Contest reminder

I just made a startling discovery.  Bip Roberts played 61 games for his hometown Oakland A's in 1998.  I have never seen a card of Bip in an A's uniform.  Hint, Hint.

So far I have received two entries for my custom Bip contest.  I must say they are both very creative and unusual.  I know there are many more custom card makers out there.  Punk Rock Paint, Beardy, Big D, Bad Wax and many others I am looking at you.  There will be MacFarlane action figures, signed cards and jersey cards available.   

Girls with Guitars

I got this autograph from a dealer many years ago.  The Judds were one of my favorite country acts. I got into country music again when I was working at Baseball Cards and More from 1990-1995.  One of our regular customers was Craig Lockwood, who was a personality on KWJJ at the time.  He bought lots of football at the time, and I started listening to the station during his show and heard lots of music that I liked.  Ruth Ann and I went to the Judds farewell concert at Memorial Coliseum in 1991.  T.G. Shepherd opened, then The Pirates of the Mississippi, then some kid named Garth Brooks and finally The Judds.   I really like the Judds, but they were a bit of a let down after Garth and his high energy.  The Judds idea of energy was to switch places on stages, although in all fairness Naomi had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C.  Some day I would like to meet Wynonna and Naomi in person. 

The Tooz

With the Fred Lynn card yesterday I finished the first notebook of my Padres autographs.  So I thought that I would show you some other things that are in my collection.  One of my all time favorite football players was the Tooz, John Matuszak of the Oakland Raiders.  I realize that he played for the Oilers and Chiefs but he will always be a Raider to me.  I first remember him in the old College All Star game, way back in the day, 1934-1976.  The NFL champions played against a team of All Star seniors.  I remember watching it growing up.  I followed Tooz's career and the only football jersey I ever owned was a black and silver number 72.  25 years ago John was part of the cast of one of the greatest movies of all time.  John played Sloth Fratelli in Goonies.  He also starred in alot of movies and appeared on numerous TV shows.  Tooz passed away in 1989 at age 38, from drug usage and pneumonia. 

David and Fred

David Bruce Lundquist signed this card through the mail.  I didn't know he had a Padres card til a fellow blogger sent me the card.  He pitched in 37 games over three years for the White Sox and Padres.  After I got the card I found his address and mailed it to him and it came back in less than a week.  Fredric Michael Lynn played 17 seasons in the majors only 90 games of it with the Padres at the end of his career in 1990.  Most people when they think of Fred Lynn think of the Red Sox.  I got this off of eBay cause I could get one signed through the mail.

Gary and Cory

Gary Paul Lucas played 8 seasons in the majors, 4 with the Padres, 2 with the Expos and 2 with the Angels.  He is perhaps most infamous for preceeding Donnie Moore in the Angels 1986 playoff collapse.  He was drafted by the Padres in 1976 and made his major league debut in 1980.  I got this signed through the mail.  Cory Robert Luebke was drafted by the Pirates and Rangers before being drafted by the Padres in 2007.  He is currently pitching at AA San Antonio.  I don't remember how I obtained the signed card.

Rod and Mark

Rodrigo (Munoz) Lopez is currently a pitcher with the Diamondbacks.  He was orginially signed by the Padres out of a Mexican League in 2000 and made his major league debut in 2001.  He signed with the Orioles as a free agent and had a great year, being the runner up in the AL ROY voting.  He played for the Orioles from 2002-2006, then the Rockies, Phillies and now the Dbacks.  I got this signed through the mail while Rodrigo was with the O's.  Mark David Loretta is one of only 2 Padres with 200 hits in a season, the other being Tony Gwynn, Sr.  Loretta played for the Brewers for 8 years then went to Houston for a year came over from the Astros and was the Padres MVP in 2003 & 2004.  He played for the Red Sox and Astros, before calling it a career after the 2009 season with the Dodgers.  He is currently a special assistant to the baseball operations staff of the Padres.  I got this signed through the mail while Mark was with the Padres..

Lopes and Lopez

David Earl Lopes is one of my all time favorite players, so I was very happy when he was the Padres first base coach for awhile.  Davey is one quarter of the Dodgers longtime infield of Garvey, Cey, Russell and Lopes.  He played for 16 years and has managed the Brewers from 2000-2003.  I got this signed through the mail while Davey was managing the Brewers.  He is currently the first base coach for the Phillies. Luis Manuel (Santos) Lopez played three seasons for the Padres before playing for the Mets, Orioles, Brewers and Reds.  He is currently the hitting coach for the Greenville Drive, single A affiliate of the Red Sox.  I bought this card from eBay.

Joey and Terrence

Joey J. Long pitched in 10 games for the Padres.  That was the extent of his major league career.  He has moved several times since he retired, because I sent multiple cards to multiple addresses over the years, before I ever got this signed through the mail.  Terrence Deon Long has one of the most artistic looking signatures I have ever seen.  I got this signed through the mail, I think while he was still with the Padres.  He came over from Oakland to the Padres for one season. 

Mickey and Tim

MMichael Stephen Lolich is one of the few major league legends that I have met.  Mickey is known primarily as a Tiger, but I  followed him because he was from Oregon.  He played two years for the Padres at the end of his career.  I got this card signed in person at work somewhere between 1990 and 1995.  In that five year period I worked at Baseball Cards and More in Portland.  Every year Mickeys' parents would come in and buy a dozen baseballs.  Mickey would always come home for his parents anniversary and would sign a dozen baseballs for them to give out.  We asked them once if they would bring their boy to the shop and they did.  He signed balls and cards for us.  I tried getting something signed through the mail later on and got a handwritten letter from Mickeys wife saying he was too busy.  He was very nice when he was in the shop, I believe that he moved back to Portland to take care of his parents.  William Timothy Lollar played for the Padres for 4 years after playing a year for the Yankees and then finished out with the White Sox and Red Sox.  I got the card signed through the mail.

Locklear and Loewer

Gene Locklear gained some notice after his baseball career as an artist. He played 4 seasons with the Padres.  I got this card signed through the mail after many attempts.  Carlton Edward Loewer came to San Diego from Philly in a trade and before he ever played he missed a year because of an intriguing injury.  Carlton broke his leg hunting when he fell out of a tree stand.  I got through the mail and I don't think I mentioned that unfortunate incident in the letter.

Don't forget

Jose and Keith

Jose Manuel Lobaton is a pretty quick through the mail signer.  He returned this card in a week last month.  He played 7 games for the Padres in 2009 and in July of 2009 he was selected off waivers by the Rays.  I mailed the card to him at Durham and I was amazed at how quickly it came back.  Keith Virgil Lockhart began his major league career with the Padres in 1994 and ended it in 2003 with the Padres.  He played with the Braves and the Royal in between, platooning with the man, the myth, the legend Bip Roberts.  I got the card signed through the mail.

Littlefield and Livingstone

JJohn Andrew Littlefield is another player that I know very little about.  For some reason I thought that he had a long career, but he only played for two major league seasons, 1980 and 1981 for Saint Louis and San Diego.  There is a signature on the card it is a very faint ballpoint, I got this off of eBay.   Scott Louis Livingstone is just the opposite of Littlefield, while I thought he just played a couple of years he actually played 8 years in the majors.   He played for 4 years for the Padres, after playing for the Tigers for 4 years.  He also spent time with the Cardinals and Expos. I got this signed through the mail.  

Don't forget about the contest

Off the Grid

This will be part of what I am looking at from the 4th to the 14th.  I am on what has become my annual reading vacation.  I am taking twenty books with me to read, I don't know how many of them I will get through.  In the past I have read 11 while on my vacation.  I will be staying with a cousin who has five acres in Central Point, Oregon near table rock.  Don't forget their is a contest going on here and there is another one going on here.

Linebrink and Little

SScott Cameron Linebrink played 5 seasons in San Diego before signing as a free agent with the White Sox after the 2007 season.  There was a stop in Milwaukee where the Padres traded him for 3 minor leaguers.  He wears number 71 to honor Padres bullpen catcher Mark Merilla who battled a brain tumor.  I got this signed through the mail after several attempts.  William Grady Little is best known as the manager of the Red Sox and Dodgers, he never made it to the majors as a player.  I think this card is from before he became a major league manager.  I got it signed through the mail many years ago. 

Don't forget about the contest

Sixto and Derek

SSixto Joaquin (Curras) Lezcanco played for twelve seasons in the majors, but only played 235 games for the Padres.  His brother Carlos is currently the manager of the Eugene Emeralds, the Padres Rookie league team.  I got this card from the bay.  Derek Jansen Lilliquist played for two seasons for San Diego during his 8 year career.  I got this signed through the mail. 

Don't forget the contest