The road to 200

 

A little over three months ago I posted about a bunch of autographed Dodgers cards that I received from Rod of Padrographs.

I totaled them with the Dodgers autos I already owned and it came to 188 different players for which I have autographs.

That's pretty good for a collector who doesn't really pursue autographs. I used to, back in the early blog days, just because writing to former players that are among my favorites was fun. It was also work and all the other ways to get autographs that autograph seekers do -- hunt down players at the ballpark, stand in line for autographs -- don't appeal to me at all.

But, like many things in life, just because I don't chase them doesn't mean I don't like them.

 

Since that time when I totaled the autos all up, I've received two more new-to-me player autos, Victor Gonzalez and Landon Knack. That brought me to 190 and just 10 off the 200 milestone that I mentioned in the earlier post.

Then, sometime last week, I received a small stack of IP and/or TTM Dodgers autographs from Bob of the best bubble. Pretty cool. There were quite a few and I wondered if they would be the ones to get me to 200.

Some of the players I already have in my autograph collection.

I just received my first Greg Brock autograph in the cards Rod sent, now here is the second. I had one each already for Hough and Rau, too. This is my third Manny Mota IP/TTM autograph.

And the Ron Cey is my 23rd Cey autograph. It looks very similar to another Cey autograph in the collection:

 

 

Now, let's get on the road to 200. The next bunch of signatures are completely new as far as never having an autographed card from that player before.

191. Chris Hatcher

This is a reason not to go looking for a player's autograph. There weren't a lot of times when Hatcher was with the Dodgers that I wanted him in the game. Do I tell him that while asking for his auto? Do I not tell him that and feel guilty as hell? Better to collect without anyone knowing ... except for you guys, of course.

192. Dave Patterson

Dave Patterson was one of those players who would pop up in the back of Dodgers yearbooks as a top prospect. Then he showed up here in 1980 Topps, so I was ready to see him on my TV. But this is as far as he would get, no more other Topps cards for him.

I have an autographed card by Mickey Hatcher already and as for Joe Beckwith? ...

 

193. Joe Beckwith

Here he is! My first Joe Beckwith autograph.

Beckwith passed away a few months ago so I'm happy to get this. As I've mentioned before, he was one of those favorite Dodgers of mine, one I hoped would become a future star Dodger pitcher.

194. Devin Mann

Moving on to current-day prospects. I barely have any Devin Mann cards (this Bowman Draft card in unautographed form was my only previous one). Now I have his autograph and that means I am now rooting for him to do great things and I'll be RICH, RICH, RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICHHH!

Mann is an infielder who hit two home runs in three consecutive games for Double A Tulsa in September. Sounds promising.

195. Gary Thomasson

Gary Thomasson played the final two seasons of his nine-year career with the Dodgers. Prior to that he played mostly with the Giants and then a year with the Yankees and damn right I was suspicious when the Dodgers picked him up. Those two teams??

196. Gary Weiss

Gary Weiss is another "back-of-the-yearbook" guy who didn't even get a Topps card. He had to settle for a Fleer card, one that advertised his .000 batting average in big, bold letters on the back.

Weiss was a speedster, my kind of player as a youngster. I'd be pretty pleased to have his autograph then.

197. Carlos Frias

Carlos Frias was one of those guys the Dodgers relied on for starting pitching back in 2015, guys like Brett Anderson and Mike Bolsinger. He seemed just as reliable as anyone else and since he was young, I figured he might last awhile. But a couple years later he was in the Mexican League and that's where he's stayed.

Cool having his rookie card autographed.

198. Don Stanhouse

Don Stanhouse will always be more well-known for his brief Orioles career, which coincided with the Orioles' '79 World Series appearance and his ability to fluster manager Earl Weaver. He then moved on to the Dodgers in their first big plunge into signing free-agent players (can you believe there was a time when the Dodgers refrained from signing big-priced players?)

It failed terribly. Both signees before the 1980 season, Stanhouse and Dave Goltz, were flops.

199. Paul Konerko

Oooh, a nice one.

You all know Paul Konerko. You probably don't know him much as a Dodger, even though I have far more cards of him as a Dodger catcher than as a White Sox first baseman.

That's a nice card to go out on, but it doesn't get me to 200. I'm one autograph short.

Maybe I'll hunt around for something nice for No. 200.

Or, more likely, I'll end up doing nothing and someone will send me a signature of Rick Auerbach or somebody like that.

Doesn't matter. At least I didn't have to stand in line for any of them.