TTM Success - Doug Konieczny

Yeah, I'm not going to even try to pronounce Doug Konieczny's name.  I love the old Astros uniform on this card, though.  That's another cool thing about these 1976 Topps cards.  The uniforms look great.

Konieczny (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1973 to 1975 and 1977 for the Astros.  He had a record of 7-18 with 110 strike outs and a 4.93 ERA.

I mailed to Konieczny on October 9 and got the card back on October 19, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ben Christensen

Here are some cards that came out of the boxes that I got from my LCS.  The above 2000 Bowmans Best is a beautiful card.  It looks even better in person. I saw it in the box and had to send it to get signed TTM.  All of the other cards followed, and I was really happy with how everything turned out.

He also signed a 2000 Topps Gold Label, 2000 Topps Gallery and a 2000 Topps.  I haven't seen anywhere that Richard Stahl signs, but I will keep an eye out for him.

Christensen (b. 1978) was a first round pick (26th overall) by the Cubs in the 1999 June Amateur Draft out of Wichita State University.  He played 6 seasons in the minors between 1999 and 2004 in the Cubs and Mariners systems.  He reached as high as AA and finished his minors career with a record of 12-19 with 241 strike outs and a 4.64 ERA.

I mailed to Christensen on October 6 and got the cards back on October 19, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lloyd Moseby

Another 1987 Topps came off the checklist when I got this Lloyd Moseby card signed via a private signing on SCN.  The card turned out great, and I was glad to get another one taken care of.

Moseby (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1980 to 1991 for the Blue Jays and Tigers.  He had 1,494 hits, 169 home runs and a .257 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1986 and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1983.  He finished a career-best 14th in the 1983 AL MVP race.

I mailed to the signing on September 22 and got the card back on October 17, for a 25-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $12.00.

TTM Success - Craig Minetto

I added another 1980 Topps to my autograph album with this TTM success from Craig Minetto.  The card looks pretty nice, and I like the A's uniform on there.

Minetto (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1978 to 1981 for the A's.  He had a record of 1-7 with 76 strike outs and a 5.40 ERA.

I mailed to Minetto on October 6 and got the card back on October 16, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Andrew Sopko

I was able to get some cards out of my prospects box with this TTM success from Andrew Sopko.  I especially was happy to get this 2017 Topps Heritage Minors card signed, as I have done a good job in getting rid of most of the extras I had, so getting anything else signed is good.

Also moving any 2017 Bowman card is a good thing, too.  I have a bunch of them, still, and I really liked getting those signed, but that has slowed down (even before COVID).

Sopko (b. 1994) was a 7th round pick by the Dodgers in the 2015 June Amateur Draft out of Gonzaga.  So far, he has 5 minor league seasons for the Dodger and Blue Jay organizations.  He has reached as high as AAA, but has yet to crack the majors.

He has a minor league record of 30-25 with 434 strike outs and a 3.89 ERA.

I mailed to Sopko on January 8, 2019, and got the cards back on October 16, 2020, for a 647-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Hargan

I liked these two cards that I gt back from Steve Hargan TTM.  1976 Topps might seem like a plain set, but really, it is very colorful.  Yes, compared to the trippy 1975 and out there 1972 offerings, 76 can seem a bit ordinary.  The cards really pop when scanned, and it is a pretty decent set. I have a bunch, still, and want to try to get some more out of my box and scanned.

On the other hand, yes, 1969 Topps is pretty plain.  The colors are a bit duller, but it can be a sharp set, depending on the cards.  They do look really nice when signed, too.

Hargan (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1977 for the Indians, Rangers, Blue Jays and Braves.  He had a career record of 87-107 with 891 strike outs and a 3.92 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1967.

I mailed to Hargan on October 1 and got the cards back on October 14, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Don Hood

They say we each have a doppleganger.  Someone somewhere who looks just like us.  I've always been told mine was Brad Pitt (yeah, right).  Well, I found my friend, Jackson's, twin, and it is former pitcher, Don Hood.  Jackson looks a bit like Hood does, without the mustache, the most in the 1979 Topps card below.  I even sent a pic of the card to Jackson, and he screenshotted it.  I thought it was pretty funny.

Hood signed and personalized each card.  I had sent to him before, but those cards never came back.  I tried again with these, and here they are. Two of them (the 1974 and 1978) are Topps buyback cards.  They have the buyback stamp on them, so I thought it would be cool to get them signed.  I also got my 1991 Crown Orioles card signed.

Hood (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1973 to 1980 and 1982 to 1983 for the Orioles, Indians, Yankees, Cardinals and Royals.  He had a career record of 34-35 with 374 strike outs and a 3.79 ERA.  He was a first round pick (17th overall) in the 1969 June Amateur Draft out of a Florence, South Carolina high school.  He was included with Boog Powell in the 1975 trade that sent the Oriole favorite (Powell) to Cleveland.

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

TTM Success - Rocky Childress

I added these three cards with this TTM success from Rocky Childress.  The above 1988 Fleer turned out really well.  I have a whole box of these somewhere, but I think it is buried under the guest bed.

I also got a 1988 Topps and a 1990 CMC AAA signed.  The 1990 CMC AAA came out of the attic box that Mom found a while back.  I've gotten several of these cards signed; they have really come in handy.

Childress (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1985 to 1988 for the Phillies and Astros.  He had a record of 2-3 with 65 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.

I mailed to Childress on September 29 and got the cards back on October 13, for a 14-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Gerard - 15 Signed 1987 Topps For The Set

Gerard's Christmas gift came in today.  I didn't mind, because it extends the Christmas feeling a bit longer, and he had already told me that there were a bunch of signed 1987 Topps cards headed my way.  I was blown away when I opened the package, though, because Gerard went above and beyond and expectation I may have had for his package.

Gerard is one of two people who have been very focused on helping me complete this set (Max being the other one).  I have had help from a lot of other people along the way, too, but these two guys have been very aggressive in helping me cross people off of my list.

It's really funny, actually, that so many folks have been wanting to work with me on trying to get as close to completion as I can be on this thing.  I think that has made it that much more special.

I now have 650 of the 792 cards in the set signed.  I haven't (and probably won't be able to) completed all of the team leaders cards, but surprisingly, I have completed a good many of them just over the last couple of months.  I intend to keep pushing for those, as well, but for all intents and purposes, I add to my tally once some ink is applied to any of the cards.  Some of the leaders cards have deceased players on them now, and those will be very hard to complete.  Those are some things I can focus on after I whittle the list down even further.

Thank you so much, Gerard, for this amazing gift.  I sincerely appreciate your friendship.  I also want to thank everyone who has so far helped me with this set.

TTM Success - Ray Knight

I had entered a private signing for Ray Knight a while back, but it fell through.  Thankfully, I was patient, and another came along that allowed for me to add his card to my 1987 Topps set.  The card looks great.  Also, I was finally able to show the set off to someone in person yesterday, which was really nice.  It isn't any fun collecting something and not being able to share it.  That's why I have this blog, and my instagram page.  Still, it is a lot more fun watching someone flip through the pages in person and talking about the cards and players.

Knight (b. 1952) played in the majors in 1974 and from 1977 to 1988 for the Reds, Astros, Mets, Orioles and Tigers.  He had 1,311 hits, 84 home runs and a .271 batting average.  He was an All Star twice (1980 and 1982) and his best MVP finish was 5th in 1979 (NL).  He was the World Series MVP in 1986 with the Mets.  Of course, the Mets won that World Series.

Knight also managed the Reds in 1996, 1997 and 2003 to a record of 125-137 (.477 win %).

I mailed to the private signing on September 5 and got the card back on October 13, for a 38-day TAT.

TTM Success - David Cone

This is another of those cases where my scanner clearly did an injustice to a really nice card.  This is a 1998 Fleer Metal David Cone that I sent TTM through a private signing.  I really liked the card because of the World Trade Center in the background, so I wanted to get it signed and into my album.  In person, the card looks awesome.  The scanner just crapped the bed on it, I guess.

Cone (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1986 to 2001 and 2003 for the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 194-126 with 2,668 strike outs and a 3.36 ERA.  He was a 5-time All Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999).  He was the Cy Young Award Winner in 1994 (AL) and finished 9th in the MVP race that season.  He won the World Series 5 times (1992 with Toronto and 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 with the Yankees).  He pitched a perfect game in 1999.

Cone appeared on the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 3.9% of the vote.

I mailed to the signing on August 17 and got the card back on October 13, for a 57-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $35.00.

TTM Success - Roger Moret

With all of the TTMs that I send out to older players, it was bound to happen that while the cards sat in my stack, waiting to be scanned and blogged, a player would pass away.  It just recently happened with Roger Moret.  Sadly, he passed away before I could get the cards scanned, but I was lucky enough to get him TTM before he passed.

Moret signed a 1971 Topps Rookie Stars, a 1972 Topps and a 1978 Topps for me in black marker.

Moret (b. 1949 - d. 2020) played in the majors from 1970 to 1978 for the Red Sox, Braves and Rangers.  He had a career record of 47-27 with 408 strike outs and a 3.66 ERA.

Moret passed away on December 7, at the age of 71 from cancer.

I mailed to Moret on August 12 and got the cards back on October 13, for a 62-day TAT.  The last success anyone received from him was on November 17.  He must have taken a turn around that time.

TTM Success - Don Durham

I added another 1973 Topps to my autograph album with this TTM success from Don Durham.  He signed the card with an old black Sharpie, but it turned out well.

Durham (b. 1949) played in the majors in 1972 and 1973 for the Cardinals and Rangers.  He had a record of 2-11 with 58 strike outs and a 5.83 ERA.

I mailed to Durham on October 2 and got the card back on October 10, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rudy Meoli

Here are some 70s cards I added to my autograph album with this TTM success from Rudy Meoli.  I know my successes bounce around with no rhyme or reason, other than the 87 set and some Orioles via TTM.  I go through my boxes, one by one, periodically.  When I do, I try to pull new people who sign TTM to keep options open on who to send to.  Add in the fact that successes come at different times, I end up with a good mixture of things to post about.  Also, since I have been sending a lot of non-sports requests lately, the variety will expand a great deal.

From Meoli, I got a 1978 Topps (top of page) and the above 1974 (left) and 1976 (right) Topps cards.  His pen seems to be fading a bit, but the autographs can be seen and look good on the cards.

Meoli (b. 1951) played in the majors in 1971, from 1973 to 1975 and 1978 to 1979 for the Angels, Cubs and Phillies.  He had 133 hits, 2 home runs and a .212 batting average.

I mailed to Meoli on September 30 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rich Wortham

I put a couple 80s cards in my autograph album with this TTM success from Rich Wortham.  The abovde 1981 Topps turned out really well, as they tend to do.

I also got a 1980 Topps signed, and it looks just as good.

Wortham (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1978 to 1980 and 1983 for the White Sox and A's.  He had a 21-23 record, 189 strike outs and a 4.89 ERA.

I mailed to Wortham on September 28 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Craig Robinson

He isn't the Craig Robinson that I knew of (the comedian from Hot Tub Time Machine and This is the End), but I had a few cards, and was happy to get them signed TTM.

I like the above 1975 Topps.  It is hard to see his signature on it, but it's there.

I also got a 1974 Topps and a 1974 Topps Traded signed.

Robinson (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1972 to 1977 for the Phillies, Braves and Giants.  He had 157 hits, no home runs and a .219 batting average.

I mailed to Robinson on September 28 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeff Tam

I got a 2001 Topps out of my box with this TTM success from former pitcher, Jeff Tam.  He signed the card with a black marker.

Tam (b. 1970) played in the majors from 1998 to 2003 for the Mets, Indians, A's and Blue Jays.  He had a career record of 7-14 with 146 strike outs and a 3.91 ERA.

I mailed to Tam on September 23 and got the card back on October 10, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Roberts

I saw that Dave Roberts was signing TTM and jumped on getting some of his cards out to him.  The above 1973 Topps is really cool.  I like the Topps Rookie Cup and that you can see the ivy from Wrigley in the background.  The best part about this card, though, is the ugly mustard yellow Padres uniform that Roberts is rocking.  That definitely gets your attention.

I also got him to sign a 1976, 1979 and 1980 Topps.  THe 79 is cool because of the catcher's gear.

Roberts (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1972 to 1975 and 1977 to 1982 for the Padres, Rangers, Astros and Phillies.  He had 483 hits, 49 home runs and a .239 batting average.

I mailed to Roberts on September 18 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 22-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Max - Six 87s For The Set

My good friend, Max, hooked me up this Christmas with some tougher autos to cross off of my 1987 Topps checklist.  Max has helped me out so much with this set, and it is greatly appreciated.  I am getting closer and closer to my goal of having all of the cards signed.  I've even completed a few of the tougher team leaders cards.

Fernando Valenzuela is one of the tougher players to get from the set, and with 2 cards, that makes the effort doubled.  I'm glad I could cross one of these off of the list.

Valenzuela (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997 for the Dodgers, Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 173-153 with 2,074 strike outs and a 3.54 ERA.  He was the NL Cy Young Award winner and NL Rookie of the Year in 1981.  He was an All Star six times (1981 to 1986) and was a 20-game winner in 1986.  His best MVP finish was 5th, in 1981.  He was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1983.  He won the World Series in 1981 with the Dodgers.

Valenzuela appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2003 and 2004, but received only a high of 6.2% in 2003 before falling under the 5% minimum in 2004.

Moose Haas (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1976 to 1987 for the Brewers and A's.  He had a career record of 100-83 with 853 strike outs and a 4.01 ERA.

Chuck Cary (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1991 and 1993 for the Tigers, Braves, Yankees and White Sox.  He had a career record of 14-26 with 322 strike outs and a 4.17 ERA.

Thad Bosley (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1977 to 1990 for the Angels, White Sox, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs, Royals and Rangers.  He had 430 hits, 20 home runs and a .272 batting average.

Steve Yeager (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1972 to 1986 for the Dodgers and Mariners.  He had 816 hits, 102 home runs and a .228 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981 and was also the MVP of that World Series.  Yeager appeared on the 1992 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.5% of the vote.

Ozzie Virgil (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1980 to 1990 for the Phillies, Braves and Blue Jays.  He had 549 hits, 98 home runs and a .243 batting average.  He was an All Star twice (1985 and 1987).  Virgil didn't appear in the World Series in 1980, which the Phillies won.

Thank you so much for the cards, Max!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas.  This year has been tough, but I am thankful for all of my friends and family.

TTM Success - Adam Hyzdu

I had seen that Adam Hyzdu signed TTM and I had this 1991 Score all ready to go, then I saw that he was also in 2003 Topps, so I sent that along as well.  The above 91 Score looks great, I think.

I also really liked this 2003 Topps.  That's quite a span of years in cards.

Hyzdu (b. 1971) played in the majors 2000 to 2006 for the Pirates, Red Sox, Padres and Rangers.  He had 82 hits, 19 home runs and a .229 batting average.  He was a first round (15th overall) draft pick by the Giants in the 1990 June Amateur Draft.  He 1,703 games in the minors and had 1,642 hits, 273 home runs and a .276 batting average.

I mailed to Hyzdu on August 13 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 58-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Nick Solak

I had sent to Nick Solak before, but I had a bunch more cards of his that I wanted to get signed, so I sent to him again.  The card I wanted the most, was this 2018 Bowman blue parallel.  He inscribed it with my name, but I don't care.  I was happy to get it out of my box.

I also got a 2017 Bowman Chrome, 2020 Topps and a 2017 2017 Topps Pro Debut signed by Solak.

Solak (b. 1995) has played in the majors since 2019 for the Rangers.  So far, he has 90 hits, 7 home runs and a .277 batting average.

I mailed to Solak on August 4 via the Rangers and got the cards back on October 10, for a 67-day TAT.

TTM Success - Andrew Susac

I had seen that Andrew Susac had been signing sporadically, so I took some cards I had missed getting signed when he was in the Orioles organization and sent them TTM.

Suscac (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2014 (he didn't appear in a game in 2019 due to not being called up from the minors) for the Giants, Brewers, Orioles and Pirates.

He has 61 hits, 7 home runs and a .219 batting average. He won the World Series with the Giants in 2014.

I mailed to Susac on September 28 and got the cards back on October 9, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Anderson

I dipped into my card boxes and was able to get a good many signed by Mike Anderson. The above 1972 Topps Phillies Rookie Stars card turned out well. I'll have to see if i cam get the other two guys or not.

I also added a 1973 Topps, 1974 Topps and 1976 Topps Traded to my album. I like the airbrushed 76 Traded; they did a really good job with the Cardinals logo.

Anderson (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1971 to 1979 for the Phillies, Cardinals and Orioles. He had 367 hits, 28 home runs and a .246 batting average. 

I mailed to Anderson on September 23 and got the cards back on October 9, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rick Burleson

I had seen that Rick Burleson rarely signed TTM when I was going through my checklist last year.  Luckily, a private signing popped up on SCN and I was able to get my 1987 Topps and my 1991 Crown Orioles signed.

Burleson (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1974 to 1984 and 1986 to 1987 for the Red Sox, Angels and Orioles.  He had 1,401 hits, 50 home runs and a .273 batting average.  He was an All Star 4 times (1977, 1978, 1978 and 1981) and a Gold Glove Award winner in 1979.  He also was a Silver Slugger in 1981.  His best MVP finish was 13th (1975, AL).  He appeared on the 1993 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to the private signing on September 1 and got the cards back on October 9, for a 38-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jose Canseco

I took a shot recently at sending to Jose Canseco with a little money, hoping to get a couple cards back signed, as opposed to paying the usual fee through private signings (which he does a ton of).  The test was a success, as I came away with the above signed 1991 Fleer and the below signed 1997 Topps Stars.

A lot of people hate the 1991 Fleer set.  I liked it when it came out, and I still like it today.  It is easy to spot in a box, and it is easily recognized.  The card stock is also nice, a bit above par of some of the other early 90s stuff.  The cards look sharp when signed, and really nice when scanned.

I like these Topps Stars cards, as well.  They were in a 5,000-count box that Mom got me a while back.  These are really nice cards, as well, and look pretty cool when signed.

I mailed to Canseco on July 15 and got the cards back on October 9, for an 86-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5.00.

TTM Success - John Boles

I got a card out of my 2001 Topps cards and got it signed TTM by former Marlins Manager, John Boles.  The card has some damage, due to being stuck to other 01 Topps cards (thanks to the heavy gloss on the card).  I was able to salvage it, and now it is signed.

Boles (b. 1948) managed the Marlins in 1996 and from 1999 to 2001 to a total record of 205-241 (.460 win %).

I mailed to Boles on September 29 and got the card back on October 6, for a 7-day TAT.