Gary Cathcart

I met him at an extended spring training game at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida in 2018, when the Detroit Tigers, whom he was a manager for, came to play the Philadelphia Phillies.

Gary signed a 1986 ProCards Fort Lauderdale Yankees Team Set card.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cathca001gar

Ron Gardenhire

I met him at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2018, when the Detroit Tigers, whom he was managing, came to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training game.

Ron signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.

This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gardero01.shtml

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

Ed Hearn

I met him at the New York Mets fantasy camp at Tradition Field in Port Saint Lucie, Florida in 2017.

Ed signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.
This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hearned02.shtml

Sam Perlozzo

I met him at a Minor League game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida in 2015, when the Fort Myers Miracle, whom he was there as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator, came to play the Tampa Yankees.

Sam signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.
This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/perlosa01.shtml

Ron Clark

I met him at a Philadelphia Phillies spring training game at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida in 2015.

He was there for the 2nd annual Phillies Spring Training Alumni Day.

Ron signed a 1986 ProCards Clearwater Phillies team set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clarkro02.shtml

John Cumberland

I met him at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Florida in 1997, when the Boston Red Sox, whom he was the pitching coach for, came to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training game.

John signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.
This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cumbejo01.shtml

John Gibbons

I met him at a Minor League game at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Florida in 1996, when the St. Lucie Mets, whom he was managing, came to play the Clearwater Phillies.

John signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.
This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gibbojo02.shtml

Barry Lyons

I met him at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Florida in 1996, when the Texas Rangers came to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training game.

Barry signed a 1986 ProCards Tidewater Tides Team Set card.
This is an error card that was later corrected. Instead of showing the Tidewater Tides logo, it has the NY Mets logo.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lyonsba01.shtml

Carlos Arroyo

I met him at Carpenter Complex, the Philadelphia Phillies spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida in 1995.

Carlos signed a 1986 ProCards Clearwater Phillies Team Set card.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=arroyo002car