TTM Success - Dave Ford

I added another card from my 1991 Orioles Crown set when I got this TTM success back from Dave Ford.  I feel like I have already gotten my $5.00 worth out of the set, so that is always good.  I don't think I will pursue getting the whole thing done, but it is nice when I see someone who signs, and I can add an extra card to the envelope.

I also sent off a 1982 Fleer and a 1981 Topps.  Both look nice, now that they are signed.

Ford (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1978 to 1981 for the Orioles.  He had a career record of 5-6 with a 4.02 ERA and 46 strike outs.

I mailed to Ford on June 18 and got the cards back on June 24, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sam Hentges

I had a couple cards left over from last year that I wasn't able to get signed in person by Sam Hentges, so I sent to him TTM.  I was happy that the cards came back signed, and they look really good!

This 2014 Bowman Chrome Black Shimmer refractor is not numbered, but it still is really cool.  I pulled it out of a pack, and was glad to see that Hentges signs.  Otherwise, it would be in a box, somewhere.

I also was able to get my 2018 Carolina League Top Prospects set card signed.

Hentges (b. 1996) was a 4th round draft pick by the Indians in the 2014 Amateur Draft.  So far, he has compiled a record of 13-28 with 394 strike outs and a 4.29 ERA.  This season, he is with AA Akron, and doesn't look to be faring all that well.  He has a record of 1-9 with a 5.21 ERA.  Hopefully, the Indians keep working with him.  When we met him last season, he was really nice.

I mailed to Hentges via Akron on April 16 and got the cards back on June 24, for a 69-day TAT.

TTM Success - Greg Brock

It took a while, but I finally got my TTM success back from Greg Brock.  I had sent three cards to him, one being my 1987 Topps, and in the wait in between, I got a signed Topps from someone else.

The one is in black Sharpie and this one is in blue, so I will upgrade the one I have in my album, and use the other one to help someone else making the set.

Brock (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1982 to 1991 for the Dodgers and Brewers.  He had 794 hits, 110 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Brock on November 17, 2018, and got the cards back on June 22, 2019, for a 217-day TAT.

TTM Success - George Lombard

I got another TTM success back from the batch I sent to Spring Training, this one being from Dodgers camp.  I had some nice late 90s, early 2000s cards of Lombard that I sent off, but he ended up keeping two of the better cards that I sent.

The ones I got back turned out well, so I can't complain.  I just wish I had gotten the other two cards back, because they would have looked cool.

Lombard (b. 1975) is exactly 5 years older than I am.  It isn't often that I find a player with whom I share a birthday, but it is cool that Lombard and I do.  He played in the majors from 1998 to 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006 for the Braves, Tigers, Devil Rays and Nationals.  He had 77 hits, 8 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Lombard via Dodgers Spring Training on February 5 and got the cards back on June 22, for a 137-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bret "The Hitman" Hart

Sometimes, I get TTM success from folks other than baseball players.  This one, in particular, I was really excited about, because it was from one of my favorite wrestlers growing up.  I saw the Bret Hart was signing TTM, so I picked up these cards out of a quarter box at a card show in January.  I, then, researched how I could send to Canada, and get the return mail back.  It took buying Canadian stamps online and having them sent to me (thanks, Google), and I was all ready to get them mailed out.

I'm really happy with the cards I sent, and how they turned out.  The card at the top of the page is a bit rougher, but I remembered that set from when I was a kid, and wanted it in my album.

Hart (b. 1957) is a member of the legendary Hart Family of wrestling.  Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Harts have been a fixture in Canadian wrestling for decades.  Patriarch, Stu Hart, ran Stampede Wrestling in Canada and showcased his sons (most notably, Bret and Owen), along with his sons-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and The British Bulldog, the Hart Family was a fixture in wrestling in the 80s ad 90s.

Bret made his wrestling debut in 1978 and retired in 2000.  His retirement was due to a concussion he received when he was mule-kicked in the head by Bill Goldberg in a WCW match.  In all, he was a World Champion (WCW and WWE) 9 times, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice (individually in 2006 and as a member of the Hart Foundation in 2019).

I mailed to Hart on March 25 and got the cards back on June 15, for an 82-day TAT.

July 2019 Graphing Recap of Hillcats at Wood Ducks

Running low on Wood Ducks card, I was glad that I got my 2019 Carolina League All Star and Top Prospects sets in from my friend, Michael.  Additionally, I was able to add Noah Bremer back to my autograph album, since he was activated from the DL recently.

The coolest thing about his card in this year's team set is that I actually own the jersey that he is wearing on the card.  Also, my dog is on the jersey, so my dog now has a baseball card.  When I asked Noah to sign this, I told him about the jersey, and he remembered me getting it that night, which was cool.

My friend John, in Texas, sent me some Frisco team set cards that I was able to get done by Jairo Beras.  Tim Brennan was called up from Hickory, so I got his card done; Diosbel Arias has an All Star card, and Bubba Thompson took care of his Top Prospects card.

I was able to get Yanio Perez on his team set card, as well.  Of the Wood Ducks left on this team (and not out injured), that leaves me with JP Martinez to get for my set.  The rest are waiting on returns from the DL, and the stack I sent out to John.

I had a few Hillcats that I needed to get, especially this relic card from 2019 Pro Debut of Will Benson.  Benson was one per, but he was really nice.  I had him sign this card first, and it looks awesome.

I also got these done, a 2019 Midwest League All Star card, 2017 Bowman Chrome and a 2017 Heritage Minors.

Oscar Gonzalez was in the Carolina League All Star set, and the Top Prospects set, so those got done.  Tyler Freeman was really tough but I did come away with these two cards, so I was happy with the results.

Justin Garza was really nice, so I got the die cut Elite Extra Edition and a Stars and Stripes completed.

Finally, I hit Juan Hillman for quite a few cards, but the only ones I needed were the Elite Extra Edition and Carolina League All Star.

TTM Success - Bob Knepper

Another private signing got me this Bob Knepper card signed for my 1987 Topps set.  I have slowed down a bit on getting these, only because there haven't been as many TTMs coming in, and definitely not many private signings that I need are popping up.

Knepper (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1976 to 1990 for the Giants and Astros.  He had a career record of 146-155 with 1,473 strike outs and a 3.68 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1981 and 1988.  He appeared on the 1996 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to the private signing on May 20 and got the card back on June 13, for a 24-day TAT.  I paid a $20.00 fee.