In all we got the following autographs: Mahki Backstrom x 21, Chris Widger x 13, Will Zimmerman x 2, Kalae Harrison x 2 and Colby Backus x 7, Ryan Sleeper x 10 and David Tiburcio x 1, Emmanuel Tapia x 1, Yassel Pino x 1, Trotter Harlan x 1 and Stephen Ditomaso x 1 (60 total autographs).
Purdue (b. 1965) played in the NBA from 1988 to 2001 for the Bulls, Spurs and Trailblazers. He had 3,740 total points and 595 assists. He won the NBA Championship four times (1991, 1992 and 1993 with the Bulls; and 1999 with the Spurs).
The above 2012 Leaf Limited looks great signed by Blomberg in silver paint pen.
Blomberg was super nice again. If he shows up at another show, I'm going to have to find some more of his cards.
The next card that I'd like to show off from this year's National is this 1993 Upper Deck Brewers checklist that I finally got completed. I paid for Robin Yount and Paul Molitor right before I left for Chicago. I had picked this card up and had it signed by Pat Listach during the 2022 National. My friend, Michael, found the card at that show but didn't want to start a new project. I had forgotten about the card until I saw Listach earlier this summer, then decided to complete it. The card looks great.
Gooden was awesome, as always. Im glad he came to the show forward second time.
Plank was nice as usual. I was glad to get him again.
Helton (b. 1973) played in the majors from 1997 to 2013 for the Rockies. He jad 2,519 hits, 369 home runs and a .316 batting average. He was a 5-time All Star (2000 to 2004) and his best MVP finish was 5th (2000). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024 with 79.7% of the vote (on his 6th ballot).
By my math (which may be off), Helton is my 175th Hall of Famer on a baseball.
Corzine (b. 1956) played in the NBA from 1978 to 1991 for the Bullets, Spurs, Bulls, Magic and Supersonics. He had 7,615 points in his career. He was our next free VIP signer at the National.
Roland (b. 1943) played professionally from 1966 to 1973 for the Cardinals and Giants. He was a Pro Bowler in 1966 and 1967. He was the 1966 AP Rookie of the Year.
Moorehead (b. 1954) played professionally from 1977 to 1988 for the Giants, Broncos and Bears. He won Super Bowl XX with the Bears. He had 224 receptions for 2,980 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Cangelosi was really nice, as was everyone we met. The VIP signers were all pretty cool selections. I always wonder who will be selected for the next batch of VIP signers. I always hope they choose some guys I jeed for the 87 set, but being down to around 25 or so makes the choices pretty low.
The card turned out nicely. Williams was really nice, and shook my hand after he signed. I had heard that he could be very difficult at Wrigley, but he was nice at the show. I probably should have upgraded my signed baseball, but this 61 Topps will look awesome in the autograph album.
Perez was really cool when we met him. He smiled the whole time and reached his hand out when he was done signing. I shook hands with Hall of Famer, Tony Perez. What a nice guy.
Calder (b. 1979) played in their NHL from 2000 to 2010 for the Blackhawks, Flyers, Red Wings, Kings and Ducks.
He had 114 goals and 180 assists in his career.
Hodges (b. 1960) played in the NBA from 1982 to 1992 for the Clippers (San Diego), Bucks, Suns and Bulls. He won two championships with the Bulls (1991 and 1992). He had 5,940 points across 695 games.
Harper (b. 1953) played professionally from 1975 to 1978 and 1980 to 1982 for the Bears. He had 3,044 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his career.
Harper was really nice. I'm glad I took the time to pick up the non-baseball guys' cards for the show.
I'm glad Van Horne was friendly. He took his time talking with everyone and was very apologetic for missing the day before. He is also not to be confused with former basketball player, Keith Van Horn.
Eager (b. 1984) played in the NHL from 2005 to 2014 for the Flyers, Blackhawks, Thrashers, Sharks and Oilers. He had 43 goals in his career. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010.
He won the Super Bowl with the Bears in 1986 (Super Bowl XX). That's the first Super Bowl that I remember watching. That was the year of the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle.
Busch (b. 1997) has played in the majors since 2023 for the Dodgers and Cubs. He has 231 hits, 44 home runs and a .249 batting average so far in his career. The Cubs got Busch in January 2024 along with Yency Almonte in a trade for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope.
Nye was very nice. I read about him while I was waiting in line. He is an avian specialist with a concentration in exotic birds. Prior to that, but following his baseball career, he was a civil engineer and was involved in the construction of the Willis Tower.
Wilcox (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1970 to 1975 and 1977 to 1986 for the Reds, Indians, Cubs, Tigers and Mariners. He has a career record of 119-113 with 1,137 strike outs and a 4.07 ERA. He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1984.
I was glad to finally get some of my Wilcox cards (many of which I had pulled last year) signed and put away into my autograph album.
Finally, the card on the right is a 1996 Topps Finest. These are also nice cards but they kind of blur or fade. This one turned out fine and shouldn't fade since it'll be stored in my album. By fading, I mean the actual card, not the signature.
Morris was really nice. I was glad to meet him, and his line.moved pretty quickly.
The VIP Party was packed, but this year they had food stations in each corner, which made getting food easier. The autograph lines didn't take too long, which was nice. The VIP Party was a good precursor to the show and a.sign that we were in for some crowds. Stick around for recaps from what else I got signed this year.
Estelle (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1964 to 1965 for the Giants. He had a record of 1-2 with 29 strike outs and a 3.23 ERA.
I mailed to Estelle on April 16 and got the card back on April 25 for a 9-day TAT.
Medchill (b. 1987) was an 11th round pick by the Yankees in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of Oklahoma State. He played in the Yankees system from 2009 to 2013, reaching AAA. He had 310 hits, 53 home runs and a .234 batting average.
I mailed to Medchill on December 4 and got the cards back on April 21 for a 138-day TAT.
Alvarez (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2010 to 2018 for the Pirates and Orioles. He had 704 hits, 162 home runs and a .236 batting average. He led the NL in home runs (36) in 2013. That season he was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger Award.
I mailed to Alvarez on March 22 and got the cards back on April 19 for a 28-day TAT.
The card is a 2006 Bowman Heritage. I had a small handful of these cards and it was nice to be able to get one signed.
Morneau (b. 1981) played in the majors from 2003 to 2016 for the Twins, Pirates, Rockies and White Sox. He had 1,603 hits, 247 home runs and a .281 batting average. He was a 4-time All Star (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and th 2006 AL MVP. He also won thr Silver Slugger Award twice (2006 and 2008). He appeared on the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 1.3% of the vote).
I mailed to Morneau via the Twins on March 26, 2024, and got the card back on April.18, 2025, for a 388-day TAT.
In all, I got the following autographs: Jesus Baez x 5, Nate Dohm x 2, AJ Ewing x 5, Colin Houck x 8, Diego Mosquera x 3, Eli Serrano x 2, Marco Vargas x 4, Konnor Griffin x 2, Geovanny Planchart x 1, Shalin Polanco x 3, Carlson Reed x 6, Enmanuel Terrero x 5, Michael Walsh x 1, Lonnie White x 12 and Connor Wietgrefe x 1 (60 autographs).
