I don't consider myself an autograph guy. I have some, and I think they make cards and such more meaningful in most cases. Especially when obtained straight from the subject. And that's why I value these two Oriole-issued postcards.
The Palmer postcard was signed by him for one of my sons, Brooks, when he was just a few months old. There is a matching one somewhere around here that Palmer signed for my other son, James, who was named for him. My wife and I had taken the boys to a Palmer appearance at a downtown Houston department store for Jockey underwear in 1989.
It was a cool day as Palmer (the original one) posed with the four of us and took time to chat after the signing session. The personalized autographed postcard brings back memories of that day.
Way back I used to never miss a Sunday Houston Chronicle feature that listed bookstore appearances in the Houston area. I was sort of a book nut back then (before my kids started to grow and my house suddenly seemed really small). That's how I learned about Cal Ripken coming to Houston to promote some book or another. Nowadays a lot of signings will limit fans to getting the author's books signed and prohibit 'outside' items. But that day Cal was signing everything and he took the time to personalized this card for me and he shook hands and spoke with my boys who were wearing Oriole gear.
That was another nice memory that comes back with this autograph.
Very cool.
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