• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Around the Hobby / Chatting with Sid Bream: His Earliest Cards, TTM Requests and Greg Maddux

Chatting with Sid Bream: His Earliest Cards, TTM Requests and Greg Maddux

August 3, 2020 By Tony Reid

Sid Bream spent over a decade in the big leagues, playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros.

He played in two World Series during his time with Atlanta and is best known for ‘The Slide’ in game seven of the 1992 National League Championship Series, where he scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning against his former team to send the Braves to their second straight World Series.

Now a corporate chaplain living in Pittsburgh, he turned 60 years old on Monday.  He’s still got a great sense of humor which was on display as we talked about collecting cards as a kid, seeing himself on a card for the first time, Greg Maddux’s funky signature, the uptick in his autograph requests through the mail and his personal memorabilia collection.

TR–Do you remember the very first time you were asked for your autograph?

SB-I can’t say I remember the very first time but I can remember the first time I signed a card. I remember thinking ‘Oh my goodness. Are you ugly or what?’ I was at spring training and somebody brought the card out. My first cards were from Albuquerque when I was playing in Triple A.  I had cards out and I had the opportunity to sign some of those cards before we got into my rookie cards with the Dodgers. I do remember signing it and wondering why they couldn’t get a better side of me.

(Editor’s Note:  he was also in the 1982 Vero Beach Dodgers set in AA ball).

1985 Topps rookie card.

It was a special thing. I grew up collecting baseball cards. I would get them for the bubble gum that was in the packs and I would put the cards on my bike spokes to hear the clatter. Who knows who I went through? Probably Mickey Mantle and maybe even Babe Ruth, as old as I am. To think that I was on card really brought a lot of joy.

TR–Did you manage to hold on to any of your own cards over the years?

SB-I did. It’s probably not the best place for them but I have most of those old sets up in my attic. I have them sitting up there. It’s funny, when I was playing the game, my kids had the Nolan Ryan, the Ken Griffey, Jr. and the Barry Bonds cards. They never ever asked to get them signed until after I was out of the game of baseball. Then they said ‘Dad can you get this card signed? I said ‘Why didn’t you ask me that when I was playing? It would have been a whole lot easier.’ We have managed to get some of those cards signed over the years.

TR–Sometimes it seems as though players today don’t care to sign or don’t take pride in their signature. Have player’s signatures gotten worse over the years?

SB-If you ever saw Greg Maddux’s signature, which I’m sure you have, you would say what in the heck is this? I called down to the Braves because they always have a stockpile of signed balls. I asked if they could send me up a dozen of Greg Maddux’s signed baseballs. I had some charities that I was dealing with. Well, I didn’t receive them.

I reached out to Greg himself and asked if I sent out a dozen balls would he sign them for me. He said sure. I sent the balls out and in the process I got a dozen balls in the mail from the Braves. I look at the signature and thought ‘Who the heck is this’ They usually have the name on the top of the box to tell me what was going on. I wondered who they sent me.

Then Greg sent the balls back to me that he signed for me. Sure enough, it was the same signature. I’m thinking ‘Maddux, can’t you do a little better than that?’ You wouldn’t in your wildest dreams be able to figure out that it was Greg Maddux’s signature.

Greg Maddux’s autograph is…interesting.

TR–Players signing for fans through the mail is a fun, longstanding tradition in the hobby. With the current technology and information sharing, it seems that this part of the hobby is growing. Do you sign for fans through the mail?

SB-Right now I am probably getting just as much mail as I did when I was playing. What it has allowed me to do is raise a lot of money for charities. I ask for a dollar donation for every card. All of that goes to charity. Over the years, I have been able to do quite a few thousand dollars for charity. That has been nice.

Lately, a lot of the reruns of old games are playing and in that time frame I have really seen an uptick in the mail because people are watching those games. All of a sudden they are going through their cards and think ‘Hey let me send a card to Sid Bream.’ That has been neat other than the fact that it takes me some time to go ahead and sit down and sign those cards. It’s a fun thing. It is amazing. If someone sends me a card without the donation in it I go ahead and send them back a piece of paper saying what I require. If they send it back, they send it back. If they don’t it’s no big deal. For my time, all of this money is going to charity. It has been a good thing. It has allowed the fans to bless a lot of charities thorough me and it’s been an honor to do it and I’m glad to be a part of it.


TR–Do you have an office or room where you have your memorabilia displayed?

SB-I have two places. I have the basement downstairs that has pictures and posters of us winning over the years. I have my World Series jerseys framed. I have some of the pictures with the Pirates. I have a picture of the slide. Up in my office, I have a bunch of World Series baseballs. I have my first home run that I hit off Mike Krukow. I have the home run ball I hit off Nolan Ryan. I have a couple of places that I collect those things and they are just nice pieces to commemorate those great times.

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Card Back Q&A: Kevin Mench Talks Hat Size, Mike Schmidt, Grandfather’s Influence Brad Leggett Q&A: A Football and Collecting Family 7 Career-Chronicling Phil Niekro Baseball Cards Jim Jeffcoat Q&A: Former Cowboys’ Standout Talks Collecting, Career The Model of Consistency: A Freddie Freeman Rookie Card Review From Rookie Season to the Hall of Fame, Pat Waters Has Been Brian Dawkins’ Right Hand Man Digging Dale: Youthful Murphy Memories and the Baseball Cards That Made Them Come Alive Nats Players Part of FanSigner Launch

About Tony Reid

From the time he was a little kid, Tony has been a huge sports fan. If he could play sports, watch sports and talk about sports it was a great day. From as early as he was drawn to sports, Tony was drawn to collecting sports cards. Not much has changed over the years. He collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball and football. He also has a soft spot for first autographs of MMA stars. If you want to talk to Tony about the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey, Jr. you can reach him at [email protected] and @tonyreidwrites on social media.

Filed Under: Around the Hobby Tagged With: atlanta braves, greg maddux, Q and A, Sid Bream, TTM autograph requests

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Pristine Auction Offers Monthly Elite Auction Ending Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023
  • REA Midwest Consignment Trip – Consign Today
  • MEARS Auction of Memorabilia and More Ends October 7, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window