Baseball Cards Come to Life!

" I have a deep fondness of baseball cards that lure me to the time I truly fell in love with the sport.  I had a morning newspaper route from 3^rd grade until I went to college.  A very large portion of the money I earned went to the dime store.  Topps was the only company for years that produced cards, and that was perfect.  The packs were inexpensive, and it was easy to keep track with all the cards with their checklists.  I even got a box of cards for my birthday on multiple occasions.  At least twice a year, I would empty all my cards throughout my room to re-categorize.  I would often get lost on one card for thirty minutes memorizing his stats.

"I really have never collected cards. When I was a kid my brother collected them but I thought they would make for a cool sound in my bicycle spokes. I do not have a favorite card of myself but have several I do not like. I think card collecting is a good hobby and see where it could be fun trying to get them autographed. There is one funny story I have about cards and autographs. In Philadelphia 1984 I remember Mike Schmidt signing all of Pete Rose cards and pictures since Pete had been released and signed by Montreal. The funny part was you could not tell the difference. Mike's Pete Rose signature looked just as if Pete had signed it."

"The one story/memory that comes to mind with my Topps/Bowman baseball cards is how cool it was to hear about people from my small hometown, Port Allegany, PA, buying packs at local stores and finding my cards in them.  I thought it was really cool to have a card deal with Topps/Bowman in 2005, where I signed several thousand for distribution in regular packs throughout the country.  Sometimes people I knew opened packs to find my cards mixed in with the cards of major league all-stars and future hall of famers.  It was pretty awesome for both myself and my hometown community.
 

This is my favorite card of myself, although some of the other ones look pretty cool, too:

"I have a fresh card story. I was with an old teammate last week named Rich Amaral. Rich told me that I am actually pictured on the back of one of his cards as him.  I need to find that card."

"Best story would have to be the fact that I ended up in the 1991 Classic Best set after hitting .213 with 1 HR and 13 RBI's for the Bellingham M's of the Northwest League the previous year. I have no idea how I ended up in that set. That card gets sent to me occasionally for signature. I am now a pro scout with the Seattle Mariners but started working in the front office in 1996. The year we took Jose Cruz Jr. in the first round (1997 I believe), I was showing Jose Cruz Jr's family around our spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona. Most notably Jose Cruz Sr who had a wonderful 19 year career in the Major Leagues.  As we are walking between the Minor League fields a fan comes running up to us to ask if he can get a signed card.  Jose Cruz reaches out to take the card from the guy, but the autograph seeker turns to me and says oh sorry I was looking to get Mr. Hunter's signature and hands me the Classic Best 1991 card to sign. That unknowing fan definitely missed out on an opportunity but gave me instant credibility with Jose Sr.

The 1991 Classic Best is the favorite of mine as I still get an occasional request for signature. I collected cards but was never an avid collector so I do not have any favorites of others that come to mind."

"I don't collect cards and never really got into the memorabilia craze. I can only say that my Fleer card with the Expos jogs a nice memory each time I see it.  It was taken at Wrigley the day I was called up from Indianapolis.  The day before, the Expo bullpen was decimated so I got the call to fill in as the only live arm in the pen that day.  Kevin Gross started the game and gave up 6 runs in 5 innings of work and I entered the game with bases loaded, nobody out in the 6th to face Andre Dawson.  It had been a few years since I'd pitched in the big leagues and while that moment was not the perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself to the big leagues, I stood behind the mound that night before my first pitch and was so calm and relaxed. I remember specifically knowing that it would be a life long memory.

In spite of the fact that my 1-2 sinker was hit just under the glove of Tim Wallach for a double to left, clearing the bases, I finished the game, pitching well the rest of the way.  Which in the end led to further opportunities with the Expos down the road.

My career fell short of my personal goals overall but I have a few pearls that I can hang onto."