By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor

In many hobby conversations through the years, I’ve heard more than one collector say something that sounds wrong but also really sounds right depending on how you look at it.

“I wouldn’t want to meet my favorite player.”

We’ve probably all heard the stories about an autograph experience gone wrong — i.e. no ink was signed — and the sour grapes that come with that. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the experience of meeting that childhood icon — dare we say hero — and finding out that the player isn’t as invested in what fans think as much as the fans are invested in him.

It’s happened countless times to countless fans — so much so some collectors just don’t want to go there with certain players, knowing full well that their images of fanaticism and devotion would be squashed for whatever reason.

Now, I have met my favorite player these days — and got the autograph — but I have not ever met the guy who was the player I collected when I was growing up. You know, the player whose batting stance one emulated, and, in the case of my player, the head tweaks that came along with that.

The player? Jose Canseco.

I saw him play just once as a member of the Boston Red Sox in a game against the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field. It was June 21, 1995, the day after Canseco had an incident during a rehab assignment in Pawtucket, R.I. Needless to say, he didn’t sign any autographs that day before going 0-for-4. I was lucky to see him play at all. My only other shot — a two-game interleague set between the Colorado Rockies and Oakland A’s in Coors Field on Aug. 30-31, 1997, should have gone better. At the time my tickets were purchased, Canseco and Mark McGwire were on the team. By the time the game arrived? McGwire had been traded and Canseco was hurt and didn’t travel. Go figure.

On Saturday, though, I have the chance to get an autograph in-person … and I’m not sure if I’d want to go. I mean, I already have more than a few autographs — and I know the baggage that Canseco carries in the baseball world. That’s a given — and something I actually appreciate since it’s been good for the game.

I just don’t know if I want to go … and it’s that old saying echoing through my mind.

The price of the autograph really isn’t bad at all, meaning there’s incentive to get a 1986 Donruss Rated Rookie signed, or an uncut sheet of 1983 Madison Muskies cards with his first baseball card of any kind among them, or a game-used bat …

That’s the other tough decision — what to get signed.

Really, truly not sure here. I have about 48 hours to decide.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor | Commentary
(Note: The card above is 133 percent fake … But you had to see how cool it could look!)

One spring ritual for baseball card collectors is wishing for a certain baseball player or non-athlete to appear on a Topps Allen & Ginter autograph card — whether it be via a traditional signing or via the cut autograph route.

While many players — and some very notable athletes from other sports — have appeared on cards in the popular baseball card line since its arrival in 2006, there are some who have yet to appear on framed mini autographs in the product based on the 1880s cards of the same name. And, given the popularity of the brand — or at least this writer’s obsession with mini-sized tobacco cards — that’s a shame.

This year’s example of Ginter autograph discussions popped up on Twitter recently with collectors offering up their top-five picks for whom they’d want to see on Allen & Ginter cards in the future. For me, the No. 1 Ginter autograph card is easy — and easily predictable if you’re a regular reader here — it’s one of New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher.

Rather than just tweet my top five — in 140 characters or less — I figured I’d rather be windy about it and present my top five. The 2008 Swisher above is a melding two past Ginter cards so I can make my case visually. Would I like to see it happen? Of course, but I know that things happen when it comes to dreams of collectors — their demands may not be as universal or essential to a majority of collectors — meeting realities of budgets, time constraints and players’ signing habits/fees.

I didn’t whip up cards for the remainder of my Top Five (all living and available signers) — but you can see who and why I picked the five that I did … after the jump.

1. Nick Swisher — OF, New York Yankees
The All-Star is a bit of a cult hero in New York with his Swisher Salute to the Bleacher Creatures and his fan-friendly, easy-going attitude but he’s never landed on a Ginter autograph. He has had Ginter Relic cards three times — 2006, 2007 and 2009 — and is slated to have a Relic in the 2011 set when it arrives in July. But no ink for my favorite player. I’m patient … he’ll come around — or maybe myself and his other 1,303,134 followers on Twitter should prod him (and Topps) to make it happen.

2. Jose Canseco — former OF, Oakland A’s
The former Bash Brother and thorn in MLB’s side probably won’t be appearing on many — if any — MLB-approved cards any day soon. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a significant place in the history of the game. In fact, he’s perhaps more important in baseball history as the guy who helped bring the sport’s performance-enhancement drug issues into the forefront of daily discussion than he was as a borderline Hall of Fame-caliber player. I would lose bladder control if I opened a pack and saw an inked mini of him Bashing forearms with a former Oakland A’s teammate. (Doesn’t even need to be Mark McGwire … but pencil him in as No. 2b on this list.)

3. Pedro Cerrano — OF Cleveland Indians (aka Dennis Haysbert, actor)
I’ve written about Major League way too many times in the past — and waxed poetic about the absolute need for a movie studio-approved card tie-in with some of the best baseball movies ever made in the pages of Beckett Baseball – but there’s no doubt in my mind that true baseball fans would get a kick out of seeing some of these guys on autographed minis. I mean, heck, Jobu has to be a Creature of Legend, Myth and/or Joy, right? Haysbert has signed for card companies in the past — as has Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) and Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) — so they’re familiar with the game. Then again, it could be a challenge … I pulled a redemption for a Harry Doyle autograph years ago and he (Bob Uecker) has never signed … maybe that’s a sign. Then again, a different (more positive) sign would be Sheen’s lone past autograph showing up on the Baseball Hot List of Beckett Sports Card Monthly … it’s an absolute winner these days.

4. Bud Selig & Donald Fehr — MLB Commissioner/former MLB Players Association Executive Director (dual autograph booklet)
We’ve seen a few baseball executives on cardboard through the years — for example former MLBPA Executive Marvin Miller was on a Ginter card last year — but this duo would be a classic inclusion. Selig has appeared on a handful of obscure baseball cards through the years, even signing some autographs, while Fehr has just one. Pairing these two negotiating combatants probably will never happen, but it would be special for those who appreciate the history of the game.

5. Vince McMahon — Chairman & CEO, World Wrestling Entertainment
We all know that Mr. McMahon is a ruthless villain on-screen, but off-screen the  65-year-old is as hands-on as it gets. In short, he’s a busy man — one who even oversees WWE Magazine (imagine this guy as your publisher). All that said, he’s definitely too busy to sign autographs — he’s never appeared on a certified signed card at all — but he’s definitely a “world’s champion” in a few ways worthy of inclusion if you consider some of the unusual names who have made the Ginter cut in the past. Love him or hate him, he’s a business — and wrestling — icon.

Who are your Allen & Ginter dream autographs? Let us know via a comment below …

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor

The latest torrid headline in the ongoing saga that is the life of former American League MVP Jose Canseco isn’t one that would have worked on many collectors.

Canseco sent his twin brother, Ozzie, in his place for a celebrity boxing event.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve sorted waayyyy too many Canseco cards though the years — thousands — but the identical twins aren’t exactly identical. Ozzie is skinnier and Jose looks more aged. You can see it in the promotional poster when the two played together in an independent league a few years ago.

But then there’s the large birthmark on Jose’s right hand — if you’ve sorted his cards, you’ve probably seen it.

And then there’s his head twitch and rapid blinking … and his tattoos if you have seen photos in his book Juiced.

Heck, I haven’t heard a lot of Ozzie interviews, but from the few I have heard they don’t even sound alike.

Sure, they both played for the Oakland A’s — and they appear in iconic sets like the 1989 Upper Deck and 1990 Leaf releases on cards that look a lot alike. Those might make some people do a second glance, but not many.

But most people? They wouldn’t be fooled.

Well, at least not this collector …

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.