1992 Topps #945 Brad Komminsk

Brad Komminsk played in the Majors from 1983-1991, spending the 1988 season in the minors. He played with the Atlanta Braves from 1983 to 1986, spent 1987 with the Milwaukee Brewers, 1989 with the Cleveland Indians, 1990 with the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles, and his final season with the Oakland Athletics in 1991. There are some interesting things about his career after he was in the Majors, but we will get to that later.

Brad got his first Topps card in the 1985 set. He got in the 1986 set, then was in the 1990 regular Topps set, and 1990 Traded set. He is missing card from the 1983 Topps Traded, 1984 Topps, 1987 Topps Traded, 1988 Topps, 1989 Topps Traded, 1991 Topps, and 1991 Topps Traded sets to complete his career Topps run. I actually have finished his '83 Topps Traded and '84 Topps cards when I completed those sets, so here they are.

On to the interesting things after his Major League career. Brad is technically missing another Topps  card. According to some of the records I have from Spring Training of 1995 when the replacement players took part in games, Brad suited up for the Minnesota Twins in 1995 as a replacement player. I have a team photo of the replacement Twins, and Komminsk is in it, so it should be easy enough to make him a 1995 Topps card.
I also found out from his BBRef page that Brad played 1 game in AAA for the Detroit Tigers in 1997, 6 years after his last Major League game, 2 years after he suited up as a replacement player, and 4 years after playing his last minor league game. He went 2 for 3 with a double. Pretty good for not having played regularly in 4 years. 

One last thing, I actually met Brad in 2002 or 2003 when I was living in Lakeland, Florida. A golf course near my house had a tournament every spring where you could pay however much it was, and spend a morning playing golf with players and coaches from the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. Well, a friend of mine was playing on his company's team, and he had an extra spot in his foursome, and he knew I liked baseball, so he invited me. I had no idea which player I would be paired up with, so I stuffed my 5-6 binders of Indians and Tigers in my trunk and went to the course. Soon, I found out I would be golfing with Brad Komminsk, so I went to my car, got the cards of him that I had, and went to play some golf. I don't think I really asked him that many questions. He talked a little about Pascual Perez, Garry Maddox, but it's been so long that I don't remember too much of it. I think I made a nice chip or putt at some point. Brad was nice enough to sign the cards for me, and I have a picture somewhere of our foursome, but after spending about 30 minutes looking for it, I still haven't found it. If I run across it, I will put it up. Later that year, when I went to an Indians practice in Spring Training, Brad spotted me, and he was with pitcher Jason Davis (who I didn't have any cards of), and he introduced him to me like I didn't know who he was (I did). If only I was a little more internet savvy back then, I would've probably had a few Davis cards and been able to get an autograph. It was cool to do. Probably the closest I'll get to hang out with a Major Leaguer unless I go to a fantasy camp or something. One day.

Thanks for checking out my latest card.

-Jeremy