Lennon reached out last week offering up twenty Chicago Cubs autographed baseball cards. I’m a sucker for autographs, and twenty of them really turned me on to a trade.
He said he was interested in a signed 1986 Topps Traded Bobby Bonilla rookie card. This was tough for me because, despite being a White Sox card, it was one of my favorite cards growing up. I had acquired it at some point in the last 10 years.
A Carl Everett autographed baseball was also on his want list for this trade. Everett signed the ball for me before a charity softball game that pit former Cubs against former White Sox. For some reason I had some baseballs signed by former White Sox players, and I only collect Cubs signed baseballs. So, I was glad to trade the Everett ball.
Let’s see what I got! Warren Brusstar on a 1985 Donruss signed in blue sharpie. Brusstar has a nice signature. The pitcher came to the Cubs in 1983 in a trade that also included the subject of the next autographed card.
Steve Trout! A signed 1987 Donruss that Steve signed in black sharpie.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting Trout several times at Cubs Convention, and he even bought me and a couple friends pizza one year.
One of the players that was on the other side of the deal that involved Brusstar and Trout was Randy Martz. He was sent to the southside with Scott Fletcher, Pat Tabler, and Dick Tidrow.
Leon Durham signed a 1984 Donruss, and I can’t quite make out what he signed underneath. At first glance I thought maybe, “Bull,” but as I looked closer I don’t think that’s what it says.
On the back of this 1983 Fleer Bill Campbell, the card states Campbell coaches women’s basketball in the offseason.
Ron Meredith was called up and made his Major League Baseball debut in 1984 with the Cubs. He tossed 5.1 innings that year. Meredith signed a 1986 Fleer and his autograph is very loopy, and I like it.
Another very nice signature comes from Guy Hoffman. It also helps when using a thin sharpie. It provides a much cleaner autograph.
This one is personalized to John, but that doesn’t bother me. It’s staying in my collection regardless.
The 1981 Donruss set is a fascinating story. It is plagued by errors and Keith Olberman took many of the photos. I have also heard that sets were sent in boxes with the cards inside rubber banded. Not sure if that last part is true, but a story I have heard. I wonder if Olberman took this picture of Doug Capilla?
Taking up the most real estate on a baseball card with his signature is Mitch Williams. Much like his baseball nickname, “Wild Thing” took a similar approach with his autograph.
Jody Davis is one of the biggest Cubs fan favorites of the 1980’s. He actually spent time with two other organizations before making his big league debut in 1981 with the Cubs.
Davis was signed by the New York Mets in 1976, and also spent time with the enemy down in St. Louis, before the Cubs selected him in the 1980 Rule V Draft.
I love that Junior Kennedy signed his first name as a suffix, Jr.
Jeff Pico snuck his autograph tightly on this 1988 Fleer card.
Did Drew Hall lose a bet to grow that mustache?
Looping double D’s for Doug Dascenzo. 1989 Score was packed with information on the back.
Doug’s complete minor league stats from Geneva, Winston-Salem, Pittsfield, and Iowa are displayed along with a full paragraph of his pro baseball history.
The manager of the Washington Nationals is a former Cubs bench coach – Dave Martinez. And long before his coaching career he was a Chicago Cubs player. Martinez was drafted by the Cubs in the third round of the January 1983 MLB Draft.
Another favorite among these twenty signatures is the one of Derrick May. Derrick is easily recognizable in the autograph, and its neat how he loops the “Y” in May.
Ken Reitz signed this 1983 Donruss card, and I was surprised by some of the trivia on the back of this card. Reitz won gold gloves as a Cardinals third baseman in 1975 and 1979. He also collected his 1,000th career hit on the same night Lou Brock reached the 3,000 hit milestone.
Tom Filer was originally a New York Yankee, but made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 1982.
It’s hard for me to not associate Darrin Jackson with his former broadcast Hawk Harrelson and hearing the two yell out, “Yessss” together after a White Sox home run.
Steve Engel was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1983 MLB Draft, and debuted for Chicago in 1985.
Engel registered 11 games and 52 innings as a rookie Cubs pitcher.
What a great trade with Lennon. Autographs for autographs and it was a fun exercise reading the card backs and learning some new Cubs trivia.