Interview with Matt Hirsh

Matt Hirsh made his professional baseball debut in 2005 as a pitcher for the Greeneville Astros. He is now attempting a comeback as an outfielder and played this season for the Long Beach Armada. You can follow him and his brother, Yankees pitcher Jason Hirsh, on their Hirsh Brothers website and blog. Matt kindly answered my questions about his baseball card experiences.

-Do you have any stories about cards of yourself or of other players?
This is a story about my one and only baseball card. Back when I was playing with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, we were all looking forward to getting our first pro baseball card. To our disappointment, the cards didn't arrive until about 2 weeks before the season ended. The photographers had all season to capture great photos for the cards and we were all anxiously awaiting to see what they would look like. When they arrived I looked for my card of course and couldn't believe my eyes. My first baseball card is a picture of me eating a sunflower seed. Out of all the games I pitched in, that was the one picture they chose for me. I was thoroughly disappointed with the way it turned out and now it's kind of a joke to me that the one card I have the only action you see is a sunflower seed being put in my mouth. On the other hand, I've never seen a card like it so in a way it's a one of a kind card, but still disappointing nonetheless.

- Do you have a favorite card of yourself or of another player?
I can't really say that I have a favorite baseball card of any other players. Like I said before, my card is quite unique.

- Do you collect baseball cards?
I used to collect baseball cards when I was younger. I have quite the collection, but haven't added to it in a very long time. There are too many sets and different types of cards to collect these days, which makes collecting a very expensive hobby nowadays. I don't have quite the passion or the money for collecting as I did when I was younger.

Thanks, and good luck next season!