TTM Success - Mike Sandlock

I spent most of the day today sorting cards and pricing stuff for next Saturday's card show.  If any of you plan on attending, let me know.  If you mention this blog, I'll give you 10% off at the show.

I also went to the post office this morning to send off some packages to some friends who get free cards.  The lady behind the counter knows me, finally, and told me that I would be getting a ball back today because she recognized one of my mailers.  She said she would have gone to the back to get it had it not already gone out for delivery.

The ball I received was this one from Mike Sandlock.  Sandlock, at 96 years old, is 3rd oldest living former baseball player behind Connie Marrero (100) and Ace Parker (99).

Sandlock played in the majors in 1942, 1944-1946 and 1953 for the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.  In his career, he had 107 hits, 2 home runs and a .240 batting average.

He played 2 games in the 1942 season for the Boston Braves, and that season the Braves were managed by Casey Stengel.  I sent Mr. Sandlock a note asking about his experience with Stengel and here is what he wrote:

William,
Old Casey - He didn't have a very good club with Boston Braves but he did a great job with the Yanks.  He was a jokester.

Mike

I really enjoy getting notes back from the players.  I mailed to Sandlock on March 24 and got my ball back today, March 31, 2012 making him a 7-day TAT.  This was my 50th TTM success.  Mr. Sandlock didn't charge a fee.

March 30, 2012 Bargain Bin Pack Pickups

No mail again, so I went to the Kinston card shop to pick up this week's Prime 9 card (Ernie Banks) and bought a bunch of loose cards and bargain bin packs.  Lots of junk wax in the bargain bin, but they are always fun to open.

I bought two packs of 1989 Donruss for 50 cents and the highlight of both packs was this Randy Johnson RC.  The good thing about 1989 Donruss is that it is a decent looking set and has a bunch of future HOF rookie cards in it.  Not bad at all.  The Big Unit looks a little annoyed that someone was taking his picture.  Oh well, 300+ wins and 4,000+ strikeouts later, he is bound for Cooperstown.

I got a pack of 1992 Topps Stadium Club for 75 cents and pulled this Matt Williams.  A very good player in his day, Williams was always a big pull for us when we were growing up.  He now coaches on the DIamondbacks.

 Finally, I got a pack of 2004 Topps Total for $1.  I didn't pull anything of note, really, except for this Jason Johnson.  My wife and I met Johnson back in 2001 and he was a really nice guy.  He was my first in person MLB auto.  Not too bad.  I still have mine, my wife's ball has faded.

So, I didn't do all that bad considering I spent less than 3 bucks on the packs.  I'm going to go through the other cards from the packs and sort them out to my regular trade partners.  I hope I get to the loose cards I bought in the next few days, but we'll see.  I hope they get preempted by some good mail tomorrow.  That would be nice.

Some New Orioles Shirts for a New Season

Ask my brothers.  They'll tell you that my wardrobe consists of old racing, concert, wrestling and baseball shirts.  When my brother Philip wants a new shirt, he will drop $100 on an Affliction shirt.  My brother Adam has always been stylish, wearing name brand dress shirts.  They both joke that when William wants a new shirt, he just goes to a wrestling match, concert or baseball game, spends $20 bucks and wears the shirt out until it can't be worn anymore.  Yeah, they are pretty much right.  It isn't as simplified as that, but yeah, I'll accept it.

So, on that note, I found a website via my Twitter account (@foulbuntWilliam) that had some cool Orioles gear.

 This one is based on Nolan Reimold's supposed fandom of wrestling (which I need to confirm).  A take on the old WCW NWO (New World Order) that revolutionized 'Sports Entertainment' in the late 1990's but was run into the ground by the same WCW in the early 2000's.  I thought this shirt would be pretty awesome since Nolan is my favorite player now.

Not far off of Nolan's heels, though, as far as favorite players go, is Matt Wieters.  I thought this shirt was a pretty good showing of his anti-aircraft, I mean, anti-baserunner skills.  Wieters has a cannon for an arm and opposing teams are learning the hard way not to run off of Matt.

So, there you go, Adam and Philip.  I got 2 new shirts.  Spent more than $20 and didn't have to go to a concert, wrestling match or race to get them.  I went to a baseball site instead.

Mike Mussina Elected to Orioles Hall of Fame

No mail again today.  Fail.  I'm pretty wiped too, so I'll keep this one short and sweet.

Former Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina has been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame.  In his 10 years with the Orioles, Mussina had a record of 147-81 with a 3.53 ERA.  He is their third winningest pitcher of all time (behind Jim Palmer's 268 and Dave McNally's 181 and 4 wins ahead of Mike Cuellar's 143).

It was a dark day in Orioles history when Mussina bolted in 2000 for the Yankees.  Many (including myself) blame Orioles' ownership for botching the negotiations and lowballing Moose.  I really wish Mussina had finished his career as an Oriole.  I believe that he will eventually make the Hall of Fame (the National Baseball Hall of Fame, duh), maybe not on his first ballot, but eventually.

Congrats Moose!  Now, hopefully I will have some mail to speak of tomorrow, if not, I'll be grasping at straws as to what I'm going to blog about next...

2012 Topps Home Run Heroes Mickey Mantle

No mail again today.  Sad face.  So, here is my Prime 9 Home Run Heroes Mickey Mantle that I picked up last week.

I like the idea of going to the LCS and picking up the cards as every time I have gone, I have picked up some extra packs anr/or loose cards to go with it.  I picked up the previous week's Prime 9 card, but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you where I sat it.  That's pretty sad.  It might help to tell you that I currently am organizing my show boxes for the April 7 show.  I feel like I am just about set.  All I have to do is price some stuff.

As far as the Mantle card, I actually have two of them, so I plan on slapping a price on one and putting it in my showcase for the show ans see if I can sell it.  Here's to hoping.

I really like the cards.  They are much better than the Topps Golden Giveaway codes, which are pretty much useless to me.  At least with these, I know I'll be getting a card.  I can't wait to see who else I end up with as the new weeks come.  I have 3 more to redeem.

Card Shop Pickups From March 24, 2012

No mail today.  So, I'll show you the cards I got for myself at the Kinston card shop this past Saturday.  Not only did I get myself a few things, but I also found some stuff for my friends Drew, Scott and Andrew.  I picked up a Thurman Munson card for Drew, A 1957 Topps Mel Parnell and a 2004 Playoff Prestige Achievements Carl Yastrzemski for Scott and a 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Lance Lynn auto numbered 570/570 for Andrew.  All very cheaply.

However, I did take care of myself some, too.  I picked up my Week 6 Prime 9 giveaway, Mickey Mantle (which I most likely will show in a later post) as well as the following cards.

I noticed when I got home last week that I had accidentally bypassed the 1969 Orlando Cepeda, so I went back Saturday determined to knock it off of my want list.  I was able to get it to scan fully, and the card looks great.  Another Hall of Famer has been knocked off of the set list.

Not to downplay a good deed I did for fellow bloggers, but the 'gift' cards I got were all in a box of 6/$10 cards I found at the shop.  Lots of autos and relics were in the box, and I found a few things in there that I wanted, so I didn't feel too bad when I spotted some that made me think "Oh, so and so would like this..."  I saw a few things that caught my eye, like the above Alfredo Simon rookie auto.  Not a bad card for less than 2 bucks.  Simon has been a really underrated pitcher for the Orioles, and I hope he can continue that.  He has been a starter, long reliever and closer in his brief Orioles career.

Finally, I found this really nice 2003 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes Bob Feller.  I really like Feller.  I was chatting with a friend on Facebook the other night and the topic of meeting former players came up and he told me how he was able to meet Feller in person.  Oh man, I was so JEALOUS!  I would have loved the opportunity to meet Feller in person.  What an amazing American Feller was.  He will go down as probably my second favorite pitcher of all time, behind the awesome Virgil Trucks.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the stuff I found in the discounted box at the shop.  I hope they replenish the vintage and discount offerings at the shop because I really enjoy finding stuff there.

Burt Sugar 1937 - 2012

Famed boxing writer Burt Sugar died today at the age of 75.  I know next to nothing about him, except that he was probably one of the most well known boxing writers around.

I decided to put this post up because I held onto this Burt Sugar auto after I got it as a redemption from Topps Co-Signers.  It is one of the few non-baseball autos that I own.  The card is a really nice card, ever for a sticker auto.

I feel bad for the boxing profession.  I know Sugar worked hard as a boxing writer to continue to bring relevance to the sport, but it really has ceased to be relevant for a long time now.  The days of boxing being a huge draw with the likes of Ali-Frazier appear to be over.  I couldn't even tell you who the heavyweight champion is.  I'm sure there are people who legitimately think Rocky Balboa was a former champion.

Anyway, I'm sad that Sugar passed, boxing sure could have used him to keep the torch burning.  I love this card, by the way.  It sure is pretty awesome, I'm glad I have it.

Thoughts on 2012 Heritage

I have picked up maybe 9 packs of Heritage so far and I have to say, I like it.  As always, Heritage delivers.  Of course, the 1963 design is a nice one.  Lots of vivid colors, a cool look.  I have always thought of 1963 as a really solid looking set.  It isn't my favorite, but I would probably consider it in my top 6 or 7.  I really can't wait til next year's offering, which will feature the 1964 design.

I haven't really pulled anything major, yet.  I plan on buying a few packs here and there.  I doubt I will buy a box.  Of course, I could change my mind if I see some on sale at the card show, or Blowout or something like that.  The above Koji looks really cool.  I also like the below Hank Aaron that I pulled.

I got a J. J. Hardy Chrome that I didn't scan/  The other two Orioles I got so far are Buck Showalter and the below Adam Jones.

The Jones is a nice looking card, as well.  As you can tell, I got my scanner to cooperate with the white borders by putting a wrapper behind the card.  You can see a tiny bit of the yellow showing that I was unable to crop off.  Anyway, overall, I like Heritage.  I won't be building the set (as far as I know) due to the ridiculous short print and variation cards.  I do plan on getting more packs in hopes of pulling some more Orioles or maybe a Sandy Koufax auto.  You never know.

Slowly Whittling Down The 1971 Topps

I went to the Greenville card shop the other day and actually remembered to take my notebook with me.  I'm really glad I did, because I found a 1971 Topps card that I needed for my set:

This George Foster RC.  Foster was a pretty darn good player (and one of my first ever relic cards).  The 1977 NL MVP hit 348 home runs over his 18-year career.  He played from 1969 to 1986 for the Giants, Reds, Mets and White Sox.  Not a back rookie card for $4.00.  Slowly, I'm knocking this set down.  I hope to find a good many of the high numbers at the next card show, that is, if I have time to do any shopping.  I hope I'm busy that day selling stuff.

Amazing Mail From the Commish

Amazing.  I got an email the other day from Commish Bob saying he had some 1959 Topps cards for my want list.  I thought, cool, he will help me knock off two or three cards.  Heh.  I got more than two or three cards.  Try 45.

There weren't any huge stars, but there were some big names.  Like the above Elston Howard.  This is a really awesome card, even thought I am definitely not a Yankee fan.  I do appreciate their history and I know Howard was a key component of their history.

 Here is one of another really good player, Rocky (Rocco) Colavito.  Power hitting Colavito played from 1955 to 1968 and hit 374 home runs over his career.  Not too bad!

Finally, here is one from a great TTM signer, Bob Turley.  Turley is also a former Yankee (blehh) but he is also a former Oriole (Yaaay!), and he signed a bell for me TTM a while back, so he is alright in my book.

I really don't know what to say, Commish Bob really came through for me and I really wasn't expecting it.  All of the cards he sent me were ones that had been upgraded in his set, but they fit right into mine, condition-wise.  I think there might be 2 out of the whole stack that I will end up changing out in the end.

Thanks, Commish!  I'm going to have to hook you up with some Orioles stuff, if I can part with any of it.  Thanks again!  Check out the Commish's blog, '59 Topps: one f/g card at a time.

1969 Topps Hall of Famers From The Kinston Shop

Last Friday, when I picked up those 1959 Topps I wrote about, I found a bunch of 1969 Topps for my set.  The highlights are two Hall of Famers that I was able to get very cheaply.  The first is the below Hoyt Wilhelm.

I also got this Luis Aparicio.  It was an Aparicio day that day because I also got his 1959 card.  I thought I had grabbed an Orlando Cepeda as well, but I think I got mixed up between Aparicio and Cepeda.  that gives me a good reason to go back through his vintage offerings this week when I go in there to redeem my Prime 9 redemption.

It is still a long road ahead for my 1959 and 1969 sets, but I made a nice dent in them this past Friday.  I think I will attack them even harder at the upcoming card show on April 7th.

Mail From Anthony - Earl Weaver SIgned Ticket

Back in August of 2010, I purchased a Juan Marichal ball from Anthony.  You might remember him.  He used to run the blog called 'Mike Pelfrey Collectibles.'  Sadly, that blog is no more.  I believe he blogs about women's soccer now.  Anyway, Anthony and I have chatted off and on since our initial transaction.  I sent him some Donruss Elite Extra Edition women's soccer cards recently in exchange for a couple bucks and some Orioles cards.  After that, I found three more cards he might like and sent them on to him.

In exchange, he sent me this signed ticket to the 2008 All Star Fan Fest!  The ticket is signed by former Orioles' manager and Hall of Famer, Earl Weaver.  This is a pretty lopsided trade in my favor.  Mainly because Anthony is an awesome dude.

He messaged me on Facebook saying that he had the ticket signed in person at the Fan Fest, the day before the 2008 All Star game.  The ticket was modeled to look like it was from a Yankee Stadium game.  I think it is really awesome.  I'm going to put it in a safe place.  Thanks again for the trade Anthony.  If I find more women's soccer cards, they're definitely on the house because I don't feel that I gave you enough for this ticket!

TTM Success - Ford 'Moon' Mullen

I received a signed ball today from former Phillies second baseman, Ford 'Moon' Mullen.  He played one season (1944) with the Phillies.

Mullen (b. 1917) had 124 hits, no home runs and a .267 batting average in his sole season in MLB.  Mullen is my 49th TTM success; I mailed to him on March 10 and got the ball back signed on March 19, making it a 9-day TAT.  He didn't charge a fee for TTM.

First Game of the 2012 Season

We went to our first game of the season today as the ECU Pirates took on the Penn State Nittany Lions at Clark-Le Clair field in Greenville, NC.  It was me, my wife, my son, my friend Corbin, and my brother Adam together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Adam was in town for the party we threw at the house yesterday for our housewarming and celebrating me passing the ASBOG exam.  We waited to have the party until the weather was nicer and it definitely didn't disappoint.

I was glad to watch a game with my brother, he goes to a bunch of University of South Carolina games because he lives minutes from their campus in Columbia, SC.  He is really lucky to be able to see the defending champions and apparently, Ryan Ripken (son of Cal) has committed to play for the Gamecocks next season.  This was my brother's first visit to ECU.

I thought I would give my camera a workout and see about getting some action shots.  I am pretty satisfied, as you can see the ball heading to the catcher's mitt right here.

It was looking like rain earlier in the day, but thankfully, the clouds burned off and the temperature warmed up.  We left in the sixth inning because my brother had a 5-hour drive back to Columbia, so I wanted to make sure he didn't get in too late tonight.

Adam got me a really sweet ECU St. Patrick's Day commemorative hat, which, I think, looks awesome!  This was his congratulatory gift for me passing the exam.  You can never go wrong with getting me baseball related items, and I really think this hat looks GREAT!!

I wish we could have stayed for the whole game, but everyone was wore out from the long weekend and also feeling the effects of the blanket of pollen that has covered the Winterville/Greenville area.  My sinuses are killing me right now.  Blehhh.  Anyway, we had a blast, and I hope this is the first of many trips to the ballpark this season.  I can't wait to knock some more minor league parks off of my list this year.  I also hope to go to games with a wide assortment of friends this year.

I Picked Up Some 1959 Topps

I decided to take my son to the Kinston card shop yesterday so I could to my first Prime 9 redemption and was able to pick up 3 1959 Topps for my set.

I knocked off a Hall of Famer with this Luis Aparicio.  The card was $2.00, which isn't too bad.  It is in great shape.

I got an Oriole in this Gus Triandos.  I thought I already had this card, but I guess I didn't.  Oh well, I have it now.

Finally, I found this Gino Cimoli.  I like the blue.  Actually, I like all the cards.  I think the design is one of the best Topps has done.  I'm excited to add more of these to the set.  So far, my favorite card that I have seen is the Ernie Banks, which is on a green background.  It looks pretty sharp.  I hope to add it to my collection soon.

TTM Success - Dave Parker

Finally, another TTM has come in.  I sent a ball to Dave Parker on March 10 and got it back today, March 16.  A 6-day turnaround, which is pretty darn fast!  I had to send a check for $25 to Mr. Parker for the signature, but I believe it was well worth it.

I wish I had thought to ask for an inscription, but I didn't think of it when I wrote my note to him.  It would have been nice to get 'Cobra' inscribed on the ball.  Oh well.  It still looks great!

Chris and I went to the Kinston card shop and picked up a bunch of stuff to be blogged later, but I thought it was cool when he opened his 50 cent pack of 1989 Donruss and got this Dave Parker card.  It worked out perfectly.

Parker played in the majors from 1973 to 1991 for the Pirates, Reds, A's, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays amassing 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and a .290 batting average.  The 1978 NL MVP, he has numbers that ALMOST warrant a ticket to Cooperstown.  I doubt he will get in, but you never know.

I'm really glad I got a TTM in, I was starting to get worried.  He is now my 48th TTM success.  Here's to hoping I get a few more in the coming days.

Taking Tonight Off

I have been blogging non-stop since sometime in December or January.  I haven't gotten much mail lately, even though I got 3 DVDs in the mail today.  I've sent packages out, but few have come in.  My TTMs are stalled out with 10 out pending.  Who knows if any of those will come back.  I got in the truck this morning to find out someone reached in and took my XM receiver.  They took the receiver and power cord, but left the antenna...  Umm, it won't work without the antenna.  Good job dumm dumm. 

It has just been a long, crappy week.  Tomorrow is Friday, so maybe the thought of a nice weekend will help.  I hope I'll get some trade proposals.  I hope I'll hear from a few bloggers who have disappeared for whatever reason.  I hope one of my mailers will be in my mailbox.  I hope the Pacific is as blue as it is in my dreams.  I hope to see my friend and shake his hand.  I hope.  Oh, wait, I got caught up with an inner monologue that eerily sounded like Morgan Freeman...  Interesting.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

We all have items we wish we could add to our collections but, for whatever reason (mostly money, or scarcity), we can't even dream of getting our hands on it.  I have been amassing a collection of baseballs signed by hall of famers since January 2010.  I dream of someday owning baseballs signed by each hall of famer, but I know that will never happen.  Not unless I win the lottery.

Photo is from Heritage Auctions

 I'm often asked by friends and family what my ultimate collecting goal would be.  What would be the biggest item that I could ever want?  When I explained to someone (I can't remember who) that I would want a Jimmie Foxx signed baseball before I got a Babe Ruth, they looked at me like I had lost my mind.  You see, every autograph collector wants a Ruth.  Hell, I want one, but not before I got one of 'The Beast.'

Foxx was what I would call a 'Bad Ass.'  He was a monster at the plate and in the record books.  I'm actually reading a book right now about the life of Foxx.  I'm up to the 1932 season and his chase for the single season home run record, which he came two home runs short of matching.

One of these days, I hope to get lucky enough to own a ball signed by him, much like the one pictured above.  I have seen them go anywhere from $1,000 to $16,000.  I guess I can keep on dreaming.  Or maybe I should start taking donations.