TTM Success - Catherine O'Hara

Here is another celebrity TTM success.  I got Catherine O'Hara to sign two cards TTM recently.  I sent off an 87 Topps checklist since I'm filling up the back of my 87 set album with signed checklists.  I know a lot of people wonder why I send them, and it is simply that I have a ton of them, and it is kind of cool to flip through the back of that album and see who all I got on those checklists. 

I also sent off this 2010 Allen and Ginter Betelgeuse card.  It would have been cool had she signed the front, but I can see why she didn't.  The autograph may not have shown up as well.

O'Hara (b. 1954) is an actress best known for roles in Schitts Creek, Beetlejuice, Best in Show and the first two Home Alone movies.  I especially loved her in Schitts Creek.  That show was really funny. 

I mailed to O'Hara on January 21 and got the cards back on May 20, for an 88-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bobby Jenks

This TTM success from Bobby Jenks took some time to come in, but I was glad when it finally did.  I got the above 2008 Topps signed, which turned out well.  Even though the signature doesn't match how he signed the card.  I imagine his signature changed over the years.

I also got a 2007 Topps Update, 2007 Upper Deck, 2006 Allen and Ginter, and a 2010 Allen and Ginter signed by Jenks.

Jenks (b. 1981) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 for the White Sox and Red Sox.  He had a record of 16-20 with 351 strike outs and a 3.53 ERA.  He also had 173 career saves.  He was an All Star in 2006 and 2007 and won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005.

I mailed to Jenks on May 13, 2021, and got the cards back on February 13, 2023, for a 641-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Pettit

Here are a few cards that I pulled from my boxes and sent out TTM a while back.  The above 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter of Chris Pettit turned out nicely, as most Ginters do.

I had also found Pettit's 2010 Upper Deck and 2010 Topps, which he signed.

Pettit (b. 1984) played in the majors in 2009 and 2011 for the Angels.  He had 2 hits, no home runs and a .286 batting average.

I mailed to Pettit on January 24 and got the cards back on February 9, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Troy Tulowitzki

Two attempts is what it took for me to get a TTM success back from Troy Tulowitzki.  Who knows where the first one that I sent ended up, but I was able to get some really nice cards signed.

I really like the Perspectives inserts that came in 2015 Topps.  I was glad that I was able to find this one in my boxes and get it back signed.

I also had Tulowitzki sign a 2016 Topps Chrome x-fractor and a 2010 Allen & Ginter sketches card.

Tulowitzki (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2006 to 2017 and 2019 for the Rockies, Blue Jays and Yankees.  He had 1,391 hits, 225 home runs and a .290 bating average.  He was an All Star 5 times (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015).  He won the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award in 2010 and 2011.  His best MVP finish was 5th (2009 and 2010).

I mailed to Tulowitzki on January 11 and got the cards back on January 27, for a 16-day TAT.  I mailed to the University of Texas.

TTM Success - Brad Kilby

Here are a few nice cards that came back signed TTM from Brad Kilby.  I like all of the green on the above 2010 Topps.  The 2010 Topps design wasn't the best, but I do like the colors, and was happy to get on of the cards out of my box.  I think I ended up with more 2010 Topps than any other year from that decade, except for maybe 2013.  Nowadays, it is hard to find base cards anywhere.

I also got Kilby to sign a 2010 Topps Heritage, and a 2010 Allen & Ginter.  The Heritage design that year looks great, as 1961 Topps was a very good looking set.

Kilby (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2009 to 2010 for the A's.  He had a record of 1-0 with 28 strike outs and a 1.07 ERA.

I mailed to Kilby on November 12 and got the cards back on January 25, for a 74-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tommy Manzella

I got some nice cards back TTM from Tommy Manzella.  The above 2010 Allen and Ginter turned out well, even though Manzella smeared the signature a bit.

These two had better signatures.  2010 Topps Chrome is a much-maligned set, but the cards look nice when signed.

Manzella (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2009 to 2010 for the Astros.  He had 59 hits, 1 home run and a .224 batting average.

I mailed to Manzella on March 16 and got the cards back on November 19, for a 248-day TAT.

Care Package From Adam B.

A while back, I got a care package in from a guy I talk to on a regular basis, but haven't traded with in a while.  Adam is a guy I have traded with a couple times, but we chat more than anything.  When my cat, Jericho, passed away in August, Adam sent me this care package, along with a really nice note.  I was really happy to get the cards from him, but more than anything, the fact that he had thought of me was what really meant the most.

Adam hooked me up with a Cal Ripken card that I didn't have in my collection, this 2014 Topps Hi Tex numbered 56/99.  I liked these cards, but I wasn't going to pay the premium price that Topps was asking to bust a box of them.  Still, they look really cool, and the autos are very nice.

Adam also sent me this 2010 Allen & Ginter Adam Jones bat relic.  I always like these framed minis. It was really cool of Adam to send me these cards, and his thoughtfulness won't be forgotten.

Thanks so much, Adam!  This care package really meant a lot to me.

Set Complete - 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter

It's about time.  I have been working on the 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter set since they came out in July 2010.  I had been a huge Ginter fan since the set debuted in 2006, but the concept (and price point) has worn on me.

I will always have a soft spot for A&G, but I think it has been played out.  Time for Topps to issue another retro themed set, using a design like American Caramel, or something like that.  I'm glad to finally be able to file this set in my closet and move on to something else.

Some Mail From Schuyler

I've been friends with Drew for quite a while now.  Since he and I have traded so much over the past few years, he has introduced me to some of his other close friends.  One of whom, Schuyler, has become a regular recipient of cards from me.

Any time I find a Team USA baseball card, I put it aside for Schuyler, since I know he is a huge fan and collector of said Team.  Recently, I went to the National Card Show and found a ton of Bowman Team USA cards.  I grabbed a bunch for myself and made sure to get one of each player I could find for Schuyler.  Schuyler's computer has been down for a while now, so he hasn't been able to send me any messages or post on his blog, but he did something that I really enjoy...  He sent me a letter.

Also included was the above 2010 Allen and Ginter Brian Roberts relic, which, I believe was not in my collection.  Schuyler went to his first card show a few weeks ago and was kind enough to think of me when he saw the card.  The gesture was much appreciated.  I, of course, hadn't been looking for any reciprocity, I just enjoy sending surprise packages of cards to people.

I'm glad the cards I sent to him meant that much and that they have found a good home.  Hopefully, Schuyler's computer issues will be resolved and he can get back to posting.  His blog is one of the more unique voices in the blogosphere and I hope he retains the desire to post his thoughts on a regular basis.  Schuyler, thanks for the card.  You are a good kid and I hope I find some more stuff to send you soon!

Check out Schuyler's blog at: Schuyler's Stuff

Lots of Mail From Ryan Part One - Some Orioles IP Autos

Ryan from "O No Another Oriole Blog" is a heck of a guy.  He just purchased a new house (Congrats man!) and is purging some Orioles stuff and was kind enough to send some my way.  There was so much stuff that I had to break it up into multiple blog posts, so here we go.

This first post concerns some of the in person autos he sent my way.  The first of which is the below Oliver Drake signed baseball.  I believe I traded this ball to Ryan at Fan Fest this January for a Joe Mahoney signed ball.  I kind of regretted trading the ball away, but at the time my buddy Ryan needed it, so I wanted to make sure he was happy, first.  Little did I know that the ball would be back in my collection a few months later.

Drake is a mid-level prospect for the O's at the moment, but I'm hoping he can turn it up and get on their radar.  With Matusz's struggles, Tsuyoshi Wada's elbow issues, etc, The Orioles need more pitching depth in the minors.  If Drake can have a solid year at AA Bowie, he might work his way onto the 2013 roster.  Only time will tell.

Here is a signed 2010 Topps RC of Jake Arrieta.  Jake is off to a decent start to 2012, after having bone chips removed from his elbow.  Apparently he is pitching pain free for the first time since he played in college.  I expect a good year from Jake, if he can keep his ERA down.  I wouldn't be surprised if he wins 15 games this year.  We'll see!

Brad Bergesen is struggling at AAA Norfolk.  He can be a pretty effective pitcher if he can get his sinker going.  I definitely like Bergy and hope he turns it around and makes it back to the big club this year.

Of all the young pitchers that the Orioles have stockpiled thae second most disappointing (aside from Matusz) has to be Chris Tillman.  He is still 24, so there is time for him to get it together, but he really needs to get on the fast track.  Tillman has the stuff, but not the command.  He also might not have the mental makeup as of yet to be a major contributor to the rotation.  Here's to hoping he becomes what all the scouts and front office types saw in him.

Finally, the last IP auto Ryan sent was this Mike Bordick signed 2000 Upper Deck.  Bordick might be one of the most underrated shortstops ever.  Bordick, until this season, was the only major leaguer to hail from the State of Maine (from what I heard on a MASN broadcast).  He was a solid defensive shortstop who was brought into Baltimore to replace an aging Cal Ripken at shortstop when the Iron Man was moved to third base.  I met Bordick in Norfolk in 2010 and he was really nice.  He now does commentary on select Orioles' broadcasts on MASN.

Thanks so much for all of the awesome stuff, Ryan.  I don't think I will ever be able to repay you, but I'll definitely try.

Trading With Scott

 I completed a trade this past week with a guy I met at the last card show named Scott.  We have been talking ever since the show about working out a deal.  He is a big Red Sox fan, so I went through my stuff and found some cards I thought he would like.  Here are some highlights of the package he sent my way:

 I already had this 2009 Topps Nolan Reimold RC, but when I saw that he had it and would give it up for some Red Sox base card, I went ahead and claimed it.  You can't go wrong with Reimold for me, since he is one of my favorite current players.

 Scott read my blog and saw that he had a 2010 Allen and Ginter that I needed.  Turns out, it was card #277, Regis Philbin.

 He included this sweet Adam Jones relic from Upper Deck Sweet Spot.  I think of all of the Upper Deck products, I miss Sweet Spot the most.

 Scott figured out pretty quickly that the best way to impress me, is to do something nice for my son.  He included a couple Tim Lincecum cards for Chris' collection.  I have to check, but I'm pretty sure that Chris didn't have either card.  He was really happy to get a couple cards in the mail.

 Finally, here is this die cut Nick Markakis from Upper Deck X.  I think Upper Deck missed the mark on this set; it kind of looked like, at the time, that it was rushed.  Of course, a lot of what Upper Deck did in those final years was questionable, but this is actually a very sharp looking card.

I'm really glad Scott and I were able to come together on a trade.  I actually have 2 more trades in the works.  I mailed off packages yesterday to Dodgerbobble and Eutaw Street Cardboard, so I'm hoping I have some stuff to post (along with some hopeful TTM requests) this coming week leading up to Fan Fest.

Thanks for the Trade Scott!  I hope we can come together on another trade really soon!

Cards From Pete

Last time I worked at the card shop (which feels like forever ago), Pete gave me a good sized stack of cards, including a bunch of 2010 Allen and Ginter I needed for my set.
He was also kind enough to hook me up with some 2010 Bowman, since I can't afford the boxes and can't find the packs anywhere. Here is Oriole prospect Josh Bell (who just got called up to replace the recently traded Miguel Tejada).

I have met Caleb Joseph a couple times, most recently in Bowie. I saw him play for AA Baysox as well as A Frederick Keys. He's a pretty good player, but it supposedly blocked by Matt Wieters. With the season Wieters is having, Joseph needs to step it up and sieze the opportunity. He could at least have a chance to be a productive backup catcher...

You can never go wrong with Brooks!! I didn't have this card yet, so that's good.

Here is a card of O's prospect Mike Flacco. Yes, he is related to Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco. Mike is his younger brother. He is having a really good year. Let's hope he keeps it up, the Orioles could use as many position player prospects as they can get.

Thanks for the cards Pete. Its always nice to get stuff I need when I'm at the shop. I'll have some 2010 A&Gs for you when I see you again!!

2010 Allen and Ginter Thoughts

I broke down the other day and bought 3 boxes of 2010 A&G. I wasn't going to get any because I thought the Stephen Strasburg mania was going to drive the prices waaaay up and I also thought that with the hype, no boxes would be available when I got to the shop.

Well, there were boxes at the shop, so I decided I was going to get two. I then texted Max to see if he wanted to go halves on a box, which he did, so I ended up getting 3.

I busted one box at the card shop with my brother Andy, then went to Max's place on Monday and broke the other two.
I really like this year's design. I was pretty disappointed in last year's offering. The roll marks really pissed me off, so that pretty much killed it for me. You can see that I'm still working on 09 A&G. I'll finish it eventually. This Reimold is pretty sweet.

Here is this year's Roberts. I want to try to get as many versions of him as I can. I have a bunch of his other A&Gs, so this year will be a nice challenge as well.

I'm really satisfied with this year's Allen and Ginter. I got some sweet autos (which I will post later) and a rip card (Yunel Escobar). I let Max rip the card since he hadn't ripped one before and we got a Pablo Sandoval exclusive mini. I let Max keep the ripped Escobar and the mini Sandoval.

A couple things now:

• The release of A&G marks the anniversary of how I met P.A. I met him as I was busting 2008 A&G. So, here's to you, P.A., you're a good man, I'm glad we have become friends!!!
• Head over to Max's and my blog and see that he has POSTED, finally! Give it a read and leave him some comments!!!