September 1-6, 2026, Graphing of the Otters at Bird Dawgs

This Bird Dawgs season ended on September 6, and with that, graphing for me this season has closed. I was going to go to Durham and then Norfolk, but I opted out in favor of resting and relaxing at home. It was a long season.

The Evansville Otters came to town with a few guys who had team set cards from across the minors. They also had teo guys with cards listed on their coaching staff, but I learned on the first night of the series that those two guys didn't make the trip. That was a shame, but we still enjoyed the series.

The Bird Dawgs were a much better team this season. They had several players hit over .300, even a couple hit over .330. That's pretty dang good. Stephen DiTomaso even broke the single season hits record for the Frontier League. That was something awesome to see that last series.

Stephen signed a ball for me with the hits record inscription, and then gave me a cracked bat after the final game. He's such a great guy. I really hope an affiliated club picks him up.

In all, we got the following autographs: Blake Barthol x 2, Mark Black x 2, Logan Brown x 2, Joan Gonzalez x 4, Marco Gonzalez x 4 and Anthony Tomczak x 4, Nate Wohlgemuth x 2, and Stephen Ditomaso x 2 (22 total autographs). 

Another TTM Success From Nate Schierholtz

While going through my boxes, I pulled a couple 2010 cards to send out to Nate Schierholtz. I had gotten him back in 2019, so it has been long enough to send to him again. The above 2010 Upper Deck turned out great.

I also sent out this 2010 Topps. It also looks good. 

I mailed to Schierholtz on January 39 and got the cards back on May 30, for a 121-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kris Benson

Here are some signed Orioles cards for the album that came in TTM from a private signing. I didn't think I'd be able to get Kris Benson, but the signing popped up. I had pulled and put aside the above 2007 Topps Heritage in hope that a signing would happen. So, when it did, it was really easy to find. The price point was good, so i searched the Orioles box for some other cards to send off.

I ended up sending a 2006 Fleer, 2006 Topps and 2007 Topps to the signing, as well. All of the cards turned out great.

Benson (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1999 to 2000, 2002 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010 for the Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Diamondbacks. He had a record of 70-75 with 806 strike outs and a 4.42 ERA. He finished 4th in the 1999 NL Rookie of the Year voting. 

I mailed to the signing on March 7 and got the cards back on May 21, for a 75-day TAT. I paid a fee of $25/card.

TTM Success - Rick Wrona

A signed 1990 Topps made its way into the autograph album when I got this card back signed TTM by Rick Wrona. I found this card during a run through my boxes while trying to populate a stack of guys to send to. I need to do that again (and also clean up some that I pulled who aren't signing).

Wrona (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1988 to 1990 and 1992 to 1994 for the Cubs, Reds, White Sox and Brewers. He had 41 hits, 3 home runs and a .244 batting average. 

I mailed to Wrona on February 28 and got the card back on May 19, for an 80-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeremy Hazelbaker

My stack of incoming TTMs that need to be posted is getting smaller. I'm so far behind posting, but at least I have content to last me for quite a while. This next TTM success came in from Jeremy Hazelbaker on a 2016 Topps Update. He signed the card in silver Sharpie; the scan helps the signature stand out. It is a little tougher to see in person.

Hazelbaker (b. 1987) played in the majors in 2016 and 2017 for the Cardinals and Diamondbacks. He had 65 hits, 14 home runs and a .258 batting average. 

I mailed to him on July 18, 2025, and got the card back on May 18, 2026, for a 304-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jimmy Britton

Completing a multi-player card is a lot of hard work, but it can also be rewarding. I completed this 1972 Topps Braves Rookie Stars card recently when it came back TTM from Jimmy Britton. The best part is that all of the guys signed it in blue.

Britton (b. 1948) didn't actually crack the majors. He played in the minors from 1968 to 1973 in the Braves system, reaching AAA. He had a career record of 22-16 with 267 strike outs and a 3.75 ERA.

I mailed to Britton on Match 2 and got the card back on May 18, for a 77-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jordan Leasure

A couple cards from 2024 Topps Heritage High Number came back signed TTM from Jordan Leasure. One of the cards was this green parallel. I enjoyed busting Heritage in 2024; I got boxes of Heritage, Heritage Mini and Heritage High Number that year, and used a good bit of it for graphing.

I also sent along his base card from Heritage High Number, and it came back signed too.

Leasure (b. 1998) has played in the majors since 2024 for the White Sox. In his career, he has a record of 7-9 with 125 strike outs and a 4.96 ERA. 

I mailed to Leasure via White Sox Spring Training on February 9 and got the cards back on May 15, for a 95-day TAT.