Baseball card stories from Dan Smith

Dan Smith pitched thirteen seasons of professional baseball from 1993 to 2005, including four years in the major leagues with the Expos and Red Sox. He is now the Vice President, Real Estate Development at Watco Companies, a transportation company based in Pittsburg, Kansas. He kindly took the time to reply to my questions about baseball cards.

"I guess the thing that stands out from my career, is the trouble I had with the "other" Dan Smith. There was a left-handed pitcher named Dan Smith who was a first round pick by the Rangers a couple years before me (I was a right hander drafted in the 7th round). My whole career I was handed his cards and asked to sign them. After the first few years, I just signed them and handed them back. It was a real pain. I don't think the other guy played much after about 1998 and I'm sure he got handed a couple of my cards along the way as well.

My favorite card of myself would have to be 1999 Fleer update. It was the first card I got at the major league level and I imagine that is memorable for most guys who collected cards when they were young.

My favorite two sets were the 1983 Topps and the 1985 Topps.

I don't collect cards anymore, but I have kids who I'm sure will start collecting when they get older. I collected when I was a kid and I still have them all. I amassed quite a collection."

Thanks! Hopefully you autograph collectors out there can tell the difference between this Dan Smith, the righty Daniel C. Smith from Kansas, who at least on his baseball cards has a goatee, from the other Dan Smith, Daniel S. Smith, a clean-shaven lefty from Minnesota who pitched for Texas in 1992 and 1994: