A Second TTM Success From Sid Bream

When I sent to Sid Bream back in 2016, I hadn't yet decided to try to get as many signed 1987 Topps as I could.  So, when I sent to him, I left out the two cards he had in the 1987 set.  I rectified that issue recently when these two were sent out and they came back.

It quickly added two cards to the set, which was nice.  I should have sent them off the first time around, but I wasn't thinking.  Seems to happen to the best of us.

I sent these two cards to Bream on 1/2 and got the cards back on 1/9, for a 7-day TAT.  I included his fee of $1.00/card.

TTM Success - Pat Rapp

I got a nice TTM success in from Pat Rapp recently that had been out for almost a year.  I was most excited by this awesome 1995 Fleer.  This freaky set really looks great signed, and I have toyed with the idea of buying a box so I can have some bulk of this set.

I was glad to get him on the 1992 Donruss Rookies card.  I also added a couple Topps cards to with album with the above 1993 Topps and the below 1995 Topps.

Rapp (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1992 to 2001 for the Giants, Marlins, Royals, Red Sox, Orioles and Angels.  He had a career record of 70-91 with a 4.68 ERA and 825 strike outs.

I mailed to Rapp on February 21, 2017 and got the cards back on January 8, 2018, for a 321-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Nate - 1969 Topps Set Needs

My buddy, Nate, sent me a few 1969 cards for my set over the course of a couple weeks.  Apparently, he ordered a few and had them all shipped to me directly.  They were some pretty notable cards, starting with the above Denny McLain.

He also picked up two of the World Series Highlights cards and the Charlie Smith card on the right.

Nate has done more this year in helping me with this set than I have.  I really haven't done a whole lot, and I really want to close it out sometime soon and concentrate on other sets.  I just haven't had the time to sit down and search for some of the missing cards.  Maybe at the 2018 National.  Who knows.

Thank you so much for the cards, Nate!  I appreciate it, and they are about to be filed away into my set box.

First Graphing of 2018 - Down East Wood Ducks Hot Stove Event

Now that we are thawing out here in eastern North Carolina, one of the first signs of Spring is upon us.  Graphing has resumed here on the blog, as I have returned from the annual Down East Wood Ducks Hot Stove Event.  I didn't know about the event last season, but this year, I wasn't going to miss it.  Thankfully, the USPS finally cooperated and got me most of the cards I ordered for the event in my hands before I left the house tonight.

The above 2015 Topps Update Chrome gold shimmer parallel was the card that I absolutely wanted in my hands before I left for the event, and thankfully, it was here at 5PM when I got off of work.  It came down to the wire, but I got the card in and got it signed.  This is numbered 32/250 and turned out really great!

I had gone online last week and bought several nice Delino DeShields, Jr. parallels, thinking I should have no problem with them getting here before today.  The snow storm that came in last Wednesday really made me sweat it out, especially since the USPS didn't deliver mail to my house until today.  This 2016 Topps mini blue parallel is numbered 8/10.

I was really excited about this 2016 Topps sapphire parallel, and I was right to be so.  It came out really nicely.

DeShields signed everything Chris, my wife and I all had.  One drawback was some of the cards were a little curved, and that doesn't lend well to scanning.

DeShields was really nice.  The event had a "social hour" before dinner, so you could just walk around the room and chat with whomever, while checking out silent auction items.  I saw DeShields right away and he walked up to us immediately and signed for the three of us.  Later on, as he was scoping out the silent auction items, I spoke with him at length, until some guy in a suit butted in and interrupted us.  DeShields is a really nice, classy guy, and I am glad I was able to hang with him for a bit.  I asked him if he was ever star struck at meeting anyone, but he said that with growing up in baseball, he never really had that happen.  He did go on to say that at Spring Training the season when Derek Jeter was retiring, Jeter remembered him as a kid, which DeShields said meant a lot to him.

We met Rangers reliever, Nick Gardewine.  He is fresh of making his Major League debut.  We talked for a while about how it felt having been in the majors now, and what this offseason has been like for him.  He is only 24, so it was really nice to see and talk to a kid who is truly living his dream.

Howard Johnson has been promoted from Wood Ducks manager to AAA hitting coach.  Taking his place is former Major Leaguer, Spike Owen.  Owen was really nice to us, and signed the 9 cards that the three of us had.

Also in attendance was Rangers manager, Jeff Banister.  I picked this 1992 Topps Prospects card off of EBay, and am glad I did.  It turned out really nicely, I think.

Along with Banister and Owen, Matt Hagen, the Hickory Crawdads manager made the trip to Kinston.  Hagen was really funny, as I asked him if he knew where Matt Hagen was.  He said, "Yeah, I do, actually..."  Then he looked around a bit and said "Oh, yeah, that's me!"  So we laughed and chatted about how we may make the trip to Hickory this season.  He was super nice, and I hope that I can say hello to him if we do go up that way.

Chris posed for pictures with some of the guests; here is Delino DeShields, Jr.

This is Chris with Nick Gardewine.

The event had a roundtable discussion with DeShields and Gardewine.  It was really interesting hearing them talk about being called up to the majors and some of the preparation that they go through for games.

Chris and I got to see the Mills Cup, which the Wood Ducks shared last season with Lynchburg.

The event wasn't too crowded, but there were a decent amount of people there.  I saw a few folks I knew from games, so that was nice.

In even won a ball at the silent auction!  This Delino DeShields, Jr. signed baseball was a last minute bid that I put in and actually won!  Someone outbid me on another ball right at the last second.  Not fair!

Anyway, I had a really good time at the event.  For $30/person, we had a really good time.  Food was provided by Kings BBQ, so it was a really nice dinner out with the family.  I'm so excited for the upcoming season, and to get some cards signed!

TTM Success - Bill Krueger

Mail has been really light lately due to the snow that we had recently.  Still, I got a TTM success in that had been out for a bit.  I was able to add some nice 80s cards with this return from Bill Krueger.

The above 1987 Topps was from my set, and turned out really nicely.

I also added two other cards from the 80s, a 1984 and a 1986 Topps, along with a 1990 and 1991.

Krueger (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1983 to 1995 for the A's, Dodgers, Brewers, Mariners, Twins, Expos, Tigers and Padres.  He had a career record of 68-66 with 639 strike outs and a 4.35 ERA.

I mailed to Krueger on September 2 and got the cards back on January 2, for a 122-day TAT.  This was the first TTM that I got back in 2018.

Christmas Gift From Matt J. - Orioles Lot

My good friend, Matt, surprised me with a nice little package of Orioles cards.  Matt and I met at a card show a while back, and have become really good friends.  He lives nearby, and even met up with me at a Wood Ducks game this past season.  I am hoping he is able to come to more games next season, but we will have to see with his busy schedule.

Matt included a bunch of Orioles cards for my collection, including a few Nolan Reimolds.  I'm really hoping I can get a few signed, but I'm not sure where Nolan will be this coming season.  I hope it is in the majors, but he may have to settle for a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Thank you so much for the Orioles cards, Matt!  I hope I can see you at some Wood Ducks or Mudcats games this season!

Christmas Gifts From Jill

My sister, Jill really tried.  She went on my blog, found my wishlist, and tried to knock something off of the list for me.  She found this Chrome reprint of Willie Stargell's rookie card and bought it, thinking it was the one I needed off of my list.  I feel bad that it wasn't the true Willie Stargell RC, like she thought it was, but it sincerely is the thought that counts.

Needless to say, I still love this card.  It is graded PSA-9 and looks really nice in person, much better than the scan.  Jill really tried, and I will always love this card, anyway.

She also surprised me with this 1952 Topps Virgil Trucks for the Trucks PC.  I really regret that I never sent off any of his cards to him TTM, as they would look really nice in my album.  I may go ahead and buy a couple autographs on some of his early 50s cards, just so I can have them in the album.

Jill, you did fine on the Christmas gifts.  I love them, and I love you!  Thank you so much!