Baseball card story from Dave Therneau

Dave Therneau pitched five seasons in the Reds organization, reaching the AAA-level in 1999, a year in which he went 14-5 across three levels. Unfortunately he got hurt, needed Tommy John surgery and did not make it to the major leagues. Now the Pitching Coach and Academic Enhancement Coordinator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he kindly shared this baseball card story.

"I actually do have a kind of funny, interesting story I guess.  In 1999 I moved through the system quickly going from high A in my first full season to AAA and had a great year.  So, in 2000 they came out with a top prospects set made by the Just2K company or something like that.  Well, I was getting people and fans sending me these cards like crazy to sign for them to complete their sets I guess.  And a lot of fans had them to sign in spring training.  Well, obviously my career got derailed because of injury and I phased out of the game after a few more years, 2004 being my last year playing.  In 2008 I believe one of my close friends that has no real interest in baseball and is not a card collector came across somebody by accident selling my card for 2 bucks plus 5 bucks shipping, or something close to those numbers.  So my buddy, again not a collector, nor does he have any interest in my card collections bought it as a joke because the shipping was more than the card.  He didn’t tell me until we met up one time for dinner and said he had a surprise for me.  He had bought my card with my original signature on it for well under what it cost to ship it to him.  I found it very amusing and so did he.  We had a good laugh about it.  That is probably my favorite card of the ones of me I guess and I used to collect cards when I was younger and have a ton of them, but don’t collect anymore."

Thanks!