I own a couple of thousand autograph cards, the majority have never appeared on my blog. Here is a random autograph that I have never posted before:
Today:2007 UD Spectrum Brian Stokes
Why do I own this card?
Brian Stokes was a starting pitcher on the 2006 Durham Bulls. He went 7-7 with a 4.11 ERA in 23 starts with the Bulls. The Rays called up Stokes in September 2006, he made 4 starts with the team, and went 1-0 with an ERA of 4.88. There were better players on the 2006 Bulls, but Stokes seemed like a solid pitcher and his cards were cheap.
You might be thinking, he had an ERA over 4 in Triple A, that does not seem solid.
It was the Devil Rays, not the Rays.
When did I get this card?
I guarantee you this was an EBay dumpster dive. The Rays were still a few years away from making the World Series and being considered good. When I first started collecting Durham Bulls players in 2006 and 2007, outside of Delmon Young and BJ Upton, the majority of prospect cards were just a few dollars.
Brian Stokes Career Teams In a Haiku
Amateur Free Agent
P-Rays, Blaze, River Dogs, O-Rays
Bulls, Rays, Angels, Mets
I really hate when the only thing on the back of the card is a "Congratulations" form letter, unless it's from Richard McWilliam, then it's alright. As the kids would say, McWilliam is the "OG" of the Congratulations form letter. Plus, when you were opening packs of Upper Deck cards, anytime you saw that signature, you knew you were about to have your day made.