TTM Success - Bud Norris

A private signing popped up with a former Oriole that I wanted to add to the autograph album, Bud Norris. I wanted him on an Orioles card, so I chose this 2015 Topps.  I like this set, and it was an easy choice.

Norris (b. 1985) played in the majors from 2009 to 2018 for the Astros, Orioles, Padres, Braves, Dodgers, Angels and Cardinals. He had a record of 67-90 with 1,153 strike outs and a 4.45 ERA.

I mailed to the signing on September 22 and got the card back on December 4, for a 73-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $20.00.

TTM Success - Jimmy Nelson

Some mid-2010s cards were added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success from Jimmy Nelson.  The above 2015 Topps turned out great.  This was a great-looking set and I'm glad that I've gotten quite a few of them signed over the years. 

Another great looking set was 2016 Topps.  There are a lot of collectors who I know that love this set.  There were some pretty strong sets in the back half of the decade.

Nelson (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2013 to 2017, 2019 and 2021 for the Brewes and Dodgers.  He had a record of 34-48 with 622 strike outs and a 4.12 ERA.  He finished 9th in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2017.

I mailed to Nelson on March 7 and got the cards back on March 18 for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Steven Moya

Here are a bunch of cards that had a lot of frequent flyer miles on them.  I had these Steven Moya cards pulled when he was in the Atlantic League, but missed him.  Then, the cards were sent to a couple different people to try for 50/50s and they didn't get done because Moya wound up playing in Japan for a few seasons.  I saw that he was back in the states, so i figured I'd try to get him TTM, and that worked out.

I was glad to get a couple of these Bowman Chrome minis out of my boxes and have them signed.  They can be a pain to deal with, but it doesn't matter now that they are locked into the autograph album. 

I also got an older team set (I believe a 2016 International League All Star) card, a 2013 Bowman and a 2015 Topps signed with this TTM request.  Moya also included a nice note.

Moya (b. 1991) played in the majors from 2014 to 2016 for the Tigers.  He had 31 hits, 5 home runs and a .250 batting average.

I mailed to Moya on January 22 and got the cards back on February 3 for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - David Lough

My friend, Ryan, told me that former Oriole, David Lough, was signing TTM, so I sent this 2015 Topps out, and it came back signed the other day.  There isn't much to his signature, but the card is signed and in the album. 

Lough (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2012 to 2016 for the Royals, Orioles and Phillies.  He had 190 hits, 13 home runs and a .254 batting average. 

I mailed to Lough on April 30 and got the card back on May 13, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Taylor Hill

This 2015 Topps was signed TTM by Taylor Hill, who color matched it with a red Sharpie.  The card looks pretty cool, honestly, even though I still prefer blue.

Hill (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2014 to 2015 for the Nationals.  He had a record of 0-1 with 14 strike outs and a 6.00 ERA.

I mailed to Hill on December 5 and got the card back on March 23, for a 109-day TAT.

Some Autographs From Aidan

My friend Aidan took some cards from me for the Cape Cod league to get signed this summer.  He sent me back a few signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Aidan got a few Saltalamacchias done and also sent me back some other random cards like the above 2017 Update Jacob Faria and the 1988 Donruss Jose Mesa.

All of the cards loom great.  Thank you so much for the autographs, Aidan!

TTM Success - Delmon Young

Finally.  I have waited 7 years for a private signing with Delmon Young to come up so I could get a 2015 Topps signed.  Young was the catalyst for my greatest in person baseball memory.  He launched a 3-run double in game 2 of the 2014 ALDS to allow the Orioles to come from behind and beat the Tigers and go up 2 games to none in the best of 5 series.  That was the loudest I had ever heard Camden Yards.  It was an amazing feeling, and it still gives me chills today when I watch it.  I sill can't believe I was there.  I was so excited to open 2015 Topps and see that the moment was captured on a Topps flagship card.

Young (b. 1985) played in the majors from 2006 to 2015 for the Rays, Twins, Tigers, Phillies and Orioles.  He had 1,162 hits, 109 home runs and a .283 batting average.  He finished 2nd in the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year voting and was 10th in the 2010 AL MVP voting.  He was the 2012 ALCS MVP.  

I mailed to the signing on November 6 and got the card back on December 11, for a 35-day TAT. I paid a fee of $25.00.

Another TTM Success From Shane Greene

Shane Greene is a pretty reliable TTM signer.  I had gotten him a while back, then I found the above 2019 Topps Chrome sepia refractor.  I sent to him again, and got the card, along with some others, back signed.

I sent a 2015 Topps gold, 2019 Topps Heritage and a 2020 Topps.

Greene (b. 1988) has played in the majors since 2014 for the Yankees, Tigers, Braves, Dodgers and Cubs.  He has a record of 24-29 with 442 strike outs and a 4.50 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2019.

I mailed to Greene on June 14 and got the cards back on October 7, for a 115-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Teixeira

This TTM success I got back from Mark Teixeira was a big one.  I was glad to get my 2015 Topps purple parallel back signed.  It turned out great.

Teixeira (b. 1980) played in the majors from 2003 to 2016 for the Rangers, Braves, Angels and Yankees.  He had 1,862 hits, 409 home runs and a .268 batting average.  He was an All Star in 2005, 2009 and 2015.  He finished second in the AL MVP race in 2009 when he led the league in homers (39) and RBIs (122). Joe Mauer won the award that year.

Teixeira was a five-time Gold Glove Award winner and a three-time Silver Slugger.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009.  He appeared on the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 1.5% of the vote.  

I still haven't forgiven him for teasing us Orioles fans with the thought that he would sign with the O's, only to become a Don Mattingly fan overnight and sign that big deal with the Yankees. 

I mailed to Teixeira via ESPN on October 11, 2022, and got the card back signed on March 23, 2023, for a 163-day TAT.

TTM Success - JJ Hardy

Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS still is the greatest baseball game that I have attended.  The Delmon Young 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th inning resulted in the loudest moment I've heard at a ballpark.  I had hoped for a private signing with Young for some time now, since his 2015 Topps shows him at bat for that hit.  That hasn't happened, but JJ Hardy's 2015 Topps also captures part of that moment.  As a result of a signing with Hardy, I was able to get a few of his cards signed and added to my album.

I couldn't settle just for the base card being signed.  I had this blue refractor from 2015 Topps Chrome, and sent it along, as well.

Hardy's 2015 Bowman also shows him rounding the bases as part of the Young double, so I included it in the package, as well.  I topped the request off with the above 2012 Bowman red ice parallel because it looks so cool.

Hardy (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2005 to 2017 for the Brewers and Orioles.  He had 1,488 hits, 188 home runs and a .256 batting average.  He was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2012, 2013 and 2014) and an All Star twice (2007 and 2013).  He also won the Silver Slugger award in 2013.  He appeared on the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to the signing on February 14 and got the cards back on March 9, for a 23-day TAT. 

April 29, 2023 Graphing of Long Island Ducks at High Point Rockers

Graphing independent ball is a challenge that is a bit different than affiliated ball.  You have to have a wide range of cards, and a lot of time devoted to finding stuff of the guys on the teams you're going to see.  I had found out that Daniel Murphy had signed with the Long Island Ducks and that they would be visiting High Point on a weekend that the Down East Wood Ducks were out of town.  So, I planned early for a trip to High Point, and took a bunch of cards with me from some older boxes.

I got Murphy on two cards, which was nice.  I got him inside pre-game, and outside after the game.  I wish I had put the Gypsy Queen parallel that I had in my book by itself so I could have gotten that signed, but I was still happy that he hit this 2016 Topps Chrome.

He signed this 2019 Topps outside.  I had hoped he would do more than one outside, but I am still happy with what I was able to add to my album.

Wally Backman was the first signer for me yesterday.  He signed two inside pre-game and one outside as he was walking to the bus.  He was nice enough, even though he didn't say a whole lot.  I was glad to add a couple of these 80s Topps and a 1992 Upper Deck to the album.

I had to raid my factory sealed 2006 Topps set to get the two Lew Ford 2006 Topps cards.  I also had to raid my hand-collated 2005 set for that card, as well.  I went ahead and ordered replacements in case I was able to get him on all three, and I did well.

Adieny Hechavarria was really cool.  I got him on everything in my book pre-game, right before the National Anthem.  I refilled what I had left, traded a 2015 Bowman for the 2010 Pro Debut and got him again outside after the game.  He was super nice, and commented on how he liked the 2018 Topps Big League card.

I was surprised that I had some Sam Travis cards.  He was nice, as well.  I felt bad but I presented a ton of cards to Edward Salcedo, since I didn't want to put any 2010 or 2012 Pro Debuts back in the box.  He didn't seem to mind signing a bunch of the same cards, so I have some stuff I can send out in some blind trades.

Al Albuquerque was nice.  He made like he was going to sign for us, walked away with a hat, then made like he was coming back; then he finally did come back and signed everything I had.  I don't think he was messing around, he looked like he was trying to find someone.

Ian Clarkin was the starter, so I was unable to get him before the game.  So, it was guaranteed that I was going to try to get some autos outside after the game.  He was really cool outside.  He talked to me, along with a couple other graphers about his night.  He also commented on how fun these mini Bowman Chromes are.

I also got three other different Bowman Clarkins signed; his 2014 Chrome, 2014 paper and 2015 Chrome.  He signed some extras, no problem, so I have even more trade bait.

I was worried that I missed Kyle Lobstein, so when a pair of players walked outside, I asked them if Lobstein was still inside.  One of them said "I'm right here" and he signed my cards.  We laughed a bit, but he was really nice.

Matt Vogel got shelled in the game, but was still nice enough to stop and sign my two cards at the dugout post-game.  I appreciated him stopping, even though he didn't have to.

Finally, I got Frank Viola to hit a page in my book of a bunch of different cards.  I was surprised that out of all of the cards he signed for me, only one of them was one I had gotten before.

I had a snap case sitting on a desk here at the house from a past trip to High Point.  I was glad I had found it and got some Violas out of it and into the autograph album.

In all, I got the following autographs: Al Alburquerque x 5, Wally Backman x 3, Ian Clarkin x 7, Lew Ford x 3, Adeiny Hechavarria x 9, Kyle Lobstein x 5, Daniel Murphy x 2, Edward Salcedo x 10, Sam Travis x 4, Frank Viola x 8 and Matt Vogel x 2 (58 total autographs).

TTM Success - Brian Duensing

Here are a couple cards that came back signed TTM from former pitcher, Brian Duensing.  The above 2015 Topps turned out nicely.  This set is a really nice one to get signed, and I have gotten quite a few into my album.

I was also able to get a 2007 Bowman signed, which turned out well.  I have a ton of 2007 Bowman, so it is always nice to get at least one of them out of my box.

Duensing (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2009 to 2018 for the Twins, Orioles and Cubs.  He had a record of 46-38 with 523 strike outs and a 4.19 ERA.

I mailed to Duensing on May 11, 2020, and got the cards back on December 2, 2022, for a 935-day TAT.

An Assortment of Autographs From Gerard

Falling behind of posting stuff has led to a huge stack of signed cards that still need to be scanned.  This stack can hopefully be managed quickly, especially if I combine posts of stuff from the same person.  Scattered among the cards were several that Gerard has sent me over the past few months.

He recently did a signing with Franklin Perez that I didn't write down nor count toward my TTMs.  I had sent several Perez cards to Gerard just after the National with several that he could use for himself.  I found the above 2018 Bowman Chrome purple shimmer refractor in a dollar box at the National and decided that this would be the key to what I wanted back from the signing.

I also sent off the 2018 Topps Pro Debut showing Perez in a Buies Creek uniform.  I couldn't find my team set card; I think I sent it TTM to Perez and never got it back.  Gerard provided the 2017 Carolina League Top Prospects card, which was nice (because mine was sent in that lost TTM).

Gerard had also arranged a private signing with Terry Kennedy, and since I needed the 1987 Topps Padres leaders card signed, I jumped in that signing as well.  I included my 1991 Crown Orioles card, since I'm not officially working on that set, but want to get them out of my box and signed.

My hope is that Gerard can get Andy Hawkins to do a signing so I can complete the leaders card.  Gerard also provided a base 1987 Topps of Kennedy so I could upgrade mine from black ink to blue.

Here are a bunch of random cards that Gerard sent back from past 50/50s and other signings.  I was glad he gave me the 2003 Bowman Heritage of Nate Spears.  I love that design.  I probably got Matthew Lugo on my own 2019 Bowman Draft, but this one will go in my album anway.

The 1991 Topps Oddibe McDowell was one of the last mystery TTMs that came in; back when we were doing those.  THat kind of stopped with the both of us getting really busy.  I might pick that up on a limited basis.  I thought about doing that for maybe one of my nephews or nieces.

Finally, here are a couple landscape oriented cards.  The 2019 Topps Rangers card is signed by former Rangers manager, Chris Woodward.

The Christian Vazquez seems to be the first 2022 Topps Heritage to make its way into my album.  I really appreciate all of the cards from Gerard.  I'm also glad that I am at a point where I can clean my desk up.  It is never too early to prep for next season.

TTM Success - Will Middlebrooks

My friend, Michael, approached me about a private signing with Will Middlebrooks, so I signed up. I had wanted this 2014 Topps Chrome orange refractor signed for a while, so once I was able to find the card, I sent it off.

I also sent a couple Topps cards (a 2015 and a 2017); both turned out well. 

Middlebrooks (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2012 to 2017 for the Red Sox, Padres, Brewers and Rangers. He had 262 hits, 43 home runs and a .228 batting average. He won the World Series in 2013 with the Red Sox.

I mailed to the signing on April 15 and got the cards back on June 18, for a 64-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Bassitt

Here are some nice cards that I was able to get signed by A's pitcher, Chris Bassitt.  The above 2015 Topps turned out really well.  I like the green border on this card and think it was one of the best color combinations out of this set.

I also got a 2020 Topps and a 2020 Topps rainbow foil signed, and they both turned out great.

Bassitt (b. 1989) has played in the majors from 2014 to 2016 and 2018 to present for the White Sox and A's.  He has a record of 31-25 with 504 strike outs and a 3.47 ERA.  He was an All Star this season and finished 10th in the AL Cy Young race.  That wasn't his best finish, though, he finished 8th last season.

I mailed to Bassitt on March 4 via A's Spring Training and got the cards back on October 14, for a 224-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brian Schlitter

Here is a nice 2015 Topps that I was able to get signed TTM by Brian Schlitter.

Schlitter (b. 1985) played in the majors in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2019 for the Cubs and A's.  He had a record of 3-6 with 48 strike outs and a 5.20 ERA.

I mailed to Schlitter on December 2, 2020, and got the card back on October 12, 2021, for a 314-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Neil Walker

Back in 2019, I got two nice cards returned TTM from Neil Walker.  I came across these two as I was going through boxes.  I really liked the purple foil 2015 Topps, so I went ahead and sent to Walker again.

I also had this 2014 Topps red foil, and it also turned out well.  I had quite a bit of Walker's cards, but I didn't want to send too many.  I feel like these two were the best ones I had, and they will look cool in my album.

I don't believe I had seen the purple foil 2015 Topps before.  It is a Toys R Us parallel, which I forgot they made.

I mailed to Walker on March 29 and got the cards back on May 13, for a 45-day TAT.

TTM Success - Luke Gregerson

Some fairly recent cards came back TTM with this success from Luke Gregerson.  He signed my 2015 Topps Heritage, which turned out nicely.

I also got a 2013 Topps Update and a 2015 Topps signed by Gregerson.

Gregerson (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2009 to 2019 for the Padres, A's, Astros and Cardinals.  He had a record of 35-35 with 621 strike outs and a 3.15 ERA.  He won the World Series in 2017 with the Astros.

I mailed to Gregerson on March 8 and got the cards back on May 1, for a 54-day TAT.  He signed 3 of the 5 cards I sent.

TTM Success - Danny Espinosa

Some really nice cards came back signed TTM from Danny Espinosa a few months ago.  The above 2013 Topps Opening Day foil really looks great.  I couldn't believe that I found the card when I needed it, but I did.

The 2015 Topps I sent Espinosa also turned out well.

Espinosa (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2010 to 2017 for the Nationals, Angels, Mariners and Rays.  He had 644 hits, 98 home runs and a .221 batting average.  He finished 6th in the 201 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Espinosa on August 27 and got the cards back on February 16, for a 173-day TAT.

TTM Success - Gordon Beckham

This TTM success from Gordon Beckham was a pleasant surprise.  He had been signing, but that doesn't always mean I will have success.  So, I gave it a shot, and got 4 cards back signed.  I really like the 2012 Topps above; nothing wrong with a nice action shot on a landscape oriented card.

I also was able to get a 2010 Topps Chrome out of my box, which is always nice, especially since the curved cards take up the space of around 3 or 4 cards.  I also added a 2010 Topps and a 2015 Topps.

Beckham (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2009 to 2019 for the White Sox, Angels, Braves, Giants, Mariners and Tigers.  He had 807 hits, 80 home runs and a .237 batting average.  He finished 5th in the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Beckham on December 22 and got the cards back on February 16, for a 56-day TAT.