TTM Success - Derin McMains

My older Bowman box is fun to look through.  I like seeing the prospects from years past, with the hope of adding a few to the autograph album. 

The autograph on my 2007 Bowman Chrome Derin McMains it tough to see on the scan, but in person, it looks pretty nice.  I ended up with a ton of 2007 Bowman from my own boxes that I busted and others that I got from the former LCS.  The older the Bowmans get, the harder it is to get them signed in person; unless the player is a coach or something. 

McMains (b. 1979) was an 11th round pick by the Giants in the 2001 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Arkansas Little Rock.  He played in the minors from 2001 to 2007, all in the Giants system.  He was able to.reach AAA.  He had 461 hits, 21 home runs and a .257 batting average. 

I mailed to McMains on October 2 and got the card back on October 21, for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Seth Maness

A couple nice 2013 Bowmans came back signed TTM from Seth Maness.  I think 2013 Bowman is a sharp set.  The cards look nice signed, but it gets harder and harder to get them done in person.

Maness (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2013 to 2017 for the Cardinals and Royals.  He had a record of 18-10 with 156 strike outs and a 3.21 ERA.

Formerly from Pinehurst, Maness played at ECU.  He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 11th round of the 2011 June Amateur Draft.  He had formerly been drafted by the Marlins in the 41st round of the 2010 June Amateur Draft, but didn't sign.

I mailed to Maness on October 1 and got the cards back signed on October 19, for an 18-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jim French

A 1971 Topps was added to the autograph album when I got this one back signed from Jim French.  I can't remember if I got this from Ryan or if it came out of Conrad's boxes.  Still, I like the old Washington Senators uniform. 

French (b. 1941) played in the majors from 1965 to 1971 for the Senators.  He had 119 hits, 5 home runs and a .196 batting average.

I mailed to French on October 2 and got the card back on October 16 for a 14-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Bob Lacey

Another request to a TTM signer who i had gotten before got me these two cards back from Bob Lacey.  I had gotten him back in 2021 on a few cards; these two were left over, so I sent to him again.  The above 1981 Topps is a nice card.  His signature is a bit faint, but still looks fine.

I also sent off this 1978 Topps, which also turned out nicely.  I like the old A's jersey.

I mailed to Lacey on October 7 and got the cards back on October 15, for an 8-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jerry Koosman

These Jerry Koosman cards resided in my to-be-TTMed box for quite some time until I finally got a little cash together to pay his fee.

The above 1974 Topps actually has some frequent flyer miles on it, as I had previously mailed it to Jon Matlack; the card came back unsigned with a post-it note saying it was Koosman shown on thr card.  I guess I could have figured that out jad I actually bothered to cross reference the uniform number. Oof.

The above 1977 and 1980 Topps i sent out also turned out well.  It appears that Koosman's signature is getting shaky, but thr cards still look good.

I mailed to Koosman on September 30 and got the cards back on October 12, for a 12-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10.00/card.

Another TTM Success From Scott Heard

Here is a 2001 Bowman Chrome that came back signed from Scott Heard.  I had gotten him before a while back, but I wanted to clear another card out of my box.

I don't have many 2001 Bowmans.  I have a ton of 1997-2000, but not many 2001-2006.  Hopefully sometime soon, I can come across a  bulk box of the years I need.

I mailed to Heard on September 24 and got the card back on October 12, for an 18-day TAT. 

November 12, 2024, Wilson Hot Stove Event

Last night was the 49th annual Wilson Hot Stove Event in the City of Wilson.  I went last year for the first time, so I was really looking forward to going again this year.  The attendees list came out very close to the event, so it was hard to get stuff here in time.  I also had some cards left over from last year, like the above 1968 Topps John Donaldson.  He missed last year, so i was glad to finally meet him in person.

I was glad to meet a guy who I had gotten TTM twice.  I got Donaldson to sign at the get-together at the North Carolina Baseball Museum prior to the start of the event.  He seemed genuinely happy I was there, and took my graphing book from me to see who else I had cards of.  I thought that was pretty cool.

This year's big guest scheduled to be there to receive the Gaylord Perry Pitching Award was former ECU pitcher and Blue Jays 2024 first round pick, Trey Yesavage.  I didnt have any of his cards, so i got him to sign this 1994 Score Blue Jays card.

Yesavage was really nice, and posed for a picture with me.  ECU coach Cliff Godwin was nice enough to get Yesavage's attention so we could get his autograph.

Jesse and Chris came with me to the event, and we met our friends Billy and John at the Museum.  Jesse gave me this 5 x 7 photo of Mike Caldwell to get signed.  It came out nicely. 

I did find a few cards in my boxes and one of my three packages from Sportlots came in before the event, so I did have a few cards.

Phil Mankowski thanked us several times for coming out and supporting the event.  I was glad he posed for a picture with me.  I jad also gotten him TTM once before, back in 2021.

Finally, event regular John Roper signed a few more cards for me.  I had ordered some nice cards of his, but they didn't get here in time.

In all, I got the following autographs: Mike Caldwell x 4, John Donaldson x 1, Alan Fowlkes x 4, Phil Mankowski x 3, John Roper x 3, Dick Such x 1 and Trey Yesavage x 2 (18)

TTM Success - Kevin Thompson

A couple mid-2000s Bowman cards came back signed TTM from Kevin Thompson.  The above 2006 Bowman Heritage foil parallel is pretty nice.  I don't have many of these signed, so it was good to add one to the album. 

I also got this 2006 Bowman gold parallel signed with the return from Thompson.  Again, I didn't have many of these in the autograph album, so here's another different card added to the bunch.

Thompson (b. 1979) played in the majors in 2006 and 2007 for the Yankees and A's.  He had 14 hits, 1 home run and a .215 batting average.

I mailed to Thompson on September 20 and got the cards back on October 12 for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Joe Jacques

A couple nice 2024 Topps came back signed TTM via Spring Training from Joe Jacques.  The above foil parallel looks pretty cool. 

Jacques (b. 1995) has played in the majors since 2023 for the Red Sox and Diamondbacks.  He has a record of 2-1 with 22 strike outs and a  5.46 ERA.

Originally drafted by the Pirates, I had gotten Jacques in person back when he was with Greensboro. 

I mailed to Jacques via Red Sox camp on February 20 and got the cards back on October 11 for a 234-day TAT.

A Few 50/50 Autos From Aidan

One would think that I'd be caught up on my 50/50s from this past season, but no, I still am way behind.  This 50/50 return consisted of a few cards I had sent to my buddy, Aidan.

I had left the above 2022 Bowman Chrome Yeison Morrobel with Aidan after Yeison refused to sign for me early in the season.  Aidan finally got the card signed for me, so now I can add it to the album. 

Aidan also got a 2024 Bowman Chrome Colton Ledbetter, 2023 Pro Debut Trevor Martin and a really nice orange 2023 Panini Select Miguel Bleis.

Thanks for getting these signed for me, Aidan!

TTM Success - Cody Stashak

This nice 2020 Topps Update of Cody Stashak came back signed TTM recently. The card turned out nicely.

Stashak (b. 1994) played in the majors from 2019 to 2022 for the Twins.  He had a record of 4-1 with 83 strike outs and a 4.13 ERA.

I mailed to Stashak on September 11 and got the card back on October 11, for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Chris O'Grady

Here are a couple nice 2018 Topps cards that I got signed TTM by Chris O'Grady.  The above foil parallel looks pretty cool now that it is signed. I had his cards put aside for a long time and finally mailed them off; it seems like that's the story with a lot of my TTMs.  That's because I constantly pull stuff to send to folks, then pull more stuff for more folks and stuff gets buried. I've tried to call a lot of the older pulls and make room in my to-be-TTMed box before I start adding new stuff.  I've made a pretty decent dent.

O'Grady (b. 1990) played in the majors in 2017 and 2018 for the Marlins.  He had a record of 2-2 with 38 home runs and a 4.73 ERA.

I mailed to O'Grady on September 28 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Kyle Davies

Several Topps cards came back signed TTM from former pitcher, Kyle Davies.  I don't have a lot of 2009 Topps in the autograph album, so i was glad to get this one in there.

He also signed a 2004, 2008 and 2010 Topps.  All of the cards look great.  They had sat in the to-be-TTMed box for some time, and I finally got some mailed out.

Davies (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 and 2015 for the Braves, Royals and Yankees.  He had a record of 43-65 with 547 strike outs and a 5.57 ERA.

I mailed to Davies on September 28 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 12-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Bill Mooneyham

Better late than never.  Except, while I was waiting for this TTM success to come back from Bill Mooneyham, I took part in a private signing that crossed the card off of my needs list. 

This one came back after I mailed to him directly, several years ago. So, the card from the private signing that I got is signed in blue, and this one will go in the regular autograph album. 

I mailed to Mooneyham on May 2, 2020, and got the card back on October 7, 2024, for a 1,619-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brenton Doyle

Once the season ended, a couple Spring Training TTM submissions came back; one of them was this return from Brenton Doyle.  He signed a 2023 Topps Heritage and the below 2023 Topps Update.

The Topps Update didn't come out all that well.  He probably put it in the envelope before the ink dried.

Doyle (b. 1998) made his debut last season for the Rockies. He has 222 hits, 33 home runs and a .236 batting average. He won a Gold Glove Award last season.

I mailed to Doyle on March 2 and got the cards back on October 7, for a 219-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trey Mancini

A private signing with former Oriole, Trey Mancini popped up that I jumped on.  I wanted to finish the above 2017 Topps Heritage rookie card that I had already gotten signed by Donnie Hart at Orioles Fan Fest years ago.  I had hoped to get the card signed sooner, but at least it's done.

I found the 2017 Topps Chrome refractor in my Orioles box and decided to add it to the submission.  I sent the two cards off, then found the green ice foil parallel from 2021 Topps.  I reached out to the signing promoter and he allowed ke to add the foil card to the submission.  So, this was kind of a dual TTM.  Not that it matters.

Mancini (b. 1992) is attempting a comeback for the 2025 season after opting out of his minor league deal with the Marlins this past Spring Training.  He has played in the majors from 2016 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023 for the Orioles, Astros and Cubs.  He missed the 2020 season while battling stage 3 colon cancer.  He had 801 hits, 129 home runs and a .263 batting average.  

I mailed the first two to the signing on August 12; the foil card on August 30.  I got all three cards back on October 7 for 38 and 56-day TATs.  I paid a fee of $20/card.

Facebook Pickup - Signed 1965 Topps Luis Aparicio

Recently, I saw a post on one of the Facebook autograph groups I'm a part of that someone was selling extra Luis Aparicio autos from a past signing.  I had only gotten him on something more recent, so i decided to buy the 1965 Topps he had available. 

Since the card shows Aparicio as an Oriole, I was glad to pick this one up and add it to the album. The guy has some more cards available, so I may pick another up soon.

Aparico, at the age of 90, is now the oldest living Hall of Famer.

TTM Success - Jackson Coutts

This 2020 Prizm card of Jackson Coutts had been in my box for graphing for some time, since I thought I'd see him with a Nationals affiliate.  He never passed through as I was graphing, so I finally got tired of seeing the card and sent it out TTM.  The card came back signed and now I won't have to worry about continuing to pass by the card during trips through the box. 

Coutts (b. 1998) went undrafted following his career at the University of Rhode Island.  He was picked up by the Nationals and played in their system in 2021 and 2022, reaching Low A Fredericksburg.  He had 59 hits, 3 home runs and a .271 batting average.  He spent the last two seasons in independent ball.

I mailed to Coutts on September 17 and got the card back on October 1, for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rich McKinney

Another vintage card was added to the autograph album when I got this 1971 Topps signed TTM by Rich McKinney.

McKinney (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1970 to 1975 and 1977 for the White Sox, Yankees and A's.  He had 199 hits, 20 home runs and a .225 batting average. 

I mailed to McKinney on September 16 and got the card back on September 28, for a 12-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Danny Tartabull

A year ago, this 1993 Pinnacle came back signed by Jose Tartabull.  I finally got around to send to Danny Tartabull a year later to complete the card. 

I had gotten Danny Tartabull in 2017 and 2020, so this was the third time I got him TTM.  The card is so dark, it is hard to distinguish the autos, but it is complete. 

I mailed to Tartabull on August 10 and got the card back on September 28 for a 49-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

TTM Success - Chad Sobotka

Here are a couple cards from 2014 Bowman Draft that I was able to get signed TTM from Chad Sobotka.  I found an address and it worked.

Both cards turned out nicely.  I was glad to get them out of the Bowman box and into the autograph album. 

Sobotka (b. 1993) played in the majors from 2018 to 2020 for the Braves.  He had a record of 1-0 with 61 strike outs and a 5.36 ERA.

I mailed to Sobotka on September 18 and got the cards back on September 27, for a 9-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Fred Stanley

Back in 2016 and in 2021, I got TTM successes from Fred Stanley.  When I got the 2021 success back, I had forgotten that I had sent to Stanley before, so the post was pretty much a duplicate of the first one.  This time around, I remembered that I had sent to him before.  This request was to get some more older cards out of my boxes. 

I got a 1974 Topps (top), 1975 Topps (above left) and a 1980 Topps (above right) signed by Stanley.

The cards turned out great.  I'm pretty sure the 74 and 75 came from the massive amount of cards I got from Conrad.  The 1980 came from a broken set that I've used to populate TTMs for some time now.

I mailed to Stanley on September 6 and got the cards back on September 24, for an 18-day TAT. 

Completing a Quick IP Auto Trade

The TTMs have been trickling in since the minor league season ended, and that has pushed some 50/50s and trades back for me to post.  I figured now would be a good time to get at least one of the smaller ones out of the way, so here are three 2021 Topps Heritage Minors that I took in a trade for a few 2024 Topps Pro Debut cards that I got signed at the end of the season.

I was given a list of guys and card sets to choose from, so i figured I'd add a few 2021 Topps Heritage Minors guys that I may have missed while graphing.  I'm not building the set, but I have gotten a bunch of these signed, and I enjoy the design.  I never got to see Victor Mesa, Jr., so that was a good choice to pick from.

The Kala'i Rosario is nice.  I could have gotten Matthew Thompson, but I didn't have this card when I saw him.  He was a nice guy, so I was happy to choose his card and add it to the autograph album. 

The trade was completed on Instagram with a guy named Logan. He's not the same Logan that sees Wichita.  He messaged me looking for a Samuel Basallo 2024 Pro Debut, and the trade led to a few more cards being exchanged in the end.

Another TTM Success From Ted Kubiak

Some more cards from Conrad were cleaned out of the boxes when i sent out another TTM request to Ted Kubiak.  I got his 1975 Topps Mini (above) taken care of.  I like this set, and have added a bunch to the autograph album. 

I had this old Fleer A's sticker floating around, so I tossed it in the envelope.  It looks really cool, as well.

Here are a 1971, 1974 and 1975 Topps that got signed.  I should be pretty much cleaned out of Kubiak by now.  That just means he will be at a show nearby soon and I won't have anything to take with me.  Not that I need anything else.

I mailed to Kubiak on September 6 and got the cards back on September 24 for an 18-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tim Nordbrook

This TTM success from Tim Nordbrook was nice and all, until I realized after a pass through the to-be-TTMed box that I missed his 1991 Crown Orioles card. I'll have to send to him again at some point.  Still, the above 1976 Topps looks nice.

I also got Nordbrook on this 1978 Topps.  This is also a nice card, and his uniform appears to be airbrushed.  I could be wrong, though.

Nordbrook (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1974 to 1979 for the Orioles, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays and Brewers.  He had 30 hits, no home runs and a .178 batting average.

I mailed to Nordbrook on August 7 and got the cards back on September 24, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - Karen Allen

Here are some cool cards that I got back signed TTM from actress Karen Allen.  The cards turned out nicely. I can't remember when or where I picked up the cards, but they're from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Allen (b. 1951) is known for movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Starman, Scrooged, Animal House and The Sandlot.  

I mailed to Allen on February 12 and got the cards back on September 19, for a 220-day TAT.