Another TTM Success From Casey Blake

While going through my boxes, I pulled some more Casey Blake cards to hit him TTM again.  The above 2004 Bowman Chrome refractor turned out great.  The card must have come out of the boxes from the former LCS, because I don't remember opening any 04 Bowman.  It's a nice one, though, and I'm glad it is now in the album. 

I also got a 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter, and a 2009 Upper Deck signed.  I don't have very many 2009 Upper Deck anymore, but that is a nice looking set.  I was glad i at least had one of someone who signed TTM.

I mailed to Blake on November 27 and got the cards back on April 11, for a 136-day TAT.  I had originally gotten Blake to sign TTM back in 2017.

Another TTM Success From Cla Meredith

These are some late 2000s cards that I was able to get signed TTM from former pitcher, Cla Meredith.  The above 2009 Upper Deck turned out nicely.  I don't have very many cards from that set, so getting this one signed added a nice card to the album. I'm sure I opened plenty of 09 Upper Deck, I must have dumped the cards at a show years ago.

I also got a 2007 Upper Deck First Edition, 2007 Topps and a 2008 O Pee Chee signed.

I had gotten Meredith several years back, so it was nice to add him to the album again. I mailed to him on March 23, 2022, and got the cards back on March 13, 2023, for a 355-day TAT.

TTM Success - Asher Wojciechowski

That's a tough last name.  I believe is it pronounced Whoaj-see-chow-ski.  Anyway, I got some cards signed TTM by Asher Wojciechowski, a former Oriole.  This 2015 Topps Heritage turned out nicely, and is a nice add to the autograph album, since I didn't have many of these in there.

I also got a 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and a 2009 Upper Deck signed.

Wojciechowski (b. 1988) played in the majors in 2015, 2017 and 2019 to 2021 for the Astros, Reds, Orioles and Yankees.  He had a record of 9-15 with 195 strike outs and a 5.93 ERA.

I mailed to Wojciechowski on September 26 and got the cards back on November 7, for a 42-day TAT.

TTM Success - Connor Mason

This 2009 Upper Deck USA Winning Materials card of Connor Mason has been in my collection since I pulled it from a pack back in 2009.  I finally took a chance on sending it TTM, and was able to get the card back signed.  The card got damaged a bit by the USPS, but in the end, I'm just happy that I can add it to my album.

Mason (b. 1992) played one season at Rice University, where he went 0-1 with 4 strike outs and a 3.00 ERA.  From what I have been able to find online about him, it appears that he missed a lot of time due to injuries.

I mailed to Mason on March 3 and got the card back on May 10, for a 68-day TAT.

TTM Success - Josh Whitesell

Here are some nice cards that came back signed TTM from Josh Whitesell.  The above 2009 Topps 206 really is a nice card.  I have had a bunch of these that I haven't been able to do much with, so getting this one signed was nice.

He also signed a 2009 Allen & Ginter, 2009 Topps gold and a 2009 Upper Deck.  I kind of forgot how nice 09 Upper Deck looked.  I just think it is a solid design, and I don't have many of those cards.

Whitesell (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2008 to 2009 for the Diamondbacks.  He had 23 hits, 2 home runs and a .200 batting average.

I mailed to Whitesell on September 22 and got the cards back on January 28, for a 128-day TAT.

More Autos From Jackson T.

My friend, Jackson, used to live in Arizona, but recently moved back to Chicago.  He has now enrolled in school, but still take the time to get cards signed for me when he can.  Recently, he asked me to send him Steve Holm cards, and I obliged.  Jackson was able to get several of them signed for me, and they all turned out well.

In addition to the Holms, Jackson included a couple extra autos, just because.  I really appreciate the gesture, but Jackson didn't have to do that.  He is a really good guy, and I am always glad to send him cards that he can get taken care of for me.

TTM Success - Jack Cust

It took a long time, but I was able to add a couple signed cards of former Oriole, Jack Cust, to my collection.  I didn't have many cards of Cust as an Oriole, but I did have two 2004 Upper Deck Vintage, so I sent both of them.

I also had this 2009 Upper Deck that he signed.  His Sharpie looks like it is starting to dry up, but I'm happy to have the signed cards nonetheless.

Cust (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2004 and 2006 to 2011 for the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Orioles, A's and Mariners.  He had 510 hits, 105 home runs and a .242 batting average.

I mailed to Cust on October 26, 2017, and got the cards back on October 8, 2019, for a 712-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Coste

Here is a TTM success of a more recent player, Chris Coste.  I needed more 2009 Topps in my album, so it was easy picking which cards of his to send.  I'm just glad I had his '09.

I was also able to get this nice 2009 Upper Deck signed, and it turned out nicely.

Coste (b. 1973) played in the majors from 2006 to 2009 for the Phillies and Astros.  He had 219 hits, 23 home runs and a .272 batting average.  He won the World Series in 2008 with the Phillies.

I mailed to Coste on January 22 and got the cards back February 1, for a 10-day TAT.

Instagram Trade With Donny - Kevin Gausman Pre-RCs

I completed a trade a long time ago with a kid named Donny that landed me these Kevin Gausman cards.  I don't quite remember what I traded him, but I feel like it was a bunch of David Wright cards.  Anyway, the Gausmans were from his Team USA 18U squad, like this card above (2009 UD USA Box Set), and the below 2009 Upper Deck card.

I may have had these before, but I was glad to part with some David Wright cards to get these.  I've never been a big Wright fan, so getting these was a nice bonus.

Another card that Donny included was this 2013 Topps Pro Debut card from when Gausman was a member of the Keys.  Since they are the O's Minor League affiliate that I am able to see the most, I enjoy being able to get some of their cards.

Hard to believe that Gausman is already in the Majors.  He did pretty well last year, and Gausman's success will determine the type of year the entire team has, so a lot is riding on him.  I look for him to have a big year and firmly establish his spot in the Orioles rotation.

Instagram Trade With Kaleb - 2009 Upper Deck Chris Davis

I was able to add a Chris Davis card that I needed for my PC when I completed a trade recently with a kid named Kaleb from Instagram.  Kaleb messaged me on there when he found out that I sent his friend, Josh, some free Jack Wilson cards.  Kaleb needed some Joey Votto cards that I had and in return, he found a Chris Davis card that I actually needed.

I don't know how this card had escaped me for so long, but it doesn't matter now, since I have it in my hands.

Thanks for the trade, Kaleb.  I hope you enjoyed the Vottos and I know we will be doing some more trades soon.

Nolan Reimold Ebay Pickups

On the night where I discovered that Nolan Reimold has signed a new deal with the Orioles (a one year one million dollar deal), I would like to show my two latest Reimold pickups from Ebay.  The first card is the above 2010 Topps Reimold from the Orioles team set.  I have a ton of different Nolan Reimold 2010 Topps cards and this one was one I didn't have yet.

I also got this 2009 Upper Deck Reimold RC.  I can't believe I didn't have this card yet.  I have to say that 2009 Upper Deck was pretty sharp looking.  There is a serial numbered parallel to this card, so I guess I need to pick that one up at some point.

Trade With Joe Average Collector

I completed one of my most epic trades in recent memory with Jason from the blog Joe Average Collector.  Jason is a Rockies fan and a Veteran of the Iraqui war.  He commented on my trade bait update post saying that he had a Cal Ripken plate that I might be interested in.  Of course I was interested in the Cal plate, but when he emailed me to tell me that he also had a 2010 Topps Nolan Reimold printing plate, well, it was on!

So, here is the Nolan Reimold plate.  It's funny, I got the plate before I got the black parallel.  Once I get the black parallel, I believe I will have every kind of parallel from 2010 Topps.  I'm actually excited about that.  I might keep an eye out for the other plates.

This is another one of those times that I can say on this blog that I was able to pick up a Cal Ripken card that I didn't already have.  Again, it is nice to add a Cal that I didn't have before, but in this case with it being the first Cal printing plate that I have picked up, this is especially sweet.

I'm guessing that at some point, Jason was an Oriole collector.  If he wasn't, man, he ended up with some random stuff.  He sent me a multitude of Orioles memorabilia, including the above pennant that I can add to my wall.  Based on the script, it looks like this was a late 80s, early 90s pennant.

Jason also included a late 80s early 90s Orioles bat/ballboy jersey.  Pretty sweet.  It is definitely aged, but still pretty cool.  I will likely hang this up in the man cave.

Jason included a huge stack of Orioles cards, most of them are Cal Ripkens.  I need to through all of them and see what can be added to the PC and which can go into Chris' albums.  He was really interested in getting some of them, so I think I will pass a few off to him.  That way he feels like he got some mail, too.

Here is a really cool helmet from the late 80s.  It looks like a giveaway or promo deal.  It is pretty cool.  I have a helmet that my brother Andy gave me, so this will probably be put with it.

 Jason also included this really old O's hat.  It looks more early 80s than the rest of the stuff.  I'm going to wash this before this weekend and let Chris wear it to the game.  That is if I can keep a hat on him.

Ok, so, this is where it gets interesting.  As if it wasn't already interesting.  Jason emailed me the trade confirmation and stated everything that he was going to include in my box.  He told me that he was including a relic from the Iraqui War, and I wasn't quite sure what that meant.  I know unexploded ordinance can't really be shipped via USPS, so when I got this Iraqui money featuring the former public enemy number one, Saddam Hussein, I was amazed.  I honestly don't know what to think.  I mean, it is really cool and it is something I am going to hold onto, but that's Saddam Hussein!  Kind of a funny feeling when you look at it.

So, Jason, this was definitely an epic trade and I really appreciate it.  You will be getting Rockies cards from me whenever I can find them, that's for sure.

Upper Deck Series 2 - Witnessed the opening of a 'hot box'

Yesterday was interesting at All About Sports (397 Jonestown Road, Winston-Salem, NC) [Ok, that wasn't a shameless plug at all...]. I opened a pack of series 2 Upper Deck and pulled an auto, and didn't think anything of it. Pete and Kim come in and open two packs and each pulls an auto. P.A. calls later and says that he pulled a jersey card out of his pack... Anyway, this kid Jeremy who comes in sporadically (he goes to NC State, so he comes in when he isn't at school) with his dad, heard about all the autos we were pulling and buys all the packs left in the box...

Of course, I suggestive sold the crap out of that box to him, and my main selling point was 'Hey dude, you could get that Stephen Strasburg card thats going for $350 on ebay right now...'

Of course, he pulled the card. He will put it on ebay, I'm sure. Sad thing is, it quite possibly was the pack that Kim put back in the box... AND, Pete was seconds away from asking Jeremy if he wantedto split the box... OUCH Kim and Pete... Oh well, we'll get to bust our Topps Series II boxes this weekend... Yes, the suspense is KILLING me.

I was able to skim some free cards out of the deal, Pete gave me a nice Roberts while Jeremy gave me two Dodger cards that will become [someone else's] we all know who that is....

Breakout Season?

I sure think so. Adam Jones will be a STAR. He has started off the season on a tear, and I, and others believe that the kid is on the verge of breaking out and becoming a HUGE star for the O's. People give the O's crap about losing for so long, but let me tell you, they have a lot to get excited about. Thankfully, they signed Roberts and Markakis to extensions. They stole Adam Jones from the Mariners for Erik Bedard, who was out on the DL for a lot of last season, and never impressed me much for taking himself out of ballgames. The cavalry is on the way as far as pitching, with Bergesen, Tillman, Arrieta, David Hernandez, and Brian Matusz all waiting for a shot to get to the majors. I think next year, instead of me yelling CC WHO? You'll be hearing me say 'Yankees/Red Sox/ Rays/ Jays WHO??'

Cards and Friendships...

For a long time, I chose my friends badly. 95% of the people I hung out with even 5 years ago are not around today. Most, if not all, of those people pretty much only hung out with me because I was easily accessable and loved to have a beverage or 12 and get crazy. Those days are long gone, and when the well dried up, a lot of people said 'F' you and took off. Sucks, I know.

I got myself into some trouble and cut out a lot of the late nights and partying, etc. I spent my saturdays working at the card shop because Babe needed a day off every now and again. Because I was working there once a week, I developed a good relationship with her. She and my wife also hit it off and have become best friends.

I met P.A. and Pete at the shop. Since then, both have been over to watch wrestling pay per views. P.A. and I plan on catching some minor league games this year (GO WIETERS).

I reconnected with my good friend Max because of cards. Now he's hooked... We also want to catch some games together as well, and its nice to have him close to Greenville. I can call him up and we can hit some of the Raleigh area shops. I have given him a 'welcome to the hobby kit' and he has taken off running with it, haha.

I'm really appreciative of the better relationships I have now due to my love for this hobby. If I tripped over some money tomorrow, I would open a card shop and spend my days sitting at the counter and shooting the breeze about baseball and the cards associated with them.

Along with the Orioles, I now follow because of my friends: The Tampa Bay Rays (Mike), Los Angeles Dodgers (Max), Atlanta Braves (Babe), The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros (P.A.) and Seattle (my wife, Mallory). Sorry Pete, I STILL hate the Yankees, lol.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a little different of a post instead of being cut and dry about 'I got this card, etc...'

Thanks to P.A. for coming to Wrestlemania last night and hooking me up with some sweet cards. I wish the rest of you were able to make it, we had a blast. Maybe next time! :)