Yes, that’s right.
OK, now this is like one of those “ID this song” threads. Against my better judgement, I get sucked in and I need to know the answer. Are you going to upload a pic?
Sorry about that. I will get a photo!
I’m just kidding around. If nobody found it on the rosters, it may well remain a mystery.
Here’s the ball with the mystery signature! Can you guys see it? I’m afraid its super small. Does anyone know how to enlarge it?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/GarySiegel/th_baseball1.jpg
Hope this is better.
Looks like a “Don”, “Dan”, or “Dave” or something similarly short for the first name, but you’ve already shot down most of the thoughts I would have suggested.
Was there any overlap in Atlanta with Don Baylor? Baylor was the hitting coach in 1999 and Joyner played there in 2000, but it appears that Baylor became the Cubs manager for all of 2000.
My first thought was Don Sutton, but all the signatures I’ve seen on stuff he supposedly signed looks quite different.
Maybe I can find out where Wally lives now and go ask him if he remembers signing this ball and who signed it with him!
Don’s signature doesn’t match at all.
Any chance that’s an O instead of a D. An O followed by a “tall” letter downstroke look possible (though unlikely).
Also, if a kid got it signed by both guys at a game - it could just as likely be a player or manager from the other team.
It *could *be a sloppy Tim Salmon (imagine the bottom loop of the “D” following through to the rest of the 1st name and it almost matches:
I think that’s certainly it. They are a very good match if you connect the bottom of the “D” back around like in the Tim signature.
I think we have a winner!
Bravo!
I knew all that time and money spent collecting autographs would come in handy some day.
But when did their paths cross? Tim was called up to the Angels in '92, the same year Joyner was sent to the Royals.
I’d guess spring training would be the best possibility.
Looks like Joyner went back to the Angels for a farewell tour in 2001.
Funny, when you look at the stats, Salmon probably had the better career. But, going through the thread I was thinking that Joyner would wind up being the “big” name of the two autographs.
On an unrelated note. Is there a way to do a “played with” search on baseball reference, or any baseball stats site?
Like on the IMDB, you can list two actors and they will list all of the movies they have worked together. It would be neat to do the same with baseball players.