Jim Leyland

Jim Leyland signed a 1989 Topps baseball card for me in the mid 1990's at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Florida. Mr. Leyland was managing the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time. He signed the card from the visiting dugout prior to a Spring Training game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Mr. Leyland was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2024 on December 3, 2023!

 

Tony La Russa

In 1996, I was a bat boy for the Clearwater Phillies. I traveled with the team to Al Lang Stadium to play the St. Petersburg Cardinals, both Class A teams in the Florida State League. I bought this 8x10 picture prior to the game with the intention of getting it signed the following Spring. During Spring Training of 1997, I was able to get Mr. La Russa to sign it at Dunedin Stadium, when the St. Louis Cardinals came to play the Toronto Blue Jays. Tony was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.