Friday, December 31, 2021

Some Signed 1987 Topps For The Set

This past week,  visited the website for Under The Radar Sports Promotions and looked through their inventory to see if there was anyone on there for my signed 1987 Topps set.  Luckily, I found two cards that I needed, so I picked them up.

Bob Walk (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1980 to 1993 for the Phillies, Braves and Pirates.  He had a record of 105-81 with 848 strike outs and a 4.03 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1988 and won the World Series with the Phillies in 1980.
Bill Doran (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1982 to 1993 for the Astros, Reds and Brewers.  He had 1,366 hits, 84 home runs and a .266 batting average.  His best MVP finish was 11th (NL, 1986).

Both of these guys haven't popped up in any recent signings that I've seen, so I went ahead and crossed them off of the list so I can concentrate on other players.  The list is dwindling down to less than 90, so it will be harder and harder to get cards added.

Some Signed Cards From Dugan

My good friend, Dugan, hooked me up with a few signed cards recently.  I had gotten Grant Koch before, but needed to get some cards out of my box.  This 2018 Bowman turned out well.
Dugan sent me this nice 2003 Midwest League All Star signed by Juan Senreiso, which will look cool in my album.
Finally, Dugan let me have this 2016 Charleston Riverdogs card of Nestor Cortes, a former Oriole.  I remember Cortes when he was a Rule V pick by the Orioles, but didn't really pan out.  He has now found some success with the Yankees.

Thanks so much for the cards, Dugan.  Also, I just realized that my post from last night was my 5,000th post.  That's pretty amazing.  I started this blog in November 2008 and sometimes struggle to keep it going, but I push myself to continue with it.  It has been my "diary" for the last 13 years, and I appreciate everyone who reads and also those who comment.  Thanks again!

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Some Signed Cards From Jackson

My friend, Jackson in Arizona, has been hosting private signings for a good while now, and seems to have found his niche and is pretty successful.  Recently, he has done a few and has sent me some cards as a thank you for helping him out over time.  Above is a nice 2007 Bowman Derrek Lee that Jackson sent me.  I'm pretty sure that I didn't provide the card, but it still is nice to see one get into my album.

Lee (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1997 to 2011 for the Padres, Marlins, Cubs, Braves, Orioles and Pirates.  He had 1,959 hits, 331 home runs and a .281 batting average.  He led the NL with 199 hits and 50 doubles in 2005, on his way to his best MVP finish (3rd).  He was an All Star in 2005 and 2007.  He was the NL Batting Champion in 2005 when he hit .335.  He was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2005, and a Gold Glove Award winner 3 times (2003, 2005 and 2007).  He won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003.  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2017, but received no votes.
Jackson sent me these two Neal Cotts cards from a recent signing, a 2004 Bowman and a 2004 Topps Cracker Jack.  I love the Cracker Jack set; they look awesome when signed.

Cotts (b. 1980) played in the majors from 2003 to 2009 and 2013 to 2015 for the White Sox, Cubs, Rangers, Brewers and Twins.  He had a record of 21-24 with 421 strike outs and a 3.96 ERA.  He won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005.
Finally, I provided several Jack Spradlin cards to Jackson for a signing, and I was able to get this 2010 Topps Pro Debut back signed.

Spradlin (b. 1984) was an 8th round pick by the Nationals in the 2005 June Amateur Draft out of USC.  He played in the minors from 2006 to 2010 in the Nationals system, reaching AAA.  He had a record of 17-18 with 317 strike outs and a 3.91 ERA.

Thanks for the signed cards, Jackson!

2021 50/50 From Brian - Delino DeShields Jr

Delino DeShields, Jr. came to the Wood Ducks Hot Stove event a couple years ago and signed some cards for Chris and I.  So, when my friend, Brian, messaged me asking if I had any DeShields cards, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to find any for him.  Thankfully, I had some in the boxes I got from my former LCS, and also some newer stuff that I was able to find.  The above 2010 Bowman turned out great.  I ended up with several of these, so I will have a few as trade bait.
I also found the above 2015 Topps Heritage, a 2019 Topps and a 2020 Topps.  All of the cards turned out great.

DeShields (b. 1992) has played in the majors since 2015, for the Rangers, Indians and Reds.  He has 450 hits, 19 home runs and a .246 batting average.

Thanks for taking the cards, Brian!

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

2021 50/50s From Jack

Slowly, I am catching up on my 50/50s from this past summer and filing cards into my album.  I spent a good part of today going through a box I had by my side with a bunch of stuff I wanted to post.  I wanted to make sense of what was in there, and try to get some stuff moved along.

This 50/50 was with a fellow Instagrammer named Jack, who hit me up and asked if I could help him out with cards from some Phillies and Blue Jays minor league teams.  I was able to move out a bunch of cards, and get some decent stuff back, like the above 2016 Bowman Platinum Jhailyn Ortiz.  This card came from a bunch of packs my mom got me for Christmas, so it was cool to be able to get at least one of the cards signed.
I was also able to move some of these Team USA cards that were in the boxes that came from my former LCS.  I had a bunch of Cole Stobbe and Kevin Gowdy cards, and was happy to send them along.
It is always a good time when I can continue to thin out my 2017 cards; the first period of minor league stuff that I bought into heavily.  I have not renewed my boxes of 2017 Pro Debut or 2017 Heritage Minors, instead opting to let the stacks dwindle down to make room for more recent stuff.
I was glad that Jack was able to get me some Kevin Gowdy cards signed.  Gowdy actually showed up on the Down East Wood Ducks roster for a bit, but didn't appear in Kinston at all.  I ordered Gowdy cards, anyway, but ended up having to box those, since he never came here.  I think his placement on the roster was a procedural move, or maybe he was here while I was out of town.  I don't remember.

Thanks for taking the 50/50, Jack.  I hope we can do more next season.

A Bunch of Signed Cards From Gerard

My good friend, Gerard, spends a lot of time helping me move cards out of my boxes, much like my friend, Max, does.  Gerard graphs the Red Sox sometimes, and also the Sox minor league teams in his area (AAA and AA), so he helps me get a bunch of card signed.  He got Tom Goodwin for me a while back, who is now no longer coaching for the Red Sox.  I'm glad I was able to send out the cards that I had, and Gerard got some nice ones for himself as part of a 50/50.
There were a lot of Goodwin cards; three of which will go onto my Topps legder, 1993, 1999 and 2000 Topps (all bottom row).  The cards on the top row are a 1998 Topps Stadium Club, 1997 Pacific ad a 1997 Upper Deck.  The card at the top of the post is a 1997 Finest.
I was really happy that Gerard was able to get my 2018 Carolina League Top Prospects card and my 2019 Pro Debut green parallel signed by Bobby Dalbec.  I saw Dalbec play when the Salem Red Sox came through Kinston, and got Dalbec on a few cards, but he was gone by the time the Top Prospects card came out.  He has gotten increasingly tougher, so I was lucky that Gerard was able to hook me up.
Here are a few other cards that Gerard sent me, a signed 2000 Bowman of Alex Cora, a 2015 Bowman signed by Tate Matheny and a 2017 Bowman signed by Brett Netzer.
Finally, here's another signed Alex Cora (a 2008 Upper Deck) and a 2016 Heritage Cubs team card signed by John Andreoli.

Thanks for all of the signatures, Gerard.  I hope we can knock out more cards in the 2022 season!

TTM Success - Leo Sanford

The second of the two 1955 Bowman football cards I bought came back signed yesterday.  This really cool Leo Sanford card turned out great, and will look awesome in my album.  He inscribed the card to me, and also signed my note that I sent him.

Sanford (b. 1929) was an 8th round draft pick (90th overall) in the 1951 NFL draft out of Louisiana Tech. by the Chicago Cardinals.  He played pro football from 1951 to 1958 for the Chicago Cardinals and Baltimore Colts.  He had 17 interceptions and two touchdowns in his career.  He won the 1958 NFL Championship with the Baltimore Colts.

I mailed to Sanford on December 13 and got the card back on December 28, for a 15-day TAT.

Some Juan Uribe Signed Cards From Max

Max hit me up recently for an assortment of former and current players to find in my boxes for upcoming signings.  One of them was Juan Uribe.  I found him a bunch of cards, and he sent me a few back for my efforts, which I always appreciate.
In return, I got the 2015 Topps Update at the top of the post, and the above 2012 Topps and 2013 Topps Update.

Uribe (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2016 for the Rockies, White Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Braves, Mets and Indians.  He had 1,568 hits, 199 home runs and a .255 batting average.  He won the World Series in 2005 with the White Sox and in 2010 with the Giants.

I love doing these player card searches for Max, and I'd like to take on a few more from some other folks, so that may be something that ends up happening.  Thanks, Max!

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Set Complete - 2021 Topps

A quick note to show that I have used my time off wisely and have finished collating the 2021 Topps set that has been sitting over here on my other desk since June.  I got Series 2 in, opened it, and left it stacked for a rainy day that didn't come.  So, I finally got the set sorted and collated, with the above card 650, Trevor Bauer, being the last one inserted into the set.  I don't choose the completer cards, by the way, I go with the last one needed to complete the set.  I now have completed Topps sets from 1955, 1959, 1969-1971 and 1973-2021.  I'm really going to hate it when Fanatics takes over.

2021 50/50s From Drake

Finally, I have caught up on posting TTM autographs, so now, I can move a few stacked of signed cards out of the way and into my album from some 50/50s and trades from this past summer (and probably 2020, as well).  My friend, Drake, helped me out with a 50/50 this summer when he took his annual trip to Florida for vacation.  He hit up the Lakeland Flying Tigers and got a few nice cards signed, starting with the above blue parallel from 2019 Bowman Draft f Jose De La Cruz.
Drake got a few Ulrich Bojarski cards signed for me, which helped move a few out of my boxes.
I'll have to keep an eye out for where Riley Greene is playing, if I want to finish this card.  It doesn't look like he signs TTM, at all, so I will have to try and see if I will see him in the future.
Drake got me Nick Quntana on the dual card, as well as the 2019 Bowman Draft, along with 2020 Bowmans of Colt Keith and Gage Workman.  He went to see Fort Myers, as well, but was only able to get me Yunior Severino.  Bad weather and COVID protocols kept Drake from finishing the rest of the cards I sent, so I got them back, along with a blind trade of signed cards that Drake sent to make up for this missed ones.  I'll post those later on.

Thanks for the 50/50, Drake.  I know we will do some more in 2022.

TTM Success - Rickey Henderson

This 1987 Topps Yankees Leaders card was a tough one to complete.  I mailed out three of them at different times to Don Mattingly, and never got one back.  I finally paid for a private signing with him and got the card signed, hoping I would, then, be able to get Rickey at the National.  Rickey wasn't at the National this year, so I had to settle for a private signing, but that's alright.  I have met Rickey twice, once getting him on a ball, and the second time, I got him on the base 87 card.  Now, I can focus on others at the National, if guys I need show up.

I mailed to the signing on November 4 and got the card back yesterday (12/27) for a 53-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $85 for Rickey, and a lot more for Mattingly.

Monday, December 27, 2021

Another TTM Success From Whitey Herzog

Another card that I picked up from the most recent Raleigh card show came back signed from Hall of Famer, Whitey Herzog.  This is a 1957 Topps Herzog rookie card, and I found it for $3.00 in a bargain bin at the show.  I buy from the vendor, Kurt, all of the time, and I love a lot of the stuff he puts in there.

I have gotten Herzog several times TTM, and I was really happy to add this 1957 Topps to the autograph album.  I think 1957 is a great set, and always enjoy getting cards from this set signed.

I mailed to Herzog on December 13 and got the card back signed today (December 27), for a 14-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - John Curtice

Here are a couple older Bowmans that I was able to get signed TTM from John Curtice.  As usual, the foil and chrome versions didn't scan too well, but the cards look nice.  Take my word for it.
Curtice (b. 1979) was a first round (17th overall) draft pick by the Red Sox in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia.  He played in the minors 1997 to 2000 in the Red Sox system, reaching high A ball.  He had a record of 12-21 with 259 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.

I mailed to Curtice on October 13 and got the cards back on December 24, for a 72-day TAT.

TTM Success - Elliott Maddox

My TTM stack is down to one more success after this one, unless I get some more successes in the mail today.  I think it is safe to say that I have caught up, finally, with my TTM posts.  Maybe now I can get some 50/50s and gifts posted that have been sitting around for a while.  Meanwhile, this TTM success from Elliott Maddox got several cards out of my "charges a fee" row of my TTM box.  I wanted to move some of those cards out before the end of the year, especially guys who have been sitting in there for a while.  I did find that Maddox was in the 1991 Crown Orioles set, so I got that card signed.
I also chose three of his other cards, a 1972, 1973 and 1980 Topps.  All of them turned out well, and I feel like I made some good choices in these cards.

Maddox (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1970 to 1980 for the Tigers, Senators, Rangers, Yankees, Orioles and Mets.  He had 743 hits, 18 home runs and a .261 batting average.  He finished 8th in the AL MVP race in 1974.

I mailed to Maddox on December 14 and got the cards back on December 24, for a 10-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5.00/card.

Sunday, December 26, 2021

TTM Success - Jerry Walker

Here's another card that I picked up at the December Raleigh card show and sent off TTM.  This 1963 Topps card of Jerry Walker turned out great.  1963 Topps is a nice set, and the cards look great when signed.

Walker (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1957 to 1964 for the Orioles, A's (Kansas City) and Indians.  He had a record of 37-44 with 326 strike outs and a 4.36 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1959.  I instantly regret not looking him up sooner and including his 1991 Crown Orioles card with this TTM request.

I mailed to Walker on December 13 and got the card back on December 22, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Doug Eggers

At the last card show I went to, I picked up a couple nice 1955 Bowman football cards that my friend, Wes, was selling.  I got the cards so I could add a couple nice, vintage football cards to the autograph album.  This one was the first (and right now, only) one to come back, from Doug Eggers.

Eggers (b. 1930) played pro football from 1954 to 1958 for the Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals.  He played in 54 games in his career and had 4 interceptions for 24 yards.

I mailed to Eggers on December 13 and got the card back signed on December 21, for an 8-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jack McKeon

Even at 91 years old, Jack McKeon is still a very prolific TTM signer.  I had this 1974 Topps card of him turning up lots of times through my TTM box, it seemed, so I decided to finally drop it in the mail.  The card turned out great, plus it afforded me the opportunity to add a couple different 2010 Topps Franchise History cards to the mailer.
I have a bunch of these cards pulled so I can send them out, but have kind of stalled out in sending them.  I was able to get two of them out of the stack by sending to McKeon, so that was pretty cool.

I mailed to McKeon on December 14 and got the cards back on December 20, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Fernando Valenzuela

Another private signing came along that helped me cross another big name off of my 1987 Topps list.  I already had the Fernando Valenzuela all star card, thanks to my good friend, Max, so I only needed to add this base card through the signing. 

The signing was very expensive but I now have both Valenzuela cards, and I can focus on other names now.

I mailed to the signing on November 3 and got the card back on December 18, for a 45-day TAT.

Saturday, December 25, 2021

TTM Success - Kevin Barker

Here are a couple early 2000s cards that I was able to get signed TTM by Kevin Barker.  I had actually sent him three cards but he didn't sign my 1999 Bowman.  This 2001 Topps turned out nicely.
I liked getting this 2000 Topps signed at well. I have a bunch of 2000 Topps rookies in my boxes, so I was glad to get one out of there. 

Barker (b. 1975) played in the majors in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2009 for the Brewers, Padres, Blue Jays and Reds. He had 71 hits, 6 home runs and a .249 batting average.

I mailed to Barker on 0ctober 22 and got the cards back on December 18, for a 57-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Max - Some Tougher 87s For The Set

My good friend, Max, helped knock out three tougher cards for my 1987 Topps set with this year's Christmas gift.

I had mailed to all three of these guys, but haven't gotten a return.  I even spoke to Brian McRae at the National this past summer, and he said his dad doesn't sign much anymore.

McRae (b. 1945) played in the majors in 1968 and from 1970 to 1987 for the Reds and Royals.  He had 2,091 hits, 191 home runs and a .290 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1975, 1976 and 1982.  He was 4th in the AL MVP voting in 1976 and 1982.  He won a Silver Slugger Award in 1982, when he led the league with 133 RBIs.  He won the World Series with the Royals in 1985.

McRae managed the Royals from 1991 to 1994 and the Devil Rays from 2001 to 2002.  His overall managerial record was 399-473 (.458 %).
Wade Rowdon (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1984 to 1988 for the Reds and Orioles.  He had 34 hits, 1 home run and a .217 batting average.

Jerry Willard (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1984 to 1987, 1990 to 1992 and 1994 for the Indians, A's, White Sox, Braves, Expos and Mariners.  He had 195 hits, 25 home runs and a .249 batting average.

Thank you so much for the cards, Max!  That really helps me out big time with the set!  Merry Christmas.

Christmas Gift From Mom - Mariano Rivera Signed Baseball

Mom always enjoys finding me stuff for Christmas that will find its way to the blog, and this year was no different.  She did get me a trash bag full of about 100 pounds of antique baseball gloves, which were really cool.  She also knocked another huge name off of my Hall of Fame list with this signed baseball of Mariano Rivera.  I wanted to get in on a Rivera signing, but baseballs were super expensive, and the cards I would do would also cost me an arm and a leg, so I held off.  This ball is amazing, and has the HOF inscription and the 1st 100% vote inscription.  Pretty amazing!

Rivera (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1995 to 2013, for the Yankees.  The greatest closer of all time retired with a record 652 saves.  His 952 games finished and 205 ERA+ are also all-time records.  He had a won-loss record of 82-60 with a 2.21 ERA and 1,173 strike outs.

Rivera was a 13-time All Star (1997, 1999-2002, 2004-2006, 2008-2011 and 2013) and his best Cy Young and MVP finishes were 2nd (2005) and 9th (2004, 2005), respectively.

He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009.  He took home the 1999 World Series MVP and 2003 ALCS MVP honors.  His playoff record was 8-1, with 42 saves, 110 strike outs and a 0.70 ERA.  

Rivera was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019 with 100% of the vote.  He is the only person ever elected to the Hall with 100%, and probably will be the only one, since there are idiots out there who like to make statements with their ballots; the handful of people who didn't vote for Hank Aaron, WIllie Mays, Ken Griffey, Jr., or Cal Ripken should never be allowed near another ballot.

Rivera is the 159th Hall of Famer in my collection.  Thanks Mom!  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

TTM Success - Darrell Brandon

Some cool vintage cards were removed from my boxes and put into my album with this TTM success from Darrell Brandon.  I had pulled Brandon's cards a while ago, and finally sent them off for signature.  The above 1968 Topps is beat up, but still looks great.
I was also happy to move a 1972 Topps and a 1973 Topps out of my boxes.  Let's go.

Brandon (b. 1940) played in the majors from 1966 to 1969 and 1971 to 1973 for the Red Sox, Pilots, Twins and Phillies.  He had a record of 28-37 with 354 strike outs and a 4.04 ERA.

I mailed to Brandon on November 19 and got the cards back on December 15, for a 26-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5/card.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

TTM Success - Craig Counsell

This 1998 Topps Finest that I got signed TTM by Brewers manager, Craig Counsell, turned out great.  The card was in one of the boxes I got from my former LCS, and was one of those that used to have the protective film on it.  The card looks sharp, and I am glad that I was finally able to get it back signed by Counsell.
I had sent the TTM request to Brewers Spring Training and finally got the cards back, almost a year later.  This 2006 Topps was the second of the two cards that I sent.

Counsell (b. 1970) played in the majors in 1995 and from 1997 to 2011 for the Rockies, Marlins, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Brewers.  He had 1,208 hits, 42 home runs and a .255 batting average.  He won the World Series in 1997 with the Marlins and 2001 with the Diamondbacks.  He was the NLCS MVP in 2001.

Counsell has managed the Brewers since 2015, reaching the postseason in four of those seasons.  His overall managerial record is 529-479 (.525 win %).

I mailed to Counsell on February 9 and got the cards back on December 14, for a 308-day TAT.

TTM Success - Phil Huffman

Another card has been pulled from my 1991 Orioles Crown set and signed TTM.  This card of Phil Huffman looks decent enough, even though they used a pretty bad photo of Huffman.  He doesn't even have an Orioles hat on in the photo.  This is because he only played 2 games as an Oriole in 1985.
I also got this 1980 Topps signed, and it turned out great.

Huffman (b. 1958) played in the majors in 1979 and 1985 for the Blue Jays and Orioles.  He had a career record of 6-18 with 58 strike outs and a 6.03 ERA.

I mailed to Huffman on November 15 and got the cards back on December 14, for a 29-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trent Mummey

This 2011 Topps Pro Debut card of Trent Mummey has been in my Orioles box, in a top loader for 10 years.  The card, of course, took some damage during the trip to and from Mummey while being signed TTM.  That's the risk I take, sometimes.  Still, the card is signed, and now is out of my box, which, to me, is far better than being stuck in a box in a closet.  Regardless of a small crease.

Mummey (b. 1989) was a 4t round pick by the Orioles in the 2010 June Amateur Draft out of Auburn University.  He played in the minors from 2010 to 2014, all in the Orioles system, reaching High A.  He had 170 hits, 11 home runs and a .237 batting average.

I mailed to Mummey on October 19 and got the card back signed on December 13, for a 55-day TAT.