May 23, 2026, Graphing of the Nashville Sounds at Durham Bulls

Last night, I flew solo and went to Durham to catch the Nashville Sounds while they were in town. I was afraid the weekend would be a washout, weather-wise, but all we got were cooler temperatures and some fog.

I was prepared for a pretty stacked roster, and did fairly well on my own. With all the one per guys, it would have been nice to have another pair of hands with me to help, but it's all good, since Nashville visits Durham again in August, and they will be in Norfolk too.

I finally got JB Bukauskus, a guy that I've missed so many times. That Greg Jojes card at the middle of the bottom row is actually a foil card; the scan makes it look like it is a base card.

The Nashville guys were pretty nice, for the most part. I got ignored by Junior Fernandez, which sucked because I had a really cool red foil Topps Fire card I wanted to get signed. I really liked the foil card I picked up of Drew Rom (bottom, far right). He's a really cool guy, and always seems happy to sign.

I dod get several of the Brewers' top guys, like Jett Williams, Cooper Pratt and Brock Wilken. Tyler Thornburg didn't seem all that happy to sign, but he did. It was nice seeing a 2010 Bowman show up in my recap.

I also chipped away at the Durham Bulls team set. I got a couple of the staff guys, and also Raynel Delgado and Evan Reifert.

I also had no shame in getting Wool E Bull again.

I graphed alongside an older guy named Bo who sat with me during the game. The crowd was light, with most folks scared off by the cloud cover. I did have a great conversation with a kid who had a bunch of questions about graphing toward the end of the game. A nice kid named Judah who was visiting the area from Southern Maryland with his family. I hope they enjoyed Durham and made it home safely.

In all, I got the following autographs: JB Bukauskas x 6, Greg Jones x 2, Reiss Knehr x 1, Luis Lara x 3, Luis Matos x 2, Easton McGee x 2, Ethan Murray x 1, Cooper Pratt x 2, Drew Rom x 2, Jett Williams x 2, Brock Wilken x 2, Tyler Thornburg x 3, Craig Yoho x 1, Raynel Delgado x 2, Mason Englert x 2, Dominic Keegan x 1, Evan Reifert x 2, Dalton Payfer-Lockling x 2, Lucas Grennan x 2, Homer Bush Jr x 2 and Wool E Bull x 2 (50 total autographs).

TTM Success - Trevor Cohen

Here is another 2025 Bowman Draft TTM success, this time from Trevor Cohen. I like that Draft comes out in kind of the dead period of the offseason and gives me something to focus on with TTMs during that time. Cohen's cards turned out nicely.

Cohen (b. 2003) was a 3rd round pick by the Giants in the 2025 June Amateur Draft out of Rutgers. He has played in the Giants system since 2025, reaching High A. He has 76 hits, 1 home run and a .288 batting average across the two seasons, so far.

I mailed to Cohen on January 21 and got the cards back on February 9, for a 19-day TAT.

TTM Success - Andy Phillips

Here is a 2008 Topps Update that I got signed TTM by Andy Phillips. The card turned out nicely.

Phillips (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2004 to 2008 for the Yankees, Reds and Mets. He had 139 hits, 14 home runs and a .250 batting average. 

I mailed to Phillips on December 19 and got the card back on February 9, for a 52-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Alan Page

This 1976 Topps football card of Alan Page came back signed TTM recently. I picked him to send to TTM because I had read that along with being a football player, he also was a drag racer. I thought that was pretty cool, so in the letter I sent him, I mentioned who my dad is and how he has drag raced for a long time. I did get the signed card back, but nothing else. Maybe he read my note. Maybe he didn't. Oh well. I tried.

Page (b. 1945) played professionally from 1967 to 1981 for the Vikings and Bears. He was an 9-day pro bowler (1968-1976), and was an All Pro five times (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975). He was the NFL MVP in 1971. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

I mailed to Page on November 14 and got the card back on February 9, for an 87-day TAT. I paid his fee of $30.00.

TTM Success - Jeff Branson

Here are some nice cards that came back signed TTM by Jeff Branson. The above 1988 Topps Traded showing Branson in a Team USA uniform was pretty cool. 

He also signed a 1993 Topps and a 1994 Topps. Both of these also look nice.

Branson (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1992 to 1998, 2000 and 2001 for the Reds, Indians and Dodgers. He had 383 hits, 34 home runs and a .246 batting average. 

I mailed to Branson on January 3 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 34-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bernard Moon

This is another signed 2025 Topps Pro Debut that has been added to the autograph album. I got this one signed TTM by Bernard Moon. The 2025 Topps design is such a good one, and the cards look great signed.

Moon (b. 2005) was a 16th round pick by the Reds in the 2023 July Amateur Draft out of Redan High School in Georgia. He has played in the Reds system since 2023, reaching A ball. He has 188 hits, 14 home runs and a .259 batting average. 

I mailed to Moon on January 23 and got the card back on February 5, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jack O'Connor

Another 1991 Crown Orioles card has been signed and added to the autograph album. I saw that I could add Jack O'Connor via TTM, so I found some other cards to send along.

He signed a 1982 Topps, 1983 Topps, 1983 Donruss and 1988 Score. The Score is the only card I saw that showed O'Connor in an Orioles uniform. 

O'Connor (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1981 to 1985 and 1987 for the Twins and Orioles. He had a record of 14-17 with 177 strike outs and a 4.89 ERA.

I mailed to O'Connor on January 2 and got the cards back on February 5, for a 34-day TAT.