An Idea Stolen From Night Owl

I have decided to put up ten cards on the sidebar that I am looking for.  I am down to about a dozen Bip Roberts cards that I need.  About 6 of them are expensive and there is even a 1/1.  I hope that someone out there can help me out.  As cards are filled I will add others to the list.  I would like to thank Night Owl for giving me this great idea. 

Murrell and Muser

 Ivan Augustus (Peters) Murrell was an undefeated middleweight boxer and was also invited to play on Panama's 1963 soccer team for the Pan Am games.  He was signed by the Colt .45's as an amateur free agent in 1963.  He made his major league debut that same year and was chosen by the Padres in the expansion draft in 1968.  He played for the Padres through 1973 and then played for the Braves in 1974.  He played for the St Lucie Legends in 1989 in the Senior League.  He passed away in 2006.  I got this signed 1974 card from eBay.  Anthony Joseph Muser played from 1969-1978, managed the Royals from 1997-2002 and was Bruce Bochys' bench coach from 2003-2006, he is now a roving instructor in the Padres minor leagues.   I got this Upper Deck stadium giveaway card signed through the mail, I like the look of the throwback uniform, is Dusty wearing a throwback also.   

Murphy and Murray

 Daniel Lee Murphy pitched a total of 7 games in the major leagues.  He pitched those 7 games during 1989.  He was originally drafted by the Brewers in 1983.  I think he may have pitched overseas for a while because the years 1992-1994 are missing on baseball-reference.com, he pitched in the minors in 1995.  I got this signed through the mail after several failed attempts. Heath Robertson Murray pitched in 39 games for the Padres in 1997 and 1999.  He was granted free agency a couple of times and pitched with the Tigers in 2001 and the Indians in 2002.  I think I got this signed through the mail.

Mumphrey and Mura

 Jerry Wayne Mumphrey made a season long stop in San Diego in the middle of his 15 year major league career.  The Cardinals traded him to Cleveland, who basically turned right around and traded him to San Diego.  The day before the 1981 season started the Padres traded him to the Yankees. During the 1980 season the Padres were the first team to have 3 players steal 50 or more bases in a season, Mumphrey, Gene Richards and Ozzie Smith. I got this signed 1981 Topps card from eBay.  Stephen Andrew Mura is the player that I probably have, every time I buy a lot of Padres autos, there are usually multiple of Mura.  Mura was drafted by the Padres in 1976 and made his debut in 1978.  He pitched for 4 seasons for San Diego before being traded to the Cardinals.  I got this card signed through the mail.

George Blanda 1927-2010, RIP

This is a bit off the beaten path for Padrographs.  One of the first sports personalities that I was ever aware of was George Blanda of the Oilers and Raiders.  I remember when my Dad was stationed at Big Sur, California one of the other officers was a friend of Georges' and I remember going over to the Littles' house and watching home movies of George at Oilers training camp.  The Raiders used to be the team I rooted for and I first remember watching them in 1967 with George as the quarterback. Heroes from my childhood are starting to pass away.

George Blanda

September 17, 1927-September 27, 2010

Mouton and Mujica

 James Raleigh Mouton played in 723 games over 8 seasons for the Astros, Brewers, Padres and Expos between 1994 and 2001.  He came to the Padres in 1998 in a trade for Sean Bergman.  He played in 55 games for the Padres in 1998 and after the season was granted free agency.  I believe I got this signed Pacific Online card off of eBay.  Edward Jose Mujica is a relief pitcher for the Padres, he is not a started or a part of the final three in the bullpen, so he is one of the middle relievers that bridge the gap between the starters and closing team.  He pitched for the Indians for three years before being sent to the Padres as part of a conditional deal last year.  I got this signed through the mail earlier this year. 

Colt and Jose

 Kristopher Colt Morton played 10 games for the Padres in 2007 and 2008.  He was drafted by the Padres in 2003 and worked his way up to the majors in 2007/08.  He was traded to the Mariners as part of a conditional deal.  He played in the minors in 2009 and couldn't find any record of him playing in 2010.  I picked up this card at the LCS.  Jose Manuel Mota played for the Padres and Royals. He played in 17 games for the Padres in 1991 and 2 games for the Royals in 1995.  He has been a bilingual announcer since 2002 for Fox and the Angels.  His father is former major league legend Manny Mota.  I think I got the card signed through the mail.

Keith and Edwin

 Bobby Keith Moreland is a player that I remember best as a Cub.  He played 6 seasons with the Cubs after playing with 4 seasons with the Phillies.  He was part of a trade that sent Hall of Famer Goose Gossage to Chicago.  After a year in San Diego he split the 1989 season between Baltimore and Detroit.  I think I got this signed through the mail but I am not sure.  Edwin A. Moreno has pitched in 9 major league games, all for the Padres in 2009.  He had played in the minors for 9 years before that.  He played in Portland for two years and is playing AAA ball in Mexico.  My friend Greg Wibe got this signed for me at PGE Park in 2009.

A couple of Morales

 Julio Reuben (Torres) Morales was drafted from the Mets in the 1968 expansion draft.  He was a semi-regular with the Padres from 1969-1973.  He was traded to the Cubs for Glenn Beckert giving us two weird cards in the 1974 Topps set.  Beckert is in a Cubs uni in a Padres frame and Morales in a Padres uni in a Cubs frame.  I have both of them signed somewhere.  After Morales was traded to Chicago he played there for seven years, then played with the Mets, Cardinals and Tigers. After he finished playing in 1983 he started coaching and was seen coaching in the Mets organization. I picked up this signed rookie card on eBay.  Richard Angelo Morales played in the majors from 1967-1974 with just two teams.  He played 7 seasons with the ChiSox and 2 with the Padres, then became a coach in the minors.  I also got this card off eBay.

Current Owners

John Jay Moores bought the Padres in 1994 from Tom Werner.  He and his wife filed for divorce in 2008 so he had put the team up for sale.  Jeff Moorad who is part owner of the Diamondbacks is buying out the Moores over 5 years is currently seem as the owner.  He is actually part of an ownership group that includes Troy Aikman among others, they are also owners of the Hall of Fame racing team in NASCAR. 

Moore Players

Daniel Tyler Moore was drafted by the Padres in 2003.  He pitched in Eugene at A in 2003, in 2004 he pitched in AZ and Ft Wayne.  Then he vanished from the radar.  I did manage to get this signed through the mail after a couple of efforts.  Vincent Craig Moore was drafted by the Braves in 1991, in 1993 he was traded to the Padres as part of the trade for Fred McGriff.  From 1993-1997 he played in the Padres organization and then from 1998-2004 he played in an Independent league in Texas, then from 2004-2010 he has managed the Edinburg Roadrunners of the Central League.  I believe that I got the card on eBay. 

The Count of Monty

John Joseph Montefusco, Jr. was one of the few pitchers to hit a home run in his first at bat.  He threw a no-hitter in 1976 for the Giants, which was the last no hitter for the Giants until Johnathon Sanchez threw one in 2009 against the Padres.  He played in 63 games for the Padres in 1982-1983.  I picked up the signed card from eBay.  Steven Lewis Montgomery played two years for the A's, a year each for the Phillies and Padres. He came to the Padres in a trade with Carlton Lower and Adam Eaton for Andy Ashby.  He played in 2000 for the Padres and in 2001 at AA for the Padres where he had an 21.60 ERA and then he was done.  I got him to sign this Keebler card through the mail.

Sid and Willy

Isidro Pedroza Monge is probably best known as a Cleveland Indian, having played half of his ten year major league career there.  He came to the Padres from the Phillies in a trade for Joe LeFebrve.  He played for the Padres in 1982, '83 and '84 and was traded to the Tigers before the World Series, but doesn't seem to have played in the Postseason for the Tigers.  This was signed at a national convention where Sid was signing.  Guillermo Naranjo Montanez 128 games in San Diego during his 14 year career.  He played in San Diego in 1980 before moving on to Montreal, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  I got the signed card off of eBay.

KnuckleBall and Barehanded Catchers

Douglas Anthony Mirabelli played a whopping 14 games with the Padres.  He had been acquired from the Red Sox for Mark Lorretta.  The Sox had acquired Josh Bard, but he couldn't handle Tim Wakefields' knuckleball.  So the Sox reacquired Mirabelli to be Wakefields' personal catcher.  I got this card from eBay. Kevin Darnell Mitchell started for the Padres on Opening Day 1987 but before the season was half way over he was up the coast in San Francisco. He had come to the Padres in a trade involving 4 guys named Kevin, Armstrong, Brown, McReynolds and Mitchell.  Kevin may best be known for a barehanded catch he made in San Francisco in 1989.  Kevin also played for the Reds, Mets and Mariners.    I have tried multiple times to get Kevin to sign a card through the mail, but I eventually bought this one on eBay. 

Mieske and Miller

Matthew Todd Mieske never actually played for the Padres but has one of the worst airbrushed cards of all time. He only made it to A with the Padres before being traded to the Brewers for Gary Sheffield and Geoff Kellogg.  In a 8 year career he played with Milwaukee, the Cubs, Houston, Seattle and Arizona.  He played from 1993-2000 and then retired.  I got this signed through the mail. Andrew James Miller was drafted in the 37th round of 2006.  He has worked his way up to AA Ft. Wayne, he did not play in 2009, but I am unable to figure out why.  I got the certified card off of ebay.

Butch and not Sundance

Clarence Edward "Butch" Metzger played 5 seasons in the majors 1 with the Giants, 1 with the Mets and 3 with the Padres.  He was with the Padres from 1975 to 1977, which is when this schedule card was issued.  Butch is currently a scout, maybe Night Owl would like a card of him.  I got this signed through the mail.  Jason Douglas Middlebrook was drafted by the Padres in 1996 and made his major league debut in 2001.  He played 1.5 seasons each for the Padres and Mets.  I got his signature through the mail.

I may post again later today if I get anything good for my birthday. 

Sweet Lou and a Survivor

Mark J. Merila was drafted by the Twins in 1993 and played Rookie and A league ball for them in 1994 and 1995.  He has many the Padres bullpen catcher for many years and wears number 71.  Scott Linebrink wears 17 in his honor, because he has survived a brain tumor.  I got this signed through the mail.  Louis William Merloni always evokes memories of the Blues Brothers for me.  He was known as Sweet Lou Merloni while the Blues Brothers sax player was Blue Lou Marini.  Sweet Lou only played 65 games for the Padres in 2003 after coming over from the BoSox, he then played for the Indians and Angels.  I also got this card signed through the mail.

The Submariner and Hitter

DDonaldo Alfonso Mendez played for the Padres in 2001 and 2003.  He had been signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent in 1995.  According to Wikipedia he is playing for the Long Island Ducks this year.  He played all over the minor leagues after the leaving the Padres.  I got this card from the local card shop.  Olise Cla Meredith was drafted by the Red Sox and traded to the Padres so that Doug Mirabella could return to the Red Sox to catch Tim Wakefield.  He played for the Padres from 2006 to 2009 when he was traded to the Orioles for Oscar Salazar.  I got this signed through the mail, I can tell by the sticker that I added so that it could be signed without bleeding.

Luis y Juan

Luis Antonio Melendez Santana was traded to San Diego for Bill Greif from the Cardinals.  He played in 72 games in 1976 and 8 games in 1977 in San Diego, and the rest of the season in Hawaii.  He had played 6.5 seasons in St. Louis, after the '77 season he was granted free agency and signed with the Jays.  I don't remember how I got the card.  Juan Esteban Melo was signed by the Padres as an amateur free agent in 1993.  He left the Padres organization in 1999 and made his major league debut the following year with the Giants, he then bounced around the minors until 2008.  I think I got this card signed through the mail. 

Evan y Jose

Evan David Meek has become the setup man for the Pirates this year.  He only played a few games with AA Lake Elsinore in 2006, then went to Tampa Bay.  Then he went to Pittsburgh in 2008 and has been up and down with them.  This year has been his first full year in the major leagues.  He has a 2.08 ERA in 59 games this year.  I found this on eBay not too long ago and bought it.  Before that I didn't know who Evan Meek was.  Jose Luis (Garcia) Melendez played 2 seasons in San Diego in 1991-92 after being picked off waivers from the Mariners.  After the 1992 season he was traded to the Red Sox for Phil Plantier, where he finished his  career in 1993-1994.  I got this signed through the mail years ago.

Brian y Rafael

Matthew Brian Meadows was only with the Padres for three months in 2000, but he pitched in 22 games in those 3 months.  He started his career with the Marlins in 1998 then came to the Padres for the beginning of the 2000 season before he was traded to the Royals.  He played a year and a half for the Royals before signing with the Pirates where he pitched for 4 years before finishing his career in 2006 with the Rays.  I got this card signed through the mail.  Rafael Eduardo Median played in the Padres organization in 1997 with Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas before playing 2 years in the majors with the Florida Marlins.  I bought this off of eBay, I have noticed that are lots of these on eBay.

Marty and Kevin

Marty Lee McLeary is one of the oldest active players that I know of.  Marty is 36 and played this season in the Brewers organization.  Marty pitched in 3 games in 2004 for the Padres and had a 14.73 ERA in those games.  He again played in the majors in 2006-07 for the Pirates. He played for New Hampshire and Las Vegas for the Jays before going to Nashville for the Brewers.  I got this signed card from a dealer on eBay.  Walter Kevin McReynolds was part of the Padres outfield that was supposed to be together for awhile, McReynolds, Carmelo Martinez and Tony Gwynn.  The only one that lasted was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.  McReynolds played 4 seasons in San Diego before being traded to the Mets, along with Adam Ging and Gene Walter for Kevin Brown, Shawn Abner, Kevin Armstrong, Stan Jefferson and Kevin Mitchell.  McReynolds played five season in New York before being traded to the Royals, where he played 2 seasons before being traded back to the Mets.  He finished his career in 1994 with the Mets.  I got this Mothers' Cookies card signed through the mail

McManagers

John Aloysius McKeon is better known as Trader Jack, for all the trades he has made as a general manager.  I did not realize that Jack had managed so much.  I didn't realize that he had managed 5 different teams including the Royals, A', Reds, Padres and the 2004 World Series Champions Marlins.  He is usually acknowledged as the architect of the 1984 pennant winning Padres.  He spent his pro playing career as a catcher in the minor leagues.  I got this and a couple of other cards of his signed through the mail.  John Francis McNamara is better known as the manager of the 1986 Red Sox, but after managing the A's in 1969 and '70, he managed the Padres to a record of 224-310 during the 4 seasons he managed there.  He then went on to manage the Reds, Red Sox, Angels, Mets, and Indians.  I got this signed SSPC card off of eBay.