the topps dodger autograph project - 2002 through 2004

short and sweet today with the latest installment of the topps dodger autograph project.  that would be dodger ttm successes for each year of topps cards.  traded sets are not included in the completion of the project, but i will show them if i have them.  for this post, i am three for three with the traded sets.

2002 topps, andy ashby

ashby spent three years in la after pretty much owning the dodgers during his career with the padres and phillies.  he was 8-3 with a 2.22 era in 21 games (18 starts) against the blue.  as a dodger, ashby managed just a 14-23 record in 53 appearances.  he's a good signer with a nice autograph.  i also have had 2002 topps ttm successes with jim tracy, jeff shaw, and chad kreuter, plus i received a signed davey lopes card in a trade with padrographs.

2002 topps traded, joel hanrahan

hanrahan never pitched for the dodgers.  he left the organization as a free agent in 2006 and signed on with the nationals.  a trade with pittsburgh later, and he's a two-time all-star closer.  i have also had 2002 topps traded cards signed through the mail by steve garvey, koyie hill, and brian jordan (with fee).

2003 topps, jim tracy

tracy managed the dodgers from 2001 through 2005.  he was able to get them back to the postseason for the first time since 1996 in 2004, but he went kind of crazy with his lineups in 2005 and was relieved of his duties.  he has since managed the pirates and the rockies, with his best work probably coming in 2009 when he took over in colorado and had the team playing at a .638 clip over the last 116 games of the season.  other dodgers from the 2003 set who have signed their cards through the mail for me include franklin gutierrez, brian jordan (with fee), and dave roberts.

2003 topps traded, ron coomer

the coom dog lowered the boom for me at the twins autograph party one year, so this isn't a ttm success.  it's the only 2003 topps traded card that i have signed, however, so i'm going to show it anyway.

2004 topps, edwin jackson

i saw e-jack pitch in san francisco towards the end of the 2003 season.  he gave up only a couple of hits but allowed 8 walks in that game.  the dodgers still won the game, which is the only one i have seen in person at pacbell/at&t park.  i did see a 49ers game at candlestick about a year later and i have to say i am happy to have not seen a baseball game there.  as for jackson, he has bounced around a bit since then, but signed a couple cards for me on one of his stops.  chicago, i think.  the only other 2004 topps dodger success i have had was jim tracy.

2004 topps traded, milton bradley

bradley signed this card during the spring that he spent with the mariners.  it's the only card from the 2004 topps traded set that i have signed, and i really like it.  i rooted hard for bradley, not only when he was a dodger, but everywhere he went.  i hope he is doing well now, too.

thanks to all these players for signing my cards!  here's a running list of the topps dodger autograph project:

1951 topps - preacher roe (purchased)

1952 topps - rocky bridges

1953 topps - bobby morgan

1954 topps - billy herman (purchased)

1955 topps - don zimmer (purchased)

1956 topps - randy jackson

1957 topps - carl erskine

1958 topps - joe pignatano

1959 topps - fred kipp

1960 topps - chuck essegian

1961 topps - bob aspromonte

1962 topps - norm sherry

1963 topps - ed roebuck

1964 topps - ken mcmullen

1965 topps - dick tracewski

1966 topps - john kennedy

1967 topps - phil regan

1968 topps - jim campanis

1969 topps - jeff torborg

1970 topps - al mcbean

1971 topps - sandy vance

1972 topps - manny mota

1973 topps - wes parker

1974 topps - claude osteen

1974 topps traded - jim wynn

1975 topps - ron cey

1975 topps mini - joe ferguson

1976 topps - bill russell

1976 topps traded - dusty baker

1977 topps - steve garvey

1978 topps - dave lopes

1979 topps - charlie hough

1980 topps - jerry reuss

1981 topps - doug rau

1981 topps traded - ken landreaux

1982 topps - dave goltz

1982 topps traded - jose morales

1983 topps - ron roenicke

1983 topps traded - rafael landestoy

1984 topps - fernando valenzuela

1984 topps traded - mike vail

1985 topps - burt hooton

1986 topps - enos cabell

1987 topps - steve sax

1987 topps traded - matt young

1988 topps - len matuszek

1989 topps - mickey hatcher

1990 topps - kal daniels

1990 topps traded - juan samuel

1991 topps - tim belcher

1992 topps - roger mcdowell

1993 topps - dave hansen

1993 topps traded - tim wallach

1994 topps - jody reed

1995 topps - chris gwynn

1996 topps - todd hollandsworth

1997 topps - brett butler

1998 topps - greg gagne

1999 topps - jose vizcaino

2000 topps - jeff shaw

2001 topps - chan ho park

2002 topps - andy ashby

2002 topps traded - joel hanrahan

2003 topps - jim tracy

2003 topps traded - ron coomer

2004 topps - edwin jackson

2004 topps traded - milton bradley

four for 10

i took a quick look through a couple of auto/relic discount boxes at the card show on friday.  i found a certified cesar izturis auto (who knew?) but couldn't find two other items to make the 3 for $10 worth my while.  i suppose i could have purchased the auto on its own, but...meh.

later on, i came across a box with autos and relics priced at 4 for $10 and had slightly better luck.  i found this ivan dejesus jr. jersey card from 2012 topps

and had to have it since it looks like it's from a game where the dodgers wore those baby blue brooklyn uniforms.  first impression?  awesome.

speaking of awesome, i found a hong-chih kuo relic.  who knew such things existed?  this one is from 2008 upper deck ballpark collection

and features kenji johjima of the mariners.  kuo is taiwanese and johjima is japanese, but there must be a common thread, right richard p. mcwilliams?  anyway, i saw the other day that the mariners released kuo which is too bad because he had some lights out times for the dodgers.  i suppose i better go ahead and showcase the ttm success i had with him sometime last year as the chances of him landing with some other team is probably pretty slim.

kuo signed his 2010 topps update base card

 and his 2010 topps update all-star card

for me, along with one of his 2011 topps cards.

thank h-ck!  now back to the relic box.  i found a shiny vladdy from 2010 topps tribute

i feel for the guy who bought a pack for $40 or whatever and had to sell the relics for essentially $2.50.  vladdy go boom on that guy's balance sheet.  still, my appreciation of this wanes, and although i was a big fan of vladdy's over the last 10 years or so, this card is available if anyone wishes to trade for it.

the fourth card i snagged from the box was a 2003 bowman auto from pirates' closer joel hanrahan

his certified auto looks a lot like the one on my 2002 topps traded card that i sent to hanrahan a couple of seasons ago,

so that makes me feel good.  just like finding cards in bargain bins.  even the shiny ones.

culling dodgers from capewood's collection, part one

a while back i worked out a trade with cliff at capewood's collections. i sent him a bunch of astros and phillies, and he sent me a ton of mid 2000's dodgers. between 2003 and 2006 i didn't buy too much stuff. i would pick up a pack here and there, and dig through the bargain bin at the local shop once in a while for dodgers. so, a lot of these cards were new to me which was awesome. in fact, i'm still digesting the box cliff sent. here are a few of the goodies.

2004 upper deck legendary cuts tommy lasorda. while i enjoy this card, i am sure cliff hated pulling it. just as i would dislike pulling a bill virdon or danny ozark card.

2004 donruss team heroes joe thurston.

i had high hopes for thurston, but he kind of fizzled. he spent 2006 with the phillies and was playing well for the cardinals at the beginning of this season.

2004 playoff absolute memorabilia don sutton.

i love the fact that this card has the big '2004' on the front. sure, the absolute logo also has the date, but the foil sometimes makes it hard to read. when sorting cards by year it's tough sometimes to know by the copyright date on the back, so this kind of thing helps. thanks playoff!

next up, a joel hanrahan trifecta

2002 topps traded

2002 topps traded chrome

2002 topps traded gold

hanrahan has had a tough go with the nationals this year, but at least he's playing in the bigs. most of the guys from this set haven't been so lucky.

2002 leaf shawn green.

what do this card and romaine lettuce have in common? they're both leafy greens. ha! check out the dodger stadium outfield wall in the background. that's pee wee's retired number! these days it would be an adelphia sign or something like that.

next, a bunch of 2006 fleer cards that have me thinking about those sweet o-pee-chee variations.

tim hamulack.

danys baez.

bill mueller.
rafael furcal.
turning two! with pokey reese and eddie mathews!

2005 upper deck classics don drysdale.

big d looks pissed. i bet this pitch was a high and tight fastball.

let's end this installment with the penguin and his card from the same set.

thanks cliff!

round 2 coming up tomorrow!