Cal I own now dreamin'

Here's a quick post on a rare non-holiday day off for me.

Beardy contacted me recently with a business proposition.  Thanks to a sweet pull from Nachos Grande's 2000 Fleer Showcase group break box, he became the proud owner of a second Cal Ripken Jr. autograph.  Since I love stealing other blogs' images (but I'm at least promoting NG's blog), here's the pull:

I know I'd be excited if someone pulled something like that for me.

Anyway, Beardy was kind enough to let me know that his other Ripken autograph was available for the taking if I wanted to buy it because he preferred the above on-card version to the one he already had.  I quickly accepted, mainly because of the fact that he gave me a great price, but also because I liked the idea of buying from a fellow blogger instead of funneling more money to the FeeBays of the world.  Also, I know it helps Greg out since he broke out of A&G rehab for about the 10th time and will be heading straight for his next fix of Gint-a-cuffs.

So here you have it, my very first Cal Ripken Jr. autograph:

and the back:

I thought it would also be cool to show off the back since it was numbered to 91, the last year he won the AL MVP.

I'm absolutely ecstatic that I finally have a Cal autograph.  I've always thought his signature looked awesome and I'm definitely pleased with this one.  Really I'm not against sticker autographs as much as some are, and as this is my first Cal anyway I definitely wouldn't complain.  The fact that it also comes with a jersey swatch is a nice plus, and the serial numbering wraps it up with a nice orange bow.

Including the manupatch, this is now my eighth Ripken hit, which is cool in and of itself since that was his number.  You can see the rest here in my Ripken favorites collection.

Big thanks again to Beardy/Greg for a card that will be a cornerstone of my collection for years to come, and hopefully the first of several big Ripken hits!