TTM Success - Matt Andriese

I added two recent cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Matt Andriese.  The above 2016 Topps Update is actually a rainbow parallel, but the scan didn't really pick it up.  Still, it looks really cool.

Then, I got this 2015 Topps Update, which also turned out well.

Andriese (b. 1989) has played in the majors since 2015 for the Rays and diamondbacks.  He has a career record of 24-30 with 391 strike outs and a 4.58 ERA.

I mailed to Andriese on January 2 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 22-day TAT.

Some Frisco Autos From John

My friend, John in Texas, finally got my cards back to me that I sent last season for 50/50s.  Usually, John has been one of the most reliable people I could turn to in order to get 50/50s done.  Unfortunately, John has had a lot of issues going on outside of baseball that took his attention away from cards.

Thankfully, things are looking a lot better for him and his family, but in turn, he won't be attending many games in the near future.  Family comes first, and I am glad things have gotten straightened out.

Most of the cards I sent John came back to me unsigned, but he did take a Wood Ducks team set from 2018 and last season's Frisco set, and got a bunch of cards signed for me.

I really appreciated John's efforts amid the issues he had going on, so I was happy receiving anything from him, really.

Still, I hope things continue on a positive note for him, and he is able to put this past season behind him.

TTM Success - Matt VIerling

I added another 2019 Heritage Minors card to my album when I got this card back from Matt Vierling.

I'm not going for the set by any means, but I was glad to get one out of my box and have it signed.

Vierling (b. 1996) was a 5th round draft pick by the Phillies in the 2018 June Amateur Draft.

So far, he has reached High A (Clearwater) and has 175 hits, 12 home runs and a .263 average across 2 minor league seasons.

I mailed to Vierling on December 17 and got the card back on January 24, for a 38-day TAT.

Hickory Team Set From Mike

I had asked our (Chris and I) friend, Mike, to pick us up the late season Hickory Crawdads team set late last season.  I wanted to get it in before the Wood Ducks Hot Stove event back in January, so we met Mike in December (after Christmas, I think) and he delivered the team sets.

I was to pay Mike for the cost of the sets, but when I got them from him, I got way more than I paid for.  Mike delivered both sets signed, save for two players.

That was really unexpected, and most welcomed.  I was going to try to get them signed, and Mike did all of the leg work up front!

Chris and I were really happy to take delivery of the sets, and the whole thing looks awesome.

Thanks so much, Mike!

TTM Success - Bernie Allen

I added a coule vintage cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Bernie Allen.  He has a really nice signature, as shown on the above 1968 Topps.

The auto showed up even better on the above 1973 Topps, I think.

Allen (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1962 to 1973 for the Twins, Senators, Yankees and Expos.  He had 815 hits, 73 home runs and a .239 batting average.

I mailed to Allen on October 3 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 113-day TAT/

Christmas Gift From Noah

It took him a while, but I got a really great package in the mail from my good friend, Noah.  I've known him for a long time, and always enjoy when we are able to get up with each other and chat.  Noah has been preoccupied for some time now with a very awful personal tragedy that happened, and it isn't my place to discuss it here.

So, when I got the package and the letter from him, it really touched me.  This Cedric Mullins patch auto was amazing.  I like these patch cards, and Noah really hit a home run.

He sent me an addition to my post card album (yes, I have an album for signed post cards, in addition to my albums for baseball cards).

Finally, he sent this great Brooks Robinson auto.

Thank you so much, Noah!  I really appreciate it, and I am always thinking about you.

Christmas Gift From Kaleb

I'm still working on posts regarding various Christmas packages that came in from friends recently.  I'm trying to catch up on those, and not fall too far behind on TTM posts.  It is what it is, but I'll be way behind once the Wood Ducks season starts.  Oh well, I'll have stuff to write about for the foreseeable future, and that's ok with me.

My good friend, Kaleb, sent me a nice Christmas gift that had a stack of Orioles cards, and this Roy Campanella 2010 TOpps Peak Performance relic card.  I like Campy, and would like to add his autograph to my HOF collection at some point.  I'd prefer a pre-stroke auto, but I might have to settle for a post-stroke "autopen" one.

Anyway, I really appreciated the gift from Kaleb, and am excited that I might be able to catch a game with him in a little over a month.  Thanks so much, Kaleb!

TTM Success - Roger Mason

Here is another TTM success that helped me cross a name off of my 1987 Topps checklist.  Obviously the above card is not an 87 Topps; it is a 1986 Topps Traded, but I have a ton of cards and was happy to take this one out of the box and get it signed.  The Topps Traded sets from the mid-to-late 80s all have a different feel to them, than the Topps flagship sets.  They were printed on different card stock, and as a result, the photos seem to pop a little more.

Here is the signed 1987.  It is now in my 87 album, as I await to fill more pages (it takes a lot of work just to fill a page, I've learned).

Mason (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1984 to 1987, 1989 and 1991 to 1994 for the Tigers, Giants, Astros, Pirates, Padres, Phillies and Mets.  He had a career record of 22-35 with 286 strike outs and a 4.02 ERA.

I mailed to Mason on September 17 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 129-day TAT.

More Autos From Jackson T.

My friend, Jackson, used to live in Arizona, but recently moved back to Chicago.  He has now enrolled in school, but still take the time to get cards signed for me when he can.  Recently, he asked me to send him Steve Holm cards, and I obliged.  Jackson was able to get several of them signed for me, and they all turned out well.

In addition to the Holms, Jackson included a couple extra autos, just because.  I really appreciate the gesture, but Jackson didn't have to do that.  He is a really good guy, and I am always glad to send him cards that he can get taken care of for me.

TTM Success - Jason Gurka

I removed two more cards from my Box of Shame when I was able to get these two signed by former Oriole, Jason Gurka.  I was glad to get this 2016 Topps Gold parallel signed; I had them pulled when he signed with the Orioles a couple years ago and I thought I would see him in Norfolk.

I missed him, and into the box the cards went.  Now they are signed and in my album!

Gurka (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2015 to 2017 for the Rockies and Angels.  He had a career record of 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA and 14 strike outs.

I mailed to Gurka on January 2 and got the cards back on January 22, for a 19-day TAT.

California 50/50s

I received a message on Instagram from my friend Dylan in California saying that he was going to an event organized by Daniel Robertson.  There were a good many players attending, and Dylan was nice enough to take some cards off of my hands for a 50/50.

I was really glad that Dylan was willing to take Brice Turang, since I still had a bunch of his cards on hand.  I didn't send him too many, because Dylan wasn't sure how many Turang would sign, but I believe he ended up taking 6 of my cards.  He actually sent 4 signed cards back, so Chris got one of the extras.

I sent Dylan every Josh Staumont that I had, since I had a bunch of his all together because I thought I would see him with Wilmington.  I never did see him, but it helped that they were all in one place.

I missed Cody Ponce signing this 2016 Pro Debut, so getting that out of the Box of Shame was nice.  I only had one Daniel Robertson, and Dylan was nice enough to not require another card as part of the 50/50.

I was disappointed that I missed sending him some of my 2013 Perfect Game Jacob Nix cards.  I forgot he was in that set.  It would have been nice to get rid of some of them.

I had the 2015 Bowman Rio Ruiz set aside for Orioles Fan Fest, but since they canceled it, I was able to get one back from Dylan.

Thank you so much for taking the cards, Dylan!

TTM Success - Rob Kaminsky

I have talked on here a lot about getting cards out of my boxes and into my autograph album.  Something I really hate is pulling cards of players to either graph or send TTM, only to have to put them back after missing out on said player.  I have started a new box with these types of cards.  Since most of them are already sorted by player, it makes it a bit easier to find someone, in case I missed someone who came through Kinston, but is now on a AA or AAA team that I, or one of my friends will see.  So, all cards of guys that I have missed out on, or ones that went out for 50/50s, but came back unsigned will be put into the "Box of Shame."

One such player who was in the Box of Shame was Rob Kaminsky.  I had pulled his cards because I was going to see him, but for whatever reason, I missed him.  I found out that he signed TTM, so I was able to send off the cards I had pulled, and thankfully, they came back signed.  So, out of the Box of Shame and into the autograph album they go!

Kaminsky (b. 1994) was a first round pick (28th overall) by the Cardinals in the 2013 June Amateur Draft.  Over 7 seasons in the Cardinals and Indians systems, Kaminsky has a 29-21 record with 367 strike outs and a 2.82 ERA.

I mailed to Kaminsky on December 30 and got the cards back on January 21, for a 22-day TAT.

Chris Got A TTM Back

Chris complains to me often that he doesn't get much mail, so a while ago, I sent off a couple TTMs for him, since I had some extra cards.  One of the guys I sent to, I included two 1987 Topps cards, just in case.  I wasn't working on the set at the time, but I thought it would be cool to be able to get an extra one signed.  You know, since I provided the cards, and the stamps, and I wrote the letter and I wrote out the envelope.

Anyway, that was back in February 2016.  Last week, Chris called me at work and told me that he checked the mail (he isn't supposed to be doing that; that's the one thing I want to do when I get home from work) and there weren't any TTMs for me.  Yet, he had one.  So, when I got home, he showed me who he had gotten cards from.  I had to go way back in my notebook to find out when I sent the cards for him.  I sent on February 22, 2016, and he got the cards back on February 14, 2020.  Almost 4 years.

Terry (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1986 to 1991 for the Reds and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 24-28 with 262 strike outs and a 3.73 ERA.

I was all for letting Chris have all of the cards that were returned, until I looked at my 87 checklist, and realized that I still hadn't gotten Terry for myself.  He had left one of the 87s unsigned, but when I told Chris that I still needed Terry for my set, he went in his album and gave me the card.  I swapped it for an extra autograph that I had on my desk (Ernie Clement), so it all worked out.

Terry's success rate averages out to be around 10-14 days, but at 1,453 days, this one must have fallen between the seats in the car along with his jelly of the month club membership.

UPDATE - I must have forgotten to cross Terry off of my checklist, because I actually DID have him for my set, and it was a TTM success that I had gotten back in 2018.  Oops.  I gave Chris his card back, all is well now.

TTM Success - Cory Spangenberg

I added some more recent cards with this TTM success from Cory Spangenberg.  I had sent a 2015 Panini Diamond Kings, but Spangenberg swapped it our for this 2016 Topps.

This 2018 Topps was mine, and turned out well.

Spangenberg (b. 1991) had played in the majors since 2014 for the Padres and Brewers.  He has 320 hits, 29 home runs and a .256 batting average.

I mailed to Spangenberg on January 6 and got the cards back on January 18, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jack Baldschun

I like it when I send a card to someone TTM, and the person adds their own personal stuff, like what happened with Jack Baldschun.  He included this nice signed photo, along with my card.

I sent this 1966 Topps, and it turned out really well.  It was just hanging out in my vintage box, so now, it has moved to the autograph album.

Baldschun (b. 1936) played in the majors from 1961 to 1967 and 1969 to 1970 for the Phillies, Reds and Padres.  He had a career record of 48-41 with 555 strike outs and a 3.69 ERA.

I mailed to Baldschun on September 13 and got the card and photo back signed on January 17, for a 126-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nick Kingham

Here are some nice cards that I got back from former Pirates and Blue Jays pitcher, Nick Kingham.  I had seen that he was signing, and I thought I had a ton of his cards, but it turned out that I only had one.  The above 2012 Elite Extra Edition was found at my LCS.  I picked it up and added it to the TTM request with the 2018 Topps Update below that was in one of my boxes.

I guess I gave the other Kingham cards that I had to friends of mine who are Pirates fans.  That has to be why I thought I had them, but didn't.

Kingham (b. 1991) has played in the majors in 2018 and 2019 for the Pirates and Blue Jays.  He has a career record of 9-9 with 115 strike outs and a 6.08 ERA.  Kingham was released by the Blue Jays in August 2019.  He will look to bounce back in 2020 while pitching in Korea.

I mailed to Kingham on January 6 and got the cards back on January 17, for an 11-day TAT.

White Sox Fest 50/50s From William

I submitted some White Sox cards to a kid named William who goes be the handle "memorabiliamadness" on Instagram.  He was attending this year, and since my friends Max or Anthony weren't going, I went ahead and hooked William up with some cards.

He took a bunch of my White Sox base cards off of my hands, and instead of paying me for them, he offered to get a few cards signed for me.

I was especially excited about the above 2019 Topps Pro Debut Luis Robert gold parallel that William got signed for me outside of the event, before it even started.  He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get it signed, and he was able to knock it out early.

He also took care of some team set needs that I had.  The above Dane Dunning Dash card actually used to belong to a kid Chris and I knew from Wood Ducks games.  Since the kid has since unfollowed us and is no longer talking to either of us, I guess the card is mine.  He ended up becoming too cool for cards anyway, so I'll happily add another Dunning to my album.

William also got two 2017 Carolina League Top Prospects Zack Collins cards signed for me.  I have several cards left from this set, so I was glad to get two of them out of my box.  Chris got the other one.

Thank you so much for getting these cards taken care of for me, William!

TTM Success - Jake Agnos

I missed him when he played at ECU, and again when I saw the Pulaski Yankees in Burlington last season, but I finally was able to get my cards signed by Jake Agnos.

I had the Stars and Stripes cards since early last season, then Agnos was drafted by the Yankees in June.  He showed up in the 2019 Bowman Draft set, and I saw that he had been signing TTM.

Agnos (b. 1998) was drafted by the Yankees in the 4th round of the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of ECU.  He had been listed on Pulaski's roster at the end of the season last year, but didn't play for them.  I had been told then that he was placed on that roster as a procedural move.  He pitched at 2 levels in the Yankees system last year, the Gulf Coast Yankees, and Low A Staten Island.  In all, he pitched in 5 games in the minors last year and went 1-2 with 15 strike outs and a 6.75 ERA.

I mailed to Agnos on January 3 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brice Turang

I decided to send off a couple 2019 Topps Heritage Minors cards TTM to former Mudcat, Brice Turang.  I wasn't too sure if he would be back this season, so when I saw he was signing, I sent them along.

The cards turned out great, and I was glad to get them out of my box.

Turang (b. 1999) was a 1st round pick (21st overall) by the Brewers in the 2018 June Amateur Draft.  He has reached the Brewers High A team (the Mudcats, of course) and has 166 hits, 4 home runs and a .263 batting average over 2 seasons.

I mailed to Turang on December 19 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 25-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tyler Stephenson

I added a few autographs of Reds prospect, Tyler Stephenson with this TTM success that I got back recently.

I was able to get a few cards out of my Bowman box, and get them signed.  They all turned out well.

Stephenson (b. 1996) was a first round pick (11th overall) by the Reds in the 2015 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has reached AA, and has 355 hits, 28 home runs and a .263 batting average.

I mailed to Stephenson on January 2 and got the cards back on January 11, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jo Adell

I added another prospect auto to my album when I answered a call to send cards to the Jo Adell Foundation.  I sent this 2017 Bowman Defining Moments card, along with a donation of $25.00, and it came back signed.

Adell (b. 1999) was a first round pick (10th overall) by the Angels in the 2017 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has reached the Angels AAA team, and has 269 hits, 35 home runs and a .298 batting average across 3 minor league seasons.  He is a non-roster invite for this year's Spring Training.

I mailed to Adell on December 17 and got the card back on January 11, for a 25-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Backlund

Again, I set out to get some non-baseball cards into my autograph album, and succeeded (and with a 1987 Topps design, no less) when I got this card signed by former WWE Champion, Bob Backlund.

Backlund (b. 1949) wrestled professionally from 1973 until his retirement in 2018.  He won the WWE (then WWF) Championship in 1978 by defeating Superstar Billy Graham at Madison Square Garden.  Backlund would go on to lose his title to the Iron Sheik (who would then lose to one, Hulk Hogan) in 1983.

Backlund would appear on WWE TV for the next few decades.  Backlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

I mailed to Backlund on November 4 and got the card back on January 9, for a 66-day TAT.

TTM Success - Cory Heitler

I have been busy today prepping and writing a ton of Spring Training TTMs.  I have been working toward adding more and more current players to my album, and also some more prospects.  I got this TTM success from Reds prospect, Cory Heitler on a 2019 Heritage Minors.

Heitler (b. 1997) was a 34th round pick by the Reds in the 2018 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has a 3-2 record with 36 strike outs and a 3.03 ERA across two minor league seasons.

I mailed to Heitler on December 17 and got the card back signed on January 4, for an 18-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Keegan

 My buddy, Keegan, sent me some autos for Christmas.  I had sent him some autos for Christmas because I appreciate him helping me out this past season with some 50/50s, and he reciprocated by sending some autos of his own.  This 2013 Bowman Brandon Beachy is a card that I really like.  I'm stuck with a bunch of 13 Bowman, as a lot of the guys that I have are now out of baseball, and it is hard to get those cards signed.

Keegan also sent these 4 cards: 2012 Elite Extra Edition Jesmuel Valentin, 2017 Bowman Jacob Heyward, 2018 Bowman Jojo Romero and 2018 Bowman Adam Haseley.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Keegan!

TTM Success - Troy O'Leary

Here are a few cards from the late 90s/early 2000s that I was able to get signed TTM by Troy O'Leary.  He kind of used a fading Sharpie, but the cards are ok, I think.  I have a bunch of signed 1998 Topps, but I hadn't added any new ones in a while.

I was surprised that this 2002 Topps bubbled like it did.  I maybe should have prepped it, but I hadn't had to in the past.  Maybe it was the marker he used.

O'Leary (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1993 to 2003 for the Brewers, Red Sox, Expos and Cubs.  He had 1,100 hits, 127 home runs and a .274 batting average.

I mailed to O'Leary on October 23 and got the cards back on January 4, for a 73-day TAT.  I had sent him 3 cards, but the third was either lost in the mail (he didn't seal the envelope), or he kept it.