TTM Success - Jake Westbrook

One of my longest TTM turn-around times happened recently when I got this lot of cards back signed by Jake Westbrook.  I had sent the cards out in 2020, and finally got them all back signed this past August.  A five-year turn.  I never give up on my TTMs, but at some point, you have to be realistic that some of that old stuff isn't coming back.  I was able to cross Jake Westbrook off of the ledger, and that was a great feeling.

I sent an assortment of Topps cards, from 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.  On top of that (and this post), I also sent a 2008 Upper Deck.

All of the cards turned out great.  I was surprised that he signed all of the cards.  I try not to send that many these days, if I can help it.  Still, he signed them all and I'm glad.

Westbrook (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2000 to 2008 and 2010 to 2013 for the Yankees, Indians and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 105-103 with 965 strike outs and a 4.32 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2004.  He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2011.

I mailed to Westbrook on June 5, 2020, and got the cards back on August 12, 2025, for a 1,894-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brent Dlugach

The 1961 Topps set is a great-looking set. I really enjoyed when 2010 Topps Heritage came out; we got to relive that set with (then) current players.  I've still got a lot of extras from 2010 Heritage, so it was nice to pull one and sent it out TTM.  

I had seen that Brent Dlugach was signing, so I sent off the Heritage, and also sent out his 2010 Topps base.

Both cards turned out nicely.

Dlugach (b. 1983) had 3 at bats for the Tigers in 2009.  He didn't get a hit, but did score a run.  

I mailed to Dlugach on March 14 and got the cards back on April 28 for a 45-day TAT.

TTM Success - Russell Branyan

When Insaw that Russell Branyan was signing TTM, I got excited and found some cards to send out.  I found the above 2007 Topps Update, and 2008 Topps Update (below left) and a 2010 Topps (below right).

I was glad to get these cards out of the box and into the autograph album. Branyan's signature is pretty swirly.

Branyan (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1998 to 2011 for the Indians, Reds, Brewers, Devil Rays, Padres, Phillies, Cardinals, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Angels.  He had 682 hits, 194 home runs and a .232 batting average. 

I mailed to Branyan on February 3 and got the cards back on February 18 for a 15-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. 

April 13, 2024, Graphing of the BlueClaws at Crawdads

This past weekend, Jesse, Chris and I went to Hickory to catch some former Wood Ducks and see Phillies High A team, Jersey Shore.  I hadn't seen them before, so it was nice to pull some High A Phillies guys (and get everyone I pulled).

I had pulled a bunch of Anthony Gutierrez when I busted 2023 Pro Debut and 2023 Bowman Draft.  I got them all done; Anthony remembered us and was super nice.  Yeison Morrobel also remembered us and didnt sign a thing.  That was disappointing. 

Mitch Bratt also remembered us; he was ready to keep walking outside of the stadium when I called his name, but then he looked up and realized it was us, so he stopped and talked to us for a little bit.

Ian Moller may have been the most excited to see us, as we were able to tell by his reaction when he saw Chris.  "Oh sh*t!"  He was legitimately happy to see us and it felt good.

Sebastian Walcott had a terrible game, and didn't seem to want to stop, but Ian kind of helped us get his attention.   Walcott still skipped Chris, because Chris was still talking to Ian.  That made us miss a couple cards for some 50/50s, but none of them were shut out, so it should still be ok.

I had a good many of the Jersey Shore guys in my boxes, so it was good to move some cards.  Everyone we needed was really nice and signed all we had.

Finally, we got Adam Lind.  I had met up with my friend, Aidan, at the game, and ge got an extra Lind signed for me.  I was also glad to get some Brad Bergesen cards out of my Orioles boxes, which was great.  He was really nice, as well.

In all, we got the following autographs:  Mitch Bratt x 1, Cam Cauley x 5, Yosy Galan x 3, Anthony Gutierrez x 14, Ian Moller x 1, Julio Valdez x 3, Sebastian Walcott x 2, Brad Bergesen x 8, William Bergolla x 7, Emaarion Boyd x 5, Justin Crawford x 9 and Adam Lind x 4 (62 total autographs). 

Another TTM Success From Tony Perez

Finally some of the cards from private signings that I signed up for from September to November are coming in.  For one reason or another four or five of the signings have all been delayed.  One of them, the above card from Tony Perez, finally came in the other day.  

I wanted to complete this 2010 Topps Reds Franchise History card after I got it signed by Johnny Bench last August. The signing with Perez came up soon after, and now that the card is complete, it was well worth the wait.

I sent the card off on November 17 and got the card back on March 2, for a 106-day TAT. I paid a fee of $40 to complete the card.

TTM Success - Scott Downs

There was a brief time in August where I got in some TTMs that had been put for a very long time. The latest one was this TTM success from Scott Downs.  I was excited to get this 2000 Topps Gold Label back signed. It turned out great.

I also got a 2000 Topps Gallery and a 2010 Topps back signed.  The two 2000 cards came from a trip to the former LCS years ago.

Downs (b. 1976) played in the majors in 2000 and from 2003 to 2014 for the Cubs, Expos, Blue Jays, Angels, Braves, White Sox and Royals.  He had a record of 38-40 with 575 strike outs and a 3.56 ERA.

I mailed to Downs on October 7, 2019, and got the cards back on August 25, 2023, for a 1,418-day TAT.

TTM Success - David Aardsma

These David Aardsma cards sat in my "to be TTMed" box for a very long time.  Once mailed, they were out there for a long time, as well.  They finally came back signed, and turned out great.  Above is a 2004 Topps.

Here are a 2010 Topps, 2011 Topps and a 2005 Fleer Ultra.  

Aardsma (b. 1981) played in the majors in 2004, from 2006 to 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 for the Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Yankees, Mets and Braves.  He had a record of 16-18 with 340 strike outs and a 4.27 ERA.

I mailed to Aardsma on April 19, 2021, and got the cards back on June 6, 2023, for a 778-day TAT.

TTM Success - Hank Williams Jr

Another signed 1987 Topps checklist has made its way to the album, along with a filler card and a 2010 Topps Houston Astros team history card; all signed by music legend, Hank Williams, Jr.

I had seen that Williams was signing TTM, so I got these three cards together and sent them out.  They turned out nicely.  I k ow some folks don't understand why I get the checklist or filler cards signed; I like to add folks who (loosely) were active in 87 on the hundreds of checklists I have remaining.  Maybe not hundreds, but it seems that way.  Anyway, it's fun to have a page or two at the back of the album with these random politicians and celebrities.  The filler cards are probably proof that I can't throw anything away, but they still look cool in the album. 

Williams (b. 1949) was born into the music industry.  He has blazed a path apart from his famous father, and made a name for himself in his own right. He has a tie to the sports world, as the singer of the former opening song to Monday Night Football.

I mailed to Williams on January 23 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 14-day TAT. 

August 2022 Graphing Recap of Nationals at Wood Ducks

After I got home from the National, I jumped right into graphing at the Wood Ducks, since the Nationals were in town.  I had a ton of their coaches, plus a bunch of their team had cards.  Jeremy De La Rosa and Dustin Saenz had been moved up and Brady House didn't make the trip since he was on the IL, but there were still a ton of guys with cards.

The above 2007 Bowman Chrome blue refractor came from a dine box at the National, so it was nice to get it signed right off the bat.  Young was nice enough, but only signed one per for me.  One of the days we were there, he asked Chris if he could keep his 2009 Upper Deck, which Chris gave him, and oung signed everything he had on his page.  I had a lot of his cards left over, but I was happy with what I got done.

Young has a nice variety of cards, and my good friend, Max, hooked me up with some that I didn't have.  He got a bunch back signed, as well, so we are both happy.

I was glad to get a few of these 2008 Upper Deck cards out of my boxes.  I've got a ton of them, and don't get into that box as much I would like.

Joel Hanrahan also has a bunch of different cards.  His son was visiting this series, and commented on the 2014 Topps.  So, the next day he came out, I gave him one of them.

Max and Gerard provided me with a bunch of Hanrahan's cards, so there was a lot to get done.  I finished off his cards, which was nice.

Like I said, a lot of the Fredericksburg players had cards, so I got a bunch of my own stuff, and 50/50s for others taken care of.  All of the players were nice, which helped me knock a bunch of stuff out.

Sammy Infante was really nice.  He asked me immediately when he saw us where were the good places to eat around Kinston.  So, I told him a few places, then the rest of the series, we would talk about where he had eaten prior.

Since Mason Denaberg was injured when Fredericksburg came through last season, I missed out on getting him.  By the time this series came around, I had a ton more of his cards, including the 2018 Bowman Chrome gold refractor that I found at the National.

I was so glad I finished off Denaberg.  I made a lot of room in my boxes with his stuff being removed.

Jackson Rutledge was another player who had a bunch of cards, and he finally came through Kinston.  I also finished off everything I had of him, including a nice 2020 Bowman Chrome blue refractor that I found at this year's National.

This big news for this series was that James Wood was reporting to Fredericksburg, with the possibility that he would meet up with the team in Kinston.  He got there on Thursday, and is a big boy.  He is 6' 7" and his a ball over the batter's eye i dead center field during batting practice.  He was obtained from the Padres organization in the Juan Soto trade.

Finally, I got some cards signed for some other folks for the Wood Ducks.  I'm about done taking stuff for the Woodies, but have a hard time telling folks no.  I do like the different parallels.

In all, I got the following autographs: Cam Cauley x 1, Ryan Garcia x 3, Dylan MacLean x 2, Ian Moller x 3, Jose Rodriguez x 5, Brenden Boissiere x 12, Mason Denaburg x 42, Joel Hanrahan x 33, Sammy Infante x 10, Jackson Rutledge x 35, Andry Lara x 15, TJ White x 7, Delwyn Young x 15, Maximo Acosta x 2, James Wood x 7, Zion Bannister x 1, Mitch Bratt x 1, Yosy Galan x 1 and DEWD x 2 (197 total autographs).

TTM Success - Travis Buck

Apparently, this TTM success from Travis Buck was a bit of a surprise to some folks.  Regarded as a tough autograph, I was able to get my 2010 Topps signed.  It turned out nicely, and I am glad that I got the success.

Buck (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2007 to 2012 for the A's, Indians and Astros.  He had 197 hits, 20 home runs and a .243 batting average.

I mailed to Buck on January 18 and got the card back on March 26, for a 67-day TAT.  I had sent him 3 cards; he kept the other 2.

Graphing Recap - Kentucky Wild Health Genomes at High Point Rockers

When I get the chance to graph the Independent Leagues, I try to jump at it.  I was off from Wood Ducks games this past weekend, so I took the opportunity to go to the High Point Rockers and see former Oriole, Felix Pie, back in action in the states after 10+ years.

I thrashed last week to find cards for the trip, and feel like I did really well.  The above 2010 Topps copper parallel was the one card I wanted to get signed, but I had no idea where I had seen it last.  I was packing the car and about to walk out of the door when I picked up one last team bag of cards in a box, which yielded the card.  Whew.  The card is numbered 151/399, and I don't recall where I got it.  I just know that I opened a ton of 2010 Topps, and didn't pull any copper parallels that I can remember.

I was able to get Pie by the dugout pre-game, and outside post-game.  I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get too many autographs, but I really had no problem.  The barriers weren't made for short people, so I struggled getting my book to some of the guys, but in the end, I did really well.

Chris Shaw's cards were all over the place in my card room, since he had been with Norfolk fairly recently.  So, there were a few cards in the Box of Shame, as well as a few in an old box I had for the Orioles a few years ago in my closet.

By the time I put my bag away Saturday night, I had gotten Shaw on 12 cards.  He signed a full page inside and then stood and talked to me as he signed another full page outside after the game.

This 2017 Bowman Chrome blue shimmer refractor of Chase Vallot was another card that I really wanted to come away with signed.  I had it way back when Vallot came through the Wood Ducks during the 2017 season, but it got misplaced.  Thankfully, I had found it and kept it close by in order to get it signed, finally.

Max Povse was the player who "put me on the board" Saturday.  I was able to get him quickly, even though he was the starter.  I really wish that I had his 2017 Bowman Chrome to get signed, but I never did get one.

Several of these Aaron Blair cards had frequent flyer miles on them.  I had sent 4 of them TTM to him a few months ago, only for them to be RTS.  I keep the RTS envelopes near my desk, so finding his cards was pretty easy.

I took a couple of my boxes to the farm the night before the game, stayed up listening to the Orioles game and searched the boxes for these cards.  I also took the time to organize that box, since it was one of the ones from the former LCS.  It had an assortment of 2013-2019 Bowman in it, so I can now merge all of those into my other Bowman box.

Jonathan Crawford was the only player who limited while I was in High Point.  It was post-game by the dugout, so I'm sure he was ready to get in the clubhouse.  High Point had come from behind and walked it off in the 9th, so everyone was excited.

Most of the Logan Morrison cards I got signed were Box of Shame cards, as well as the Ran Dulls.  I have no idea who gave me the Johnny Field relic card (it may have been my friend, Dalton), but my brother Philip hooked me up with a little painter's tape before I left for the game so I could secure it in my book.  The card was too thick for my photo corners.

I was super excited about completing the 2015 Topps A's rookies card with Max Muncy that I got signed a few years ago.  Hopefully, my friend, Max, can help me add Ben Gamel to the 2016 Topps cards already signed by Johnny Barbato.

Here are the other LoMo and Ryan Dull cards that I got signed.  I didn't realize beforehand, but Dull is from Winston-Salem, which was pretty cool.

Here are the rest of the cards I got signed by the players.  I lucked into getting Brady Lail; I asked a group of guys that were coming out of the clubhouse if Lail was still there and he introduced himself.

The last person I was able to get was former pitcher, Frank Viola.  Viola serves as High Point's pitching coach.  We talked for a bit outside about the town he now lives in.  I had spent a lot of time in that town, so I was able to make a good Chinese food recommendation to him, which he appreciated.

I graphed on my own this weekend, and in all, I feel like I did pretty well.  I came away with the following autographs:  Aaron Blair 7, Anderson Miller x 1, Felix Pie x 9, Riley Mahan x 3, Chase Vallot x 4, Chris Shaw x 14, Jonathan Crawford x 2, Max Povse x 1, Johnny Barbato x 2, Ryan Dull x 3, Johnny Field x 2, Tyler Ladendorf x 6, Brady Lail x 3, Logan Morrison x 4 and Frank Viola x 7 (70 total autographs).

I want to hit High Point again, especially since I am able to remove some older cards from my boxes.  I hear some of the teams are pretty stacked this year, so I may be headed back up there some time the Wood Ducks are out of town.