"Doc"tor's Appointment

Most people don't look forward to going to the doctor, but I have an appointment on October 1st to see Doc Gooden and I can't wait!

As a young kid I was introduced to baseball cards around 1988. I had no baseball knowledge before that. I was 7 years old and I don't think I'd ever played baseball or even seen a baseball game prior to coming in contact with baseball cards.

That all changed when I discovered baseball cards. I started playing Little League. I watched whatever baseball I could at the time, which wasn't much because we only had one tv in the house and at that time it was me and three older sisters, my mom, and a dad that wasn't a sports fan living in our house. I sort of remember watching the 1989 World Series, but the 1990 World Series for sure. My room started to get plastered with various posters and pennants. And my allowance went from buying G.I. Joes to buying packs of baseball cards.

My first Little League team was the Yankees and since there was no professional team in Phoenix at the time, the Yankees became my favorite team and Don Mattingly became my favorite player. I had a framed poster of him hanging in my room for the longest time. He was my first ttm request. I wrote him for an autograph and got a small signed picture back. I got to meet Don Mattingly several years back when he was the manager of one of the Arizona Fall League teams and I got his autograph on a baseball. It was a thrill!

Another favorite player of mine at the time was Mets phenom, Dwight "Doc" Gooden. Not sure exactly why he became a favorite of mine, but he did, and for my birthday one year (probably 1989 or 1990) my sister bought me a 1989 Donruss card signed by Dwight Gooden. I remember seeing the card at my local card shop prior to getting it from her. I think the price tag was somewhere around $7 - $9 if I remember correctly. I lust have fawned over it at the card shop and that's why she got it for me, and I'm sure I was thrilled out of my mind when I got it, but as time has gone by I've always wondered if it's a real autograph.

I'm not an autograph expert by any means, but I've gotten my share of autographs over the years. I understand that autographs from one player can vary in appearance. There can be a big difference between signatures that are signed while the player is sitting down at a table doing an autograph signing verses while they are standing up and signing autographs on the field.

I have no idea when or where this autograph was obtained, or whether or not it's actually signed by Dwight Gooden.

When I got an email that Doc Gooden would be making an appearance in Arizona for an autograph signing, I instantly thought about this 1989 Donruss card and decided that I wanted...no...I needed to meet him and get an autograph. The price tag for an autograph...$39.

I am a very practical and frugal person. Frugal sounds better than cheap, right?. This is why I typically don't buy boxes. I just buy singles. So I debated for a while spending $39 to meet Doc when I could easily obtain a certified autograph for anywhere between $10 -$15 on ebay. But then I thought back to the thrill I experienced when I met Don Mattingly and got his autograph. It'll be totally worth it.

Now the question is, what do I get signed. Part of me wants to get a ball signed. I have a nice collection of autographed baseballs and this one I feel would go great alongside the ball I had Mattingly sign. Another part of me wants to get a 1989 Donruss card signed so I could know for sure that I at least have one card actually signed by him. I'm also in love with this photo, after being introduced to it by Fuji as it was used for a 1985 Donruss Box Back card. I don't actually have this photo, so I'd need to track it down.

What do you think I should get signed?