TTM Success - Brooks Carey

I got this card at the National a few years ago when I bought the 1981 TCMA Cal Ripken.  THe sell gave me this card as a throw in, and I have had it in my box for a long time.  I finally found an address for Carey and sent it on its way.

Carey (b. 1956) was a 10th round pick by the Orioles in the 1978 June Amateur Draft out of Florida State University.  He played in the minors from 1978 to 1982 in the Orioles and Reds systems, reaching AAA.  He had a record of 37-38 with 437 strike outs and a 3.75 ERA.

I mailed to Carey on August 27 and got the card back on December 15 for a 110-day TAT.  Carey also included a note apologizing for the delay.

TTM Success - Keith Hughes

I had intended to get this posted earlier in the day, but I spent the entire evening helping Chris with his homework.  Yay.  Anyway, Here are some cards I got signed by former Oriole, Keith Hughes.

Hughes signed 5 cards for me, and getting the Rochester Red Wings card signed was nice.  I can't remember who, but someone sent me that 1988 team set, and I was glad to get another of those signed.  He also signed a 1990 CMC AAA card (above left), 1988 Topps (above middle) and a 1988 Donruss (above right).

I also got this 1991 Crown Orioles card signed.

Hughes (b. 1963) played in the majors in 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1993 for the Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, Mets and Reds.  He had 41 hits, 2 home runs and a .204 batting average.

I mailed to Hughes on June 1 and got the cards back on June 25, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Wilin Rosario

I saw that Wilin Rosario was signing TTM while he was with the Rochester Red Wings, so I found a few cards and sent them out.  A short time later, they all came back signed.  Normally, I would have had a lot of cards to choose from, but I typically give all of my Rosario stuff to my friend, Noah, so I was lucky to find these three cards.  The 2012 Bowman Platinum turned out really well.

I also had a 2012 Topps and 2015 Topps.  Rosario probably could use a new Sharpie, soon.  However, I am happy with what I was able to get.

Rosario (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2011 to 2015 for the Rockies.  He had 413 hits, 71 home runs and a .273 batting average.  I was surprised to see that he hasn't been in the majors since 2015.  I think injuries have really limited him. 

A look at his stats show that he didn't play at all between 2016 and 2018.  He played 105 games this year at AAA Rochester in the Twins system.  He had 124 hits, 24 home runs and a .300 average.  Maybe this is an indication that he is now healthy, and a team will give him a Spring Training invitation next season.

I mailed to Rosario on July 23 and got the cards back on September 10, for a 49-day TAT.

June 2, 2018, Graphing the Rochester Red Wings

While at the Wood Ducks game last Thursday, I got to talking with my buddy Jackson about maybe taking a road trip this past weekend, since the Wood Ducks were on the road.  Originally, he and I were going to meet up at Buies Creek, his home stadium, and graph the Potomac Nationals and Buies Creek Astros.  After I saw that there was a possibility that Zach Britton would be at Norfolk for a rehab assignment, I talked Jackson into riding along to Norfolk.

Jackson got to my house around lunchtime on Saturday, which gave us some time to go through a few boxes and set up our autograph books.  He had found some cards for graphing at his house, and we polished it off with a bunch from my boxes.  I was able to find some old Topps cards of the Red Wings coaches, like the above Stu Cliburn Topps cards from 1986 and 1989.

I also found a decent amount of Joel Skinner Topps cards.  I was able to get them signed, and also got a 1985 Topps Father/Son card signed, then promptly sent it off to his dad to complete the card.  I hope it comes back signed.

A really cool thing about the trip was that I was able to knock a 1987 Topps off of my list.  It is especially gratifying to be able to find a card in your boxes and turn it into a set need.  Plus, the card turned out great.  I learned later than Skinner is a tough graph; he did walk by us three times in the rain delay, but as he was walking away that third time, I said, "Joel will you sign for us, PLEASE?", and he turned around and signed for us.  He also told me that the '85 Topps Father/Son was his favorite card from his career.

I got on the board at Norfolk when Nick Buss came out to assess the rain delay, and stopped to sign my card.  It was raining lightly when he came by, but it wasn't bad enough to discourage us.  The rain was off and on, and finally cleared up and the game started after an hour and a half rain delay.  Norfolk won the game, but Jackson and I decided to stick by Rochester's clubhouse instead of pursing Norfolk, since I was likely to see Norfolk another time.

I was able to get a bunch of cards signed outside of the stadium after the game.  The only player that I had cards of that I missed was Kennys Vargas.

Like I said above, it is a real gratifying feeling when you can pull a card out of your boxes and find a way to get it signed.  The above right Adalberto Mejia 2013 Bowman Chrome is part of a set that I really didn't have many cards of.  Luckily, I did have a Mejia card, and he was kind enough to sign it.

Chris Carter was really cool outside.  Chris and I were looking toward Kennys Vargas, trying to find a way to see if he would sign, without him ripping us in half, when I saw that Jackson was getting Chris Carter.  Chris said really loudly, "Who is that?".  I told him it was Chris Carter, and he told Jackson "He doesn't know who I am, that hurts my feelings!"  Chris walked up to him and asked him for his autograph, and Carter said "Are you sure it's me?"  He smiled and signed our stuff.  He laughed with us, so I know he was just messing with Chris.  Carter is a really down-to-earth guy, despite his size.

Before the game started, I was able to get Nick Gordon on the above right 2017 Topps Pro Debut.  We must have missed prepping that card, as the auto bubbled like crazy.  So much for a Staedtler pen being amazing...

Then I see the job my Staedtler did on the above Stadium Club of Trevor May.  This card WAS prepped, and it looks amazing.  The pen definitely does do a good job, but lesson learned, you do need to prep the cards.

Trevor May was pretty cool.  He wouldn't sign for us coming off of the field, but said he would sign outside.  He was good on his word, and signed everything we had.

Finally, the player I wanted to get the most was Zack Granite.  I made sure to tell him that as a geologist, I love his last name.  He chuckled, and signed the above right 2018 Bowman.  After the game, he signed for us again outside, which got me the 2018 Topps Chrome '83 at the top of the page.  The above left 2018 Topps finally gets me on the board with 2018 in my album, even though I do have a couple Michael gave me that need to be posted, and some Gerard has for me that are on their way.

In all, I had a great time graphing with Jackson and Chris.  I know Jackson had a good time, and it was really nice to find a suitable road partner who may be willing to do a few of these trips.

National Pickup - 1981 TCMA Cal Ripken

This card could have made it onto my Top Ten Wishlist for next year, had I not found it at the National.  This is a 1981 TCMA Cal Ripken minor league card.  I had looked at a few on Ebay a few weeks prior to the show and realized that they could be had for decent prices.  I found one vendor at the show who had one, and picked this up for what I had seen them selling for.

This is a pretty tough Cal to find, and I am glad I was able to add it to the Cal PC.  I often complain about how hard it is to find Cal cards that I don't yet have, and this one was a prime example of one I really needed.  There is also the 1980 WBTV Charlotte Orioles minor league card, but I will never own that one.  I saw one graded at a 7 at the show, and the vendor wanted $10,000 for it.  No thanks!

Maybe I will be able to find a generous benefactor who has the Charlotte O's Cal card, but I highly doubt it.

Anyway, I am really glad I was able to knock off two big Ripken cards while I was at the National.  Maybe if I think hard enough, I will be able to come up with some other Cals that can populate my Top Ten Wishlist for next year!