And then there was two....

Due to the news of my favorite pitcher, Charlie Morton, having hip surgery that will take 6-8 months to heal, I figured I should show off a card that has haunted me for what seems like forever.

My pursuit to grab a copy of all Charlie Morton cards is nearing a close.  With the card below, I only need 2 more non 1/1 card to have a single copy of every Charlie Morton card produced.  They are the 2012 and 2014 Topps Factory Orange parallels.  PLEASE HELP ME FIND THEM.  A 2014 Factroy Orange ended a few months ago on ebay, but it was a one day listing that I didn't get my bid in on time with.

I will always continue to try and add to my collection, but this has been an absolute blast supercollecting someone born in the same town as me and playing for my favorite baseball team.

2002 Upper Deck Future Gems Quads 500/600

Pictured on this oversized card are Val Majewski, Joey Gomes, and Daniel Cevette.  Bonus points if any of you actually know any of these guys.

Unlike Drake starting from the bottom and now he's here, I'm going to start at the top and work my way around clockwise.  Val Majewski, like Charlie Morton, was born in New Jersey.  He attended Rutgers University and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft.  He played in a total of 9 games for the Baltimore Orioles from August 20th through September 8th 2004 and posted a .154 batting average playing centerfield, pinch hitter, and DH.

Charlie Morton...I kind of have talked a little bit about him during my time blogging.  Need proof?  Click here

Joey Gomes is a journeyman minor leaguer who never reached the status of his brother Johnny Gomes.  Joey last played in AA as a 31 year old in 2011.  I'm not sure why he was never given a shot at the majors as his numbers in the minors were all very good .300/.362/.460 with 101 HR over 870 games.  There's a great article about Joey and his continued love of baseball here.

Daniel Cevette is another minor leaguer journeyman who never got a chance to appear in a major league game.  I never realized until I got this card, how crushing it can be to get so close to your dream, but to never complete it.  It reminds me of Archie Moonlight Graham from Field of Dreams.  Cevette had good stuff as a relief pitcher in the minors posting 356 Ks over 380 innings with a 3.86 ERA.  His biggest drawback was a 4.1 BB/9 in the minors.  The Pirates actually signed him to a minor league deal and he had been ascending the minor league ranks last year, finishing the season for AA Altoona Curve where he pitched 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out 2, but allowing 3 hits and 1 walk.