Taylor Hearn and Josh Sborz

On January 28, the Texas Rangers held a signing event at Globe Life Field. We weren't able to get in line for stars like Ivan Rodriguez or Corey Seager, but I was determined to get in someone's line. Luckily for me, one of my favorite Rangers, pitcher Taylor Hearn, was signing. Even better, I was first in line, and didn't have to wait for an hour like a lot of other people did. (Actually, even though I was first in line, several people went ahead of me, as they paid extra to cut everyone in line.) Also signing was relief pitcher Josh Sborz, who went 1-0 for the Rangers in 2022. 

                       

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hearnta01.shtml

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sborzjo01.shtml

Jake Ellzey

    Jake Ellzey is currently a U.S. representative for the state of Texas. A former Navy fighter pilot, we met him when he went to our door asking for votes for the Texas House of Representatives. Probably hoping to make a good impression, he made small talk for about ten minutes and autographed some lined papers for us. Here is a picture of mine: 

https://www.txdirectory.com/online/person/?id=66020&office=16866

Chester "Buck" Sloan

    Every year we enjoy visiting the Commemorative Air Force in Dallas. In 2021, the visit was particularly memorable. In the hangar was a table where two veterans were answering questions and taking pictures. One of them was Buck Sloan, a WWII vet who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He had suffered shrapnel wounds in his legs when a hand grenade exploded right next to him. Although he must have been at least 94 at the time, he was very enthusiastic, energetic, and quick-witted. 

    I, being a history buff, had a few questions for him. He gladly answered my questions and seemed to admire my enthusiasm and appreciation for his service. After our conversation, we shook hands and took a picture. On the table were some postcards he had autographed, and he gave one to me. 

https://battleofthebulge.org/2011/05/27/chester-p-sloan-%E2%80%93-coventry-england-%E2%80%93-1945/ 

Texas Rangers Signing Event

    Today the Texas Rangers are holding a signing event at Globe Life Field. A lot of current Rangers will be there, as well as some former Rangers and crew members (especially new manager Bruce Bochy!). I have a few more autographs to publish on this blog, but hopefully after today I'll be able to run this blog for a long time. I'll keep you posted every day. 

Father Leo Patalinghug

    Father Leo Patalinghug is a Catholic priest. He likes to cook in his spare time, and has gotten quite good at it. In fact, he actually beat Bobby Flay in season 1 of Beat Bobby Flay, a cooking show where challengers compete against a cooking celebrity to see if they can take him down. Beating him is quite an achievement, as Flay wins approximately 80% of the time. On account of this and other culinary achievements, Father Leo is known as "the Cooking Priest." 

    From February 22-24, 2021, Father Leo led a parish mission at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Ennis, Texas. He talked for three nights about bettering oneself during Lent. After the third night, Father signed people's bulletins, and I figured I'd get one too. 

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/father-leo-patalinghug-connecting-food-and-faith/

Don "Nick" Clifford

    Don Clifford worked on Mount Rushmore from 1938 through 1940. He was also a pitcher for the Mount Rushmore baseball team. The last surviving Mount Rushmore worker, Clifford stayed close to the monument until his death in 2019. 

    In the Mount Rushmore gift shop was a 2004 book entitled Mount Rushmore Q&A, which featured him answering questions about the monument. I got an autographed copy for $12. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/us/nick-clifford-dead.html 

Imagination Movers

    When we were little, my brothers and I really enjoyed listening to the Imagination Movers. If anyone is unfamiliar with them, they are essentially the ultimate children's band. Everyone we knew admired them. We got to go to a few meet and greets with them, and taking to them felt like I was talking to superheros. Anyway, our family owns a DVD case and a CD book signed by the Movers: 

Although I'm the eldest, I'm the only one who seems to have cherished those memories with the Movers, and will probably end up keeping both of them. 

Scott Hahn

    In the summer of 2021, we drove up to Ohio to visit Steubenville College in person. To our astonishment, we were lucky enough to run into Scott Hahn after daily Mass. Scott Hahn is one of our favorite Catholic writers, and we have many of his books. We talked for a while, congratulated him on his son's ordination to the priesthood, and (finally) asked for his autograph. He signed a piece of lined paper for me: 

and told us to read Romans 8:28, his favorite Bible passage. 

Matheu Nelson

   Matheu (Mat) Nelson is a former star for the Florida State Seminoles who is now playing for the Cincinnati Reds organization. He batted .330 with 23 home runs and 66 RBI's for the Seminoles in 2021 and hit eight homers for Dayton (A+) in 2022. The Diamond King sent me this card in the mail: 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=nelson001mat 

Drew Gray

19 year old Drew Gray has pitched only two starts in rookie ball for the Chicago Cubs organization, posting a 2.25 ERA and nine strikeouts across four innings. However, the Cubs seem to see a future in this young lefty, and he's already got a baseball card: 

I got this certified autograph card from The Diamond King in the mail in December 2022. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gray--006and 

Reginald Preciado

    Reginald Preciado is a 19 year old infielder (mostly a third baseman) in the Chicago Cubs organization. He hit .333 in rookie ball in 2021 but struggled in A ball in 2022. 

    I got this card as a gift from The Diamond King in December of 2022. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=precia000reg 

Cody Scarpetta

    Cody Scarpetta was a minor league pitcher from 2008 through 2016. He played in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for much of his career and actually finished up with a 2-1 mark for the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks in 2016. 

    I got this card in the mail from The Diamond King in December of 2022. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=scarpe001cod 

Chris Beck

    Chris Beck pitched in the Major Leagues from 2014 through 2018 for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. He appeared in 103 games across his career, going 4-4 with a 5.88 ERA and one save. 

    This minor league card is a 2012 Panini Autograph edition. It was sent to me in the mail by The Diamond King about a month ago. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beckch02.shtml

Brainer Bonaci

    Brainer Bonaci is a 20 year old middle infielder in the Boston Red Sox organization. He batted .280 with 18 stolen bases in only 61 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 (at age 16) and turned in a strong season for the Salem Red Sox (A) in 2022. With some work, one hopes that he'll someday make the Major Leagues. 

    About a month ago The Diamond King put out a post on his blog (http://thediamondking.blogspot.com/) offering free minor league baseball cards, many of them autographs. I claimed six of them, including this Bonaci: 

So thanks again to The Diamond King, and thanks for reading. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bonaci000bra

Three Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks

    On May 19, 2021, we saw the Cleburne Railroaders play the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks at the Depot in Cleburne. After the game, we went to the visitors' dugout to try and get some of the Fargo-Moorhead players to sign our tickets. Two of the Redhawks players signed my ticket: Kevin Krause and Blake Rogers. Krause, a catcher, played in the Pirates' minor league system from 2014 through 2018. He has played indy ball ever since, hitting a combined .335. He batted .341 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI's in 77 games for Fargo-Moorhead in 2021. Rogers is a pitcher on his way up. He is currently pitching in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. One of the other players on the team told me to get his autograph because his fastball sits upper 90's and sometimes hits 100. Rogers didn't pitch that day, but after hearing this scouting report I almost wish he had. Unwilling to pass up anyone's autograph, especially someone who had a chance to make the Major Leagues, I couldn't let him get away. He seemed pretty tired, but was nonetheless very gracious. Here is a picture of the ticket: 

Krause's is the higher of the two blue autographs. Rogers's is right below, also in blue ink. I don't remember who signed in sharpie, although I am pretty confident that it was Railroader Colton Pogue, who played two seasons in the Washington Nationals organization. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=rogers000bla 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=krause002kev 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pogue-000col 

Three More Cleburne Railroaders

    On May 21, 2022, my family and some friends went to see the Cleburne Railroaders play the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. Before the game we were able to catch Cesar Trejo in the dugout, and he signed our tickets. He was a nice guy, very polite, and gladly signed for us. One of our friends, who just so happens to be an extravert, enjoyed this very much. Before Trejo batted, he kept yelling "Caesar! Caesar!" Since we had home plate seats, Trejo could easily hear us, but he tried to concentrate and, for a time, was able to ignore our obnoxious friend. However, he wouldn't quit. The next time Trejo batted, it was even louder: "Caesar! Caesar! If you say hi to me I'll stop yelling at you." Trejo finally said hi to him, but (of course) he didn't stop shouting at him. It's a good thing he signed for us before the game. 

    I also got the ticket signed by Edwin Arroyo, the second baseman, and Michael Krauza, a relief pitcher. Arroyo hit leadoff for much of the season, finishing with a .316/.434/.436 slash line, and Krauza is now pitching in the New York Mets organization. 

Edwin Arroyo's autograph is on top (#5) 

followed by Cesar's (blue ink; #20) 

and Krauza's (#25) 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=trejo-000ces 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=krauza000mic

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=arroyo000edw

Four Cleburne Railroaders

    On June 25, 2022, we took a trip to Cleburne to watch their Independent minor league team, the Railroaders, take on the Sioux City Explorers. I was lucky enough to catch a foul ball hit by Chase Simpson and even luckier to get it signed after the game. I got four players to sign the ball: Simpson, former MLB catcher Hector Sanchez, Kevin Hilton (the starting pitcher for the Railroaders that day), and Hill Alexander (who hit a double). Hill was the first to sign, as we were sitting with some of his family friends and he stopped to talk with them. I got Simpson to sign his foul ball, but it wasn't easy because everybody wanted his signature (he's one of the team's biggest stars). Even though Hilton was almost done working on a 10-3 season, nobody seemed to want his autograph, so I got his pretty easily. I almost missed Hector, who stayed in the dugout. Like any experienced autograph hound, I waited in the seats by the dugout until he went into the clubhouse. That's when we caught him, and he signed for me, my brothers, and another fan who brought a bunch of his MLB cards for him to sign. 

Here's Kevin's autograph 

followed by Simpson's 

Hill's (top) and Hector's (bottom; #16) 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hilton000kev 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchhe01.shtml 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alexan003jam 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=simpso004cha 

Ed Vosberg

    Ed Vosberg pitched in the Majors for ten seasons (1986-2002 excepting seven seasons in between) with eight teams. He spent the prime of his career with the Texas Rangers, posting a 3.64 ERA and 12 of his 13 career saves across three seasons. He also won a World Series ring with the Florida Marlins in 1997. 

    About a year ago, my brothers and I paid a visit Cosmic Comics and Cards in Grand Prairie. They sometimes sell autographs, usually of former Rangers players. I picked up this Vosberg for $2, I think: 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vosbeed01.shtml 

Gary Redus

    Gary Redus was an outfielder and first baseman from 1982 through 1994. He was a good player, known best for his speed, which helped him to 322 stolen bases across his career. Although he made his mark mostly in Pennsylvania (with the Phillies and the Pirates), he finished out his career with the Texas Rangers. 

    About a year ago, my brothers and I visited Cosmic Comics and Cards in Grand Prairie. Cosmic is one of our favorite shops to browse for baseball memorabilia. On this particular trip, they were selling autographed photos from a few former Rangers circa 25-30 years ago. That's when I found this Redus: 

It seems that Tom Thumb (a grocery store) was having a signing event. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/redusga01.shtml 

Frisco Roughriders

    On August 27, 2022, we saw the Frisco Roughriders play a home game against the Wichita Wind Surge. We were sitting right by the Roughriders' bullpen, and had a bunch of relief pitchers sign our tickets. About five or ten minutes before the game started, some old guy (he must have been an usher or something) came up to us and said that it was too close to gametime to have them sign. After the game, however, we were let onto the field and had some more of their players sign for us. I was lucky enough to get Jonathan Ornelas to sign my ticket. Ornelas, who hit leadoff that game, was having himself a nice season in AA: a .299 batting average and 84 runs scored in 123 games. He may have a chance to make it to the Texas Rangers before too long. He's 22 years old and constantly improving. That's what makes autograph collecting so exciting. You never know who may be great. 

Ornelas's is "JO 12" 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=ornela000jon

Although Ornelas might be the most exciting player to sign the ticket, it was signed by four other players, including Joe Corbett. I also suspect that it was initialed by Tim Brennan. The one signature that's baffling me is the bottom left one. I can make out initials of G-C, and a uniform number of 18. However, this doesn't seem to line up with any of the Roughriders' players. Can anyone help me? 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=corbet000joe 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brenna000tim

Artie Wilson

    Artie Wilson was a Negro League star for the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1940's, capturing two NAL Batting Titles. He also got a chance to play in the Major Leagues, appearing in 19 games for the 1951 New York Giants, who overcame a 13.5 game deficit to take home the NL pennant. 

    A couple weeks ago I saw a blog post on Padrographs (http://padrographs.blogspot.com/) offering valuable prizes in exchange for certain baseball cards. I happened to have one of the cards on his list, and he sent me a baseball signed by Wilson. 

So thanks again to Rod, and thanks for reading. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoar02.shtml 

Omar Vizquel

    Omar Vizquel was a star shortstop in the MLB from 1989 through 2012. Known for his fielding, he was a three time all-star and won 11 Gold Glove awards. He was also no slouch at the bat, collecting 2,877 hits, including 456 doubles. 

    One of my uncles on my dad's side was a true autograph hound. He used to get $5 Oakland A's tickets and get several autographs at a time. One year for Christmas, he gave me a signed 1995 Topps Stadium Club Omar Vizquel baseball card. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vizquom01.shtml 

Eddie Mathews

    Eddie Mathews was a third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1952 through 1968. He made his mark mostly with the Braves (in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta), usually batting behind the great Hank Aaron. A 12 time all-star, Mathews his 512 home runs in his MLB career and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978. 

   In July of 2021, my family took a trip to North Carolina. We found an antique shop near Belmont Abbey College and had to go in. That's where I found it: a 12"x15" autographed photo of Eddie Mathews. There was also a 1959 Topps Eddie Mathews card included, too. At $24, I knew that I had to get it. I was a little worried that the frame might be damaged on the way back to Texas, but it held up fine.  

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/matheed01.shtml 

Dick Groat

    Dick Groat was a top MLB shortstop from 1952 through 1967, excepting two years to military service during the Korean War. He was voted the NL MVP in 1960, when he led the Majors with a .325 batting average, and finished second in 1963. I actively advocate his election to the Hall of Fame. 

    While Groat is best known as a baseball player, he was also a fine basketball player. He starred in basketball and baseball for Duke and played a season with the Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA) in 1952-53. 

    A year or two ago, I found a great deal on Amazon for Dick Groat's autograph: a signed 1955 Topps Dick Groat baseball card for $13. It also came with a certificate of authenticity. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/groatdi01.shtml

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/groatdi01.html

Stan Musial

    Stan Musial was one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. An outfielder and first baseman from 1941 through 1963, Musial was a 24 time all-star, seven time batting champ, and three time MVP. He was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1969. 

    I've always dreamed of one day owning Stan Musial's autograph, but never thought I would have it as a kid. My grandmother gave me $100 of spending money for my 15th birthday, and I jumped at the chance to get Musial's autograph, which was selling for $59 on Amazon at the time. What a deal! 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/musiast01.shtml

Introduction

    I don't know any kid who doesn't love collecting autographs. The joy of meeting someone you admire, and holding in your hand a little piece of history... you savor those memories forever. I have had the luck to collect a handful of pretty neat autographs, and will publish some of them on this blog.