Jermaine Palacios

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Fort Myers Miracle came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Jermaine signed a 2016 Cedar Rapids Kernels Team Set card #19.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=palaci000jer

Brandon Lopez

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Fort Myers Miracle came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Brandon signed a 2017 Cedar Rapids Kernels Team Set card #15.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lopez-000bra

Taylor Washington

I met him at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017, when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds came to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Taylor signed a 2016 Topps Major League Soccer card #135.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Washington

Nick Ortiz

I met him at a Minor League game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the GCL Yankees West, whom he was managing, came to play the GCL Phillies.

Nick signed a 1997 Best Trenton Thunder Team Set card #23.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=ortiz-002nic

Daris Vargas

I met him at a Minor League game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the GCL Yankees West came to play the GCL Phillies.

Daris signed a 2016 Charleston RiverDogs Team Set card.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=vargas000dar

T.J. Friedl

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Daytona Tortugas came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

T.J. signed a 2017 Bowman Prospects card #BP71.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=friedl000tj-

Kevin Franklin

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Daytona Tortugas came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Kevin signed a 2013 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects card #BDPP25.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=frankl000kev

Sandy Lugo

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Daytona Tortugas came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Sandy signed a 2017 Daytona Tortugas Team Set card #12.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lugo--000san

Abrahan Gutierrez

I met him at a Minor League game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the GCL Braves came to play the GCL Phillies.

Abrahan signed a 2017 Bowman Prospects card #BP78.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gutier000abr

Ralphie Henriquez

I met him at a Minor League game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the GCL Braves, whom he was a coach for, came to play the GCL Phillies.

Ralphie signed a 2014 Altoona Curve Team Set card.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=henriq002ral

Dustin Evans

I met him at a Minor League game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the GCL Braves, whom he was the pitching coach for, came to play the GCL Phillies.

Dustin signed a 2006 Bowman Heritage Prospects card #BHP80.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=evans-001dus

Yunior Montero

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Yunior signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=monter000yun

Adam Godwin

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders, whom he was an assistant coach for, came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Adam signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=godwin001ada

Cam Vieaux

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Cam signed a 2017 West Virginia Power Team Set card #23.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=vieaux000cam

Taylor Hearn

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Taylor signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hearnta01.shtml

Starling Marte

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders, whom he was on a rehab assignment with, came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Starling signed a 2016 Topps card #83.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml

Alexis Bastardo

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Alexis signed a 2017 West Virginia Power Team Set card #15.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bastar002ale

Pedro Vasquez

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Pedro signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=vasque005ped

Jess Amedee

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Jess signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=amedee000jes

Geoff Hartlieb

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Geoff signed a 2017 West Virginia Power Team Set card #11.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hartlge01.shtml

Gage Hinsz

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Gage signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hinsz-000gag

Ty Moore

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Ty signed a 2017 West Virginia Power Team Set card #13.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=moore-001ty-

Jordan George

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Jordan signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=george000jor

Kevin Krause

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Bradenton Marauders came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Kevin signed a 2017 Bradenton Marauders Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=krause002kev

Lourdes Gurriel, Jr.

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Dunedin Blue Jays came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Lourdes signed a 2017 Bowman Prospects card #BP18.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gurrilo01.shtml

Zach Jackson

I met him at a Minor League game at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2017, when the Dunedin Blue Jays came to play the Clearwater Threshers.

Zach signed a 2016 Bowman Draft card #BD-116.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=jackso002zac

Billy Reed

I met him at the 2017 Tampa Bay Legends & Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic on July 8, 2017, at the University of South Florida Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Billy signed a 1989 Little Sun High School Prospects card #23.

Jimmie Gardner

I met him at the 2017 Tampa Bay Legends & Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic on July 8, 2017, at the University of South Florida Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

When I handed Jimmie my card, he laughed and said, "I haven't seen this card in over 25 years." I thought he was joking and making light of how old the card was. It wasn't until I got home and started working on this page that you're reading now that I realized that he was dead serious.
In 1987, while playing for the Charleston Wheelers, a Cubs A-ball affiliate, two women were sexually assaulted in the city of Charleston, West Virginia. The attacker was described as a black male. Over 100 black men in the city were questioned, including Jimmie and his black teammates. Some were even fingerprinted.
Two years later, Jimmie was arrested for that crime along with a charge of burglary. In 1990 he was sentenced to 110 years in prison.
In 2016, after serving 27 years behind bars, DNA evidence, as well as proof of a corrupt forensic serologist, proved that Jimmie was innocent of all charges.
I thought I was just getting a minor leaguer's autograph that never reached the big leagues. Turns out, it became one of my favorite autographs in my collection. I just wish I had known his story before meeting him.

Jimmie signed a 1986 ProCards Geneva Cubs Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gardne001jim

Gary Sheffield

I met him at the 2017 Tampa Bay Legends & Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic on July 8, 2017, at the University of South Florida Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Gary signed the cover of the October 1992 issue of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sheffga01.shtml

Ty Griffin

I met him at the 2017 Tampa Bay Legends & Celebrity All-Star Softball Classic on July 8, 2017, at the University of South Florida Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Ty signed a 1988 Topps Traded card #44T.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=griffi001tyr