Saturday, March 28, 2009

David Cash Jr.

Dave Cash played from1969-1980 in the major leagues and was part of the first all black lineup in the major leagues on September 1, 1971 when the Pirates took the field with Rennie Stennett 2B, Gene Clines CF, Roberto Clemente RF, Willie Stargell LF, Manny Sanguillen C, Dave Cash 3B, Al Oliver 1B, Jackie Hernandez SS, and Dock Ellis P.

Dave Cash was drafted in the 5th round of the 1966 draft. He made his debut on my 12th birthday September 13, 1969. He was an All-Star in 1973,1974, and 1975. He missed some time during the 71-73 season due to military service commitments. He was traded to the Phillies in 1973 for Ken Brett. He signed as a free agent with the Expos in 1976, who traded him to the Padres in 1979 for Billy Almon and Dan Briggs. He played his final season for the Padres in 1980 in 130 games, getting 90 hits and 1 home run, hitting .227. In 2008 he was the hitting coach for the Sussex Skyhawks in the Can-Am League. I got the card from ebay. Its' not as bad as it looks, that is the scanner.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Outgoing Mail

Today I sent out packages to a few people who have sent me a few things and others I thought might want some of the things I had. So I sent packages to Punk Rock Paint, Traders Crack, Tastes Like Dirt, White Sox Cards, Orioles Autograph Project, and Cincy Reds Cards.

I hope you guys can use some of the stuff I sent you and enjoy them.

Earl L. Carlyle

Buddy Carlyle has traveled the world to play baseball, he has definetly been a journey man ballplayer.

He was drafted by the Reds in the 2nd round of the 1996 draft. In 1998 the Reds traded him to the Padres for Marc Kroon. In 2000 the Padres sold his rights to the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Baseball League.
  • 2002 Signed as Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals
  • 2003 Signed as Free Agent with the New York Yankees
  • 2004 Signed as Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers
  • 2005 Signed as Free Agent with the Florida Marlins
  • Sold to the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball League
  • 2006 Signed as Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves
He has pitched in the Braves organization for the last three years getting some time with the big club each year. While he was with the Padres he pitched in 11 games going 1-3. I got the card off of ebay.

Luke Christopher Carlin

I would have to say that this is the only autograph I have of anyone who has ever played for the Quebec Diamants of the Ligue De Baseball Elite Du Quebec. I got this card in trade at Heaven Sent Sports Cards in Tualatin, Oregon.

Luke Carline was drafted by the Reds in the 10th round of the 2002 draft. They released him in March of 2003 and he signed as a free agent with the Padres. He worked his way up the organization to play here in Portland in 2006-2008. Got to see him play a few times at Beavers games. He made his major league debut with the Padres May 10, 2008. He played in 36 games, getting 14 hits, 1 homer and only hitting .149. After the season the Padres released him and in January of this year he signed a free agent contract with the Diamondbacks.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Christopher John Cannizzaro

Chris Cannizzaro was a charter member of 2 National League expansion teams, the Mets and the Padres. He was the first ever All Star from the Padres playing in the 1969 game. During the course of his career he hit .235 with 18 Home Runs and 169 RBIs in 740 games.

He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cards in 1956, making his major league debut on April 17, 1960 against the Dodgers. In 1961 he was drafted by the Mets in the expansion draft and played in New York until he was traded in April of 1966 to the Braves for Don Dillard. In December of the same year he was traded to the Red Sox with John Herrnstein for Julio Navarro & Ed Rakow. In February of 1967 he went from Boston to Detroit in an unknown transaction and in November the Tigers traded him to Pittsburgh for Mike Derrick. In March of 1969 he was traded with Tommie Sisk to the Padres for Ron Davis and Bobby Klaus. In May of 1971 he was traded to the Cubs for Garry Jestadt. In December of '71 he was picked off the waiver wire by the Dodgers and then they released him in October of '73 and in January of 1974 he was signed by the Astros as a free agent. The Padres purchased him from the Astros and he finished his career with the Padres playing his last game on September 28, 1974.

Monday, March 23, 2009

TTM Success, sort of


Tonight when I got home there were a couple of ebay items waiting for me and some TTM items. I got the last card I needed for my 2008 Padres Mockumentary set and a couple of Edgar Gonzalez black cards. Also a Blake Tekotte auto card and a Jeudy Valdez kind of auto card, one of the photos is the card in the holder and the other is the card out of the holder. See if you can tell what the problem might be.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Mail Call



I remember back when I was in the Navy (1975-1979) that we would go weeks with out any contact from home. The longest we went was 28 days and it was such fun to get anything. Now it is getting packages from other bloggers and thru the mail autographs that show up. It is still a great deal of fun to get stuff in the mail even at 51.
First I got two cards of Dwight David Eisenhower from Sooz at A Cardboard Problem to complete a trade. I sent her a card of Derek Jeter from Spectrum numbered 23/25. One of the cards I says it has Eisenhower but I can't find him in the crowd, it's worse than trying to find Waldo.
The other card I got back was a TTM autograph of Padres prospect Anthony Bass. It took just over a week to go to Arizona and come back. Hopefully I will get some of the other five I mailed out at the same time back next week.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Mitch Canham

I saw Mitch play in college at Oregon State and was thrilled when he was drafted by the Padres with the 57th overall pick in the 2007 draft. So far he has played with the Eugene Emeralds and the Lake Elsinore Storm.

He has had some real highs and lows in the past few years. He led Oregon State to College World Series Championships in 2006 and 2007. During his freshman year in college his Mom died of a drug overdose and during the 2008 season his brother, Dustin, died while deployed with the Marines in Africa. The death gained national attention because of accusations of a cover up.

In the summer of 2007 Mets reliever Eddie Kunz and my son Daniel pulled a practical joke on a friend of my sons. Mitch and Eddie had been roommates at OSU so he knew all about Mitch. My son had a friend, a girl, a student at OSU who he knew had a crush on Mitch. So Daniel gives Eddie the girls' phone number and Eddie calls and pretends to be Mitch. I am not sure how far the call went, but she still doesn't know that it wasn't Mitch. I picked up this card at Heaven Sent Sports Cards in Tualatin. I am waiting for a card I can send Mitch and get it signed.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Cards from Wax Heaven

Yesterday I received cards from Mario at Wax Heaven from his directory project. Some really cool Gwynns and a Rickey Henderson and some Topps Attax cards. Feel free to use the code on the Peavy, because I am not going to. Thanks for the awesome cards, Mario

David Wilson Campbell

Soup is not the most original nickname but it was one hung on Dave Campbell. After retiring from baseball he went to be a color analyst on ESPN and other networks. His voice can also be heard on several baseball video games.

He was signed as an amateur free agent before the 1964 season by the Detroit Tigers. He played in Detroit for three seasons before being traded to the Padres in December of 1969 with Pat Dobson for Joe Niekro. He played 3 and a half seasons for the Padres before being traded to the Cardinals for Dwain Anderson. He played 13 games in Saint Louis before being traded to Houston with cash for Tommie Agee.

I remember Dave Campbell more as analyst than I do as a player. I obtained the card off of ebay.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Kenneth Gene Caminiti

I don't know where to start, the Snickers game in Mexico, the three home runs in one game, National League MVP in 1996, admitted steroid user, sentenced to prison for violating probation, dying at age 41 because of heart disease brought on by years of drug use. This is the beautiful thing about humanity, there are so many sides of each of us. The intensity that Cammy brought to the game was incredible, unfortunately it doesn't seem like he was able to turn it down and was looking for the rush that competition brought him.

Ken Caminiti was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 3rd round of the draft in 1984. He made his major league debut on July 16, 1987 against the Phillies. In December of 1994 Cammy was part of a 12 player deal that sent him to San Diego. He played 4 seasons with the Padres hitting 121 homeruns, earning 3 All-Star appearances, 3 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and being voted National League MVP. During a series with the Mets in August of 1996 in Monterrey, Mexico, Ken was given two liters of saline solution and a Snickers bar to counter his dehydration, diarreha and nausea. He then went out and hit two home runs to beat the Mets and move the Padres into first place in their division for the first time since 1984. I got to see him play when my wife and I flew to San Diego as my only use of flight benefits when I worked as a ramp agent under the Alaska Airlines planes. In November of 1998 he signed as a free agent with the Astros, played two seasons with them before signing as a free agent with the Rangers and playing part of the 2000 season for them. In July of 2001 he signed as a free agent with the Braves who moved him from third to first, he retired at the end of the 2001 season. After retirement he was hired by the Padres to be a spring training instructor. I got the card signed through the mail.

Ken Caminiti died of an apparent heart attack on October 10, 2004 in the Bronx. The doctors said he died of acute intoxication but an enlarged heart and coronary heart disease were contributing factors. Cammy was a joy to watch and I marveled at the intensity he brought to the game and that is how I will remember him.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Outgoing Mail

I mailed out some packages last week to Brad at Rickey Henderson collectibles and Mario at Wax Heaven. Today I am putting packages in the mail for Sooz at A Cardboard Problem (there might even be one card in there for Marie), the family at Dinged Corners, Dan at Saints of the Cheap Seats, Jim at GCRL, Ryan at I Heart Halos and Adam at Thoughts and Sox . I will post a list this evening of teams that I need someone to give a good home to. Have a great day and thanks for all the enjoyable posts.

Michael Terrance Cameron

I don't know if this is a bad photoshop deal or if Mike just likes wearing a hat that is too big for him. I got this through the mail, I remember it took awhile but I got it back.

Mike Cameron was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round of the 1991 draft. He made his major league debut in August of 1995, then in 1998 he was traded to the Reds for Paul Konerko. In 2000 Cameron, Antonio Perez, Jake Meyer and Brett Tomko were traded to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Griffey, Jr.. On May 2, 2002 he tied a major league record by hitting 4 home runs in a game. In 2003 he was granted free agency and signed with the Mets, where he suffered a severe injury to his face in an outfield collison with teammate Carlos Beltran while playing against the Padres in 2005. Later that year he was traded to San Diego for Xavier Nady. He played two season in San Diego playing in 292 games and hitting 43 home runs and winning a Gold Glove, to go with the two he got with Seattle. After the 2007 season he was granted free agency and signed with the Milwaukie Brewers. Mike was an All Star in 2001 and is reported to be one of the nicest guys in the league, reportedly sitting on top of the dugouts before games talking with fans and signing autographs.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Shades of Glory

Shades of Glory, The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball by Lawrence D. Hogan; 2006; 422 pages; National Geographic, Washington, D.C.; 0-7922-5306-x; 3/5/09-3/12/09

WOW! That's a lot of real cool information. The story of African-American baseball from the US Civil War to the early sixties with a quick trip to the 1980's and 2006. There is so much history here that it is incredible, stories of barnstorming teams. This is really interesting to me. I love history and I love baseball, so to combine the 2 is awesome. The authors place the game in social and economic context as they trace the history of the various teams and leagues. If you think that there was just one Negro League you are way off, I thought there had been a couple of attempts, but didn't realize the number of leagues spread throughout the country. I have been doing research to find out more about a Negro League that existed for half a season in 1946 here on the west coast. The team was owned by the great Olympic Hero, Jesse Owens and was called the Portland Rosebuds and played at the Vaughn Street Stadium when the Portland Beavers were on the road. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in baseball history. RRRR

Kevin John Cameron

Look at how Upper Deck cleverly tied the clear sticker autograph into the theme of the card, it's called Clear Path to Greatness. It looks like the picture on the card was in the front room of Kevin's parents house soon after he was drafted, I can just hear his Mom saying, "Come on Kevin smile." I am not a big fan of the sticker autograph or the prom photo.

Kevin Cameron was drafted first by the Chicago White Sox in the 42nd round of the 1998 draft but did not sign. Then he was drafted by the Twins in the 13th round of the 2001 draft. He was picked up by the Padres in the Rule 5 draft in December of 2006. He pitched in 48 games in '07 and 10 in '08 with 2.91 ERA. He signed a minor league contract with the A's for 2009 and was invited to spring training.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Ralph Michael Caldwell

I think Mike Caldwell looks so sad on his '73 Topps card because he found out that French's Mustard was providing the uniforms for the Padres that year. The Padres have sported some ugly uniforms put these have to be among the worst ever.
Mike Caldwell was drafted by the Padres in the 12th round of 1971. He made his major league debut later that year on September 4, 1971 against the Braves. He was traded to the Giants in October of 1973 for Willie McCovey and Bernie Williams. In October of 1976 he was traded to the Cardinals with John D'Acquisto and Dave Rader for Willie Crawford, Vic Harris and John Curtis. In March of 1977 he was traded to the Reds for Pat Darcy, in June of 1977 he was traded to the Brewers for Dick O'Keefe and Gary Pyka. He played 3 seasons for the Padres, 3 years for the Giants, a few games for the Reds and 8 seasons for the Milwaukee. He was released by the Brewers in January of 1985. Mike was the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 1978. According to Wikipedia he is now either the pitching coach for the Fresno Grizzlies or the hitting coach for the Scottsdale Giants.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Cameron Cairncross


Cameron Cairncross played one season for the Cleveland Indians and got one win by getting two outs in the top of the 13th inning of an 11-11 game and then Kenny Lofton hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 13th to give the Indians the win on September 3, 2000.

Cameron was orginially signed as an amateur free agent by the Padres in 1990, from Queensland, Australia. He played through the Padres system getting up to AAA and then going back to A+. There seems to be several years missing from his minor league stats, so I am not sure if he was injured or what. In 1997 he was granted free agency by the Padres and in 1999 he signed as a free agent with the Indians. He started in A ball again, and jumped to AAA. In 2000 he played at AA and AAA and Cleveland. He was 1-0 in 15 games with a 3.86 ERA. I got the card from autograph-cards.com

Monday, March 9, 2009

Troyal Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks has more hits than you can imagine, none of them in major league baseball. He was a guest at a couple of major league spring trainings as a part of a fund raiser.

It has been a busy few days. Last Thursday was my wifes' #@ birthday and ever since then we were working on a surprise party for her. She was shocked when she got her new sewing machine. She is a quilter and tailor and had been working on a 1950's machine, that didn't even do buttonholes. The last three Hawaiian shirts she has made me she had to go over to a friends house to make buttonholes.

Mr. Brooks finishes up the b's and Wednesday we will start up the c's.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Michael Allen Bynum


The Red Sox drafted Mike Bynum in the 32nd round of the 1996 draft but he did not sign. He was drafted by the Padres in the 1st round of the 1999 draft. He made his major league debut August 17, 2002 against the Montreal Expos. He played for the Padres from 2002-2004, going 2-5 in 64 innings with a 7.73 ERA. He was released by the Padres in December of 2004 and before the 2005 season he signed as a free agent with the Tigers. He pitched at AA and AAA for the Tigers in 2005 and that was a career for Mr. Bynum.

Mike is seen hear in the classic follow through posed shot. I got the card signed through the mail when Mike was playing here in Portland.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Randell Parker Byers

Donruss misspelled his name, baseball-reference.com lists him as Randy, no wonder I couldn't find any information on him for awhile.

Randell Byers was drafted in 1982 by the Blue Jaysin the 22nd round, in 1983 in the primary phase of the draft in the 1st round by the Tigers, by the Red Sox in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the draft but didn't sign with any of them. The Padres drafted him in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1984 draft. He made his major league debut with the Padres on September 7, 1987 against the Braves. He played in 21 games over two seasons with the Padres, with a .269 batting average. He was traded to the Cardinals during the 1989 season for Jeremy Hernandez, but never appeared in a game for them.

I got the card signed through the mail a couple of years ago.