Collecting Game-used: Some gamers never leave dugouts

Not everything that's game-used comes from on the field.

This extra entry in the Collecting Game-used series this month is a simple kind of item -- one you can find these days quite easily and most often on the cheap -- and it's a little something that's a key piece in the game and it's straight from either one of the dugouts or one of the bullpens. It's the lineup card and it's a piece of affordable memorabilia that low-key documents some of the details like a box score does but without any of those pesky stats -- just uni numbers, batting order numbers and positions.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

THE BASICS ...
Game-used lineup card (MLB Authenticated): Oakland A's at Kansas City Royals -- Aug. 19, 2006
Watch it in action: Nope, not this time ... there aren't even photos from the game over on Getty Images for some odd reason.

The result: A's 7, Royals 2
Key players: Oakland SP Barry Zito 8 IP, 2 ER, 7Ks
Others: A's -- 2B Mark Ellis 2-for-4 HR, DH Frank Thomas 2-for-5, SS Bobby Crosby 1-for-3 2 RBI
Royals -- 2B Mark Grudzielanek 2-for-3 with a run, 3B Mark Teahen RBI, OF Emil Brown RBI

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What's Buzz-worthy: I decided to mix things up with something game-used here that wasn't a ball or a premium item but is still ironclad with its MLB Authentication sticker -- but it's also from an era where, well, there's no MLB Film Room to document a thing from the game like there would be for a newer baseball or other item. So, with that, there's just not a lot to say or show here -- so this and a second one of these might do it for lineup cards in this series. (Call them a reminder that they exist.) I picked this one off since my personal collection player was in the lineup here batting seventh, going 1-for-3 with a run scored. This was Zito's 13th win of the season and 99th of his career and hit No. 232 in Game No. 271 for the player I collect. This style of lineup card is an older one -- that lightly added to its appeal to me -- as for years now lineup cards are printed larger and on more of a light cardboard with a uniform look across the league as seen at right. (My photo of this one, which is smaller, is on the backside of a newer toploaded lineup card to be seen here at a later time.) The standard look makes them all feel more official-feeling beyond markings tied to the game. This one cost me about the same as a new Topps blaster box would with tax, so it was an easy addition for something specific for my player collection vs. a lower-odds shot at something of note if I got lucky on cardboard. This time, with my player attached, I'll take the sure thing.

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>> See all past Collecting Game-used stories from Buzz here

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