/2009 (41 days)

Comments: I figured the odds of getting this card back signed where pretty slim. Especially after learning that Edinson had Tommy John surgery, shutting him down for not only 2009, but probably 2010 as well. I received this card and another in the mail just two days after he had his surgery. He must have caught up with his mail just before going under the knife. Kinda surreal, actually. I'm really happy to have this back and think that's pretty nice of him to sign some autographs knowing that his arm was going to be in a sling for a few months. Edinson was also one Red that I had yet to get an autograph from - pretty sweet.

So, thank you Edinson, and may your recovery be swift. We'll need ya.

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: In Person (7/31/09)

Comments: My friend and I decided to take a long lunch and give blood at the Reds/Hoxworth Blood Drive on 7/31. Of course, we timed our appointments with the scheduled appearance of Brandon Phillips. As always, he was great with everyone. Not only did he sign for the folks that gave blood that day, but he also signed for a bus load of little kids from a local summer camp.

BP has one of the best scribble-style autographs in the game today. I can spot one a mile away, though his name is nearly illegible. This '09 Goudey looks pretty rad all signed-up, doesn't it?

Garret Anderson

Who: Outfielder Garret Anderson

Team: Atlanta Braves

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 7/27/2009 (6 days)

Comments: When I do these posts, there are things that I always include with every card just above the comments - Who, Team, Card and How Acquired. I just settled on this when I started to help myself keep a record of everything I've had signed and some more information on the player. Usually, I use the team the player is featured with on the card as "Team". In this case, I guess I roll with the Braves, as Garret is listed as a Brave on the card, yet featured wearing an Angels uniform. I sent the card to Garret care of the Braves, so I guess that helps push it over the edge. That's really too much information on that subject for this post, don't you think?

Since I'm a fan of the Reds, a NL team, I usually don't pay too much attention to the AL, especially west coast AL teams. In looking at Garret's stats, he put up some really good seasons with the Angels, getting some MVP votes, a near Rookie of the Year award in 1995 and multiple trips to the All-Star Game. Nice! All that success, and he seems to really take care of the fans autograph-wise. I'm glad to have him in the collection.

Kila Ka'aihue

Who: First Baseman Kila Ka'aihue

Team: Kansas CIty Royals

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 7/23/2009 (17 days)

Comments: Kila made his debut with the Royals last year when called up in the September roster expansion. His first hit as a big leaguer was a big one - a home run. Nice way to start, eh? Kila also happens to wear my favorite number too - #25. I think I like this guy.

Autographs are usually money with this Goudey cards, but this one is especially nice with all the shades of blues involved. Between the baby blue background, the blues in the Royals' throwback uni and Kila's blue sharpie, this is a great looking autographed card.

Akinori Iwamura

Who: Second Baseman Akinori Iwamura

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 7/11/2009 (12 days)

Comments: I believe Akinori is the first Japanese-born player that I've received an autograph from. He's a guy that absolutly destroyed the competition over in Japan and came to the states and had some good success. It looks like he is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Ouch!

Conor Gillaspie

Who: Third Baseman Conor Gillaspie

Team: San Francisco Giants

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: 1/1 TTM 7/11/2009 (5 days)

Comments: Considering I sent this to the Giant's single A team in San Jose, the San Jose Giants, this return was ridiculously fast - just 5 days. Conor must have signed it in front of the mailman and handed it right back to him. Pretty nice to get this one back so fast.

A fun thing about this hobby is sending to some guys that you might not know too well. It's pretty obvious that I'm a fan of Cincinnati teams, especially the Reds. With that, I don't often hear much about prospects on west coast teams. So, I saw that Conor was a good signer, I had a card his (actually 3, I believe) and a few minutes. Looks like Conor has the goods to have a decent major league career. The cool thing was that he only played 24 games in the minors before making his major league debut with the Giants in September last year. Pretty neat.

Al Kaline

Who: Outfielder Al Kaline

Team: Detroit Tigers

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 7/8/2009 (7 days)

Comments: What can I say, another Hall of Famer to add to the collection. The page of Goudey cards in my binder is looking pretty good with the addition of the Tiger's Al Kaline. What an awesome career.

While Mr. Kaline is a great signer, he does require a small fee of $5 for baseball cards. That's about at my threshold, so it was worth it.

I really like the Goudey cards - I've said it a lot. But, this one is really nice. The illustration work done on Mr. Kaline on this card really looks good. The signature came out pretty well except for a little distortion when the black marker ran over the dark lettering on the jersey. Blue would have looked fantastic, but no complaints here.

Andruw Jones

Who: Andruw Jones

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 7/6/2009 (20 days)

Comments: Andruw isn't the most popular player these days, but an autograph is an autograph right? Haha. Well, either way, this is a great return. Andruw Jones was one of the best in baseball from the late 90s through 2007. In just a quick glance at his stats for the year with the Rangers, it looks like he's regaining his form a little bit.

Great signature. Nice and tight, fluid. Hope he didn't mind signing a card of him with the Dodgers. Probably not a memorable place for him.

Dan Gable

Who: Olympic Wrestler Dan Gable

Team: Team USA, Iowa Hawkeyes

Card: 2008 Goudey Sport Royalty

Acquired: TTM 1/1 6/29/2009 (258 days)

Comments: This is one of my favorite returns. I sent this card to Coach Gable care of his wrestling camp last October. It took a while, but wrestling GOD Dan Gable took care of me. I'm so happy this came back.

Considering the general overview of the autographs on this blog, aside being a Goudey card, this one is probably coming out of nowhere for ya. See, I wrestled for two seasons in high school. It's probably the toughest physical thing I've ever been through. The matches, the practices, all of it - it's just flat out brutal. But, I can't tell you how much it teaches you about yourself - mental and physical toughness, how to push yourself beyond what you think you're capable of, how to overcome obstacles... the list goes on. I played football in college, I've run 11 marathons and countless other races, I have pushed myself - but I don't know that any of it was as tough as wrestling. That said, I wasn't all that great at it. I won a grand total of two matches. Those were some great wins though!

So, back to Dan Gable. When you are learning the craft, the first name out of any coaches mouth is Dan Gable. He is the messiah of wrestling, a pioneer, the greatest champion of the sport. EVER. He's quite simply a legend. A legend as a wrestler and a coach. So, while I have my heros in baseball and football and other sports... Dan Gable is right up there too.

Also, with this card, I am starting a new category: Small Sigs. Yep, exactly. Small signatures. I've gotten a few cards back with some really tiny signatures. Nothing wrong with them at all, they are just nice and tight. Good things come in small packages, right?

Rollie Fingers

Who: Hall of Fame Pitcher Rollie Fingers

Team: Oakland Athletics

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 6/13/2009 (8 days)

Comments: Sweet, another 2008 Goudey signed by a hall of famer - this time the one and only Rollie Fingers. He's in the mustache hall of fame as well, right? Well, I couldn't exactly find a Mustache Hall of Fame to check, but here's a great 'stache-related interview with him to fill the void.

I will say that Rollie's autograph is as nice has his mustache. It has a certain elegance to it, doesn't it?

Joe Nathan

Who: Pitcher Joe Nathan

Team: Minnesota Twins

Card: 2009 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 6/12/2009 (11 days)

Comments: Wow. Joe has a fantastic signature. This is definitely going into the "So Choice" category. This is the first 2009 Goudey I've had signed, and it's a dandy.

Phil Niekro

Who: Hall of Fame Pitcher Phil Niekro

Team: Atlanta Braves

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 3/9/2009 (6 days)

Comments: Somewhat ironically, the day I got this card back in the mail I had read an article about him in an in-flight magazine on my way back from the World Baseball Classic in Toronto. The story was not too in-depth, but I did tell the story of his humble beginnings as a son of a coal miner and how he was cut from a minor league team and ended up getting a second chance somewhere else after balling his eyes out in from of the coach. Great stuff.

Mr. Niekro wasted no time hooking me up with this autograph. I included a $5 fee with the card, so that helped... but 6 days is a great turnaround. Another Hall of Famer in the collection!

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 2/23/2009 (12 days)

Comments: This little BP is going to my nephew. Hope he enjoys it.

Graig Nettles

Who: Third Baseman Graig Nettles

Team: New York Yankees

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: 1/1 3/3/2009 (12 days)

Comments: I'm really lovin' these 2008 Goudey cards. They are absolutely fantastic to get signed. Today's subject is Yankee great Graig Nettles. He signed this for me via TTM care of Yankees spring training.

Aaron Harang

Who: Pitcher Aaron Harang

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 2/27/2009 (16 days)

Comments: This right here is one epic TTM return. Reds ace, Aaron Harang dropped a BEAUTY of a signature for me on this gorgeous 2008 Upper Deck Goudey card. It's all work on this one, folks. Now, the fantastic signature makes sense, as Mr. Harang was a graphic design major at San Diego State University before he was drafted in '99 - for the second time (originally in '96). More on all that good stuff over at Red Reporter.

Seriously, did you look at the signature? That is craft right there folks. That just doesn't happen. He perfected the beat years ago and takes pride in a great signature - as many graphic designers naturally would. The "A" has a great shape - one that you don't see too often. The "N" at the end of "Aaron" leads right into the crossbar of the "H" and he finishes it off nicely with a truncated "Harang" with the a leading right into the descender of the "g". Great balance to the whole signature. Plus, what a perfect card to have signed. It just all came together on this one, folks. Even Ken Griffey Jr. says it's awesome.

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 2/23/2009 (12 days)

Comments: BP! Awesome! Brandon has been tearing it up TTM this spring. Seeing lots of returns come in over at sportscollectors.net. I've got a few BP autos now - and I'm stoked I didn't pay $30 for this one. I guess karma came back around for me a little bit.

Here's to Brandon Phillips having a great season in '09 - and adding a Silver Slugger to his Gold Glove.

Don Larson

Who: Pitcher Don Larson

Team: New York Yankees

Card: 2008 Goudey (#132)

Acquired: TTM 2/2 2/18/2009 (7 days)

Comments: Yankee great Don Larson took care of me pretty quickly - signing two 2008 Goudeys and getting them back to me in seven days. Mr. Larson charges a small fee to sign cards, but it was worth it to add another great player to the stable here at OMGautos.

Josh Hamilton

Who: Outfielder Josh Hamilton

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2007 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 1/7/2009 (37 days)

Comments: The second of the two cards that Josh signed for me. With the way the Reds outfield is shaping up, I wish we still had him around. But, Volquez was a great return in the trade, so I'll let that one die. For as big a star that Josh has become, it's great that he signs as many autographs as he does. Good for him... good for baseball. Thanks, Josh.

Bobby Doerr

Who: Hall of Fame Second Baseman Bobby Doerr

Team: Red Sox

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 12/16/2008 (13 days)

Comments: I love getting these cards signed! This one is great too... Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox. He's a great signer through the mail. Great card, fantastic autograph!

Bob Feller

Who: Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Feller

Team: Cleveland Indians

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 1/1 10/27/2008 (6 days)

Comments: Sent this card and $5 to Bob Feller. He returned it signed. Victory.

Sparky Anderson

Who: Manager Sparky Anderson

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: TTM 2/2 11/13/2008 (8 days)

Comments: I love these Goudey designs! The Cincinnati Reds really look good in them. How about this Sparky Anderson autograph? I tell ya, it doesn't get much better than this. Sparky gets a lot of requests for autographs and gladly signs them all. I'm honored to get two signatures from the great Hall of Fame manager - the other was a 1972 Topps - and a beauty at that. Thanks, Sparky!

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey Graphs

Acquired: 'Bay

Comments: Awesome.

Edwin Encarnacion

Who: Third Baseman Edwin Encarnacion

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Goudey

Acquired: 'Bay

Comments: Let me say this: Edwin Encarnacion is a clutch player. Well, sometimes, at least. Sweet card, huh? I really like the 2008 Goudey design. I picked this card up REALLY cheap. Always nice to have a Reds autograph. Not much of a sig from Edwin, but that's okay.

Let's hope EE has a breakout season in 2009. He's certainly due.

Aaron Harang

Who: Pitcher Aaron Harang

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2007 Goudey

Acquired: The 'bay

Comments: Aaron didn't have the great 2008, but he's still a stud. Hopefully 2009 will be better to him. This was a pretty inexpensive auto to pick up, plus I love the 2007 Goudey design. Even better that the autograph is on the card, and not a sticker.