Favorite Players: Rafael Bournigal

I've posted about Rafael Bournigal before, but here it goes again. In 1997, I was 14, and living in Lakeland, Florida. I would go to Detroit Tigers Spring Training games in the spring and Lakeland Tigers minor league games in the summer. There were a few current and former players who chose to make Lakeland home, such as Lou Whitaker, Alan Mills, and Rafael Bournigal. I had 2 cards of Raffy at the time, a 1993 Score and 1993 Topps card.
In '97, I lived maybe 2 football fields away from the YMCA, and I would go there every afternoon to play basketball. I found out that Raffy worked out there sometimes, and had even played basketball against his brother Shawn a few times. One day, while getting a drink before leaving, I spotted Raffy. I don't know how I knew it was him, but I did. I told him I had 2 of his cards, and I could run home and back in 5 minutes to get them so he could autograph them. He told me he was on his way out, but asked me where I lived, and he would drive me to my house. So I hopped in his car, and he and Shawn drove me to my house. I run into the house and told my parents a baseball player drove me home and that I needed a pen. I really hope my son can do something like that to me in 10 years or so. I got the cards, and he signed them for me and posed for a picture. I saw him a few more times at the Y. One time, I believe it was Christmas Eve, and I asked him how Mark McGwire was, and he said nice (this was shortly after McGwire was traded to the Cardinals, but before the HR chase), and I told him Merry Christmas. A few years later, I worked for a grocery store as a cashier, and he remembered me and would always come through my line. A few years later, I got some more cards of Raffy, and sent them in the mail to get signed, and he was nice enough to sign them. I haven't seen him in almost 15 years, but I wrote him a letter a few months ago thanking him for how nice he was and asking him if he could sign a few cards that I picked up on COMC recently. He signed them and wrote a nice reply saying he was glad I was doing well and wishing me luck. I sent the photo of us, and he signed that too. Besides the cards, I have the letter he signed for me, a signed baseball, and a contract for the rights to make his 1998 Topps baseball card (they never did).

RAFAEL BOURNIGAL CARDS I HAVE:
1992 Topps Traded custom

1993 Donruss (ttm auto)
1993 Fleer Major League Prospects
1993 Score (ip auto)
1993 Stadium Club
1993 Stadium Club 1st Day Issue (ttm auto)
1993 Topps (ip auto)
1993 Topps Gold
1994 Fleer Update
1994 Sportfics Rookie/Traded

1994 Stadium Club
1994 Stadium Club Golden Rainbow
1994 Topps custom
1995 Fleer
1995 Score Platinum Team
1995 Stadium Club 1st Day Issue (ttm auto)
1995 Topps
1995 Topps Spectra Light/Cyberstats (ttm auto)
1996 Leaf Signature Extended autograph
1996 Topps preview
1996 Topps Traded custom
1997 Pacific Gems of the Diamond
1997 Pinnacle
1997 Pinnacle Museum Collection (ttm auto)
1997 Score
1997 Score Artists Proof (ttm auto)
1997 Score Premium Stock
1997 Score Showcase Series
1997 Topps custom
1998 Mother's Cookies A's
1998 Pacific Crown Red
1998 Pacific Crown Silver
1998 Pacific Online silver
1998 Topps custom
1999 Topps custom
1999 Topps Traded custom
2000 Pacific Gold Crown (ttm auto)
2000 Topps custom
2000 Topps Traded custom