Collection: Paul Konerko 1996 Best Autographed Card

Paul Konerko has gone on to have a great career.  He started out as a Dodgers 1st round draft pick (13th overall) in 1994, and rose through the system as a power hitter.  In 1997 he had his first crack at the Dodger lineup and got his first Major League hit in 8 plate appearances.  Then, the following year he was on the Opening Day roster and played first base, but was soon supplanted by Eric Karros when he returned to the lineup.  Unfortunately, his short stint in 1998 was unremarkable, so the Dodgers traded him away to the Reds for closer Jeff Shaw.  From there he moved to Chicago, and finally made a home for himself.  Over a 14 year career with the White Sox he has racked up 415 home runs while batting .285.  Go here for his career stats.

Featured in this post is a 1996 Best Minor League autographed card of Paul Konerko in a San Bernardino Spirit uniform.  As you can see, he did a little bit of catching.  This card is very inexpensive and can be purchased for a song & a dance.  If I remember correctly, I picked this up at the last National Sports Collectors Convention in Anaheim for just a buck.  A buck!  What a deal.

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“Not Exactly Cooperstown” - New Baseball Documentary Free Screening

So, the World Series is over and now there really isn't any Baseball to watch.  So, what do you do?

Well, The South Pasadena Public Library might have the answer- at least for one evening.

On Friday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room that is located at 1115 El Centro Street they will have a free screening of a new Baseball documentary called “Not Exactly Cooperstown.”  The program is presented by the South Pasadena Public Library, the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, and the Baseball Reliquary. Doors open at 6:30 PM and there will be a Q&A session with the filmmaker, Jon Leonoudakis

Go here for more information about this event.  A website for the documentary can be found here.

Based upon a brief description provided by the library, I think this is a must see.

“The Reliquary’s approach to the game is very different,” says Leonoudakis (the filmmaker). “It loves baseball, but not reverentially. The Reliquary is run by people steeped in the arts who operate it as a grass-roots affair. The organization fosters an appreciation of American history and culture through the lens of baseball.” Jon spent a year in the life of the Reliquary, “to see what makes it tick,” and to share the results. Leonoudakis calls his film “a star-spangled journey into the heart and soul of baseball that can’t be quantified by numbers.” 

“Cooperstown is for statistics, and the Reliquary is for stories and the great characters of the game,” producer/director Leonoudakis adds. “My documentary is an unorthodox look at America’s most orthodox game. “This isn’t your father’s baseball documentary,” says Jon. “My film is a bold stew of Americana, folklore, scandal, fandom, poetry, sport, and art.” Interviews with a cavalcade of experts, fans,  and  free-thinkers abound, including former major league pitchers Jim Bouton (Ball Four) and Bill “Spaceman” Lee,  as well as the San Diego Chicken, filmmaker Ron Shelton (Bull Durham), author Arnold Hano (A Day in the Bleachers),  and Terry Cannon, the Executive Director and founder of the Reliquary.

This event is now in the Blue Heaven Calendar.  Go there to check out other events in the southland.

BTW, this screening was originally scheduled for November 1st, but has since been moved to November 9th due to a potential conflict with the World Series.

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