TTM Success - Will Robertson

Here is a 2019 Bowman Draft that I was able to get signed TTM by Will Robertson.  He signed the card in silver Sharpie, and it turned out great.

Robertson (b.1997) was a 4th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of Creighton University.  He has played 2 seasons in the Blue Jays organization, reaching High A.  He has 103 hits, 11 home runs and a .261 batting average.

I mailed to Robertson on July 24, 2020, and got the card back on March 20, 2021, for a 239-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jamie Easterly

Some late 70s and early 80s cards were added to my autograph album when I got his TTM success back from Jamie Easterly.  The above 1978 Topps turned out great.

I also got a 1979 Topps, 1982 Topps, 1983 Topps and a 1986 Topps signed by Easterly.

Easterly (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1974 to 1979 and 1981 to 1987 for the Braves, Brewers and Indians.  He had a career record of 23-33 with 350 strike outs and a 4.62 ERA.

I mailed to Easterly on November 30 and got the cards back on March 20 for a 110-day TAT.

August 24-29, 2021, Graphing of Woodpeckers at Wood Ducks

This series between the Woodpeckers and Wood Ducks was the first one I caught all games of in quite some time.  The season is winding down, and the Wood Ducks are in the middle of the playoff picture, so I wanted to catch as many games as I could.  There were only 2 guys on Fayetteville with cards, so I didn't have a whole lot to prep for this trip.  Add in the fact that I didn't have many guys on the Wood Ducks that I needed, I ended up going for a couple days and not graphing at all, which was kind of weird.  On Saturday, though, my boxes of Pro Debut came in, and I had a few more cards stocked up in my autograph book.  I was able to finally get a certified card of Luisangel Acuna signed; something other than a custom or a team set, which was really nice.

My dude, Cody Freeman, was back in action, so I was able to get my team set card done, as well as a couple customs my friend Dugan made for me.  Cody liked them so much, he requested that Dugan make him some.

I got my Alex Santos and Jordan Brewer cards signed; the only Fayetteville guys who's cards I could find.  I also had a lot of 10 cards of Brady Smith come in, and found a few cards of roving instructor, Roy Silver.  I was excited when I saw that I had Silver's cards in my 1990 ProCards AAA box.

My friend, Ben, came for the Saturday game; his first game all season.  We graphed together a bunch in the past, and he has been missed this year.  He gave me some blank Rangers signature cards, so I got Gavin Collyer on one of them.  Gavin talked to Chris and I bunch this series, and has become one of our favorite guys on the team.

On Saturday night, Jayce Easley stole his 60th base of the season, which leads all of professional baseball.  I called it pregame, and Jayce was more than happy to sign and inscribe my ticket stub from last night.

We had a really good time this series.  The Wood Ducks won the series 4-3 (they finished a suspended game on Tuesday, followed by their regularly scheduled game) and as of last night, were tied with the Mudcats for the second playoff spot.  I'm hoping to catch all of the remaining home games as the Woodies continue to fight to keep the season going past that last series in September.

TTM Success - Brent Gaff

Here are some mid-80s cards that I was able to get signed by Brent Gaff.  The above 1986 Topps looks really great, as most of them do.  I remember being able to pick up a few wax boxes of 86 Topps for $5.00 a box, when a card shop closed down in Gastonia.  Now, wax boxes of them cost a lot more.  Thank to folks grading a crazy amount of the cards.

I also got a 1983 Donruss and a 1985 Topps signed by Gaff.

Gaff (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1982 to 1984 for the Mets.  He had a record of 4-5 with 60 strike outs and a 4.06 ERA.

I mailed to Gaff on December 4 and got the cards back on March 20, for a 106-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jonathan Hernandez

There were a bunch of Jonathan Hernandez cards in the boxes I got from my former LCS when it closed down.  I had gotten him TTM before, but I couldn't resist sending again, to Rangers Spring Training, because the cards were all parallels or just nice ones in general.

The above black and white 2019 Bowman Heritage turned out great.  I got almost a whole 3,000-count box of 19 Bowman Heritage, and have been able to add a few of them to my autograph album over the course of the year.

I also was able to get a 2020 Select, 2020 Donruss parallel and a green 2019 Bowman signed.

Hernandez (b. 1996) is a former Wood Duck and was supposed to be the Rangers closer this season.  He is down with Tommy John, so he won't be back for a while.  So far, he has a 7-2 record, 50 strike outs and a 3.40 ERA.

I mailed to Hernandez on February 9 via Rangers Sprig Training and got the cards back on March 20, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brad Sullivan

Here are a couple nice early 2000s cards that I was able to find in my boxes and get signed TTM from Brad Sullivan.  The above gold 2004 Bowman turned out really well and probably is only one of a couple of 04 Bowmans in my autograph album.  I didn't pick up many cards from this set, and I believe I found this one in the assorted boxes I got from my former LCS.

This 2004 Topps came out of a partial set that they were going to trash, so I grabbed the whole box and took them home for the purpose of having a 2004 Topps inventory to send TTM.  It helped, and I got the card signed.

Sullivan (b. 1981) was a first round (25th overall) draft pick by the A's in the 2003 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Houston.  He played in the minors from 2003 to 2007 in the A's system, reaching High A.  He had a record of 10-14 with 150 strike outs and a 5.93 ERA.

I mailed to Sullivan on March 9 and got the cards back on March 20, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bryan Hickerson

The 1995 Fleer set gets a lot of scorn from collectors because it looks like it was designed by someone having a drug induced nightmare.  Me, I enjoy the weirdness of the set, and am always happy when I can get a card from said set signed.  This TTM success from Bryan Hickerson afforded me the opportunity.

There were a bunch of other cards I was able to get signed.  He signed a 1992 Topps, 1993 Topps, 1993 Fleer Ultra and a 1992 Upper Deck.

This 1993 Fleer also turned out well.  I almost didn't send it, but figured I should go ahead and get it out of my box.

Hickerson (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1991 to 1995 for the Giants, Cubs and Rockies.  He had a career record of 21-21 with 279 strike outs and a 4.72 ERA.

I mailed to Hickerson on December 4 and got the cards back on March 19 for a 105-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mario Soto

Private signings have really helped my 1987 Topps set.  I have gotten quite a few guys lately via private signings who I don't think I would have been able to get otherwise.  I obviously prefer IP, but sometimes you just have to pay a price to get the guys you need.  Mario Soto was the next player I added to my set via a private signing on SCN.

Soto (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1977 to 1988 for the Reds.  He had a record of 100-92 with 1,449 strike outs and a 3.47 ERA.  He was a three-time All Star (1982, 1983 and 1984).  His best Cy Young Award finish was 2nd, in 1983; he finished 14th in the NL MVP voting that same season.

I mailed to the signing on December 18 and got the card back on March 19, for a 91-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15.00.

TTM Success - Steven Sollmann

Another 2007 Bowman Chrome came out of my rookies box and got signed when I got this one back TTM from Steven Sollmann.

Sollmann (b. 1982) was a 10th round pick by the Brewers in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of Notre Dame.  He played in the minors from 2004 to 2008, reaching AAA.  He had 457 hits, 7 home runs and a .291 batting average.

I mailed to Sollmann on February 1 and got the card back on March 19, for a 46-day TAT.

TTM Success - Orlando Pena

Orlando Pena was a player who I had heard about, but hadn't gotten around to sending to him TTM.  I finally saw him in my 1991 Crown Orioles set, so I decided to send to him.  I wanted to send something else, so I raided my 1959 Topps set, pulled his card, and replaced it with a later purchase.

The 1959 Topps turned out great; I doubt there will be many more of these added to the album, so when I get the chance to get one done, I'm going to take it.

The 1991 Crown Orioles turned out well, also, even though his autograph is a bit hard to see.

Pena (b. 1933) played in the majors from 1958 to 1960, 1962 to 1967, 1970 to 1971 and 1973 to 1975 for the Reds, A's (Kansas City), Tigers, Indians, Pirates, Orioles, Cardinals and Angels.  He had a career record of 56-77 with 818 strike outs and a 3.71 ERA.

I mailed to Pena on February 25 and got the cards back on March 18, for a 21-day TAT.  He also included a note where he wrote out the 1971 Orioles lineup and also signed the envelope I mailed the cards in.

August 22, 2021, Graphing Recap of Dash at Crawdads

A last minute trip t Hickory yesterday yielded a few autographs to put into my binder after I did a little pregame graphing with Chris.  We had gone to one of my dad's races in Mooresville, and I figured I would try to get a few cards from the Wood Ducks team set taken care of while I was in the general area.  Unfortunately, most of the former Wood Ducks I needed were pitchers, and I learned that it is really hard to get pitchers to sign in Hickory with their COVID restrictions.  You can hardly get near any of them if they hang in the bullpen area.

Still, we came away with a few signed cards, even though we left in the third inning so we could get home at a decent time.  I was really glad to get the above 2017 Panini Elite Extra Edition David Garcia signed.  I got this card when the 2017 Elite Extra Edition came out, and kept the card with my Rangers stuff, waiting for him to come to the Wood Ducks.  He never did, but thankfully, I noticed him on the Crawdads roster, and remembered exactly where I had the card.  It looks great, and it is one less card hanging out in my box, now.

I knocked out a couple Jonathan Ornelas cards; he signed 2 per for both Chris and I.  I also took a 50.50 from Gerard, and got a could Jared Walkers knocked out for him.  The 2014 Bowman was mine to begin with, and he provided a blue wave chrome version of that same card, and two of the 2014 Elite Extra Editions.

I dug deep in my boxes and came up with the 1998 Team Best Hiram Bocachica, which was a cool find.  He was really nice, and spoke with me and a nice lady who was beside me, a Crawdads season ticket holder who helped me identify the players as they walked by.  She saved me a ton of time from having to look at the roster and match up numbers.

I was able to get one former Wood Duck, Dustin Harris, which was nice, because he is tearing up High A pitching at the moment.  It was also nice to hit a couple 2019 Bowman draft, and also the 2020 Topps Heritage Minors Ezequiel Duran.

The season is winding down, and I doubt I'll be able to do many more away games at other stadiums, but I'm going to try.  I know I've knocked out more cards that I thought I would this season, and there's still 3 or 4 weeks to go.

TTM Success - John Hardy

This 2006 Bowman Chrome blue refractor that I got signed TTM by John Hardy turned out so well.  I don't remember how I came about getting the card; it is likely from the card boxes I got when my LCS closed.  Still, the card is really nice, and will be added to my autograph album.

Hardy (b. 1982) was a 7th round pick by the Phillies in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Arizona.  He played in the Phillies system from 2004 to 2006, reaching A ball.  He had 110 hits, 1 home run and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Hardy on March 6 and got the card back on March 18, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Vince Horsman

Vince Horsman was in my "to-be-ttmed" box for quite a long time.  I kept putting off sending to him, then I finally wanted to get the cards out of there, so I mailed.  The cards turned out great, and are some that I don't have a lot of in my albums.  The above 1993 Fleer turned out really well.  I have a 5,000-count box of these, but it the the very bottom of the pile of boxes, and I rarely make time to look through it.  I should try to get into it more, but I just don't make the effort.  One of these days, I will.

I also sent Horsman cards from 1994 Fleer, 1993 Donruss and 1993 Topps.  These all had white borders, and looked really similar when you put the sets side-by-side.

I also got a coupld Stadium Club cards signed; 1992 and 1993.  Both turned out really well.

Horsman (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1991 to 1995 for the Blue Jays, A's and Twins.  He had a record of 4-2 with 61 strike outs and a 4.07 ERA.

I mailed to Horsman on March 8 and got the cards back on March 18, for a 10-day TAT.

Possible TTM Success From Billy Crystal

When this TTM success came in from Billy Crystal, I was really excited.  That was until I posted them on my Instagram and was told by a lot of people that there's a strong possibility that he has a ghost signer sign his mail.  Dang.  I was really glad to get this Empire State Building Allen and Ginter card signed.  It still looks cool though.

Crystal (b. 1948) is an actor and comedian best known for his roles in The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers; he hosted the Oscars countless times and was a cast member and also multi-time host of SNL.

I mailed to Crystal on February 22 and got the cards back on March 15 for a 21-day TAT.  Whether they're ghost signed or not, they're still going in the album.

TTM Success - Colton Cowser

When this TTM success came in, Colton Cowset had not yet been drafted by the Orioles.  The same thing happened last year when Heston Kjerstad was drafted; I had previously gotten the guy TTM, not he's an Oriole.

The cards I got signed by Cowser turned out really well.  The signature is hard to see on this 2020 Stars and Stripes, but it looks nice in person, I assure you.

Cowser (b. 2000) was drafted by the Orioles in the first round (5th overall) in the July 2021 anateur draft out of Sam Houston State University.  He is currently at Low A Delmarva, after spending a few weeks in the Florida Complex League.  He has 13 hits, 1 home run and a .464 batting average so far this season.

I mailed to Cowser on January 22 and got the cards back on March 15, for a 52-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bailey Horn

This TTM success came in well before the minor league season started, and also well before I actually was able to get Bailey Horn IP.  I may have looked through my boxes thinking I had a blue parallel somewhere.  I did later realize that the card had been sent TTM and was waiting to be scanned.  One of these days, I will finally be caught up.

Horn (b. 1998) was a 5th round draft pick by the White Sox in the 2020 June Amateur Draft out of Auburn University.  He has played in two levels of the minors, Low and High A.  He was traded to the Cubs in exchange for Ryan Tepera.  So far, he has a record of 2-3 with 48 strike outs and a 5.95 ERA. 

I mailed to Horn on January 8 and got the cards back on March 15, for a 66-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jack Taschner

A few Upper Deck cards came out of my boxes for this TTM success from Jack Taschner.  I've got a box that is pretty much all Upper Deck products.  Although I prefer Topps, I do like some of the Upper Deck designs, and enjoy adding them to my autograph album.  I had found a few Jack Taschner cards, and was able to get them signed TTM.

Taschner (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2005 to 2010 for the Giants, Phillies and Dodgers.  He had a record of 10-5 with 160 strike outs and a 5.14 ERA.

I mailed to Taschner on September 23 and got the cards back on March 17, for a 175-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan McBroom

My mail has been very dry lately.  I have gotten very few TTM successes, although I have a ton out there, waiting for their return.  In the meantime, I haven't written many, since the season has been ongoing.  Normally, I would write to some minor league teams, but I haven't seen many successes this year.  My thinking is that players and teams are still scared of COVID, so a lot of mail is going unanswered.  Maybe that means I will get caught up with my past TTM posts at some point this year.  Doubtful, sure, but I'll at least try.

I sent this card off to Ryan McBroom via Royals Spring Training and got it back signed.  I was glad to add another 2020 Topps to th autograph album, and see another Spring Training return.

McBroom (b. 1992) was a 15th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2014 June Amateur Draft out of the University of West Virginia.  He has played in the majors since 2019 for the Royals.  He has 44 hits, 6 home runs and a .268 batting average.

I mailed to McBroom on February 25 and got the card back on March 13, for a 16-day TAT.

August 10-15, 2021 Mudcats at Wood Ducks

After being away from the Wood Ducks for almost a month, I finally was able to get back to Grainger Stadium this week and do some graphing.  I was following up the National by getting some of my purchases signed, and they all turned out great (like the above 2020 Bowman Draft sapphire parallel of Thomas Saggese).

The series started on Tuesday with the much-anticipated return of pitcher, Owen White.  He has been out all year with a broken leg, and I was finally able to get some cards signed by him.

Some more National pickups; I had to pick up every Mason Englert that I could find.  I got them done, and they turned out awesome.

Here are a couple more Saggeses.  The purple Chrome parallel was way off-center, but the card is cool.  I had actually found two purple refractors (the one of the left isn't one, it is a purple paper parallel), so Chris got the better of the two.

I had received some customs from Rangersautos on Instagram (the Valentin) and my good friend, Dugan, made a few others.  So, I had some extra stuff to get done toward the end of the series.

I finally was able to get a 2015 Stars & Stripes of Noah Campbell signed for myself, as well as a bunch of cards of the returning Antione Kelly and Micah Bello.

Sal Frelick made his debut, after being drafted in the first round of the 2021 July Amateur Draft.  He was really nice, and signed one of Dugan's customs.  Frelick was impressed with the card that Dugan made, and Dugan actually gave him one ot the end of Sunday's game.

I probably should have scanned this Antione Kelly with the others, and the Frelick right here.  Oh well, this 2020 Topps Pro Debut turned out really well.  I was glad to get it out of my graphing box, because I was afraid the season would end before I could get it signed.

The big highlight of this series was that I was finally able to get my hands on some team sets.  I have been waiting all season for them, and they arrived while I was at the National.  There are several players in the set who have moved on to Hickory and several more on the DL.  I'm hoping some of those players come back, so I can get closer to finishing the set.

We got all of the coaches and also DEWD, who finally came out of hibernation.  I didn't miss any of the active players, and I am hoping a few come off of the DL by next series (like, Cody Freeman).

The team sets are really nice, but nothing will beat the 2019 Mudcats team set.  That one might be my favorite design so far that I have seen, even though I do like the Wood Ducks sets from 2017.

Finally, we realized that Rangers roving instructor, Geno Petralli, was in town (he even got ejected from Friday's game; the umpires were that bad).  I got every Petralli card that I could find signed, so I am now out of his stuff (I think).

I had a good time getting back to Grainger Stadium and spending some time with Dugan and Billy, as well as some of the other graphers.  The season is winding down, and I know I'm going to miss this when the off-season hits.