John O'Donoghue on baseball cards

John O'Donoghue pitched seven years of professional baseball, reaching the major leagues with Baltimore in 1993. The son of a former all-star pitcher also named John O'Donoghue, he kindly shared with me his stories about baseball cards.

"I collected cards for about a year, I think it was around 1979. Other than that year I was never a big collector.

I don't have a particular favorite card of myself. I like most all of them because it was always such a surprise to see myself on one. Being an undrafted free agent, the odds were not exactly in my favor of having my own card.

I always pitched with one of my Dad's baseball cards in my back pocket. While in college I had one of his cards in my locker and put it in my back pocket prior to warming up. I had a good game and continued to keep one with me when I pitched. I ruined a few of them before our clubhouse manager gave me a card keeper to protect it."

Thanks!