TTM Success - Aaron Akin

I got these late 90s prospect cards out of one of the boxes I got from my LCS a while back.  The above 98 Stadium Club that I got back TTM from Aaron Akin turned out pretty well.  I like the look of the card; it is tough to see from the scan but there are some embossed ball laces on the card, which makes it kind of cool.

I also got this 1998 Bowman signed by Akin.  I've got a bunch of late 90s Bowmans now, and it is kind of interesting to look back at some of the former prospects who weren't able to crack the majors.

Akin (b. 1977) was a first round pick (12th overall) by the Marlins in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Cowley County Community College.  It sounds like an obscure community college, but they boast former players like Trevor Rosenthal, Travis Hafner and Junior Spivey.

Akin played in the minors from 1997 to 2000, reaching High-A ball.  He had a record of 9-20 with 152 strike outs and a 4.42 ERA.  He went on to play 2 seasons in independent ball where he went 0-7 with a 6.18 ERA.

I mailed to Akin on November 18 and got the cards back on December 2, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rick Surhoff

I added this 1986 Donruss Rick Surhoff Rated Rookie to my album when I got it signed TTM by Surhoff.  The mustache is pretty killer, I have to admit.

Surhoff (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1985 for the Phillies and Rangers.  He had a record of 1-1 with 9 strike outs and a 6.75 ERA.  He is the brother of BJ Surhoff and the uncle of Colin Moran.

I mailed to Surhoff on November 9 and got the card back on December 1, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brandon Downes

I had these Brandon Downes cards in my box of shame, since I missed him back when he was with the Wilmington Blue Rocks.  I found an address and sent to him.  The cards came back pretty quickly, which was nice.

I like getting cards out of the box of shame, since they had already been found and sorted.  I hate putting those back in the bog boxes; the goal this whole time is to condense boxes down (and make room for more), and whenever I have to put cards back in, it gets annoying.

Downes (b. 1992) was a 7th round pick by the Royals in the 2014 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Virginia.  He played in the Royals and Braves systems from 2014 to 2018 and in the Independent Leagues in 2019.  He reached AAA, but never cracked the majors.  He had 372 hits, 48 home runs and a .243 batting average.

I mailed to Downes on October 27 and got the cards back on December 1, for a 35-day TAT.

TTM Success - Greg Olson

I got a few junk wax era cards out of my box with this TTM success from former catcher, Greg Olson.  Not to be confused with former Oriole closer, Gregg Olson.

Olson (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1989 to 1993 for the Twins and Braves.  He had 309 hits, 20 home runs and a .242 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1990.

I mailed to Olson on June 29 and got the cards back on December 1, for a 155-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Ames

I got a card out of my 2014 Topps box and got it signed with this TTM success from Steve Ames.  I could have sworn I had more than just this one card, but I couldn't find any others.  So, this one was the only one that I sent.

Ames (b. 1988) played in the majors in 2013 for the Marlins.  He went 0-1 with 4 strike outs and a 4.50 ERA.

I mailed to Ames on November 16 and got the card back on November 30, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Larry Nance

I was able to send TTM to a former basketball player that I actually knew personally years ago.  Larry Nance used to own a Pro Modified drag car that ran against my dad for years.  I got to know Larry at the race track, and he was always nice.  He has since stepped away from racing, but not before he, himself, raced for a few years.  When I saw he was signing TTM, I made sure to find a card that I could send.  I found this 1989 NBA Hoops All Star card, and sent it on its way.

Nance (b. 1959) played in the NBA from 1981 to 1994 for the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.  He had 6,370 field goals (100th all-time) (6,362 of which were 2-pointers, and 8 three-pointers); his 6,362 2-point field goals are 81st all-time).  He also had 2,027 blocks (21st all-time) and 7,352 total rebounds (92nd all-time).  Nance played his college ball at Clemson.

I mailed to Nance on November 16 and got the card back signed on November 30, for a 14-day TAT.  I wrote him a full-page letter, and was hoping he would write back, but he didn't.  I'm sure he was busy, but it would have been cool if he had remembered me.

TTM Success - Junior Moore

Here are two older cards that I was able to get signed TTM by Junior Moore.  The card above is a 1978 Topps, and below is a 1980 Topps.  Moore has in interesting signature, and signed the cards vertically.

Moore (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1976 to 1980 for the Braves and White Sox.  He had 204 hits, 7 home runs and a .264 batting avereage.

I mailed to Moore on November 4 and got the cards back on November 30, for a 26-day TAT.