TTM Success - Bruce Sutter

The final card I got back in the private signing on SCN that took so long was Bruce Sutter.  The whole reason I signed up for the thing was because I would be able to knock off some big names at fairly reasonable prices.  This is why I love the feature on SCN.  This was actually one of the first private signings I had signed up for, and I learned a lot about the process.  I wasn't aware at the time how to set up a trade for the signings (which is how they are tracked, and feedback is issued).  I believe my inability to set up the trade for this was one of the main reasons why it was delayed as long as it was.  He had no recourse against him.  Thankfully, the cards ended up coming in, and I actually had used the guy one other time between then and now.  That signing worked out fast, and that card (which was being done for a friend) came back quickly.  I have signed up for another big name signing through this guy, this time with tracking, so we shall see if there is any improvement.

Sutter (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1976 to 1986 and 1988 for the Cubs, Cardinals and Braves.  He had a career record of 68-71 with a 2.83 ERA and 861 strike outs.  He finished his career with 300 saves.  He was a six-time All Star (1977 to 1981 and 1984) and finished a career-best 5th in the 1982 NL MVP voting.  He was the 1979 NL Cy Young Award winner.  He is often credited with developing the split finger fastball.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006, his 13th ballot (76.9%).  He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 1982.

I sent to the private signing on March 3 and got the card back on August 29, for a 179-day TAT.

Trade With Michael - Relics and Autos

I worked out a deal with my friend, Michael, pretty quickly the other day and landed a few nice cards for my collection.  This triple relic Chris Tillman card is really cool.  It is numbered 36/99 and came out of 2010 Bowman.  Tillman has been rough this year, but that has kind of been the O's season.  Good at points, really rough at others.  Uggh.  Oh well.  At this point, I've accepted that Tillman is probably a #3 or #4 starter, but we have him as a #1, and that isn't going to cut it.  I wish he would turn it around and be the dominant pitcher I know he can be, but something just isn't right with him this year.

I picked this 2014 Panini Hall of Fame signed Bruce Sutter up from Michael in a mystery envelope for $5 that he was running.  I got the card to round out my purchase, and I was pretty ok with what I pulled.  It is a nice-looking card and is numbered 8/50, so that's not bad.

Finally, Michael threw in this nice 2004 UD Legendary Cuts relic card of Juan Marichal.  Michael knows how I like wool jersey cards, so it was cool that he remembered and added it to the package.

Thanks for the deal, Michael.

I'll probably be holding off on any more deals (aside from the cards I have coming in this week) until after the National at the end of the month.  I am selling at the Raleigh Card Show from July 24 to 26 to raise some more funds, then it is off to the National.  I have a few things I intend to pick up, so I need to save as much as I can.

Christmas Presents From Mom Part One

I hope everyone had a great and safe Christmas.

I'll start my Christmas posts off with some of the stuff I got from my mom.  I plan on breaking up what I got into several posts, so check back often to see what all was received.

First off, I got two more Ball of Fame boxes.  Mom was really hoping I would pull the Mickey Mantle, as she is a big Yankee fan.  I wasn't that lucky, but got two really good baseballs, one of which I already had, but it was still an upgrade over the one I already had.

The first box I opened was Bruce Sutter.  I picked Sutter up last year, but this one is graded, so I consider it an upgrade.  I'll probably sell the other Sutter that I have.  If anyone is interested, let me know.

My other pull was a Hall of Famer who i didn't already have, so I was really happy.  It was also another 'full name' variation, so that made it even better.  I got Dennis Eckersley!  I have been wanting an Eck ball for a while, but have kept putting it off, so it is good to finally have him as my 58th Hall of Famer.

My mom always gets me awesome stuff, and there is a bit more to show!  Thanks again Mom!!!

Hall of Fame Baseball Ebay Success - Bruce Sutter

I was able to stretch out my tax return into 3 more baseballs. All Hall of Famers, of course. As it turns out, (which I didn't notice until Drew pointed it out) all 3 spent a good chunk of time as Cardinals.

The first baseball that I will show off is this Bruce Sutter signed baseball. Sutter is my 34th Hall of Famer. He played in the majors from 1976 to 1986 and 1988 for the Cubs, Cardinals and Braves. He had a career record of 68-71 with an ERA of 2.83 and 861 strikeouts. He was a reliever who apparently invented the split finger fastball (a pitch that Sutter says shredded his pitching arm). He led the league in saves 5 times and retired with exactly 300.

Sutter was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006 after spending 13 years on the ballot (garnering 76.9% of the vote in '06). He was also the 1979 NL Cy Young Award Winner.