Another TTM Success From Ed Hearn

The above 1989 Triple A All Star Game card of Ed Hearn drove me to send to him TTM again so this card could live in my autograph album. The request was another success and the card can now be stored away among the rest of my autographs.

I decided to thin out some of the 80s boxes and sent the above 1987 Donruss, 1988 Score and 1989 Donruss to Hearn as well.  All four cards I sent turned out great.  I also have just a little bit more room in that 80s box.

I mailed to Hearn on December 18 and got the cards back on March 3 for a 75-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tyler Phillips

My next Spring Training TTM success to come in was this signed 2025 Topps from former Wood Duck, Tyler Phillips.

Phillips (b. 1997) has played in the majors since last season for the Phillies and Marlins.  He currently has a career record of 5-1 with 48 strike outs and a 5.63 ERA.

He was a Wood Duck in 2018 and 2019.  I really thought he was there at the end of the 2017 season, but it must have been 2018.

I mailed to Phillips via Phillies Spring Training on February 14 and got the card back on March 3 for a 17-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From JJ Hardy

A very exciting TTM success came in from Spring Training when this 2013 Topps wrapper redemption JJ Hardy came back signed. Hardy was a guest instructor at Orioles camp in February, and I took a shot at trying to get him TTM. I'm so glad I got this back signed.

I had gotten Hardy via a private signing before, but this was a straight-up TTM request.  I didnt get the other Orioles guest instructors, but I did try.  I missed sending to Brian Roberts, but did send to Adam Jones and Nick Markakis.  I saw some other folks had gotten Jones, but I wasn't one of them.  I'll take the Hardy, though!

I mailed to Orioles Spring Training on February 18 and got the card back on March 3 for a 13-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Richard Bleier

My friend Cam did another private signing a few months ago, this time with former Oriole, Richard Bleier.  I had gotten him a few times, but I still wanted to support the signing.  I sent along the above 2023 Topps Update, which turned out great.

I also upgraded my 2018 Topps Heritage.  The one I had was signed in black, so this will replace that.

I mailed to the signing on December 30 and got the cards back on March 1 for a 61-day TAT.  I forgot what I paid for this signing.

Another TTM Success From Mike Bielecki

The above 1990 Topps Mini League Leaders card of Mike Bielecki drove me to send another TTM request to him.  I don't believe I had any of these in the autograph album, so i wanted to add one.  It is a good looking card, and I'm glad I had found it in a random box.

I went ahead and cleared out four other cards from the boxes; a 1988 Donruss, 1990 Donruss, 1991 Bowman and 1991 Donruss.  I remember my older brother though Don Russ was a person.  Kind of like Jon Blonde Jovi or Arrow Smith.  Anyway, it was nice to add these to the album.  Oh, what about Curvy Puckett?  I think there are a few more.  I'll have to try to remember them.

I mailed to Bielecki on January 29 and got the cards back on February 28 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bradley Blalock

My first Spring Training TTM success of the year came in from Bradley Blalock back in February. This was also the first 2025 Topps that I got in, which was also nice.  Since this one came in, and bunch more signed 2025 Topps have been put into the autograph album. 

Blalock (b. 2000) is not related to P. A. as far as I know.  He has played in the majors for the Brewers and Rockies since last season.  He has a career record of 1-5 with 28 strike outs and an 8.29 ERA.

I mailed to Blalock via Rockies camp on February 14 and got the card back on February 27 for a 13-day TAT. 

June 3-8, 2025, Graphing of the Capitales at Bird Dawgs

Another Canadian team came into Kinston and left sweeping the Bird Dawgs. A 6-game series sweep was rough, but we enjoyed the games.  The weather was rough as well.  Still, I got some graphing done on some cool team set cards I picked up from gosportscards.com. The above Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis was the exception; a card picked up off of Ebay and shipped from Australia.  It's a really cool card, and Brodie was really nice.

Of course, the Cole Roland Wake Forest card was another ebay pickup (sorry, I forgot).  He was also really nice.  The team set cards are all a lot of fun to get signed.  A lot of the players are happy to see them, which makes it even better.

Finally, cards of Bird Dawgs coach, TJ White came in.  Thr above Cedar Rapids Kernels card looks really sharp with his signature. 

I also got several of his Chattanooga Lookouts and one of White's Fort Myers Miracle cards.

The big highlight of the series was the no hitter thrown by Quebec in the first game of Friday's double header.  Yeah, it was a 7-inning game, but still on record as a no hitter.  I got the pitcher, Braeden Allemann and catchers, Arturo De Freitas to sign my ticket.  I had two extra tickets to the game, which i gave to each of them.  Both were really happy to get them.

I all, I got the following autographs: TJ White x 14, Pier-Olivier Boucher x 3, Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis x 2, Christian Inoa x 10, Cleiverth Perez x 6, Cole Roland x 2, Gilberto Chu x 4 and Arturo De Freitas x 7 and Braeden Allemann x 1 (49 total autographs). 

TTM Success - Tim Spooneybarger

My friend Ryan sent me a bunch of cards to try TTM. One of the successes I got back was from Tim Spooneybarger on some early 2000s cards.  The above 2003 Topps turned out nicely.

The above 2004 Topps also turned out nicely.  I recall a time when I didn't have very many signed 2004s in the album. Now they have caught up with some of the other years in the album.

Spooneybarger (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2003 for the Braves and Marlins.  He had a record of 2-3 with 68 strike outs and a 3.24 ERA.

I mailed to Spooneybarger on February 5 and got the cards back on February 26 for a 21-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Nate Dohm

A straggler from my 2024 Bowman Draft TTM submissions came in recently from Nate Dohm.  The card turned out nicely.

Dohm (b. 2003) was a 3rd round pick in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Mississippi State.  He played in the Mets system this season, in Low and High A.  He has a record of 3-3 with 51 strike outs and a 2.95 ERA.

I mailed to Dohm on December 19 and got the card back on February 22 for a 65-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe DeMers

Here are a couple older Bowman cards that I pulled and sent out TTM for signatures.  These Joe DeMers cards turned out nicely.

I enjoy getting some of these cards out of the Bowman box.  It also helps me learn about players that I didn't get to see while graphing.

DeMers (b. 1996) was an 11th round pick by the A's during the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Washington.

He played in the minors in 2019, 2021 and 2022, all in the A's system. He reached high A.  He had a record of 9-10 with 129 strike outs and a 5.77 ERA.

I mailed to DeMers on February 4 and got the cards back on February 21 for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Dave Campbell

Completing a card is always nice.  I recently got the above 1969 Topps Tigers Rookie Stars back signed TTM from Les Cain.  I saw that Dave Campbell signed also, so I took the card and sent it along to Campbell right after it came back from Cain.  The card turned out nicely.

I also sent off this 1973 Topps.  He also signed it in ballpoint pen.

Campbell (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1967 to 1974 for the Tigers, Padres, Cardinals and Astros.  He had 267 hits, 12 home runs and a .213 batting average. 

I mailed to Campbell on February 3 and got the cards back on February 21 for an 18-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Ford

The box of shame is a box of cards that had been pulled and prepped for graphing, but for whatever reason, the cards weren't signed.  Maybe i didnt get the guy, maybe he did only a couple cards, or maybe he wasnt even there in the first place.  Those cards go in the box and I hope I get another chance to see said player.  Maybe I try them TTM.  The end goal is to get everything I had prepped signed.  Fair enough, right?  Well, Mike Ford is a guy I had gotten in person back when I saw Gwinnett in Durham a couple years ago. Two cards were missed and went in the box.  I saw them recently and remembered that Ford signs TTM, so I figured I'd finish the cards off.  I sent them out and they came back signed in red pen.

Both cards turned out nicely, even though i usually prefer blue.

Ford (b. 1992) played in the majors from 2019 to 2024 for the Yankees, Giants, Mariners, Braves, Angels and Reds.  He had 141 hits, 37 home runs and a .205 batting average. 

I mailed to Ford on September 18 and got the cards back on February 21 for a 156-day TAT.

TTM Success - Russell Branyan

When Insaw that Russell Branyan was signing TTM, I got excited and found some cards to send out.  I found the above 2007 Topps Update, and 2008 Topps Update (below left) and a 2010 Topps (below right).

I was glad to get these cards out of the box and into the autograph album. Branyan's signature is pretty swirly.

Branyan (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1998 to 2011 for the Indians, Reds, Brewers, Devil Rays, Padres, Phillies, Cardinals, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Angels.  He had 682 hits, 194 home runs and a .232 batting average. 

I mailed to Branyan on February 3 and got the cards back on February 18 for a 15-day TAT. 

TTM Success - William Susdorf

Here is another card that my friend Ryan hooked me up with to try to send out TTM.  This 2004 Bowman Draft Chrome of William Susdorf is a nice card.  Too bad he signed it in pen.

Susdorf (b. 1983) was a 6th round pick in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of UCLA.  He played in the minors from 2004 to 2006 in the Rangers and Padres systems, reaching High A.  He had 149 hits, 10 home runs and a .254 batting average. 

I mailed to Susdorf on January 28 and got the card back on February 18 for a 21-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Carol Burnett

This was an interesting TTM success.  I had the above 1992 Triple Play "Autographs" card put aside for a while.  I finally decided to send it out for someone to sign TTM.  Carol Burnett was my target, and the card turned out nicely.

I had to send out a 1987 Topps checklist, since this was a celebrity autograph request.  I like going back and looking at those album pages of celebrities I've gotten on these checklists.  I needed to do something with them, otherwise they'd just be sitting in a box.

Burnett also signed an index card for me, and it looks great.

Burnett (b. 1933) has won seven Golden Globe Awards, seven Primerime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, two Peabody Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Her accolades are many, and a lot to list.  I'll say that she was in one of my favorite movies you probably have never heard of, "Noises Off."  It's such an underrated movie.

I mailed to Burnett on January 25 and got the cards back on February 18 for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rick Gottormson

Here is a 2000 Bowman Chrome that I rescued from one of the former LCS boxes.  This 2000 Bowman Chrome of Rick Guttormson came back signed TTM, and looks great.

Guttormson (b. 1977) was a 22nd round pick in the 1997 July Amateur Draft out of Edmonds College in Washington. He played in the minors from 1997 to 2001 and 2004 in the Padres and Mariners systems.  He had a record of 42-43 with 475 strike outs and a 3.84 ERA.

I mailed to Guttormson on January 24 and got the card back on February 18 for a 25-day TAT. 

May 26, 2025, Graphing of the Redbirds at Bulls

Durham has become one of my favorite places to graph.  I typically do well there, and this time I graphed for the first time with my good friend Gerard.  I also had messaged my buddy Aidan on Onstagram that I was doing arrival in Durham, looked up, and Aidan was there.  He and I had the same plans.  He was able to meet Gerard and Mike as well, and it seems they hit it off.  Aidan is a great guy.

A highlight of the trip was getting this 2024 Bowman Chrome gold refractor of Tre Morgan signed.

I freed some cards from the Box Of Shame with some guys on Memphis.  My Nick Anderson cards were left over from last year's trips to Norfolk.  I also got some Rob Kaminsky cards that I had been holding into for a while. The yellow 2015 Bowman was a great hit.  I also got a green parallel from 2024 Topps Heritage High Number of Alex Fernandez signed.

Drew Rom was really great.  He got us on the board on arrival, and signed for me a second time pregame on two cards that I missed.  Thomas Saggese was happy to see Chris and I.  He hadn't seen Chris in a few years.  Saggese usually personalizes, but didn't for us. Apparently, that was a surprise to some other graphers.

Joe Boyle made a new friend in Gerard's brother, Mike.  Boyle really isn't too friendly to graphers, and it showed when Mike revealed his page of Boyle cards "ugh, you have too many. I'm only going to sign one..." "OK, that's fine, can you sign the yellow one?" "No." Gerard told me later in the week that Boyle did sign for him again, and was friendlier.

The main reason Chris came along was so that he could see Mason Englert in person again.  We missed him when we were in Columbus seeing Toledo last season.  He is now in the Rays system, and it was awesome seeing him again. 

Ha-Seong Kim was in Durham on a rehab assignment.  I didnt have any cards pulled for him, but two boys that were there gave me one of their extra cards after I gave them a few guys they didn't have.  It worked out doubly for me in that I got Kim and got rid of some cards that would have gone back in the boxes.

I cleared a few Andrew Stevenson cards out of the boxes, which helped clear a little room.  I also got a couple Durham team set cards taken care of.  I also got a couple Cole Wilcox cards that have been in my Durham box since last season signed.

Carson Williams was the last guy that we got.  I had made the decision to head out after getting a few autos post game, and the rain had returned.  I got Chris, turned around to say goodbye to Gerard and Mike, and saw them getting ready to get Williams.  Chris and I grabbed our books and knocked out two cards. 

One of the nicest guys we saw on this trip was another rehab assignment guy, Kevin Kelly.  I love this 2023 Topps Heritage.

We had a great time graphing with Aidan, Gerard and Mike.

In all, I got the following autographs: Nick Anderson x 2, Luken Baker x 2, Ian Bedell x 2, Howie Clark x 2, Jimmy Crooks x 2, Jose Fermin x 1, Ryan Fernandez x 2, Rob Kaminsky x 4, Michael McGreevy x 3, Cesar Prieto x 13, Drew Rom x 4, Thomas Saggese x 2, Mike Siani x 4, Andy Yerzy x 1, Zack Weiss x 1, Joe Boyle x 2, Mason Englert x 5, Brock Jones x 4, Dominic Keegan x 2, Kevin Kelly x 3, Ha-Seong Kim x 1, Tyler Ladendorf x 1, Tre Morgan x 2, Tanner Murray x 2, Pat Phelan x 1, Andrew Stevenson x 6, Jacob Wagiespack x 1, Cole Wilcox x 2, Carson Williams x 2 and Aidan Warnock x 1 (81 total autographs).

TTM Success - Terry Clark

Some late 80s cards came back signed TTM when I got this TTM success in from Terry Clark.  I don't have many 1989 Fleer in the autograph album, so adding this one was nice.

I do have a bunch of 1989 Topps in the album, but another one didn't hurt. This is a sharp looking 89, and I'm glad it is signed.

Clark (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1988 to 1990 and 1995 to 1997 for the Angels, Astros, Braves, Orioles, Royals, Indians and Rangers.  He had a record of 10-23 with 109 strike outs and a 5.54 ERA.

I mailed to Clark on December 2 and got the cards back on February 18 for a 78-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Rain

This 1997 Bowman of Steve Rain came back signed TTM recently.  I pulled some random cards from my box to send out, and this was one that came back fairly quickly.

Rain (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1999 to 2000 for the Cubs.  He had a record of 3-5 with 66 strike outs and a 5.46 ERA.

I mailed to Rain on February 4 and got the card back on February 15 for an 11-day TAT. 

Consignment Autos From Loc

My friend Loc took a few cards from me to get signed at Frisco.  He helped me get my 2024 Down East Wood Ducks team setndown to one card when he got this one signed by Ryan Lobus.  I still need Luis Valdez, who has been hurt since early last season.  Hopefully he will be back on a team soon.

Loc also got these two Trey Supak team set cards done.  I had two each of these scattered across several boxes.  He got three of the four signed, so that last one will have to get done another time.

He also got a 2022 Heritage Minors Aaron Zavala signed for me, which was great.  I reappy appreciated Loc helping me out and getting these cards out of the boxes.

TTM Success - George Lombard Jr.

Here are some nice cards that I got signed TTM from Yankees prospect, George Lombard, Jr.  I got this awesome 2024 Bowman insert signed, even though you can't tell at first glance.  That's ok. 

I also added a 2024 Pro Debut to the album. The signature can be seen very easily on this one. 

Lombard (b. 2005) was a first round pick (26th overall) by the Yankees in the 2023 July Amateur Draft out of Gulliver Prep in Florida.  He has played in the Yankees system since 2023, reaching AA.  He has 151 hits, 6 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I to Lombard on January 18 and got the cards back on February 14 for a 27-day TAT. 

May 2025 Graphing of the Mud Monsters at Bird Dawgs

Last week, the other Frontier League expansion team (the Mississippi Mud Monsters) was in Kinston for a 6-game series.  I missed Tuesday's game for family reasons, and Wednesday's game was a day game, so I got to 4 of the 6 games. I only needed two to get all of the cards I picked up signed.

I used gosportscards.com to find most of the cards; I had three of them on my own.  I was really glad to get my 2010 Topps Pro Debut Jamie McOwen cards out of my box.  I also got my Luis Devers 2022 Myrtle Beach team set card done.

My 2023 Augusta team set card of Tyree Thompson also got done.  I was also pleasantly surprised at the quality of Rodney Theophile's autograph. He took his time and put a great signature on my stuff.

A highlight to Saturday's game was that my brother, Philip, brought his family to the game.  My nephew, Lonnie, was picked to be the 'Play Ball' kid.  He got to go on the field and yell play ball to start the game. 

Lonnie had a blast at the game.  Something tells me he will be back to another one soon.

In all, I got the following autographs: Last night's graphing recap of the Mud Monsters at Bird Dawgs: Chris Barraza x 2, Luis Devers x 3, Victor Diaz x 4, Ti'Quan Forbes x 1, Jamie McOwen x 2, Karell Paz x 3, Jay Pecci x 3, Sergio Sanchez x 11, Rodney Theophile x 8 and Tyree Thompson x 2, Kyle Booker x 11 and Davis Bradshaw x 1 (51 total autographs).

Another TTM Success From Kurt Stillwell

This 1991 Donruss Diamond King that came back signed TTM from Kurt Stillwell is such a great card.  Diamond Kings were a favorite of the Junk Wax Era.  I had found this card in a box and decided to send to Stillwell again after originally getting him TTM in 2019.

I found a few more cards to send along with the Diamond King.  The 1988 Donruss ALs Best was a cool find in one of the boxes from the former LCS.  I also got a 1989 Topps and 1994 Leaf signed.

I mailed to Stillwell on January 25 and got the cards back on February 14 for a 20-day TAT.