I haven’t seen my friend Bart in forever, so when he asked if I wanted to go to a sports card & memorabilia show today, I said “sure.” The Westchester County Convention Center was also hosting a reptile expo today, and that drew a bigger and more diverse crowd, but there was plenty to see at the card show.
I found a “vintage” signed Marv Throneberry card from a Renata Galasso baseball card set honoring the 20th anniversary of the 1962 original Mets, signed photos of current Mets’ second baseman Jeff McNeil and once (and perhaps future) Mets’ infielder TJ Rivera, a double-signed photo of Lee and LJ Mazzilli, signed photos of three members of the Magnificent Seven gold medal women’s gymnastics team from the 1996 Olympics, and a few $3 Oyo Sports figures that I didn’t have.
I also snagged a baseball card album so I can start organizing my Mets autographs from the past few years. My first binder held 50 years of Mets’ players, but it’s time for a new one. So I’ll be updating my Mets autographs needed list sometime soon, but probably not until after the holidays.
But as fun as it was to go to a sports card show and find some cool things to add to my collection, the highlight of my day was getting to see an old friend again.
How was your weekend?
Austin DeCarr is a New York Yankees prospect who’s had his career delayed by Tommy John surgery. He spent his 23-year-old season with the Class-A Charleston River Dogs, where he pitched 36 innings out of the bullpen. DeCarr struck out 39 while walking 25, which is probably not quite what the Yankees were hoping for from their 2014 third round draft pick.
Kevin Elster was one of my favorite New York Mets players in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was an amazing defensive shortstop who could hit the occasional home run, but he didn’t always have the best batting average (we cared about that back then.)
Gosuke Katoh is another New York Yankees prospect who is running out of time to make an impression. Katoh was named a post-season all-star by Baseball America in his debut season back in 2013, but he’s not been able to match that level of performance as he moved up the ladder. Katoh spent his age-23 season with the Double-A Trenton Thunder, where he posted a 229 / .327 / .335 slash line in 118 games. He was 11-17 in stolen base attempts and played games at every infield position as well as left field.
Jordan Foley is another Yankees prospect who spent the year with the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Foley pitched 66.1 innings in his age-25 season, making 35 relief appearances and two starts. He struck out 67 while walking 35.
Pat Neshek is the foremost autograph collector among active Major League Baseball players, and one of the few who genuinely seems to enjoy signing autographs, even after 12 big league seasons. Neshek has pitched 22 innings in 27 games, striking out 14 while walking three out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen this year.
Carson Fulmer made eight starts for the Chicago White Sox this year before getting pulled from the rotation and demoted to the minor leagues for his 8.07 ERA. In Triple-A, he was only slightly better – he posted a 5.32 ERA in 25 appearances (14 in relief) for the Charlotte Knights. I still love the signed card for the awesome throwback uniform Fulmer is rockin.’
Seth Lugo is a New York Mets pitcher who’s been hurt by his versatility this season. While he’d probably prefer to start, first-year manager Mickey Callaway has preferred to use Lugo out of the bullpen. In 51 appearances and 98 innings, Lugo is 3-4 with a 2.74 ERA. I was able to purchase this card for 99 cents plus shipping on eBay, even though it was one of the two guaranteed autographs out of a product that goes for $50 or more for a box.
P.J. Conlon earned some notoriety for his Irish-American ancestry when he made his Major League debut earlier this season, but he struggled in his three appearances with the Mets and spent most of the year in the minor leagues. Conlon was even briefly part of the Dodgers’ organization, thanks to a move that exposed him to waivers when the Mets needed to open a 40-man roster spot. They were able to reclaim him in June. This purchase cost me $2.75 plus shipping.
Opening Day’s March release spot does give Topps a little more time to do things like add our first rookie card for Angels’ pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (who 
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