TTM Success - Charlie Manuel

It took me two tries, but I was able to get a TTM success from Charlie Manuel.  I believe I sent off the same cards in both attempts, but the second attempt was the charm here.  The cards turned out great.  This one is a 2010 Topps Heritage and the one below is a 2011 Heritage.

Manuel (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1969 to 1972 and 1974 to 1975 for the Twins and Dodgers.  He had 76 hits, 4 home runs and a .198 batting average.

He managed in the majors from 2000 to 2002 and 2005 to 2013 for the Indians and Phillies.  He had a record of 1,000-826 (.548) and won the World Series with the Phillies in 2008.  His Phillies also appeared in the 2009 World Series, losing to the Yankees.

I mailed to Manuel on January 23 and got the cards back on February 11, for a 19-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Briscoe

Here are a couple 90s cards that I got signed TTM from John Briscoe.  I had him sign my 1995 Topps and my 1992 Stadium Club.  Both turned out fine.  The cards aren't epic or anything, but I am glad to have them in my album now.

Briscoe (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1991 to 1996 for the A's.  He had a 5-5 record with 115 strike outs and a 5.67 ERA.

I mailed to Briscoe on December 1 and got the cards back on February 9, for a 70-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kyle Cody

Getting Wood Ducks team set cards back TTM is always great, especially since I never thought I would get this one of Kyle Cody signed.  I had hoped I would see him one more time in Kinston, but I missed out.  Thankfully, he signs TTM, and I got my card done.  I like how Jim Perry Stadium in Buies Creek is shown on the card.  I was most likely at this game, then.

I also got these two cards from 2018 Bowman signed.  I wasn't 100% sure they would come back, so I didn't send anything too awesome.  I'm glad these came back, though, because it helped to reduce my pile of Cody stuff a little bit.

Cody (b. 1994) was a 6th round pick by the Rangers in the 2016 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Kentucky.  He has played in the majors since 2020 for the Rangers, but has been oft injured.  He is currently on the 60-Day DL.  He has a record of 1-3 with 32 strike outs and a 3.71 ERA.

As a Wood Duck, Cody was 3-0 with 35 strike outs and a 2.05 ERA.  He only appeared in 5 games as a Wood Duck; it felt like he was here longer.

I mailed to Cody on January 11 and got the cards back on February 8, for a 28-day TAT.

May 25-30 Graphing of Nationals at Mudcats and a Few Unlikely Autos

When we were planning to graph our next series of the Fredericksburg Nationals as Wood Ducks, Chris and I had no idea that some pretty big names were in town.  It took until Wednesday night to realize, but Bob and Bret Boone were in town watching Bret's son (Bob's grandson) play for the Nationals.  Bob Boone is also a special assistant in the Nationals organization, so his trip was also in an official capacity.

Bob Boone was really cool, every time we spoke with him.  We ended up having decently long conversations with him each time we talked to him.  I even had him sign a ball, which I have already put away.  I thought it would be a good idea to get Bob and Bret on the above 2016 Topps Archives Father & Son card, with also adding Jake to it.  Maybe someday, I can add Aaron Boone to the card.

I was able to get a nice assortment of Boone cards signed.  He was really friendly, which led to some nice conversation.  He is very opinionated, but was cool about it.  When I had asked him to sign my ball, I asked him for an inscription related to what we had chatted about the day before, but he said no, smiled and laughed.  It was really cool, though.

I was glad to get all of the cards I found signed, because I didn't realize Boone was there until Wednesday night.  I stayed up til 1:30 in the morning Thursday morning trying to locate cards.  I finally found a decent assortment in my to-be-TTMed box next to my Bret Boones.  I should have looked there first.

I got some nice Bret Boone cards signed.  I didn't do an extensive search for his stuff.  I had put a few aside a while back to send to a private signing that I ended up missing.  It turned out well, as I got quite a few of them done, and they all look great.  Chris got Bret first, and Bret told him it was his first time signing in a park as a fan.  Bret told me that he actually had played at Grainger Stadium when he was on the Peninsula team a long time ago.

In my planning for this series, I was able to find a 1990 CMC AAA in a box that my mom had given me.  I went to Sportlots to find some other cards of Pat Rice, and Jorge Mejia.  I was lucky to find a 2008 Bowman Chrome Mario Lisson in my boxes.

These three 2004 Bowman Jorge Mejias were really nice.  I had to order them.  The blue chrome in the middle was actually in one of those Topps sealed cases that I had to take apart to get the card out.  I think I paid a quarter for the card, so the case will be a shipper in the future.

Mitchell Parker pitched great in this series, even coming out after 6 no hit innings in his last start.  He had reached a pitch count.  He was super nice and signed everything we had.

I had found this Jeremy De La Rosa card in my 2021 Bowman box, so I was glad to get it signed.  I got another signed for a 50/50.

I finally got my 2019 Hickory team set card signed by Abdiel Mendoza.  My friend Gerard sent me two 2020 Bowman First Edition Tekoah Robys, so I was able to keep one.  Also, Thomas Saggese (pronounced Suh-Jay-See) was brought up, and he signed the one card we had.

Finally, I got these three 2019 Bowman Chrome parallels signed by our buddy, Mason Englert.  He had a rough outing today, complete with an ejection.  It sucks, but he talked to us afterward and let us know what had happened.  It was unfortunate, but doesn't change our opinion of him.  Chris and I both really like Mason, and he has pretty much become our go-to Wood Duck this season.  We also had a great conversation with Cody Freeman today, who seems like a great dude.

We had an awesome time this series, and got some very unlikely autos.  I was glad to be able to chat with Bob Boone.  Now time to wait for the next series, against Kannapolis in 2 weeks.

In all, we got: Mitchell Parker x 27, Bob Boone x 11, Bret Boone x 6, Evan Carter x 6, Antonio Cabello x 22, Abdiel Mendoza x 2, Tekoah Roby x 20, Leury Tejada x 25, Thomas Saggese x 1, Jayce Easley x 1, Randy Florentino x 1, Jake Boone x 1, Par Rice x 6, Mario Lisson x 1, Jeremy De La Rosa x 2, Jorge Mejia x 5, Mason Englert x 5 and Steve Mintz x 2.

TTM Success - Juan Guzman

There aren't too many 1997 Topps in my autograph album, mainly because I have very few of those left over from when I built my 1997 Topps set.  So, when I'm able to find someone left in there who signs TTM, I try really hard to get one of those cards into the outgoing envelope.  I was really glad that I found this Juan Guzman to send off when I learned that he signed TTM.  The card looks great.

Guzman (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 2000 for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Reds and Devil Rays.  He had a career record of 91-79 with 1,243 strike outs and a 4.08 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1992 and won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.  His best Cy Young finish was 7th (AL) in 1993.

I mailed to Guzman on September 8 and got the card back on February 8, for a 153-day TAT.

TTM Success - Manny Acta

Here are a few nice cards that I was able to get signed by former manager Manny Acta.  I always enjoy getting cards with the 1962 design signed, so this 2011 Topps Heritage was a nice one to add to the album.

I was also able to get Acta to sign this 2007 Topps.  Again, like I said yesterday, I really like the 07 design, so I was glad to add another to the album.  I just noticed that this one didn't have the facsimile signature on it like most 07 Topps do.  I remember there being some that had been short printed in error or something (Paul LoDuca's card comes to mind).  After a quick search, it just looks like they didn't put one on Acta's card.

Finally, I used one of my 2010 Upper Deck stadium cards for the Acta TTM as well.  I have a stash of these, and like to send them out here and there to get some signed.

Acta (b. 1969) managed in the majors from 2007 to 2012 for the Nationals and Indians.  He had a record of 158-252 (.418 win %).

I mailed to Acta on December 18 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 50-day TAT.

TTM Success - Wily Mo Pena

The refractors in 2007 Topps Chrome all look so great; even the base chrome in 2007 was a nice product.  So, when I found two white refractors in one of my boxes that I got from my former LCS of Wily Mo Pena, I was excited to send them off.  I gave the second of the two to my son, Chris.

The cards turned out great, even though Pena signed them up the side.

Pena (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2002 to 2008 and 2011 for the Reds, Red Sox, Nationals, Diamondbacks and Mariners.  He had 425 hits, 84 home runs and a .250 batting average.  

I mailed to Pena on January 19 and got the cards back on February 5, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Cash Case

These 2017 Bowman Draft Cash Case cards were passed a bunch of times while I would look through that box.  I wanted to send to him TTM, but didn't take the chance.  I finally sent to him when someone I had been trading with on Instagram provided me with an address.  The cards took a while to get back, but when they did, they looked great.

2017 Bowman might be one of my favorite Bowman designs (along with 2014).  This is partly because of the full-card photos, but mainly because that this was the first Bowman set that came out during my first real season of graphing.  I have gotten a lot of 2017 Bowmans signed over the last few years, but the guys who I see that are in the set are tapering off a bit as they mve up the chain, or fall out of the minors.  When I can get some of these signed and reduce my lot of 2017s, I enjoy it.

Case (b. 1999) was a 4th round pick by the Reds in the 2017 June Amateur Draft out of a Florida high school.  Currently, he hasn't appeared in any games.  He pitched from 2017 to 2019 in the Reds organization for two of their Rookie Level teams.  His had 89 hits, 5 home runs and a .217 batting average.

I mailed to Case on July 29 and got the cards back on February 4, for a 217-day TAT.

TTM Success - Niko Goodrum

Here are some fairly recent (and one not so recent) cards that I got back signed TTM from Niko Goodrum.  The above 2020 Topps turned out really well.  They have to be prepped, but usually look really nice when signed.

I was also able to find Goodrum's 2010 Pro Debut, which was a nice card to get out of my box, and also a 2020 Topps Heritage.  The Heritage cards look really sharp, as always, and do well when signed.

Goodrum (b. 1992) has played in the majors since 2017, for the Tigers.  He has 375 hits, 37 home runs and a .233 batting average.

I mailed to Goodrum on October 7 and got the cards back on February 4, for a 120-day TAT.

TTM Success - JJ Bleday

Last night was a thrash to find some cards in a pinch, and not completing a blog post was the sacrifice I made in order to get done, and it was well worth it.  The wait was also well worth is, as this TTM success is from Marlins prospect, JJ Bleday.  I had seen that he was signing, so I dropped this one in the mail to him and got it back signed.

Bleday (b. 1997) was a first round (4th overall) draft pick by the Marlins in the 2019 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has reached AA ball in the Marlins system.  He has 46 hits, 4 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Bleday on December 15 and got the card back on February 4, for a 51-day TAT.

TTM Success - Morgan Cooper

Here are a couple 2017 Bowmans that I was able to get signed TTM by Morgan Cooper.  Both cards (2017 Bowman and 2017 Bowman Chrome) turned out really nicely.

Cooper (b. 1994) was a 2nd round pick by the Dodgers in the 2017 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Texas - Austin.  He has played in the Dodgers system, only one season (this year) at the High A level.  He has a record of 0-1 with 6 strike outs and a 10.13 ERA.

I mailed to Cooper on January 7 and got the cards back on February 4, for a 28-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Perry

This Jim Perry 1968 Topps was buried in my vintage box, not doing much of anything (I won't start the 1968 set for a while, it seems), so I decided to go ahead and send it off to him TTM.  It came back signed and inscribed with his 1970 Cy Young inscription.  The card looks great, in my opinion.

Perry (b. 1935) played in the majors from 1959 to 1975 for the Indians, Twins, Tigers and A's.  He had a career record of 215-174 with 1,576 strike outs and a 3.45 ERA.  He was the 1970 AL Cy Young Award winner.  He was an All Star an 1961, 1970 and 1971.  He finished second in the 1959 AL Rookie of the Year voting (to Bob Allison) and his best MVP finish was 9th (1969 and 1970).  He was a 20-game winner in 1969 (20) and 1970 (24).  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1981 and 1983, but received at most, 1.9% of the vote.

I mailed to Perry on January 29 and got the card back on February 4, for a 6-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5.00.  He included a note thanking me for the donation.

TTM Success - Chris Waters

This card is a really cool card.  This is a 2003 Fleer Splendid Splinters.  It feels like it is made of wood, or some kind of synthetic wood.  It is definitely one that I hadn't seen before.  I was glad to find out that Chris Waters signed TTM, so I was able to add this type of card to my autograph album.

Waters (b. 1980) played in the majors 2008 and 2009 for the Orioles.  He had a 4-5 record with 38 strike outs and a 5.07 ERA.

I mailed to Waters on January 29 and got the card back on February 4, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Karl Bolt

Two more 2007 Bowmans were rescued from my Bowman box when I sent these off to Karl Bolt TTM.  He signed my cards nicely in black Sharpie.

Bolt (b. 1985) was a 15th round pick by the Phillies in the 2007 June Amateur Draft out of the US Air Force Academy.  He played in the Phillies system from 2007 to 2008, reaching A ball.  He had 137 hits, 13 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to Bolt on January 11 and got the cards back on February 3, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - Omir Santos

Here are some cool cards from 2009-2010 that I got signed TTM by Omir Santos.  I was especially glad that I was able to get the above 2009 Topps Unique signed.  I opened a bunch of these, but didn't really pull anything glorious.  Having a signed card from that set in my autograph album is nice, however.  This card is numbered 469/1199.

I also got a 2010 Topps Heritage and a 2010 Topps signed by Santos.  Both look really nice.

Santos (b. 1981) played in the majors in 2008 and 2009 and 2011 to 2013 for the Orioles, Mets, Tigers and Indians.  He had 80 hits, 7 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Santos on January 23 and got the cards back on February 2, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Snyder

There aren't too many 2000 Topps in my boxes, because I never opened a lot of those packs back then, and I had gotten rid of a lot of my bulk years ago.  So, when I can add one of them to my autograph album, that makes me happy,  I got this one signed TTM by John Snyder a while back, and it turned out fairly well.

Snyder (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2000 for the White Sox and Brewers.  He had a record of 19-24 with 188 strike outs and a 6.01 ERA.

I mailed to Snyder on December 17 and got the card back on February 2, for a 47-day TAT.

TTM Success - Frank Tepedino

Well, this 1971 Topps Frank Tepedino was in good condition, before my cat, Grover, knocked my stack over and I missed this one on the floor.  It got ran over by my computer chair, which resulted in the huge crease seen on the card, now.  I was a little upset, but it wasn't something earth shattering, so I sent the card off to Tepedino anyway.  It came back signed, and will still have a home in my autograph album.

Tepedino (b. 1947) played in the majors in 1967 and from 1969 to 1975 for the Yankees, Brewers and Braves.  He had 122 hits, 6 home runs and a .241 batting average.

I mailed to Tepedino on September 8 and got the card back on February 1, for a 146-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mo Sanford

I got some junk wax era cards signed TTM recently from former pitcher, Mo Sanford.  The above 1992 Score turned out really nicely.  I used to have a lot of these cards, but thinned them out over the years.  Still, they have a nice design and look good when signed.

I also got cards from 1992 and 1993 Topps signed.  Sanford's signature isn't much to look at, but they're signed.

Sanford (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1991, 1993 and 1995 for the Reds, Rockies and Twins.  He had a record of 2-4 with 84 strike outs and a 4.81 ERA.

I mailed to Sanford on December 2 and got the cards back on February 1, for a 61-day TAT.

TTM Success - Max Schrock

I added a 2017 Bowman Chrome to my autograph album when I dug this one out of my Bowman box, found an address and sent it TTM to Max Schrock.  The card looks great.  I was always a fan of 2017 Bowman, and was glad to get another one in my album.

Schrock (b. 1994) has played in the majors since 2020 for the Cardinals and Reds.  He has 5 hits, 1 home run and a .179 batting average in 17 games.

I mailed to Schrock on January 16 and got the card back on February 1, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Graham Stoneburner

Now, that's a name!  I saw Graham Stoneburner's card in my Bowman box and thought that I really should try to add him to my autograph album.  The card turned out a lot better than the scan shows.  The card is a bit curved, which kind of messed up the scan in the first place.

Stoneburner (b. 1987) was a 14th round pick by the Yankees in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of Clemson University.  He pitched in the Yankees organization from 2009 to 2014, reaching AAA.  He had a record of 19-25 with 304 strike outs and a 3.92 ERA.

I mailed to Stoneburner on January 21 and got the card back on February 1, for an 11-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Rollie Fingers

I had this really cool 2016 Topps Museum Collection Canvas Collection card of Rollie Fingers signed via TTM.  I had the card in my collection for a while and finally decided to send it TTM to get it signed.  The card turned out great!

I mailed to Fingers on January 23 and got the card back on February 1, for a 9-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15.00.

TTM Success - Paul Moskau

Some older cards came back signed when I got this TTM success in from Paul Moskau.  I was glad to add another 1981 Topps to my album with the card above.  1981 is a set that I have a ton of in my album, but that's ok; I don't mind adding more.

I also got a 1979, 1980 and 1982 Topps signed by Moskau.

Moskau (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1977 to 1983 for the Reds, Pirates and Cubs.  He had a record of 32-27 with 374 strike outs and a 4.22 ERA.

I mailed to Moskau on April 30, 2021, and got the cards back on January 30, 2021, for a 275-day TAT.

TTM Success - Don Leppert

There have been times when I have sent out a TTM request, and the subject passed away before they could sign and send my item back.  There have been other times where the person has died before I could get the blog post up.  This TTM success from Don Leppert is the first time I have gotten a signed card back after the person died.

I'm assuming the card is signed by him.  I looked him up on Ebay to see if there were any other signed items, and the ones listed look like this one, so maybe he did sign it.  In that case, it is a bit creepy that this could be the last thing he signed TTM before he passed.

Leppert (b. 1930 - d. 2021) played for the Orioles in 1955.  He appeared in 40 games that season and had 8 hits, no home runs and a .114 batting average.

I mailed to Leppert on May 12, 2020, and got the card back on January 30, 2021, for a 263-day TAT.  Leppert passed away at the age of 90 on January 5, 2021.

This Don Leppert is not to be confused with the other Don Leppert, who played from 1961 to 1964.

TTM Success - Tim Laudner

A private signing came up for former Twin, Tim Laudner, and I jumped on it so I could finish my 1987 Topps Twins Leaders card, along with Laudner's base card.

They switched pens so the leaders card would match with Viola's signature.  I prefer getting my cards signed in blue, but I'll take what I can get sometimes.

Laudner (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1981 to 1989 for the Twins.  He had 458 hits, 77 home runs and a .225 batting average.  He was a member of the 1987 World Series Champion Twins, and was an All Star in 1988.

I mailed to the signing on November 20 and got the cards back on January 30, for a 71-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $40.00.

TTM Success - Rob Gardner

Here are a few vintage cards that got some frequent flyer miles on them.  I believe I tried three times to get Rob Gardner TTM until finally succeeding.  I don't know what the deal was, but I had seen folks get him, but I got 2 return to senders.  Oh well, I got my 1967, 1972 and 1973 Topps signed by him and am glad to finally put these cards to rest in my autograph album.

Gardner (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1965 to 1968 and 1970 to 1973 for the Mets, Cubs, Indians, Yankees, A's and Brewers.  He had a record of 14-18 with 193 strike outs and a 4.35 ERA.

Gardner bounced between the A's and Yankees as a piece that sent Felipe Alou from Oakland to New York.  He was sent back to Oakland from New York as a piece for Curt Befary and then was sent back to Oakland a year later for Matty Alou.

I mailed to Gardner on April 23, 2020, and got the cards back on January 29, 2021, for a 281-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Tyler Stephenson

Tyler Stephenson signed TTM for me last year, but I got some nice cards in afterward, so I sent to him again.  Both cards that I sent came out looking great.  I like the 1989 Topps design on this 2020 Topps insert.

I also got Stephenson on a 2020 Heritage Minors.

Stephenson has played in the majors since 2020, collecting 24 hits, 4 home runs and a .293 batting average.

I mailed to him on January 8 and got the cards back on January 29, for a 21-day TAT.  He even included a note.