Blog Bat Around: The All-Autograph Rockies

I haven't participated in every Blog Bat Around (I didn't touch the 30-day challenge, for example), but about two months after my What I Collect post, I'm keeping the trend going with Zippy Zappy's latest topic, the All-Autograph team.

I'm not a huge autograph collector, and I've never played the TTM game like William R so often does. But I did manage to scrape together enough autographs to put a fantasy team together, although you're not going to see as many Rockies stars as you might expect.

SP: Jason Jennings

1999 Topps Traded Autographs #T70 Jason Jennings (AU)

Autographed cards are usually enough of a highlight for me to include them in a trade post. So not only will you be seeing some repeats, I'll probably be able to thank the original senders all over again. This particular example came from Julie of A Cracked Bat, way back on #2 in The Trading Post series. It's easier to just scan it again than to dig within Google Photos for the original, plus I changed my scanning defaults a while back to make images look less contrasty and more realistic.

I keep my autographs, relics, and low serial numbers in toploaders in a two-row box, so I didn't have to dig too deep to start filling out my roster. I doubt this would have sold for $60,000 $75,000 when new, which is the offer for one of Shohei Ohtani's Bowman cards. That would be a lofty valuation for anyone else, even for the only Rockie to win the Rookie of the Year award.

RP #1: Darren Holmes

1994 Topps #562 Darren Holmes (AU)

Out of the bullpen is Darren Holmes, currently the bullpen coach for Colorado. Holmes earned 46 saves during his career as a Rockie, including 25 in their inaugural year. You'll notice that this isn't a Topps Certified Autograph, but it is an Adam Certified Autograph. Mr. Holmes himself signed this card for me in the 1994-1995 offseason, part of a family outing we took to the defunct Northglenn Mall near Denver for an autograph signing.

I mentioned this story a few months ago as part of another trade post from Julie, and I still remember it quite vividly. I remember my dad asking him about the Strike as he signed a couple cards, two 8x10s, a ball, and my hat. Perhaps I was a bit greedy with that haul, but I was also just 10 and he was the first big-league ballplayer I ever met in person.

I have few autographs, and even fewer that I obtained in person. I'll try to use most of them in this post, but my autograph collection doesn't hold a candle to Paul's, one of my buddies from the local card show, who is perpetually getting stuff signed at every opportunity.

RP #2: Rex Brothers

2014 Topps Update Trajectory Autographs #TA-RB Rex Brothers (AU)

Now, more than ever, relief pitchers are a key part of the game. The Complete Game has vanished from baseball even more than the stolen base, so relievers are getting more and more playing time, and managers are getting more and more steps in. The rules of this BBA topic call for a second relief pitcher, so this Rex Brothers sticker autograph is making its second appearance on Infield Fly Rule, courtesy of Matt at Bob Walk The Plank, whose blog was born just a couple weeks after mine.

Rex Brothers was a Rockie for five seasons, but didn't play in 2016. He's been a Brave for the past two years, and as of this writing, has the dreaded "infinite" ERA, one earned run allowed without retiring a batter. One's ERA tends to drop after leaving Coors Field, but the brand-new SunTrust Park has not been friendly to Brothers.

The rules also call for a closer, but I'm tapped out of relief pitcher autographs. Holmes and Brothers will have to get the final outs.

C: Joe Girardi

1994 Leaf Limited #103 Joe Girardi (AU)

Julie recently sent me a non-autographed version of Joe Girardi's 1994 Leaf Limited card, which I showed on that same trade post as Darren Holmes. But here's the real deal, the card that the former Yankees skipper signed in Boulder at the Rockies Dugout Store for me, while sitting next to Eric Young. I believe they just limited you to two items, so I didn't get every bit of memorabilia signed like I did with Darren Holmes. In fact, I recall being pretty far back in line when they announced the closure of the session, and my dad rapidly shepherded my sister and I to the front of the line where he signed this Leaf card and a 5x7. I congratulated him on his previous-night's home run, he did a quick radio interview, and then he was off to Denver for another night game.

I listened to a lot of games on the radio, and I remember hearing about this signing far in advance. I thought it would be a little secret, but the night before, right during the first few innings of the telecast, they announced it to the whole TV audience and the secret was out. I still lucked out, and got an extremely legible signature on the shiniest Girardi card I could find.

1B: Jordan Pacheco

2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Refractors #161 Jordan Pacheco /499 (AU)

You probably expected to see Todd Helton here. Well, I don't have a Todd Helton autograph, so utilityman Jordan Pacheco gets the first base slot. He also spent some time catching, and is currently in the Twins farm system. Thanks to Brad, of Brad's Blog, I have a shiny refractor to bat for the team. I would have selected the "base version" of this card otherwise, but right behind it in the box is this one, and you can see both copies on a long ago trade post.

I prefer the actual autograph from the base card, but this one gets the nod thanks to its serial number and refractor finish.

2B: DJ LeMahieu

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Autographs #GQA-DL DJ LeMahieu (AU)

Significantly (infinitely?) less shiny is a DJ LeMahieu auto from 2013 Gypsy Queen, sent by Keith of The Home Run Apple. DJ just hit the disabled list to open the Rockies' series at Wrigley Field, so Pat Valaika is starting in his place.

I have a special appreciation for second basemen, since it's where I played in little league, at least when I wasn't out in right field. The rule in my league was that each kid had to play an infield position at least two innings a game, and I didn't quite have the arm strength to play at the hot corner, at least not until the occasional middle school gym class when I had a bit more experience than my fellow students.

It's nice to see that all the blogs I've looked back on so far are still active participants in the Cardsphere, even if I only traded once with some.

3B: Vinny Castilla

2015 Topps Tier One Acclaimed Autographs #AA-VC Vinny Castilla /399 (AU)

I'd like to be able to slot Nolan Arenado in here, but I haven't had the chance to find one yet. Instead, one of the original Blake Street Bombers will make an appearance, showing up on a thick premium card from Topps Tier One. This one came from Bob Walk The Plank again, whose trade packages are dominated by cards like these. It's a gorgeous card, with an on-card autograph, light-colored gold foil, and a nice shot of Castilla in his home uniform, wearing the uniform number that DJ LeMahieu would eventually wear.

This is the ammunition the big boys are using in their trades, as we can see in the regular volleys between Matt and his trading arch-nemesis Wes.

I'll let them dig themselves into their respective trenches, and enjoy the gold-colored shrapnel that ends up landing near me.

SS: Brendan Rodgers

2015 Bowman's Best Best of '15 Autographs #B15-BR Brendan Rodgers (AU)

Speaking of Wes, he sent me an on-card autograph of his own in The Trading Post #66 before he renamed his blog. Top prospect Brendan Rodgers got a shiny, simple, yet bold design in this Bowman's Best autograph set, and that giant star is repeated on the back, congratulating me for receiving an autograph of Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers has yet to receive the call to the big leagues, but he may end up taking over at second base if the Rockies decide not to pursue DJ LeMahieu in free agency.

Even on my blog, Matt and Wes are battling for trade supremacy. There's no hiding from it.

LF: Matt Holliday

2007 Topps Highlights Autographs #HA-MH Matt Holliday (AU)

Some players start hot, others finish hot. Joey Votto took a few weeks to wake up this season, but the Braves' Ozzie Albies has been making a mark for himself very quickly. The Rockies have always performed similarly, starting off the season strong, usually finishing up strong, but that often bookends a subpar summer. Matt Holliday leaned more toward late-season strength, as this 2007 highlights card tells us. His September of 2006 found him batting in 34 runs, slightly up from 32 the years before and after. Yes, Matt Holliday helped the Rockies out plenty in their historic 2007 playoff run, making up for the fact that he was a not-so-great left fielder (or plate-toucher, if you're a Padres fan).

This black-bordered set looks a little cleaner to me than the base cards, without the filmstrip squares on each corner. The silver banner at the bottom gives it a bold look, and reminds me of the 1979 Topps set.

This one's also from Bob Walk The Plank, by the way.

CF: Charlie Blackmon

2014 Stadium Club Autographs #SCA-CBL Charlie Blackmon (AU)

Charlie Blackmon has spent many years patrolling the enormous center field at Coors Field, and he'll be around for a good while longer, thanks to a recent contract extension. We have another repeat trader, this time A Cracked Bat once again, and from the now-legendary resurgence of 2014 Stadium Club.

Not bad for a Coors Field card. And unlike 2007 Topps, Stadium Club is premium enough to give collectors an on-card autograph. The beard has grown to wizardly lengths by now, but several years ago it was just a beard.

RF: Dante Bichette

1995 Leaf #135 Dante Bichette (AU)

This card that's clearly from Wrigley Field is especially appropriate, as the Rockies are in the midst of their annual trip to the Windy City. Rookie Noel Cuevas started in right field this evening, but that space was once occupied by Dante Bichette, a card sent my way by Jeff of Wish They Still Came With Bubblegum.

Dante used all of this borderless card to sign his John Hancock in a thick blue Sharpie, without detracting from the rainbow foil on the left that's used for the team name.

I wonder how often players are surprised by the cards they sign. It's one thing if Topps prints up a set specifically for them to sign, but with all the inserts and parallels out there, surely they can't know about every card with their likeness.

Well, maybe Pat Neshek does.

Bench: Eric Young, Jr.

2010 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #171 Eric Young Jr. (AU)

Just like his dad, who was sitting right next to Joe Girardi when that Leaf card was inked, Eric Young, Jr. signed a few cards himself. He has a small but legible signature, and he added a little flair with a "3" next to it, his uniform number at the time.

I need a bench player, and since LeMahieu will be missing a few games, it's just as well that E.Y. can come to the rescue. He's more of an outfielder, and is listed as such on this card, but he did play second base on occasion.

I couldn't find a post with this card, so it may have come from a card show. But if you sent it to me, thank you. I've enjoyed looking back at all these trade posts, and it's nice to see that everyone is still putting posts out into the world. These Blog Bat Arounds are a great idea, and I have lots of fun mixing things up a bit from the usual subject matter (i.e. all the awesome trades).

But something's missing.

To properly cheer on a team like this, you need a mascot.

Mascot: Dinger

1995 Rockies Promo #NNO Dinger (AU)

Love him or hate him, Dinger has been a fixture at Rockies home games ever since their second home opener on April 16th, 1994, a date noted on this card as when he "hatched". There was a giant dinosaur egg and everything.

You'll notice that he's a left-handed hitter, liked to wear his hat backwards in the style of Ken Griffey, Jr., and his uniform number used to be #94, the year of his hatching. Dinger wears #00 now, not to be confused with #0, Adam Ottavino.

He signed this card (one each for me and my sister) while we were waiting in line for that Girardi/Young signing back in 1995, which has a border representing the green girders that are so noticeable in Coors Field's construction.

I'm not sure if this post will make me more of an autograph collector, and I'm a little surprised that I managed to fill an entire roster, though I did have to reach in a couple spots. This was a good topic, and the Blog Bat Arounds make me feel like I'm part of this community more than just about anything else.

The Trading Post #119: Collector's Crack

Now that hockey playoffs have started, which the Avalanche barely squeaked into, it's a perfect time to write about some football cards I won from Collector's Crack during his annual Super Bowl contest. The Denver Nuggets also had a chance to make it to the NBA playoffs, but weren't able to seal the deal in overtime on Wednesday. So that just leaves three Denver sports teams to cover, as the Rockies' 25th Anniversary season is still just getting underway.

The Broncos didn't factor into the NFL playoffs in the 2017-18 season, but everyone around here still bleeds orange and blue. My pick in the contest was for the Steelers to beat the Eagles. I did get the correct NFC team, but not the outcome. That disqualified me from the main prize, but I still came out on top when the randomizer spit out its results.

2010 Absolute Memorabilia Star Gazing #5 Demaryius Thomas

This was a football contest, so it's appropriate for me to start off with a few football cards. Specifically, a colorful Panini card from the Absolute Memorabilia set, a name not seen in baseball circles in quite some time. The extra-colorful design reminds me of the Aurora inserts found in last year's Diamond Kings set, perhaps not surprising as this is an insert card itself. It looks like this design is supposed to be an American flag overlaid in front of some type of spacey image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Demaryius Thomas, one of the Broncos veteran Wide Receivers, was just getting his pro career started after attending Georgia Tech when this card was printed. He and Charlie Blackmon were both Yellow Jackets in the late-2000s, so it's possible that the two Denver sports stars knew each other in their college days, much like Peyton Manning and Todd Helton attended Tennessee together.

2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Silver Holofoil O's #32 Brandon Marshall /250

Brandon Marshall has had quite a long career, especially by NFL standards. Yet despite playing for a dozen seasons, he's never managed to make it to the playoffs. He has made it to six Pro Bowls, including his first in 2008, the year of this shiny card. I'll take a shiny card like this regardless of the sport, especially when it has a serial number on the back.

Donruss may have had some type of tabletop game in mind, as this card also came in an "X" variety, replacing the O in the upper left of this card. If you wanted to, I suppose you could make your own formations with your shiny Gridiron Gear cards. Traditionally, Os are for the Offense and X is for the Defense, and of course most football players focus on one side or the other. I feel like I have the more "correct" version of this card, but it's as good a way as any to make another parallel.

2011 Topps Prime Veteran #PV-ER Eddie Royal

I know all these names, but I haven't really followed their careers after their departure from Denver. Eddie Royal, yet another wide receiver, later played for the Chargers and Bears, but was cut before the 2017-18 season and remains an unsigned free agent. He's barely older than Charlie Blackmon, but his career may have drawn to a close. It's a punishing sport to play, and long careers are rare. There's tremendous pressure to play through the pain, lest someone younger and healthier take your spot that you might not be able to get back. The rosters are gigantic, there are a tremendous number of young athletes graduating from college every year, and you only have a short while to really make a name for yourself.

There aren't a lot of R.A. Dickeys, Randy Johnsons, or Jose Bautistas in the NFL. Just look at this Topps Prime card itself. Royal was already a "Prime Veteran" at just 25, barely into his fourth NFL season when this set hit the market.

Side note: remember when Topps made NFL cards?

Corey Seager, by the way, is in his fourth MLB season right now, and only a little younger than Royal was in 2011. I think he has a while before anyone starts calling him a "veteran".

They are very different sports.

2003 Bowman's Best Blue #130 Adrian Madise (AU) /499

I don't follow the world of NFL prospects or the annual draft, but I can only imagine that its even deeper than in Major League Baseball. Other than Marcus Mariota, I can pretty much tell you nothing about which college player ended up on which NFL team. Perhaps that's why I've never heard of Adrian Madise, a wide receiver from TCU who played in 11 games for the Broncos in 2003. That was the extent of his NFL career, but he signed cards for Bowman that year, in this case a sticker autograph that also has one of those small, square, numbered hologram stickers on the back that Topps used to provide.

It's also serial numbered to /499, probably the rarest card I own of a player I've never heard of.

2009 Topps Chrome Cheerleaders #TCC2 Amanda

Another aspect of football that makes it quite different from baseball is the presence of cheerleaders. A stack of about ten cheerleader insert cards from 2009 Topps Chrome was the main door prize from Collector's Crack; the rest of these cards were just an added bonus.

These are the first cards of their type in my collection. I've noted before that there is a pretty glaring absence of women in professional sports, as I mentioned in a post about Allen & Ginter. There are a number of women in an on-field reporting role, but more often than not, most women on-field at an NFL game seem to have pom-poms. And let's not forget the Twitter storm that ESPN launched by putting a woman in the booth next to Rex Ryan during Monday Night Football last season.

Interestingly, you might be surprised to learn who has anchored the most episodes of SportsCenter on ESPN. Not Chris Berman, not the late Stuart Scott, not Scott Van Pelt, not Dan Patrick. It's Linda Cohn, and she did an extremely interesting interview recently with Internet celebrity and Jets superfan Gary Vaynerchuk.

Anyway, what can I say about Amanda, cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens? Well, Topps Chrome cards still seem to have a curl no matter the subject. And cheerleading looks like it would be an especially cold occupation in the winter months. I'll bask in the sunshine and late evening twilight at Coors Field any day of the week, but I've never braved the cold to see an NFL game, which can easily drop into the single digits in a place like Colorado. Finally, I noticed that Amanda went to the University of Delaware, which is my mom's alma mater.

2011 Topps Legends #87 Tim Tebow

I don't expect to see baseball cheerleaders anytime soon, but Tim Tebow has been the one to blur the lines between baseball and football lately. He's spent a couple years in the Mets' farm system after being cut by several NFL teams. The way the injuries have been piling up for the Mets the past few years, Tebow might make it to the Majors purely because of attrition. They're currently without a catcher, as Travis d'Arnaud will undergo Tommy John surgery (yes, as a catcher), and Kevin Plawecki just hit the DL for a month after a hit-by-pitch.

When Tebow was the quarterback for the Broncos, I remember two things. He'd miraculously pull out a win by taking the lead in the 4th quarter (or even overtime, as Steelers fans and Demaryius Thomas will recall), and he'd run the ball a lot. I kept saying he should be a running back. This card confirms my second memory, mentioning that Tebow ran the ball more in his first three starts than any QB since 1970, starting off with the very first "40-30", a completing a 40 yard run and 30-yard pass in the same quarter.

That was enough to earn him a spot in the Topps Legends set, even though his NFL career only lasted sixteen games over three seasons. But perhaps we haven't heard the last of him.

By the way, did Topps ever plan on releasing Legends or Prime as baseball sets? They're beautiful.

2017 Topps Chrome '87 Topps #87T-24 David Dahl

Like nearly everyone who trades with me, Collector's Crack included a few Rockies in my envelope. Back to the familiar world of baseball and the 1987 Topps design, here's David Dahl, who might see some playing time in the next few days, thanks to the suspensions MLB handed down following a hit-by-pitch incident.

2017 Topps Chrome '87 Topps #87T-15 Nolan Arenado

Yes, Nolan Arenado got five games for that, as did Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo. He dropped his appeal and did not play in Saturday's loss in Washington. Gerardo Parra is still appealing his four-game suspension related to the incident, so there may be a brief window for David Dahl to appear in his first MLB game since the end of 2016.

Topps has been spoon-feeding us 1987 Topps for a while, but I still enjoy seeing it. The woodgrain border doesn't really come across that well when given the refractor treatment, but the overall design clearly stands up to the MLB expansion that's occurred since its release. Topps even kept the "On This Date" theme on the card back, giving us information from the 1987 season. Nolan's card back tells us about Sachio Kinugasa, a Japanese player who broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record in 1987, whose streak ended at 2,215. David Dahl's card mentions Dave Dravecky's outstanding pitching performance in Game 2 of the 1987 NLCS, a series the Giants would lose in 7.

2003 Playoff Portraits #21 Todd Helton

This heavily-textured card of Todd Helton was clearly meant to look like an oil painting. Picture UD Masterpieces with brush strokes and you have the idea. It's pretty well done, right down to the swirls on Helton's ear flap.

This texture doesn't carry to the back, which just gets a glossy finish, standard for cards of this era. It's the second throwback to 2003 in this post, and the card brings yet another sport into this post by telling us that "Helton takes a bad swing about as often as Tiger Woods". In case you don't follow golf, Tiger is back. While he didn't contend at The Masters, he did tie for 2nd place a few tournaments ago with Patrick Reed, this year's winner at Augusta.

2013 Topps Chasing The Dream Relics #CDR-DP Drew Pomeranz (MEM)

I like to save relics for the end. This is from 2013's Chasing The Dream insert set, and I remember admiring the non-relic flavor the first time I saw it. I said back then that I wanted to acquire a few more, and cynicalbuddha at Collector's Crack made sure I did. Not only that, but this relic contains one of the prized purple pinstripes that often pop up on Rockies relic cards. Pomeranz has long since left the Rockies, turning in an excellent 17-6 record for the Red Sox last year, and he'll probably make his 2018 debut next week.

It's been a long time since a Rockie has put up a W-L record like that. But many ex-Rockies find more success on other teams. Jason Hammel had a couple great years with the Cubs, although Tyler Chatwood is 0-2 in his first two games as a Cubbie.

I was lucky to win this shipment from that Super Bowl contest. It's surprising that the contest ended over two months ago, but I'm excited to be able to write this post with a ballgame on in the background. Thanks again to Collector's Crack, and don't miss his annual Super Bowl contest once the 2018-19 NFL playoffs are set!

The Trading Post #2: A Cracked Bat

The trade packages are starting to roll in! My second one came from Julie at A Cracked Bat, who sent over some Rockies in exchange for a shipment of Tigers.

I've been having a lot of fun sending out and receiving trades. I didn't have too many trading partners when I was young other than my next door neighbor. I remember once getting a bunch of hockey cards for free at a mall card show long ago, and traded him most of the Quebec Nordiques shortly after they announced they would move and become the Colorado Avalanche.

Anyway, it's certainly a great way to send some of my extra cards to collectors who might appreciate them more, rather than them just taking up space in a giant duplicates box (hint, hint). Having trading partners and putting together trade packages really lets you look at a batch of cards from someone else's perspective, which can be quite refreshing. Not to mention the obvious benefit of free cards in return!

Julie's been quite active in the community recently, as I noticed she sent a shipment of Blue Jays to Robert at $30 a Week Habit not long ago, and sent Pirates to Matthew at Bob Walk the Plank, whose trade post went up mere minutes ago. As you'll see, the contents of my Rockies shipment mirrored those two pretty closely, and here are some of my favorites, starting with one of the best-ever examples of a team-colored set.

1995 Select #10 Dante Bichette

Just look at all that purple! I'd like to see a Cardinal or Red from this set - the marbled area on the right must look a bit like a steak. Score put out some underrated and well-designed sets under the Select brand in the early- to mid-1990s, other than their 1994 release which had that odd gold bar right down the middle.

1994 Select #174 John Smoltz

Next, a very prominently-placed Pinnacle logo caught my eye as Eric Young rounded the bases and lost his batting helmet.

1994 Pinnacle #133 Eric Young

As his son has been in the Majors for some time, I suppose we ought to start calling him Eric Young, Sr.

Keeping a sharp eye on batting helmets, something about this Charlie Hayes from 1994 Upper Deck looked strange to me.

1994 Upper Deck #167 Charlie Hayes

I don't recall Hayes having a mustache, so I thought they may have swapped in a photo of a different player, but then I noticed the numeral "8" on his batting helmet. Flipping the card over shows him wearing #13, so he must have worn someone else's helmet during that particular at-bat.

However, these weren't all from the first few years of the Rockies' existence. Julie indulged my love of Shiny with a recent example of 2013's NL batting champion.

2014 Topps Chrome #157 Michael Cuddyer

After the Rockies acquired aging Twins stars Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau, one can't help but expect that Joe Mauer will be close behind.

Julie's trade package culminated with one of the best Rockies pitchers ever.

2002 Studio Private Signings #92 Jason Jennings /250

Yes, a signed and serial numbered card of Jason Jennings, who threw a complete game shutout in his debut start in 2001! That feat is even documented on the reverse of this card. Granted, "one of the best Rockies pitchers ever" isn't the highest of accolades, but it will go nicely with another autograph card already in my collection.

1999 Topps Traded Autographs #T70 Jason Jennings

Looks like Jennings changed up his signature a bit once he entered the Majors. I don't have too many certified autographs, but Jason Jennings is one of only two representatives of the Rockies in that stack, the other being Garrett Atkins, which I showed last month. An odd coincidence, and thanks again to Julie for the trade!