TTM Success - Akinori Iwamura

This TTM success from Akinori Iwamura came all the way from Japan.  I had a few international stamps left over and saw that Iwamura was signing, so I took a chance.  I sent him $3 to cover the return shipping, and was really happy to see these cards come back. 

I sent a 2010 Topps, 2007 Topps Rookie 52, 200i Goudey and two chrome 2007 Turkey Red (the one on the right is a refractor).

Iwamura (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2007 to 2010 for the Rays, Pirates and As.  He had 413 hits, 16 home runs and a .267 batting average. 

I mailed to Iwamura on January 27 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 44-day TAT.  I mailed to him via a Fukushima Redhopes.

TTM Success - John Raynor

These 2008 Donruss Threads cards look really nice when signed.  I was glad when I saw that John Raynor signed TTM, since I was able to get this card out of my box and into my album.

This is also a nice 2010 Topps that I was able to send to him.  I just happened to find it as I was prepping to mail to him, so naturally, it found its way into the envelope as well. 

Raynor (b. 1984) played in the majors in 2010 for the Pirates. He had 2 hits, no home runs and a .200 batting average. 

I mailed to Raynor on March 6 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Grant McCray

Here are a couple nice 2019 Bowman Draft cards that I was able to get back signed from Grant McCray.

He signed a paper 2019 Draft and a Chrome. Both turned out nicely. 

McCray (b. 2000) was a 3rd round pick in the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of Lakewood Ranch High School in Florida.

McCray has played two seasons in the Giants system (both in the Arizona Rookie League; or whatever they're calling it today).  He has 54 hits, one home run and a  .262 batting average.

I mailed to him on December 1 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 101-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Thomas

When I searched for 1989 IHRA Chrckered Flag cards, I was mainly looking for some of my dad, but I also picked up some of a couple other guys who I know from back then.  The goal was to get some that I could send TTM and add to my album.

Mark Thomas is considered the greatest Alcohol Funny Car driver in IHRA history, having won countless races and multiple championships. 

I met Mark as he was being towed back to his pit area at the Gateway Nationals in St. Louis in 1989.  I had ran up and asked him of he had any of these cards (since i had seen him win the Winternationals on TV earlier that year).  Obviously, he didn't run a race with the cards in his pocket, so he didn't have any on him.  The next morning, outside of the racetrack, Dad was getting fuel at a gas station and I was sitting in the truck.  Someone tapped on the window; it was Mark with a handful of cards.  

We have kept in touch since then, and I was able to watch his career play out.  Always a great guy, it was really awesome watching him, over time, become the legend that he is.

Mark has since retired to his farming operation, but we still keep in touch.  I've been trying to talk him into stepping into a gear jammer so he can come down and enter the race Dad puts on every year.

I mailed to Mark on January 25 and got the card back signed on March 11, for a 45-day TAT.  I sent two cards and gave one of the to Chris once they came back.  Mark also included a note asking me to tell Mom and Dad hello.  Thanks so much, Mark!

Another TTM Success From Matt Andriese

This 2015 Bowman blue parallel pushed me to send to Matt Andriese again, this time at Spring Training.  The card came back looking great, and I was happy to add it to my album.

This 2013 Topps Heritage Minors card also turned out nicely.  I didn't have very many of these to start with, so I was happy to be able to add one to the autograph album.

Andriese (b. 1989) has played in the majors since 2015 for the Rays, Diamondbacks, Angels and Red Sox.  He has a record of 28-37 with 462 strike outs and a 4.68 ERA.

I mailed to Andriese via Red Sox Spring Training on February 11 and got the cards back on March 11, for a 28-day TAT.

TTM Success - Blake Taylor

Here is another 2021 Topps that I was able to get signed via Spring Training, this one being of Blake Taylor.  The card looks great, although Taylor's signature isn't much.

Taylor (b. 1995) has played in the majors since 2020 for the Astros.  He has a 4-3 record with 41 strike outs and a 2.89 ERA.

I mailed to Taylor via Astros Spring Training on February 16 and got the card back on March 11, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tom Candiotti

Another 1987 Topps came off of my checklist when I sent this one to a private signing for Tom Candiotti.  The card came back looking great, and I was glad to cross Candiotti off of the list.

Candiotti (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1983 to 1984 and 1986 to 1999 for the Brewers, Indians, Blue Jays, Dodgers and A's.  He had a career record of 151-164 with 1,735 strike outs and a 3.73 ERA.  He appeared on the 2005 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.4% of the vote.

I mailed to the signing on January 25 and got the card back on March 10, for a 44-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $12.00.

TTM Success - Shane Opitz

This 2011 Panini Playoff Contenders card that I got signed TTM by Shane Opitz looks a lot better in person.  The card has qualities of an atomic refractor, but the scan didn't really pick that up.  It looks great in person, though.

Opitz (b. 1992) was an 11th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of Heritage High School in Colorado.  He played in the minors from 2010 to 2018 in the Blue Jays and Brewers systems, reaching AAA.

He had 491 hits, 12 home runs and a .254 batting average.  I mailed to Opitz on January 25 and got the card back on March 10, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM SUccess - Reid Gorecki

Topps had a pretty nice product come out in 2010, National Chicle, which ended up being a one-off set, but it has yielded some nicely signed cards when I have been able to send some TTM.  This one I got back from Reid Gorecki is pretty nice, in my opinion.

I was also able to get a 2010 Topps signed, and this also turned out well.

Gorecki (b. 1980) played in the majors in 2009 for the Braves.  He had 5 hits, no homers and a .200 batting average.

I mailed to Gorecki on January 23 and got the cards back on March 9, for a 45-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jimmy Yacabonis

This 2019 Norfolk Tides card of Jimmy Yacabonis was something I picked up at a Norfolk game a while back since I didn't have any cards of his.  I missed getting his signature while I was there, so I waited, and saw that he signed TTM.  I finally got the card signed, which was nice, but it came well after he left the Orioles organization.

I was also able to get this 2019 Topps signed.  I always enjoy this set, so I was glad to add another to my album.

Yacabonis (b. 1992) played in the majors in 2017 to 2020 for the Orioles and Mariners.  He had a career record of 3-5 with 75 strike outs and a 5.71 ERA.  I just now realized that he was born in Elizabeth, NJ, which is where my dad's entire side of the family came from.

I mailed to Yacabonis on February 25 via Mariners Spring Training and got the cards back on March 9, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Camden Maron

This 2012 Bowman Chrome blue refractor is a really nice card.  I was so glad when I found that Camden Maron signed TTM, and even happier when this card came back to me signed.  It really looks sharp.

Maron (b. 1991) was a 31st round pick by the Mets in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of Hicksville High School in Hicksville, NY.  He played in the minors from 2009 to 2017 in the Mets, Reds, Rangers and Marlins systems.  Reaching AA, he had 511 hits, 21 home runs and a .280 batting average.

I mailed to Maron on March 2 and got the card back on March 9, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Luke Hudson

This 2002 Upper Deck Luke Hudson turned out really well when I got it back signed TTM.  I really like this design, and was happy to get this signed.

Hudson (b. 1977) played in the majors in 2002 and from 2004 to 2007 for the Reds and Royals.  He had a career record of 17-18 with 162 strike outs and a 5.11 ERA.

I mailed to Hudson on October 27 and got the card back on March 8, for a 132-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bo Hart

This 2004 Topps Bo Hart was liberated from a complete (almost) set that was being tossed out at my former LCS.  I couldn't let them just throw the cards away, so I was glad to take one of them off of their hands.  I pulled some cards out of the box of guys who signed, and this Hart was one of them.

Hart (b. 1976) played in the majors in 2003 and 2004 for the Cardinals.  He had 84 hits, 4 home runs and a .272 batting average.

I mailed to Hart on December 18 and got the card back on March 8, for an 80-day TAT.

TTM Success - Simeon Woods-Richardson

Simeon Woods-Richardson doesn't have much of an autograph, but that didn't keep me from sending two cards to him TTM and being excited when they came back.  The above 2020 Topps Heritage Minors looks great, as all of them tend to do.

The 2018 Bowman Draft looks pretty nice, also.  I just wish there was more to his signature than what is shown here.

Woods-Richardson (b. 2000) was a 2nd round pick by the Mets in the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas.  He has pitched in the Mets and Blue Jays systems since 2018 (missing 2020).  He has reached AA ball so far.  He has a record of 9-14 with 219 strike outs and a 4.09 ERA.

I mailed to Woods-Richardson on January 19 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - Casey Opitz

This 2020 Panini Stars ad Stripes card came back signed TTM from Casey Opitz earlier this year.  The card looks much better than the scan, but the foil just doesn't translate well to my scanner.

Opitz (b. 1998) was an 8th round pick in the July 2021 Amateur Draft by the Cubs out of the University of Arkansas.  

I mailed to Opitz on January 25 and got the card back on March 8, for a 42-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tanner Houck

A couple nice Tanner Houck cards got signed TTM when I sent these out a while back.  This 2017 Bowman Chrome refractor looks pretty great.  This was a nice year for Bowman and the refractors really look nice when signed. 

I also got a 2018 Carolina League Top Prospects card signed.  I doubt I'll finish the set, but it was nice to move one of them.

Houck (b. 1996) has played in the majors for the Red Sox since 2020.  He has a 3-2 record with 36 strike outs and a 1.78 ERA.

I mailed to Houck on January 4 and got the cards back on March 5, for a 60-day TAT.

July 13-18, 2021 Graphing of Delmarva Shorebirds at Down East Wood Ducks

This just-completed series with the Delmarva Shorebirds might have been one where I was limited the most with what I could get signed.  Most of the Delmarva guys I had stuff for either moved up to Aberdeen or they were on the IL.  Plus, I had a lapse in my planning and missed that Dave Anderson had a ton of cards.  That ended up helping, because I was able to spread out looking for Anderson stuff over several of the games, and still got a good bit of stuff signed.

The biggest highlight was that I was finally able to get a Luisangel Acuna signed for myself.  Everything else that I have gotten has been for other people, and this custom that was part of a 50/50 from Instagram afforded me the opportunity to add one to my album.  Yes, Acuna is related to Ronald Acuna, Jr.  He is Ronald's little brother, and has really come on strong with the bat recently.

I got a good many of the customs done, which was nice.  A few were of guys I haven't gotten yet, and I am also happy to add another Cody Freeman to the album.

There's no problem with another Thomas Saggese in the album.  Hudson Haskin was the only Shorebird that I had cards of, other than the below Ryne Ogren Delmarva team card below.  I was bummed that Carter Baumler and Anthony Servideo were on the IL.

I had actually missed this Ogren in my box, but thankfully the 6-game series helped me be able to get everything done.

It also helped me have time to look through a ton of boxes in order to pull every Dave Anderson card I could find.  I'm sure that a few of these sets are very under-represented in my autograph album.

I was able to get Anderson's full run of Topps cards signed.  I wasn't going to go for the 87, since it was already crossed off in my set, but upon further review, I upgraded from black to blue with this one.  So, I now have an Anderson (in black) available for trade.

Anderson was really nice.  You can get him talking, and he is very interactive with fans.  I enjoyed that I was able to talk with him as much as I did.

Finally, my keen eye noticed the little league team in line ahead of me on Thursday.  I was looking at the names on the backs of the shirts, because each kid had a nickname, and noticed that the coach was listed as Mike Devereaux.  I saw the coach and knew he looked familiar, because of all the time I spent studying the 90s Orioles lineups when I was a kid.  So, I walked up to their coach and asked "Mike Devereaux, the former Oriole?"  He said, "Yes, I am!", so I thanked him for all of the years as an Oriole and how I was a big fan of the team.

Devereaux was very awesome and posed for a photo.  He also signed a pocket schedule, since, of course, all of my Devereaux cards were at home.  It was a really good series, even though I didn't get as much signed as I maybe could have.

A Whole Bunch of Autos From Gerard

My good friend, Gerard, hooked me up with a ton of autos in a recent package.  He knocked 5 cards off of my 1987 set, including this Charlie Leibrandt.  I joined a private signing with Leibrandt a while back and the promoter lost my cards, so I got screwed on that.  I

I'll never use those folks again.

He also knocked off Alfredo Griffin, who for some reason I have missed on several private signings.  I sent TTM to Ray Fontenot, but never got anything back, and also Curt Wilkerson and Domingo Ramos.

Gerard also saw Mickey Tettleton at a recent Cape Cod League game.  He knew in advance, so I was able to send him some cards.  They all turned out great.  This 1994 Upper Deck really looks good.  That really might be an underrated set, in my opinion.  The cards tend to look really sharp when signed.

These Tettletons also turned out great.  I especially like the 1993 Topps Finest.  Those cards really look amazing when signed, especially in person.

I rarely get the opportunity to get any 2001 Heritage signed, as I don't have many, but this one of Tom Goodwin really looks good.  I love Heritage and this one really will look cool in my album.

Gerard also got me a few other Goodwins signed; just a few randoms that I found in my boxes.

He also got me Max Rajcic from the Cape League on a coupld Stars and Stripes.

My green parallels turned out really great.  I was super happy he was able to get Triston Casas for me, since I missed him.  The Feltman also looks awesome.

Finally, Gerard finished off a bunch of cards I had sent him for Portland.  I was glad to be able to get him a few Hudson Potts cards once he got with the Red Sox.  Along with all of these other guys.

Thanks so much for the cards, Gerard!

TTM Success - Andrew Abbott

These Panini American Pride cards look really great.  I hate that this TTM success that I got back from Andrew Abbott had such a bad marker used, but the card is still signed and will still go into my album.  I prepped the card, but I think it was just a dying marker that he used.

Abbott (b. 1999) was a 2nd round pick by the Reds in the 2021 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Virginia.  He probably will start his pro career at Low A ball, since he was a college pitcher, but that is, of course, up to the Reds.

I mailed to Abbott on January 20 and got the card back signed, along with a note on March 5, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - David Huff

Here are some nice cards that I got signed TTM from David Huff.  They had been hanging around in my boxes for a long time, and finally got out and put into my albums.  I really liked the 2009 Topps Heritage.  The card turned out really well, and the design is a classic.

Huff also signed a 2006 Bowman gold parallel, 2010 Topps and a 2010 Topps Heritage.

Huff (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2009 to 2016 for the Indians, Yankees, Giants, Dodgers and Angels.  He had a career record of 25-30 with 234 strike outs and a 5.17 ERA.

I mailed to Huff on January 23 and got the cards back on March 5, for a 41-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe Palumbo

Former Wood Duck Joe Palumbo signed a few cards for me TTM through Rangers Spring Training.  This 2020 Panini Select was the key to the TTM request, and the card looks awesome.  I really like this design, and the cards look really great in my album.

I also got a 2020 Donruss base and a foil signed; the foil is on the right.

Palumbo (b. 1994) was a 30th round pick by the Rangers in the 2013 June Amateur Draft out of St. John the Baptist High School in New York.  He made his debut for the Rangers in 2019, and also pitched for them in 2020.  He has a record of 0-4 with 26 strike outs and a 9.47 ERA.

I mailed to Palumbo on February 9 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kris Bubic

The first 2021 Topps that I was able to get signed was actually this one that came back from Royals Spring Training TTM from Kris Bubic.  I have gotten a few 2021s since, but this definitely was the first.  Bubic has a very slight signature, but it is there, I assure you.

Bubic (b. 1997) was a first round (40th overall) pick by the Royals in the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of Stanford.  He made his MLB debut in 2020 for the Royals and has also pitched this season.  He has a record of 3-10 with 97 strike outs and a 4.89 ERA.

I mailed to Bubic on February 16 and got the card back on March 4, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tim Berry

Several cards came out of my Orioles box when I was able to get Tim Berry to sign for me TTM.  I had his stuff put aside for a while, hoping that I would have seen him at some point, but that never happened.  I had seen earlier in the year where someone got him TTM, so I dug a bunch of cards out and sent them along.

All of the cards turned out great.  The 2015 Pro Debut at the top of this post is probably my favorite of the bunch.  He also signed 2014 Bowman, 2014 Pro Debut, 2015 Heritage Minors and 2015 Bowman.

Berry (b. 1991) was a 50th round pick by the Orioles in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of San Marcos High School in California.  He played in the minors from 2010 to 2018 in the Orioles, Marlins, Padres and Phillies systems.  He did reach AAA, but was unable to make the jump to the majors.  He had a career record of 36-50 with 636 strike outs and a 4.77 ERA.

I mailed to Berry on December 1 and got the cards back on March 2, for a 91-day TAT.