Kevin Hickey

Who: Pitcher Kevin Hickey

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Card: 1990 Donruss

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Actually, this is the last card I am posting from Soxfest. Nothing like ending a crescendo on a '90 Donruss note.

Darrin Jackson

Who: Outfielder Darrin Jackson

Team: San Diego Padres

Card: 1990 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Alright, this is the LAST card I am posting from a pretty loaded Soxfest haul. Darrin Jackson is currently works on White Sox radio along-side Ed Farmer. Before his radio days, Darrin was the color-man on White Sox broadcasts.

John Danks

Who: Pitcher John Danks

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 2009 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Coming...

Zack Cozart

Who: Infielder Zack Cozart

Team: Cincinnati Reds (xx on card)

Card: 2007 Just Rookies

Acquired: In Person, Reds Caravan 2010

Comments: Coming...

Greg Walker

Who: First Baseman Greg Walker

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Greg Walker is currently the batting coach for the Chicago White Sox. I got lucky with this autograph. My buddy spotted Greg walking through one of the hallways outside the ballroom at Soxfest. He stopped and signed a few autographs, and I managed to snag one.

How about that late-80s White Sox uniform. Those jerseys are now becoming classics - so many folks at Soxfest were rockin' that style.

Kevin Hickey

Who: Pitcher Kevin Hickey

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Card: 1990 Fleer

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Shoot! I didn't know this before Soxfest: Kevin played an Indians pitcher in the film Major League II. Awesome!

Juan Nieves

Who: Pitcher Juan Nieves

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: The best part of getting this autograph was what happened before it. At the Comcast autograph booth, Juan and someone else (Kevin Hickey, maybe?) was scheduled to sign and I was there right on time. There was one guy in line and as I snaked through, I saw this guy (pretty tall dude, too) jokingly giving the other former Sox player some grief from the front of the line. As I walk up, he's says "there's someone in line! great!" or something like that, which was kinda odd. So, I smile and walk up behind the first guy in line and he turns around rally fast, sticks out his right hand and says, "Hi! I'm Juan Nieves" with this huge smile. I was like "OHHHHHH!" Haha. Since I'm not the biggest White Sox fan, I didn't recognize him. It was pretty funny. After that, Juan sat down and signed my '87 Topps for me. Couldn't have been any nicer.

Juan's major league career was cut pretty short by an arm injury, but in that time he managed to toss a no-hitter on April 15, 1987. He's currently the bullen coach for the White Sox.

Bob Miller

Who: Reds Assistant General Manager Bob Miller

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps Heritage Reds Team Card

Acquired: In Person, Reds Caravan 2010

Comments: Ha, this is great. Amongst the fellas signing at a Reds Caravan was the Reds VP of Baseball Operations and Assistant General Manager Bob Miller. What better card to have him sign than the Reds team card. I already have Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty on one, so might as well get the whole staff. Ha! Awesome.

I love how he stayed away from the team and signed up in the corner. He had a good laugh about it when he signed it. I wonder if he has ever signed any of these? ZOMG - it's a 1/1!!!! haha

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.

Ozzie Guillen

Who: Shortstop Ozzie Guillen

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Going into Soxfest, Ozzie's autograph was the one I was most excited to get. Not only is he the charismatic manager of the White Sox, but I remember him playing when I was a kid, and even saw him play once at Comiskey park during the last season it was standing. Plus, tack on the fact that he has an '87 Topps, and we're cookin'!

Gary Peters

Who: Pitcher Gary Peters

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1969 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Yep, still rollin' on the Soxfest autographs. Still have a few more to post. Hang tight.

Gary Peters was a pretty darn good pitcher for the White Sox, winning the 1963 AL Rookie of the Year award. During that season, he had a string of 11 straight wins - impressive. Equally as impressive, during the 1967 All-Star game, retired 9 consecutive batters over three innings, including striking out three future Hall of Famers - Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Ferguson Jenkins. Wow.

Pretty nicely signed card, eh? Gary laid down a nice signature on this '69 Topps - the second from that set that I had signed at Soxfest. The other was from Joe Horlen.

Ron Kittle

Who: Designated Hitter Ron Kittle

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1990 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Coming...

Ed Farmer

Who: Pitcher Ed Farmer

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1981 Donruss

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: This post goes out to Zach over at Autographed Cards - he loves these dang '81 Donruss cards. I gotta say, I like this one too. The card comes with a decent story too.

At Soxfest, one of the last autograph sessions I got to was for Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson. I was set with cards for Darrin, but didn't have anything for Ed to sign. Even after seeing the one card dealer at the Soxfest dealer area, I still had nothing. I figured I would get in line and ask around to see if someone would be willing to trade. Luckily, there were three guys in front of me who had tons of cards and one offered a few up to me. Of the three he had, I choose this the '81 D-Russ and the rest is history. Just goes to show there are plenty of nice folks out there.

Check out the uni Ed's sportin' on this card. Those collars were insane. Too bad he's not rockin' the shorts.

Glenn Braggs

Who: Outfielder Glenn Braggs

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, 2010 Reds Caravan

Comments: Glenn was just one of those guys that I figured I might never get an autograph from, but I end up getting meeting him twice within two months. Between the two cards, I've done pretty well.

As with the Brandon Phillips card i posted recently, I met Glenn at the Reds Caravan stop in Columbus last month. I got a little lucky with this one - Glenn was in a hurry to get out of the mall and to his flight and was signing for everyone he could while he was walking out. A fella I know from the Reds was cutting the line for him so he could go and did the cut right at me, making sure I was able to get Glenn's autograph. Pretty cool of him to do that.

Nice to get this '87 Topps signed too. You all know my love for the wood paneled cards of my youth, so I was torn on what cards for Glenn to sign at Redsfest. This one didn't make the cut, but found redemption at the Reds Caravan.

Moose Skowron

Who: First Baseman Moose Skowron

Team: New York Yankees

Card: 1958 Topps All-Star

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Another vintage card I was able to get signed at Soxfest this year. Moose signed this beat-up, but great looking All-Star card of his, making a nice addition to the vintage end of my autographed card collection.

Juan Pierre

Who: Outfielder Juan Pierre

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Card: 2009 Topps 206

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: This is the second card that Juan signed for me at Soxfest. The White Sox were pretty strict on "one per person" (I don't mind at all) so I was able to get this autograph on a different day than the first. Upon seeing this card, Juan mentioned that he hadn't see this one before. Kinda cool, I guess.

This is the first 2009 Topps 206 that I've had signed. They handle themselves pretty well for autographs.

Bill Melton

Who: Third Baseman Bill Melton

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1972 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Coming...

Freddy Garcia

Who: Pitcher Freddy Garcia

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 2006 Fleer

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: I can't say that I was too familar with Freddy Garcia's body of work before Soxfest. My boys were excited to get his autograph the first night, so I figured I might as well be excited too. Freddy was nice and corgial and the whole thing was good. I really didn't think that Freddy would have all all that big of an impact on my memory of that weekend, then we witnessed this in the hotel lobby on that Saturday night. HAHAHAAHAHA. We even got our picture with Freddy about 5 minutes before all this happened. It was the only photo I got with a Sox player that weekend... and you know exactly why. LOL

Ron Kittle

Who: Designated Hitter Ron Kittle

Team: Cleveland Indians

Card: 1989 Score

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: After getting a pair of signed cards from Mr. Kittle last year, I was able to actually meet the man himself and get an autograph in person. How about this '89 Score? So cheap, so generic, but actually a pretty nice looking card.

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2007 Topps Heritage

Acquired: In Person, Reds Caravan 2010

Comments: It was a really, really last minute thing that I hit up one of the Reds Caravan stops recently. My wife and I were headed to Columbus for the day and right before we left I saw a Tweet from someone that was at the Reds Caravan stop in C-bus that day. The stop was at the same place we were going, and figuring with the drive time, we were able to make the last 20 minutes or so of the scheduled stop. So, I grabbed some cards for the guys on the stop and we headed up.

We got there in time, but the line was still kinda long and I was told that I was not likely to get an autograph due to the Reds having to keep their schedule. I stuck it out anyways, and got lucky. In Brandon's case, he hopped down from the stage where he and the other guys where signing and came through the line to sign and take photos with everyone that was there. It was pretty cool. Brandon signed my card and got in a photo with me as well. Kinda nerdy, but pretty fun.

I've had this card of Brandon for a while, but other cards keep trumping it when I am able to get his autograph.

I've got a couple of other cards from the Columbus Caravan stop coming up.

Bill Melton

Who: Third Baseman Bill Melton

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1972 Topps In Action

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Beltin' Bill Melton signed this and his other '72 Topps card for me at the bar of the Palmer House Hilton during Soxfest. Since I don't have the ability to recognize most retired White Sox players, my buddy pointed him out for me when we were walking through the bar. Being prepared with your cards in tow is always a good idea.

Between a sweet horizontal In Action card and Melton's smooth sig, this card came out pretty well.

Minnie Miñoso

Who: Outfielder Minnie Miñoso

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1957 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Ah, this was one card I was really looking forward to getting signed. White Sox great Minnie Minoso, the first black player to where their uniform, has made a habit out of getting into uniform well past his prime in the 1950s. He is the only baseball player to play professionally in seven different decades. More about he professional appearances here.

Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta, aka, Minnie Minoso has been a part of baseball history for quite a long time.

When I met Mr. Minoso, he autographed my card in a very interesting way. He took a piece of paper or note card and lined it up diagonally across my card and used it as a guide as he put his signature on it. That's how he was able to get the extremely straight autograph you see above. I've never seen that before! He did it for everyone too. I'm sure if you've gotten his autograph you have a similar story.

Mark Salas

Who: Catcher

Team: New York Yankees

Card: 1987 Topps Traded

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest

Comments: Hey! Let's do some back-to-back Salas! I normally like to space apart multiple cards from the same fella, but I'm feelin' saucy today.

Here's the second of two cards that Mr. Salas signed for me at Soxfest, this one being of the "Traded" variety.

Pretty sweet that Mark has a palindrome as his last name - SALAS or SALAS... AH!!!!! Crazy.

Mark Salas

Who: Catcher Mark Salas

Team: Minnesota Twins

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest

Comments: Sox bullpen catcher and coach Mark Salas signed two '87 Topps cards for me at Soxfest - this one and his card from the Traded series. He did a number of signing sessions at Soxfest, so I got them at two different time. One was this card and another later when I realized I also had the Traded card for his as well. That was a nice surprise to myself... haha.

A.J. Pierzynski

Who: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 2008 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Not sure what my problem is, but I always have the worst cards for A.J. to sign. This one that he signed for me TTM last year was not the greatest to get signed either. No matter though, it was cool to say hi to A.J. and add another card of his to the collection.

After reading the last A.J. autograph post, it's cool that the friend that I talked about visiting to watch the Reds and White Sox play is the same friend I hit Soxfest with. Good times, all of them.

Ken Harrelson

Who: Ken Harrelson

Team: Kansas City Athletics

Card: 1966 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: In juxtaposition to the Steve Stone Experience™, there was Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, who was great with the fans in line and put down this fantastic autograph on a 1966 Topps. Alongside Steve Stone, Ken is a broadcaster for the White Sox.

When looking into Ken's career, that great little nugget that popped out was his popularization of the batting glove during the '60s. Though he can't be credited with the invention of it - some point out examples of its use as early as 1901 - he is the man that brought it back to stay in baseball. I wonder how much of it has to do with his love of golf? Where they using gloves in golf back then as well?

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.

Floyd Bannister

Who: Pitcher Floyd Bannister

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: I'm tellin' you, I put a nice little dent in the '87 Topps autograph search at Soxfest. I think I was able to to get six in all? Very nice. More to come.

Floyd pitched for the Sox from 1983-'87. Though he had his lone all-star appearance in 1982 with the Mariners, overall he pitched better with with Sox right after that.

Jay Bruce

Who: Outfielder Jay Bruce

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Rookie Performer

Acquired: In Person

Comments: This autograph came along in a pretty out-of-the blue manner. I ended up getting a last minute invite to a meet & greet that the Reds Hall of Fame was hosting. I ended up getting to chat with Jay for a few minutes. He's a great kid and seems to have a real good head on his shoulders - even though he's just 22 years old. I'm really rooting for the guy to succeed.

Of course, I came to the event prepared and Jay kindly signed my card for me. What a great looking card too. This is one of my favorite subsets. Joey Votto also has a card like this as well. I'll have to get that signed sometime too so that this Jay will have some company in the binder.

Bobby Jenks

Who: Pitcher Bobby Jenks

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 2008 Allen & Ginter

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Bobby did not sign this card, his goat-tee did. It was amazing.

This Allen & Ginter card of Sox closer extraordinaire is pretty boss. Love the horizontal layout with that photo illustration. Great for a signature.

Joe Horlen

Who: Pitcher Joe Horlen

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1969 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Joe pitched a no hitter for the White Sox back in 1967. He also help beat my Cincinnati Reds in the '72 World Series when he played with the Oakland Athletics. Drat!

How about that powerder blue Chi Sox uni? On wool, that color looks fantastic. I'm sure those uniforms will still hot as hell in the summer.

Juan Pierre

Who: Outfielder Juan Pierre

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Card: 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: Juan is just one of those guys that I never though I would get an autograph from. Not that I was broken up about it, but since he played for the Dodgers for so long, I didn't really give it much thought. So, I ended up with two Juan Pierre signatures from Soxfest. This is the first one I obtained during the first night of Soxfest. These Allen and Ginter cards look really nice signed.

Juan was traded by the Dodgers to the White Sox in December for a pair of minor leaguers. Between Manny and a couple of up and coming kids in the Dodgers system, Juan was the odd man out in Los Angeles. I like the way he rocks his socks high and pants baggy, so I hope he does well with the Sox. Yep, just for that reason. Go Juan!

Steve Stone

Who: Pitcher Steve Stone

Team: Chicago White Sox

Card: 1974 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Soxfest 2010

Comments: I've got a ton of stuff coming up for the blog over the next few weeks, including a load of autographs from my trip to Soxfest. Had a great time and got a lot of cards signed.

So let's kick off my string of Soxfest autographs with the one I'm disappointed in the most - this 1974 Topps Steve Stone. This is the only card I've ever had signed at a fanfest in ballpoint pen. Seriously, what the heck? When I went though Steve's line at Soxfest, I noticed that he was signing things with ballpoint pen. My buddy in front of me handed him a Sharpie to sign his card, and Steve did. But, when I asked if he wouldn't mind signing my card with my Sharpie, Steve took my card and absolutely obliterated it with his pen. He mentioned something about him knowing that I "Won't sell this on eBay" and that "It's perfectly fine." All with a smile, of course. Really, the pen was literally scraaaaaaaped across the card. The ink is flaking up and you can feel the pen indentation on the back of the card.

Ugh.

You go to these things and there is an understanding on both sides (player and fan) that guys sign baseball cards with a marker and baseballs with a pen. I've received dozens of autographs from many players - stars, hall of famers, journeymen, etc. at fanfests. They all used a Sharpie on my baseball card.

You know, it's really not that big of a deal. I'm actually not too upset about it. I guess if it were a Reds player that I had really admired as a kid I would probably be a little crushed. But, this good ol' Steve Stone autoscrape will live happily in my binder as a funny reminder to what was a really fun weekend.

I've got some nice looking autographs coming up soon. Stay tuned.

Tommy Helms

Who: Manager Tommy Helms

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1990 Topps

Acquired: In Person

Comments: This is the second of two cards that Mr. Helms signed for me at a Kroger opening. At the rate in which I have the opportunity to get his autograph during any given year, I might as well try and get all his baseball cards signed... haha.

This card reminds me of Christmas. Not sure why.

Ramon Hernandez

Who: Catcher Ramon Hernandez

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps Heritage

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Ramon was kind enough to sign two cards for me at Redsfest. I actually shot a '09 Heritage to him during the season in hopes of getting him TTM. The card has yet to make it's way back to me, so I'm glad I was able to have him sign it in person.

Right when I got up to him in line he ended up having to take a quick phone call. He rattled off some Spanish to the person on the other end of the line and made it pretty quick. He apologized to me and was pretty nice about it.

It seems that having Ramon as one of our catchers really helped in landing lauded Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman. Having a handful of important folks on the team that speak Spanish was big for Chapman according to what he said in his initial press conference. Right on!

As for the card... Normally I would be kinda "eh" about massive airbrushing on a card. But in this case, I think that it helps the card a lot. At times the photo filtering on other heritage cards, aka "Heritagizing™" flakes out big-time. Since there was some artwork done to change Hernandez' hat and uni, it softens the look and actually gives the card some appeal that other don't have. That's just me, though. I'm sure others would disagree. One thing though: the "C" on his cap is a bit over-sized.

Hal Morris

Who: First Baseman Hal Morris

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1991 Upper Deck

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: This is the second of two cards that Hal signed for me at Redsfest. The other was a '91 Topps.

Tracy Jones

Who: Outfielder Tracy Jones

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1988 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Outspoken local radio personality Tracy Jones finally got his wish to be a guest at Redsfest. I caught up with him when he was at a table signing with Glenn Braggs and Herm Winningham. Tell you what, that was entertainment. Between him and Herm, they kept the entire line entertained the entire time they were signing.

I don't listen to sport talk radio at all, so I don't get to hear what Tracy says about the Reds and other sports, but I guess he rubs people the wrong way.... A LOT. But, he probably just playing the bit, being on the radio and all. He was pretty nice to me at Redsfest. I'll take that.

Mike Lincoln

Who: Pitcher Mike Lincoln

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Reds SGA

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Mike's becoming a nice, solid part of the Reds' bullpen. Nice to get an autograph from him at Redsfest.

Brandon Phillips

Who: Second Baseman Brandon Phillips

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Got really lucky on this one at Redsfest. I was hoping to get a 2009 Topps Heritage signed, but pretty much wrote-off getting into a BP line. I ended up giving my Heritage card to my 3-year-old nephew so he could get it signed in a kids-only line. I'm glad I always bring some extra cards and had this '09 Topps to get signed. Great photo on this one - love the gum bubble.

Glenn Braggs

Who: Outfielder Glenn Braggs

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1991 Upper Deck

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest '09

Comments: Glenn Braggs was on the top of my autographs to get at Redsfest 2009 list. Coming away with two was more than I could have hoped for.

Ramon Hernandez

Who: Catcher Ramon Hernandez

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Ramon Hernandez is a favorite around my household. Why? Because my 3-year-old nephew calls him "Home Bananas". Totally awesome.

Chris Speier

Who: Infielder Chris Speier

Team: San Francisco Giants

Card: 1972 Topps In Action

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: This is just a sweet card. I couldn't pass up the chance to get it signed at Redsfest by Mr. Speier himself.

Brook Jacoby

Who: Third Baseman Brook Jacoby

Team: Cleveland Indians

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Last year at Redsfest it was an '86 Topps, this year it was an '87 Topps. Brook throws down another nice sig for me.

Dusty Baker

Who: Manager Dusty Baker

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps Heritage

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest '09

Comments: I really like this Dusty card. If a manager is going to have a place in a set of baseball cards, it should always be as good as this. The design from the '60 Topps set is classic and still holds up well today. The pennant motif at the top with the vintage Mr. Redlegs is totally boss. The other subtle thing you get with this card is Dusty's signature look... the hug wristbands. While you might argue that an "action" shot would be better, Dusty's upright stance just seems classically managerial. Plus, it was just begging for an autograph - which Dusty helped me with during Redsfest 2009. While some may point out flaws in managing style and decisions, you can say that he isn't one of the nicest guys in baseball. He's always great with the fans.

Walt Jocketty

Who: General Manager Walt Jocketty

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps Heritage

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: I figure if I'm going to try and get the entire 2009 Reds Topps Heritage team set signed one day, I need to get this card signed too. Who better to sign it than the General Manager of the club, Walt Jocketty?

Funny story as to how it got signed. I was in an autograph line for some former Reds from the '90 team (Braggs, Winningham and Tracy Jones) and Walt Jocketty was signing at the same time in the line next to us. As you can imagine, Walt's line was not terribly busy. Right before he was about to leave, I handed this card to a friend that was in the line next to us waiting for the next autograph session - the one after Walt's. My friend handed it to someone closer to Walt, and he got it signed. Too cool. I was able to get this card signed while in line for other folks.

For a team card, it's a great looking piece of cardboard. Nice to get it meaningfully singed and great to have a little story with it too. If Dusty Baker didn't have a card in this set, I would have had him sign it, but Walt adds something fun to the mix, even if he's not pictured on the card.

Chris Dickerson

Who: Outfielder Chris Dickerson

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Topps Heritage

Acquired: In Person, 2009 Redsfest

Comments: Chris is really one of my favorite Reds. He's a madman out in the field, diving all the time for fly balls, and was a decent lead-off hitter this past season when Willy Taveras didn't work out so well. Also, Chris seems like a hella-nice guy. Also having a good time and really nice with fans, he really seems to enjoy the whole ballplayer thing. You gotta like that. Plus, look at that autograph... that's a great signature, especially considering what some of today's ballplayer scribble down. Chris must take pride in his autograph.

Tommy Helms

Who: Second Baseman Tommy Helms

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1968 Topps

Acquired: In Person

Comments: A nice '68 Topps here of Tommy Helms. He was signing at a local Kroger grand opening, so my wife and I went. She parked the car while I chatted it up with Mr. Helms. Always a great looking autograph, he signed this and another card. So, be on the lookout! I actually missed Mr. Helms at Redsfest this year, so it worked out that I had a couple of cards handy when this signing came up.

Eric Davis

Who: Outfielder Eric Davis

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Awesome! ED is a fan-favorite around Reds Country, if you call it that. I usually don't. But, you get my drift, right?

Eric The Red brings me another card closer to completing the 1987 Reds Topps team set. I promise you there will be a big celebration the day that it becomes complete. Might be a while though... John Franco is on that list!

So, I got this bad-boy signed at Redsfest 2009. I was in line for his and Chuck Harmon's autograph, but had to bail before I could get an autograph from them. My good friend Dave actually got an '87 Topps and this '55 Topps Chuck Harmon signed for me... so huge. Well, I was actually able to return the favor in a way and had this card signed the next day at Redsfest on my own. I was able to meet Eric at the Reds Hall of Fame VIP area away from the hustle and bustle of Redsfest. I wanted to get my '90 Upper Deck card signed as well, but he didn't seem to be in a chipper mood, so I didn't push my luck. Don't worry though, he was cordial with me. Getting one signed was good enough for me.

So, I'm keeping this '87 Topps and the other is going back to the homeboy that got it signed for me.

Nick Masset

Who: Pitcher Nick Masset

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 2009 Reds SGA

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Coming...

Lee May

Who: First Baseman Lee May

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Card: 1972 Topps NL Home Run Leaders

Acquired: In Person, Redsfest 2009

Comments: Lee May, "The Big Bopper" signed this with precision at Redsfest for me. It's another addition to the '72 Topps Reds set and the only Leaders sub-set card any Red appears on - I believe. While I do love me some multi-signed cards, I'm afraid this is where this card meets its final resting place in my binder.

1971 Home Run Leaderboard:

48 Willie Stargell
47 Hank Aaron
39 Lee May