2008 American League Champions Autograph Chase-Part 9

Happy 4th of July to all and welcome to part 9 in an ongoing series showcasing on-card autographs of all of the members of the 2008 American League Pennant winning Tampa Bay Rays. Willy Aybar came to the Rays right before spring training in 2008 via a trade with the Atlanta Braves. Willy made an immediate impact playing in 95 games and filling the role of super utility infielder. He logged time at all 4 infield positions as well as designated hitter. He was the replacement for both Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena when they missed time with injuries. Willy batted .253 with 10 homers and 33 RBI in his first season in Tampa Bay. In the playoffs he caught fire, particularly in the ALCS, but overall he batted .353 with 2 homers and 7 RBI in the postseason. Aybar battled some injuries early this season, but after the release of Pat Burrell he found himself an everyday player. He can still fill in anywhere in the infield, but he is now the team’s main designated hitter. Over the last 7 games Aybar is batting .333 with a homer and 7 RBI. He produced a game winning homer last week and on Thursday he provided a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning against the Twins. I have yet to find a certified autograph of Willy Aybar, but I am happy with this on-card, in person signed 2010 Upper Deck card. Go Rays! Troll out.

2008 American League Champions Autograph Quest Part 7

Part 7 in this ongoing series shows Rays reliever JP Howell on a 2007 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness card. As I continue to gather certified autographs of my favorite team I am beginning to build favorite sets. 2009 Goodwin Champions and 2007 Bowman Heritage are definitely among my favorites. Good art, simple design, clear on card autos, awesomeness! JP Howell has been an integral part of the Rays bullpen the past two seasons. This year he started the year on the DL with soreness in his throwing arm. It turned out to be worse than anticipated and he had season ending surgery in May. Dr. James Andrews performed the procedure and JP is expected to be back and better than ever for 2011. JP came to the Rays from the Royals who chose him in the first round of the 2004 draft. The Rays sent Joey Gathright and Fernando Cortez. That was another of the wise trades that led the Rays to the postseason in 2008. Things were not good for Howell in his first 2 seasons in Tampa Bay. In 2006 and '07 he was 2-9 with an ERA over 7, but he came into his own in 2008. He was 6-1 with a 2.22 in 61 games striking out 92 in 89 innings while serving as a setup man for Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler. In 2009 Howell was forced into the role of closer and was not really ready for that position. His record was still respectable going 7-5 with 17 saves and an ERA of 2.84. He also struck out 79 batters in just 66 innings. Like most fans I am so used to seeing a closer come out of the pen throwing heat that seeing Howell in there in the 9th tossing the ball 78 MPH was a bit weird. I have heard he can reach 90 MPH with his sinker, but I have never seen it. He has a cutter, a curve, knuckle curve and change and they all stay between 75-85 MPH, but his movement and location keep batters swinging and missing. I look forward to seeing Howell back on the field, in the pen and on the mound in 2011. Go Rays! Troll out.

2008 American League Champions Autograph Quest - Part Six

David Price was the first player selected in the 2007 Draft. He began the 2008 season in A ball, but jumped to AA, AAA and was called up to Tampa Bay in September. He had a combined mark of 13-5 and earned himself a spot on the postseason roster. He pitched out of the bullpen and finished 5 games in the playoffs showing poise, composure and overpowering stuff. He seemed to be a lock for Rookie of the Year in 2009, but didn't match the hype early on. He finished with a respectable record of 10-7 in 23 starts, but his 4.42 ERA was too high to garner ROY attention. He was nearly unstoppable at home last year, but didn't earn his first road win till late in the season. After failing to win ROY many wrote him off as a prospect. He is still only 24 years old and in 15 starts so far this year he is 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA, 1 shutout and 84 Ks in 91 innings. The day after the D-Backs no-hit the Rays Price took the hill to stop the bleeding. He responded by striking out 11 D-Backs and garnering his 11th win. The Baseball Bloggers Alliance (of which I am a proud member) voted Price as the American League's starting pitcher for their All Star Team and one can imagine that Joe Girardi SHOULD chose Price as the AL's starter as well. The card is a 2009 Goodwin Champions ON-CARD auto. I think the rendering makes Price look like President Obama and the signature doesn't exactly fill the space on the card, but I am thrilled to have a D Price auto in my collection. Go Rays! troll out.

2008 American League Champions Autograph Quest Part 5

The 5th post in this ongoing series of on-card autographs from all the members of the 2008 AL Pennant winning Tampa Bay Rays is of right handed pitcher Edwin Jackson. The card is a 2008 Topps Heritage which he signed after a game in 2008 for my wife. Edwin is a super ball park signer and really good TTM as well. I think by now everyone has heard of EJ's triumphant return to Tampa Bay. He no-hit his former team and blanked the guy he was traded for-Matt Joyce who was 0-4. I wanted to say congrats to EJ on an amazing performance. I couldn't ask for my team to be no-hit by a better dude. Go Rays! Troll out.

2008 American League Champions, The Autograph Quest Part 3 The Spitter

The third card in this ongoing series comes from 2009 UD Goodwin’s Champions. It is an on-card gem of Matt Garza. 2008 was Garza’s first year with the Rays. He and Jason Bartlett came over from Minnesota in exchange for Delmon Young and Brendan Harris. I think that Delmon Young will be a great player someday, but that trade is one of the best in Rays history and paid immediate dividends. Garza was 11-9 with a 3.70 ERA in 30 starts for the Rays. He tied for the league lead with 2 shutouts and was third in the AL with 3 complete games. He dazzled on the national stage in the 2008 ALCS. Against Boston Garza was awesome! He was 2-0 in 2 starts with a 1.38 ERA. He pitched 13 innings and struck out 14 and was award the ALCS MVP honors. Like Bartlett, Garza has many certified autos available during his days as a prospect with the Twins, but not too many Rays autos. This is my favorite. After 2 months of being outbid at the final second I finally won this one and I love it! This is my third Rays auto from Goodwin’s and I hope to get them all. Incidentally, Garza started this season red hot. He has cooled down a bit, but is still holding onto a very respectable 7-4 record with a 3.50 ERA and a shot at making his first All Star appearance this year. I expect to see Price and Niemann on the staff, but it would be amazing if Garza makes it, too. I love this game and I love this hobby! Thanks for reading! Go Rays! Troll out.

2008 American League Champions Autograph Quest Part 2-From the Wicked Vault!!!

Okay, here is an awesome card that I have been eager to post for some time. This one came to me in a big (unposted) lot from my buddy Wicked Ortega of the My Past Time I Love It blog. It is a 2007 Topps Triple Threads card of Devil Rays catcher Shawn Riggans. This is one of the coolest cards I own. It is a triple relic swatch including a 2-color patch and it is autographed! It is one of those cards that is really awesome, but you kinda wish it was of someone else... I take that back, Shawn Riggans was an awesome guy. He is missed in the organization. He left this spring when he signed a minor league deal with the Mets, but didn't make the club out of spring training. I think he is a man without a ballclub right now. In 2008 he appeared in 44 ball games for the Rays. He added 6 homeruns. He was the only player to spend the entire playoffs on the roster without appearing in a game. As always I owe a HUGE thanks to My Past Time I Love It! for this great card. I just got another package from him with even more goodies! I promise to scan and post them someday! I posted the autos I still need for this project in the side bar. There are 7 players total. Thanks for reading! If anyone knows where Riggans is right now, please let me know... I will try and post one of these per day, so stay tuned! I posted on the Nitty Gritty today for the first time all week. Check it out! I am tomorrow and will try and schedule a full week o posts. Go Rays! Troll out.

2008 AL Pennant Winners Autograph Collection Part 1

I decided a while back that I wanted to collect an autograph of every member of the 2008 Pennant winning Rays team. Every player on the postseason roster, on a card (sticker autos are okay) and in a Rays uniform. I was going to wait until I had the set finished, but I want to get these posted before they win the 2010 Pennant! I still need a couple players to finish this. The list is getting smaller, but I do still need Gabe Gross, JP Howell, Cliff Floyd and Erik Hinske. I thought I would start with Carlos Pena. I own several autographs of his, but this is the first one in a Rays uniform. I suppose this will be post 1 of 25. The card is a 2008 Topps Moments and Milestones, card #MA-CP celebrating Pena's winning of the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Go Rays! troll out.