TTM Success - Kevin Whelan

A couple older Bowman cards came back signed TTM from Kevin Whelan.  The above 2006 Bowman Chrome turned out really well, even though the scan shows the card being very dark.

This 2011 Bowman also turned out nicely.

Whelan (b. 1984) played in the majors in 2011 and 2014 for the Yankees and Tigers.  His major league experience consisted of three games.  He had a 0-0 record with 2 strike outs and a 9.00 ERA.

I mailed to Whelan on August 19 and got the cards back on September 18 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bud Anderson

A pass through my bulk Topps box with cards ranging from 1969 to 1984 allowed me to find these two cards of Bud Anderson that I sent out TTM to him for autographs.  Above is a 1983 Topps, and below is his 1979 Topps rookie card. 

It looks like Byron McLaughlin doesn't sign, so I'm not sure if I'm going to take a chance in sending the cards out again.  I could go ahead and get Greg Biercevicz; he is taking over 100 days or so to sign. Then I could maybe wait and see if McLaughlin does a signing or something. 

Anderson (b. 1956) played in the majors in 1982 and 1983 for the Indians.  He had a record of 4-10 with 76 strike outs and a 3.68 ERA.

I mailed to Anderson on August 29 and got the cards back on September 15 for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bill North

Bill North is a guy who's cards I had pulled for a long time, but since he charged for signing, I kept putting off mailing to him.  I finally pulled some cash and sent a 1974 Topps (above) and a 1980 Topps (below).  The cards turned out great. 

North (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1971 to 1981 for the Cubs, A's, Dodgers and Giants.  He had 1,016 hits, 20 home runs and a .261 batting average.  He led the league in stolen bases in 1974 and 1976.  He finished 29th in the AL MVP race in 1973.  He won the World Series with the A's in 1974.

I mailed to North on September 5 and got the cards back on September 15 for a 10-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

November 8, 2025, Graphing Recap of IHRA at Darana Motorsports Park

The racing organization that my dad used to race with has staged a dramatic comeback this season, with the final race of their six-race season coming this past weekend.  The race was held at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, NC.  The track was formerly known as Dunn-Benson Drageay and also Galot Motorsports Park.  I had heard about the race when it was announced a few months ago, and planned to attend to show ky support.  I have fond memories of Dad going to IHRA races back in the 80s and 90s, so I would like to see this new iteration be successful. 

It was really cool that they had Big Daddy Don Garlits there signing autographs. Garlits is 93 years old, but is still up and about. I paid $20 for the above poster, which he signed in copper Sharpie. He told me while the picture was being taken that he had originally built that car for "Jungle" Jim Lieberman.  Lieberman decided against running a dragster, so Garlits kept the car for himself; he also told me "see, I would build them just as good for my customers as I would for myself!"

Of course, I had to go by and see Shirley Muldowney since she was set up at the track selling signed posters for her "Shirley's Kids" charity.  She signed two cards for me and also the above poster.  The poster and autograph were $20, and I gave her another $20 as a donation for signing my cards.  She was really funny when Chris and I walked up; complaining about eyedrops she needed to take.  She also was fretting over not being able to find her special pens she had bought for signing. I've loved Shirley since I was 3, and she has always been awesome every time I've met her.

While I was waiting for Shirley to sign my poster, Don Garlits walked over to her, hugged her and said some great things about her.  It was so cool to see these two former bitter rivals get together.  I'm glad I was able to get my phone out and take a picture of the moment.

I had to get some graphing in while I was there, so I raided my old 1990 IHRA set and also an album of drag racing cards that Mom found for me.

Del Worsham was really cool.  He had a conversation with a couple guys while he was grinding some clutch plates; doing his own work on his funny car.  He ended up winning the race, which was cool to see.  He commented on how young he was in the cards, then joked about how young Rickie Smith was on his card.

Also above, you can see that Shirley ended up finding her pen that she was looking for when she signed one of her cards in white.

I had an amazing time with Chris at the race. I was pleasantly surprised when I was recognized by several people who knew me, or my parents.  I also surprised a friend who used to race against Dad that hadn't seen me in about 18 years or so.  He and his wife were thrilled that I came out to the race.

The quality of the race was top-notch.  Chris and I picked out a spot in the stands, then barely moved for hours.  He walked to the car a couple times to drop some stuff off and get drinks from the cooler.  He shot a bunch of pictures and videos on his phone also, so i know he was enjoying himself.  He even bought me a shirt.

I posted some videos, but they didn't work.

I almost forgot, in all, I got the following autographs: Don Garlits x 1, Shirley Muldowney x 3, Chris Cline x 2, Camrie Caruso x 2, Larry McBride x 3, Keith Jackson x 1, Tommy Mauney x 5, Rickie Smith x 2 and Del Worsham x 3 (22 total autographs).

TTM Success - Micah Owings

Here are a couple really cool cards that I got back signed TTM by Micah Owings.  First, the above 2007 Topps Turkey Red.  This card looks great.  I like this design, and was glad to add it to the autograph album. 

I also got this 2010 Topps Heritage signed.  Owings inscribed both cards, and that was fine with me. 

Owings (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2007 to 2012 for the Diamondbacks, Reds and Padres.  He had a record of 32-33 with 347 strike outs and a 4.86 ERA.

Before Shohei Ohtani, Owings was known as a prolific battery, as far as a pitcher was concerned.  He had 58 hits, 9 home runs and a .283 batting average. He won the Silver Slugger Award as a pitcher in 2007.

I mailed to Owings on January 24 and got the cards back on September 12 for a 231-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Scott

A nice 1978 Topps came back signed from John Scott.  I haven't gotten as many 1978 Topps signed as I have some other years from around that time.  The card turned out great.

Scott (b. 1952) played in the majors in 1974, 1975 and 1977 for the Padres and Blue Jays. He had 57 hits, 2 home runs and a .222 batting average. 

I mailed to Scott on August 29 and got the card back on September 11 for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Brett Hayes

More cards that Ryan gave me came back signed TTM; this time a couple came in from Brett Hayes.  The above 2005 Bowman Chrome X-Fractor turned out pretty well. 

I also got a 2005 Bowman Draft base card signed.  It also looks pretty nice.

Hayes (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2009 to 2015 for the Marlins, Royals and Indians.  He had 89 hits, 13 home runs and a .205 batting average. 

I mailed to Hayes on August 19 and got the cards back on September 11 for a 23-day TAT.