2022 National Pickup - Roy Campanella Signed Baseball

While cleaning out my backpack from the National, I realized that I forgot to post a few of the baseballs I picked up, most importantly, this one signed by Hall of Famer, Roy Campanella.  I don't know how I missed it; I really thought I had already posted it.  Anyway, I got a great deal on it and was glad it was a pre-accident signature.

Campanella (b. 1921 - d. 1993) played in the majors from 1948 until 1957 for the Dodgers.  A car accident in January 1958 left him paralyzed.  He had 1,161 hits, 242 home runs and a .276 batting average.

He was an All Star from 1949 to 1956 and a three-time NL MVP (1951, 1953 and 1955).  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1955.

Campanella was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969 (his 7th ballot, includong two run-offs) with 79.4% of the vote.

Campanella is my 166th Hall of Famer on a baseball.

A Signed Card From Gerard

I got a package in from my good friend, Gerard the other day that had some birthday stuff (that I'll post later) and this card that he was able to get signed for me by Andy Fox.  I like the design of the card, a 1996 Select.  I have a thing for wood-grain cards, and this is a nice one.

Fox (b. 1991) played in the majors from 1996 to 2004 for the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Expos and Rangers.  He had 461 hits, 30 home runs and a .239 batting average.  He won the World Series in 1996 with the Yankees.

Thanks for getting this signed for me, Gerard.  It will look great in the album.

Some Missed Cards From Drake

My stack of stuff to be scanned got mixed up a while back, and some stuff that people had sent me didn't get posted correctly.  Some of the cards that got mixed up were part of the blind trade I did with my friend, Drake.  I was able to finally figure out who sent what (pretty much) and am now only days away from being all caught up with scanning.

Drake hooked me up with a bunch of cards in this blind trade.  Basically, a blind trade is each of you sends each other a number of cards, the other person matches that number.  It worked out pretty well for the both of us.  Drake did pretty well in not doubling up on guys I had already gotten.  He also sent me a bunch of random team set guys who will look cool in my album.

I was really happy that Drake included this Drew Robinson card.  I had tried Robinson TTM last season (or maybe it was this season), but didn't get a card back.  Robinson's story is an interesting one.  He is an advocate now for mental health, as he suffered tremendously with his.  To the point where he tried to take his own life.  He survived, and was able to get a Spring Training invitation from the Giants, without the use of one of his eyes (it was permanently damaged as a result of his attempt).  He is now a mental health coach for the Giants, and his story can be found online.  It is a recommended read.  Click Here for a link to the article.

I liked these random cards from Drake, as well.  He definitely added an assortment to the album.

Finally, here are some recent Bowmans that Drake sent along.  I was glad to add these to the album.

Thank you so much for the cards, Drake.  I really appreciate the cards!  I hope you liked yours.

50-50 Return From Mike in Texas

For some reason, my Texas connections have fallen off recently.  I thought I had found a good 50-50 partner there to make up for it, but since it took a year to get these signed cards back from Mike in Texas, I think I will be on the lookout for someone else to take Frisco and Round Rock cards.

I was glad Mike took the cards that he took, and I was able to finally get a few of my Hans Crouse cards signed, but he held the cards hostage while I worked out a trade to get my 2019 Bowman Draft Davis Wendzel card back.  He knew I was only sending one of his cards, which is all I could find.  I told him that ahead of time.  He agreed to take the card and got it signed, but when it came time to send everything back, he thought he should hold everything until I sent something suitable for Wendzel in return.

I have gone on record saying that I hate trading, and this was a scenario that made me dislike it even more.  I had told him that I would show him some of my extras and we could work out a deal, but when I offered him anything, he would come back with "I only want top 100 prospects."  So, I found the best names I could find (like Leody Taveras, who, at the time was a top 100 prospect for the Rangers, of course) and he said "I don't know who that is..."  That happened with every player I showed him.  I got frustrated and said I would revisit the deal later.  Well, I got busy and forgot.  Finally, I went back and remembered that he still had m cards, so I told him to just keep the dang Wendzel card and send me the rest of my stuff back.  I got the cards back, so essentially, I traded the Wendzel for the Wendzel.  He could have just asked to keep it, and I would have let him, but he wanted to try to squeeze a Bobby Witt, Jr. or Adley Rutschmann out of me.  Yeah, that wasn't going to happen for a Davis Wendzel.

Needless to say, I won't be sending 50/50s out to this guy again.  Not when we agreed to the deal at the beginning, only to have my stuff held hostage in favor of a "better deal".  I was set to give him a stack of autos, but he wouldn't have it.  Oh well.  I'm bound to find a grapher in Texas who goes regularly, versus the guys I know who don't really graph anymore.

TTM Success - Juan Pierre

Juan Pierre had been in my "to be TTMed" stack for quite a while before I finally saw an opening in which to get the cards to him.  I sent some nice cards, like the above 2005 Topps Turkey Red.  This card looks great.  I used to have a bunch of these, but sold off a lot of them over the years.

I also sent off this 2003 Fleer Focus, which will look great in my album.

Pierre (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2000 to 2013 for the Rockies, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, White Sox and Phillies.  He had 2,217 hits, 18 home runs and a .295 batting average.  He led the NL in hits in 2004 and 2006, and had 200 or more hits in four seasons.  He led the NL in stolen bases in 2001 and 2003, and led the AL in 2,010.  His 614 stolen bases rank 18th, all-time.  His best MVP finish was 10th (NL) in 2003.  He won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003.  Pierre appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2019, but received no votes.

I mailed to Pierre on March 21 and got the cards back on September 13, for a 176-day TAT.

50-50 Returns From Cody M

Normally, I like to keep a positive spin on my posts, but in reality, not all of my trading and 50/50 experiences are positive ones.  This one from a guy named Cody started out promising, but ended after almost a year of little communication and almost not getting my cards back.

Cody hit me up last season, asking me to do 50/50s with him for that season.  I was advised by a mutual friend that I should proceed with caution, but I sent some stuff anyway.   I waited until the end of the season, and started messaging Cody about when he would send my stuff back.  No responses for quite a while, I was ready to give up on these cards and take the loss.  Our mutual friend told me that he probably would run into Cody this season while graphing and could help me get my stuff back.  A couple months ago, I finally got a message from him.  It was loaded with excuses and a half-apology.  Finally, I got my cards back.  Kind of.

A lot of what I sent was sent back unsigned, with a bunch of random cards tossed in.  The ones that were signed were great and all, but I'm not 100% certain they're all ones that I sent.

One positive that I got from this experience is that I now log what 50/50s I've sent to people to help me better track what I've got out to folks.  Cody has reached out to me a couple times after this to try to have me send him more stuff, but I have respectfully declined.  I'm not one to block folks, but I also don't want to send more stuff out and have to wait a year to get it back.

I guess trades and 50/50s aren't always sunshine and rainbows, but I do feel bad about not being more positive this morning.

Various 50-50s From Patrick

Taking a couple days off from posting didn't put me any farther behind than I thought I would be, which is nice.  I still have several 50/50s I need to catch up on and what will probably end up being a card dump post of stuff that I just can't tell where it came from.  I did, however, figure out which signed cards I got back from my friend, Patrick, and got them all into this post.

Patrick took a bunch of cards for Wilmington and Harrisburg for me the last to seasons, and did pretty well getting me most of my cards signed.  I was glad he was able to get Tim Cate done for me; he helped me finish a couple of the duals with Owen White that I had already posted a while back.

He also helped me knock out some random cards, as well as a few Carolina League All Star cards.  I wish they would bring back the league all star games.  It is so stupid that the minor leagues haven't been having them.

Patrick helped me get a 2011 Bowman Chrome signed.  I haven't been through that box in a while, since there haven't been many guys I've seen lately in that set.  I probably will go through that box soon and get some TTMs from it.

Finally, Patrick got a few more Frank Viola cards done for me.  I still have several of his cards, in case I see him at High Point again.

I appreciate Patrick getting these cards signed for me.  I didn't send him as many cards this season, as we both were busy, but he does have a package he is going to send back soon.  I also owe him some of his cards, so I need to get them in the mail too.

September 2022 Graphing of Tides at Bulls

With several PDOs to burn, I took two days off this week to go up to Durham for Stranger Things night on Thursday and also to do some graphing for what might be my last time this season.  The Norfolk Tides were in Durham, and I was able to assemble my book fairly quickly, since I already had a good many Orioles minor leaguers put aside.  Still, the prep work was tedious, but worth it in the end.

I finally got to graph Grayson Rodriguez, and luckily was able to get him on two cards.  The above 2021 Bowman Chrome purple mojo refractor turned out great, and is numbered 220/250.

Also, Tyler Glasnow has been rehabbing in Durham, and I was able to get this orange foil 2020 Donruss signed.  This card will look really cool in my album, and will be somewhat unique, since I didn't open much 2020 Donruss.  This card came out of one of the former card shop boxes.

I wish I had pulled out two Brujan cards for him to sign, other than letting him choose the two, as I had a 2022 Topps chrome mojo 87 that I would have rather he sign.  I tried getting him on arrival today, but never saw him.  Oh, well.  The 2022 Bowman and 2022 Topps are fine additions to my album anyway.  I finally got my 2021 Mosiac Josh Fleming done.  I had sent one to him TTM, but haven't seen it come back yet.  I also finally got Josh Lowe and Luke Railey done, after missing them several times in Durham.

Today's arrival was really nice; I got Yonny Chirinos on two, with the help of my good friend, Jackson.  Seeing Jackson the last two days after missing him all season was also really great.  I finally got my 2021 Bulls team set card of Reinaldo Ruiz signed after missing him a bunch of times.

I also finally got this 2019 Topps gold Rays card signed by Ralph Garza.  Since he has played at Tropicana, I figured I'd get him to sign it, since I didn't have any other cards of his.

Surprisingly, I was able to finish four of m 2019 Midwest League All Star cards: Chris Vallimont, Logan Gillaspie, Xavier Edwards and Grant Witherspoon.  The Gillaspie had been randomly sitting on my desk for a while, and finally has a home in my album.

Speaking of finally getting cards into my album, here are a few that i have had my eye on getting signed for a little while now.  The 2015 NY-Penn League All Star card of Spenser Watkins brought a comment from him when he saw it.  I also was finally able to finish the dual card of Grayson Rodriguez and Cadyn Grenier from 2018 Bowman.  The 2020 Topps Pro Debut Chrome refractor of Yusniel Diaz is another that I really wanted done, and I was smart enough this time to only show that one to him when he was signing.  That way I knew it would get done.

Also, I got some nice cards signed by Brett Phillips.  Jackson told me ahead of time that Phillips was really nice, and he didn't disappoint.  He really was cool, and talked to us a good bit.

Phillips signed a bunch, and I really appreciated it.  He got a nice assortment of cards done for me, which I appreciated.  I left without any of his cards to put back into my boxes.

I got a lot of Orioles affiliates' team set cards signed, as well as some other stuff.  I upgraded my 2022 Topps signed by Bruce Zimmermann, since the one he signed for me TTM was signed in ballpoint pen.  I also got my 2022 SAL Top Prospects Connor Norby card signed, and had a nice conversation with him about ECU.

Chris Vallimont was really cool.  He was easy to spot; he was wearing a retro Cleveland Browns jersey, as the Browns were playing last night.

Finally, Nick Vespi wouldn't sign outside for arrival, but did tell us that he would sign inside.  I asked him if he would be in the bullpen, since my seats were right there.  He said yes and that he would look for me inside.  He was true to his word, and signed for me right before the National Anthem.

Last night's game was exciting, with the Bulls winning in a walk off.  Their Stranger Things jerseys were really cool, and I may bid on one of them.  I was wearing the one that I won years ago, signed by Brandon Snyder.

In all, I got the following signatures: Cooper Criswell x 1, Yonny Chirinos x 2, Xavier Edwards x 3, Ralph Garza x 1, Angel Perdomo x 3, Reinaldo Ruiz x 2, Vidal Brujan x 2, Josh Fleming x 1, Tyler Glasnow x 1, Josh Lowe x 2, Luke Raley x 2, Grant Witherspoon x 1, Ryan Conroy x 2, Yusniel Diaz x 2, Cam Gallagher x 1, Logan Gillaspie x 1, Morgan McSweeney x 2, Tyler Nevin x 1, Connor Norby x 1, Jacob Nottingham x 1, Brett Phillips x 8, Justin Ramsey x 1, Grayson Rodriguez x 2, Ramon Sambo x 1, Chris Vallimont x 6, Nick Vespi x 3, Spenser Watkins x 1 and Bruce Zimmermann x 4 (58 total autographs)

TTM Success - Tim Mauser

Another TTM success came in from a request that had been out for a while; Tim Mauser.  I was able to get a 1994 Topps (above) and a 1995 Topps (below) signed.  Both turned out great.  I have found that I like 1994 Topps, even though sorting through them is a pain.  This is, of course, due to the overgloss on them that causes the set to be bricked.  Otherwise, the individual cards look really nice when signed.

1995 Topps also looks nice when signed; the set had some good photos in it, and I have gotten a few of those signed in the past.

Mauser (b. 1966) played in the majors i 1991 and from 1993 to 1995 for the Phillies and Padres.  He had a record of 2-6 with 93 strike outs and a 4.37 ERA.

I mailed to Mauser on November 22, 2021, and got the cards back on September 12, 2022, for a 294-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jeren Kendall

Bowman Hi Tek is a nice product.  I remember back when it was Topps Tek in the early 2000s, but Topps applied it to Bowman and called it Hi Tek more recently.  I had found these two cards of Jeren Kendall a while back and sent them to him TTM.  I had gotten him before in 2019, so I figured enough time had passed for me to send again.

Both of these cards turned out nicely.  They are two different patterns, so I have them side by side in the autograph album.

I mailed to Kendall on January 28, 2021, and got the cards back on September 9, 2022, for a 589-day TAT.

A Free Autograph For a Failed Private Signing

There was a private signing listed for Tommy Harper that I wanted to get in on, so I signed up and sent off a 1964 Topps.  The signing ended up being canceled.  I got my card and my money back.  I was also sent this 1989 Bowman Bob Stanley as a consolation.

I like the card, as it fills another spot in my album page for oversized Bowman cards.  I have one more slot to fill, and that page will be complete.  I'll probably pick up something to send out for it at a future card show. 

Matt F With 50-50 Returns

There should be a bunch of 50/50 returns coming in soon now that .inor league seasons are wrapping up. I'm glad that I'm getting a handle on my posts, because that means a ton of cards are headed back (hopefully).

A friend of mine from Instagram (Matt F) took some 50/50s last season and this year, we expanded further and sent out a ton of stuff to each other. Matt may have gotten me the most out of everything I sent to everyone, as far as 50/50s go. I had pulled these Joe Boyle cards when I busted 2020 Bowman Draft and had hoped I could send them TTM. It's never able to fi d a good address for him, but got lucky when I saw that Matt could take him.  The cards look awesome and now I don't have to worry about getting them signed.

Parker Meadows was another guy I had held cards for TTM, but sent them to Matt, instead. I'm glad he got these done for me, as well.

I love getting random cards out of my boxes and sent out for TTMs and 50/50s.  I've become a bit of a hoarder, as far as cards go, and making room for new stuff is always good.  I kept running into the 2015 Heritage Chi Chi Gonzalez in my box, so it was nice to finally get it signed and into my album.  I was also tired of seeing these two James Marinans in the Bowman boxes, and now they're done, as well.

Matt really hooked me up with some guys this season, and it is really appreciated.  I moved a bunch of recent Bowman stuff out of my box.

Matt's home minor league team was Dayton, but I ust found out that he moved. I'm hoping he can take 50/50s next season, since he does so well with getting my stuff signed. It is going to be tough not being able to knock out Dayton guys as easily as I had with Matt. I guess I'll have to find someone else who sees them.

Matt hit me up on a bunch of the coaches for Dayton and some other guys from that league.  He also sent me a few extra autos he had, as I had done with him. 

He was able to get Bryan LaHair for me on a few cards, which was great.  I was also glad to move a few Jimmy Jones out of my Topps boxes.

Finally, Matt got a couple Juan Samuel cards signed for me.  He had gotten a little difficult the last couple of years, as far as signing his mail.  I think I opted for a private signing to ensure that I got my 1987 Topps Phillies leaders card signed; I should have waited. Thing is, had I have waited, he may not have signed for Matt.

Thanks so much for getting all of these cards signed for me, Matt.

A Couple Signed Cards From Connor

Having leftovers from a team that you see can be frustrating.  That's why I've worked to have a decent network of folks who see other teams; this helps me finish off some cards.  I had picked up this 2020 Bowman Chrome Sapphire parallel of Zavier Warren at a card show in Richmond, thinking I would see him again.  He was moved up shortly thereafter, so I was stuck with the card.  I found someone on Instagram, a guy names Connor, who was willing to take the card, without me having to send 50/50s or pay a consignment fee.  The card got signed, and turned out nicely.

He also took this Russell Smith that I had pulled from 2021 Bowman Draft.  When he said he could also take this card, I was excited, as it looks awesome when scanned.

I really appreciated Connor taking these for me and getting them done.  He sees the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, so I may now have a hookup for guys after they leave the Mudcats.

TTM Success - Jorge Mateo

A private signing popped up for current Orioles shortstop, Jorge Mateo.  I figured I would go ahead and get a couple of his cards signed and signed up.  The above 2018 Topps Heritage Deckle Edge insert was a card I really wanted to get signed.  His actual signature is on the left.

I also got a 2022 Topps signed, and it turned out nicely, as well.

Mateo (b. 1995) has played in the majors since 2020 for the Padres and Orioles.  He currently has a career average of 228 with 150 hits and 17 home runs.

I mailed to the signing on August 16 and got the cards back on September 9, for a 24-day TAT.

Logan K Returns Some Autographs

A cool thing that happened when Chris and I were on our road trip out west was meeting some of the local graphers at the stadiums that we went to.  I was able to connect with one of the ones from Wichita, and he agreed to take some cards that I missed and try to get them signed.  He had never done a 50/50 with someone before, but that's not quite what we did.  Instead, we pretty much did a league swap.  I got him some Wood Ducks, and also some of their opponents.  Logan worked on some of my Wichita stuff, and also took some other teams.

Logan saw Corpus Christi after I had left Wichita, so he took some of the cards I had for them.  I was really happy to get the above Matt Ruppenthal from my Midwest League All Star set completed, as well as the Joe Perez 2017 Bowman Chrome purple refractor.

Logan sent back a few of the Wichita team set guys I missed; he is still working on some of the others.  I tried to get Simeon Woods-Richardson, but missed him completely.  I would have knocked out several of his cards, had I been able to stop him.  He signs TTM, but it is still nice getting people in person.

Here are the rest of the Corpus Christi guys that Logan got for me.  I had these pulled and put aside with Astros stuff, since Fayetteville is their Low A team.  I had never pulled the higher-up guys out of the box (thanks for not getting around to it).  It ended up making for a quick search when Logan told me he was seeing Astros AA guys.

Thanks for getting the autographs for me, Logan.  Next year, we will be able to swap early on, and knock out a lot more stuff!