TTM Success - Felipe Alou

These Felipe Alou cards have been waiting a long time to get signed.  I had a couple that I sent off TTM to Spring Training a while back, but they haven't come in.  Alou usually serves as a guest instructor at Giants Spring Training, but hasn't been there the last couple of years.  So, I'm not sure those sill come back.  I sent the above 1964 Topps and below 1974 Topps to a private signing a d got them back signed.  They turned out great.

Alou (b. 1935) played in the majors from 1958 to 1974 for the Giants, Braves (Milwaukee and Atlanta), A's, Yankees, Expos and Brewers.  He had 2,101 hits, 206 home runs and a .286 batting average.  He had over 200 hits twice in his career (1966 and 1968).  He was a 3-time All Star (1962, 1966 and 1968).  His best MVP finish was 5th (NL, 1966).  He appeared on the 1980 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.8% of the vote.

Alou managed the Expos from 1992 to 2001 and the Giants from 2003 to 2006.  His managerial record was 1,033-1,021 (.503 win %).  He was the 1994 NL Mmager of the Year.

I mailed to the signing on March 26 and got the cards back on April 29, for a 34-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $25/card.

TTM Success - Joe Azcue

While I was out of town graphing in Richmond, one TTM came back on Saturday.  I had sent two Joe Azcue cards that I pulled from Conrads boxes, the above 1964 Topps and the below 1971 Topps.

Both of the cards turned out great.  I was glad to get a couple vintage cards back signed; I only have a small ha full left of stuff that I had pulled from Conrad's boxes, sk I need to get them out. 

Azcue (b. 1939) played in the majors in 1960, from  1962 to 1970 and 1972 for the Reds, A's (Kansas City), Indians, Red Sox, Angels and Brewers.  He had 712 hits, 50 home runs and a .252 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1968.

I mailed to Azcue on March 25 and got the cards back on April 27, for a 33-day TAT. I paid Azcue's fee of $5/card.

April 27-28, 2024, Graphing of Baysox at Flying Squirrels

This weekend, Chris and I went to Richmond and met up with Ryan to graph two games between the Baysox and Flying Squirrels.  I had been looking forward to this series since I pulled the above magenta lunar crater chrome parallel of Samuel Basallo's 2023 Bowman Draft.  Basallo was one of only two autographs I got on Saturday.

Basallo hit his paper Bowman Draft as well.  He was really nice, and had a great game on Sunday, hitting two homers.

Bowie was pretty tough on Saturday, like I said.  Sunday was much better, as the three of us, along with my friend Charlie, who showed up toward the end of Sunday's game, hit Bowie outside the stadium as they were boarding the buses.

I was able to get almost all of the guys I needed, missing Kade Strowd and Silas Ardoin completely.  Still, I got a good amount out of the boxes and into the album. 

Pregame Sunday, I concentrated on the Richmond side of the stadium for the first time.  Ryan and Chris hung back and tried Bowie.  I got Reggie Crawford first, which was really cool.  I was able to feed my book under the netting and Crawford did two of the three cards I had.

I was told ahead of time that Hunter Bishop would be one per, so I pulled this lime green parallel out of the book and fed it under the net when Bishop finally came over.  He ignored me at first as he went to stretch, then I made eye contact with him and signaled a request to sign.  He gestured that he would come over after he finished, but walked by afterward.  I had put the card up, only to see Bishop coming back.  I hastily found the card and was able to get it signed.  This 2021 Bowman has some miles on it, as it went out for a couple missed 50/50s.  It finally rests in the album with some ink on it.

The rest of the Flying Squirrels were really nice.  Each of Jimmy Glowenke, Grant McCray, Ryan Murphy and Will Wilson struck up conversations as they were signing.  I was glad to finally get a few if these guys, and feel like I did pretty well over on the Richmond side.

Post-game was when we did the best on Bowie.  Most of the guys we called over by the buses came over and signed a few cards.  We must have missed Ardoin, as we didn't see him get on the bus, but he must have when we were distracted by getting someone else to sign.

In all, I got the following autographs: Samuel Basallo x 4, Dylan Beavers x 5, Kyle Brnovich x 1, Jud Fabian x 2, Seth Johnson x 1, John Rhodes x 4, Anthony Servideo x 3, Hunter Bishop x 1, Reggie Crawford x 2, Jimmy Glowenke x 3, Grant McCray x 3, Ryan Murphy x 3 and Will Wilson x 3 (35 total autographs).

Another Card Care Package From Drake

My friend Drake sent me another care package of autographs the other day that had a few guys I haven't been able to get before.  The above Luis Rodriguez Virtuosic Vibrations card is pretty cool. 

He sent me these signed cards of Shea Langeliers, Chavez Fernander, Jesus Luzardo, Alejo Lopez, Yusmerio Petit, Blake Mitchell,Starling Heredia, Matt Vierling and Fran Alduey.  I believe Langeliers is the only one of these guys that I was able to see in person.

Here are Austin Smith, Jhon Diaz, Nick Williams and Harrison Bader.  I have Diaz on a few cards, but I liked the paint pen used on this one, so it made the cut to get into the album. 

I don't know how to feel about this 2011 Bowman Brandon Martin auto.  He is serving a life sentence for murdering his father, uncle and a security system installation contractor by beating them with a baseball bat.  I don't know where Drake found this card, but wow.  That's rough.

Anyway, thanks for the cards, Drake.  I appreciate the care package and I should be able to put one together for you soon. 

TTM Success - Calvin Maduro

A TTM success came in yesterday after what had been a very slow week.  I got this 1995 Bowman signed by former Oriole, Calvin Maduro during a private signing on SCN, and it turned out nicely.  I don't have many 1995 Bowman as all, so adding this one to the album was a must.  It also sat on my desk for a long time, so it was good to finally get it moved.

Maduro (b. 1974) played in the majors in 1996, 1997 and from 2001 to 2003 for the Phillies and Orioles.  He had a record of 10-19 with 140 strike outs and a 5.78 ERA.  He was an Orioles prospect on the 95 Bowmaj, but had to wait until 2001 to play for them.  He had been traded to the Philles in 1996 to complete the trade for Pete Incaviglia and Todd Ziele.

I mailed to the signing on April 8 and got the card back on April 26, for an 18-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00.

More Signed Cards From Max

My friend, Max, sent me another batch of signed cards recently that added a ton more guys to the autograph album.  He has helped me get so many cards out of my boxes and got them signed.   The above Garrett Cooper 2021 Topps rainbow foil turned out great.  I'm pretty sure I'm out of Garrett Cooper cards by now, but you never know. There's probably a box in my stack of boxes that has a couple more I need to dig out.

Something that I have learned to love is the search function of the blog.  If I mention all of the players shown, I'll be able to search and know who I have in my albums.  That's a big help, especially when someone like Max hooks me up with so many different players.  So, here are signed cards of Ryan O'Hearn, Korey Lee, Kyle Cody, Ty Blach, Garrett Cooper and Brenton Doyle.

I was really glad to get some Cole Tucker cards signed, especially the 2019 Bowman Heritage (top left). The 2021 Topps Pro Debut of Alfonso Rivas looks nice.  Im reappy glad to get those out of the boxes because the font used on 2021 Topps, Chrome and Pro Debut is so hard to read, especially when leafing through cards in a hurry.

Kyle Freeland, Peter Lambert and Jake Bird round out this stack of cards.

Here are two team cards Max used, Tyler Holton at the top and Joe Davis at the bottom.

Here are a bunch of coach cards that Max got signed: Rigo Beltran, Lane Zawadski, Darren Holmes, Dave Bush, Tom Goodwin and Juan Nieves.  That Dave Bush 2007 Topps Heritage turned out great.  I wish I had kept the bulk cards I used to have from that set.

Finally, here are a few Bobby Meacham and Jose Hernandez cards.

Thanks for hooking me up, as always, Max.  I have another box ready to ship, which will hopefully go out tomorrow!

Another TTM Success From Willie Horton

TTMs have slowed to a crawl lately, but one came in yesterday that I was excited about.  I had signed up for another private signing with Willie Horton to get some nice vintage cards signed.  I started off with this 1972 Topps Boyhood Photos of the Stars, which looks really nice. 

I followed up with his 1973 and 1980 Topps, which also turned out well.  I'm not sure if I have any Horton cards left after this signing, but I do know that these three sat in my to-be-TTMed box for quite some time.

I mailed to the signing on April 8 and got the cards back on April 25, for a 17-day TAT. I paid a fee of $15/card.

A Consignment For CJ Kayfus

Last season, my brother Philip and I saw Miami at Wake Forest and we were able to get CJ Kayfus on some Perfect Game cards.  Since then, he was drafted by the Guardians and appeared in 2023 Bowman Draft.  I came across someone on Facebook who was willing to get Kayfus to sign a couple Bowman Draft, since he started the season at Lake County instead of Lynchburg.  I tried to get the guy to get Kayfus to sign the cards "Go U", but he wouldn't, apparently.  Oh well, I tried.

Kayfus (b. 2001) was drafted in the 3rd round by the Guardians during the 2023 July Amateur Draft out of Miami (FL).  Since 2023, he has played at Low and High A ball for the Guardians. He has 29 hits, 6 home runs and a .296 batting average.

I appreciate the guy getting the cards signed for me, but I'm not the biggest fan of having to pay.  I'd have much rather worked out a 50/50 deal or something else like a league swap. Oh well.

TTM Success - Rod Gaspar

Another of Conrad's 1971 Topps cards came back signed TTM when I got this one back from Rod Gaspar.  There isn't much going on with the card, but it's signed and in the album. 

Gaspar (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1969 to 1971 and 1974 for the Mets and Padres. He had 54 hits, 1 home run and a .208 batting average. 

I mailed to Gaspar on April 6 and got the card back on April 20, for a 14-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Tom McCraw

These cards took a whole to come in, and traveled a long way, but they got signed by Tom McCraw.  His address changed, but I was able to find a working one and added these to the autograph album. The above 1975 Topps Mini turned out nicely.

I also got a 1964 Topps, 1967 Topps and a 1974 Topps signed.  The 1967 is rough, but it is signed and locked into the album.  I also got an index card promoting McCraw's Instagram account: @TommyMcCrawBaseballFans.  I gave it a follow when I got the note.

I mailed to McCraw on October 11 and got the cards back on April 20, for a 192-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeff Bajenaru

Here is a 2006 Topps Rookie 52 that I was able to get signed TTM recently by Jeff Bajenaru.  The card turned out well; I thought it had a great retro look to it, even though the Diamondbacks are one of the newest baseball teams.

Bajenaru (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2004 to 2006 for the White Sox and Diamondbacks.  He had a record of 0-2 with 11 strike outs and an 11.02 ERA.

I mailed to Bajenaru on March 11 abd got the card back on April 20, for a 40-day TAT. 

April 16-20, 2024, Graphing of the Shorebirds at Wood Ducks

This week's graphing of the Delmarva Shorebirds at the Wood Ducks was pretty much over right after the game on Tuesday.  I missed Wednesday since it was an 11AM game and Thursday was Chris's senior night for tennis.  With today's rain out, I only graohed three games of the series.  I also missed my friend, Ryan's cards because I put them in the wrong pile. 

The above 2022 Bowman Chrome ray wave parallel of Danyer Cueva was picked up at the National last year but ended up in a random box that I finally went through last week. It is finally signed and in the album. 

Delmarva had several guys with cards, however all but two of them were on the IL and didnt make the trip.  Jacob Cravey was really nice and signed everything I had.  A fellow graoher gave me the 2023 Bowman Chrome mojo Anderson De Los Santos so i could get him done, which was nice.

The Rangers had sent several rovers out to the park this week with Kenny Holmberg, Roy Silver and Matt Magill coming into town.  I was able to get a couple Silver cards in before the series ended.  I realized who Matt Magill was (by asking around; I'm not THAT good), and found two cards in my collection to get done.

My friend, Gerard hooked me up with this nice Marcus Smith Bowman Heritage gold parallel.  It's a pretty sweet card and looks great.

Alejandro Rosario made his professional debut for the Wood Ducks and went 4 innings with no runs allowed and 7 strike outs.  His fa.ily was there and we're really nice.  I was able to chat with his mom pre-game.

The highlight of Friday's game was when, around the 7th inning or so (I was talking and lost track), Jon (the Wood Ducks GM) came by where we were sitting and asked me to get up.  I had no idea why, but I got up and he said "we are honoring you for Season Ticket Holder Appreciation".

I was given a certificate, team signed baseball and a "golden" Bill Ellis bobble head.  Jon also gave me his hat, which was the Wood Ducks first Copa hat, the Patos Joyuyous.  I never got one for myself and had asked Jon if there were any more that he could find; I'd buy one.  He gave me his, instead, when he realized we wore the same hat size.

They also took a photo of me with Jon and DEWD.  I haven't seen the photo yet, but am excited to see how it turned out.  I was blown away by the gesture and it really meant a lot to me.  I've been very upset that the Woodies are leaving Kinston after this season.  I am so thankful that they took the time to recognize me.

In all, I got the following autographs: Danyer Cueva x 4, Marcus Smith x 1, Jacob Cravey x 9, Julian Brock x 1, Gleider Figuereo x 1, Alberto Mota x 1, Alejandro Rosario x 2, Roy Silver x 2, Matt Magill x 2 and Anderson De Los Santos x 1 (24 total autographs).

TTM Success - Drew Meyer

These two 2006 Topps Turkey Red cards came back signed by Drew Meyer the other day.  I was glad to add them to my album, since there aren't many Turkey Red in there.  I was surprised that I had the white parallel to go with the base.

Meyer (b. 1981) got into 5 games in 2006 for the Rangers.  He had 3 hits, no home runs and a .214 batting average.

I mailed to Meyer on March 2 and got the cards back on April 19, for a 48-day TAT. 

TTM Success - William Foxx Jr

A really cool TTM success came in the other day when I got these three cards back signed by William Foxx, Jr., grandson of Jimmie Foxx.  I was able to track down an address for him and figured it was worth a shot to reach out.

Foxx signed all three cards, wrote me a nice letter and included a sheet of 33-cant baseball stamps showing Foxx and other legends of his era.

I mailed to Foxx on February 26 amd got the cards back on April 19, for a 53-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Mark Corey

A completed multi-player card is really nice, and my latest one was this 1981 Topps Orioles Future Stars.  I completed it by sending to Mark Corey again.  It took a little bit to get here, so I started to get a little worried that something happened to it, but it came in and looks great.

I also sent out Corey's 1991 Crown Orioles card to get that added to the album.  I do like to see these come in.  I also am glad that I have been able to get a lot of them signed and into the album.  The whole set was a $5 purchase at a card show from the late Chandy Greenholt, so getting them in also gives me a little reminder of him.

I mailed to Corey on February 28 and got the cards back on April 19, for a 51-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Gerry Janeski

Another signed 1971 Topps was added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from Gerry Janeski.  The card turned out nicely, and features am airbrushed hat, since we love those so much. 

Janeski (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1970 to 1972 for the White Sox, Senators and Rangers.  He had a record of 11-23 with 105 strike outs and a 4.73 ERA.

I mailed to Janeski on March 18 and got the card back on April 19, for a 32-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tim Melville

Here is another TTM success that took a long time to come in.  I sent this 2008 Tristar Prospects Plus card of Tim Melville out to Rockies Spring Training in 2020.  It's kind of weird to think, this was sent prior to the World of Light becoming the World of Ruin.  I just hope someone stopped and waited for Shadow.

Anyway, this request sat out there for a long time.  I was glad to get it back.  I sent off 1,001 TTM requests during 2020, and have accounted for 72% of them, so only 28% remain out there.  That's not too bad, really.  What else was I going to do during COVID?

Melville (b. 1989) played in the majors in 2016, 2017 and 2019 for the Reds, Twins, Padres and Rockies.  He had a record of 2-5 with 39 strike outs and a 6.75 ERA.

I mailed to Melville on February 19, 2020, and got the card back on April 16, 2024, for a 1,518-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kevin Mmahat

A unique name led to me sending off a TTM request to Kevin Mmahat.  The above 1990 Score turned out great.  I like the design, and it will look great in my album. 

I also got a 1990 Donruss signed, which turned out great.

Mmahat (b. 1964) played in the majors in 1989 for the Yankees.  He went 0-2 with 3 strike outs and a 12.91 ERA.

I mailed to Mmahat on February 1 and got the cards back on April 15, for a 74-day TAT.

TTM Success - Frank Bolick

A few TTMs have trickled in slowly lately; they've slowed down since I have sent a lot less lately with the season starting.  I got this one from Frank Bolick that took some early 90s cards out of the boxes.

Bolick (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1993 and 1998 for the Expos and Angels.  He had 52 hits, 5 home runs and a .202 batting average.

I mailed to Bolick on March 27 and got the cards back on April 12, for a 16-day TAT. 

April 14, 2024, Graphing of Grasshoppers at Dash

After our trip to Hickory, Jesse, Chris and I went to Winston-Salem to see the Greensboro Grasshoppers take on the Dash.  We got Termarr Johnson on a few cards.  He walked over to me while I was standing along the wall without me even calling him.  It was nice to add a few more cards to the album. 

Johnson was really cool.  He did two per for us.  I got some 2023 Bowman Draft and a couple 2023 Pro Debut signed.

I was really happy to get my gold parallel Jack Brannigan from 2023 Pro Debut signed.  The card is numbered to 50 and looks great.  We got Hunter Barco and Hudson Head outside the stadium after the game.  The weather was beautiful, and it was a nice day to be outside. 

Finally, we got a couple of the Dash guys prior to the game; Samuel Zavala signed for us post game as the team was coming off of the field.  I almost messed up and sent my Zavalas to my friend, Logan, as I had looked at a bunch of rosters and thought he was on Tulsa.

I had heard a few times that Wes Kath was super tough.  He signed for us just before the game began and was nice enough about it. He did one per, but still signed.

In all, we got the following autographs: Hunter Barco x 4, Jack Brannigan x 4, Hudson Head x 6, Termarr Johnson x 6, Patrick Reilly x 2, Jacob Gonzalez x 1, Wes Kath x 3 and Samuel Zavala x 7 (33)