2021 National Pickup - Cal Ripken Sr Signed Card

When I went to the National this past year, I stopped by a vendor who had boxes of signed cards that they had gotten TTM or IP.  They had several deceased players at some really good prices, so I picked up a decent amount of cards.  I intended to post them after the National, but I was so far behind with TTM and IP graphing posts, I put them in a drawer and forgot about them.  Going through the cards now, it is kind of an embarrassment of riches, because of all of the cool cards I forgot I had.  These definitely need to get into the autograph album, so I will start with one of the cooler cards I picked up, this signed 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken, Sr.

I have seen Sr's autograph plenty of times, so I know this one is legit.  I immediately put it aside once I saw it in the vendor's box, because I knew, if nothing else, this one was going home with me.

Ripken (b. 1935 - d. 1999) was a minor league player, coach and manager in the Orioles system for 36 years (from 1957 to 1992).  Signed as a minor league catcher in 1957, he played in the Orioles minor league system until 1964.  In 1961, he began coaching and managing in the Orioles system, starting with the Leesburg Orioles in the Class D Florida State League.  He would reach the majors as a coach beginning in 1976, before finally becoming the Orioles manager in 1987.

As Orioles manager, he had a record of 68-101 (.402 win %).  This was capped off by an 0-6 start in 1988 before being fired; that Orioles team would go on to lose 15 more games in a row,  to start the season 0-22, a Major League record.