TTM Success - Sean Conner

Here is a nice 2009 Bowman that I added to the autograph album.  This card of Sean Conner came back signed TTM in black Sharpie.  His signature looks very close to the facsimile autograph on the card, so i guess it hasn't changed much over the years.

Conner (b. 1987) was a 10th round pick by the Reds in the 2008 June Amateur Draft out of Palm Beach State.  He played in the minors from 2008 to 2010 in the Reds system.  He reached A ball.  He had 100 hits, 9 home runs and a .228 batting average.

I mailed to Conner on February 6 and got the card back on February 14 for an 8-day TAT. 

May 2025 Graphing of Jackals at Bird Dawgs

The New Jersey Jackals came to town last week and I was able to get some nice cards signed.  I had some help from Chris and Jesse.

It was cool that a former major leaguer was on the Jackals.  Miguel Gomez was really nice and signed everything we had.

Chris got a bunch of them done which helped me out since I missed the Wednesday day game.

I also had some nice 2018 Bowman Chrome Arbert Cipion.  I had gotten him a while ago when he was with the Mudcats.  I also got some team set cards of Colt Webb signed.

In all, we got the following autographs: Albert Cipion x 5, Miguel Gomez x 30 and Colt Webb x 4 (39 total autographs). 

TTM Success - Mike Frank

A couple more older Bowman cards were added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from Mike Frank.

These are a couple 1999 Bowman, and they turned out nicely.

Frank (b. 1974) played in the majors in 1997 for the Reds.  He had 20 hits, no home runs and a .225 batting average. 

I mailed to Frank on January 29 and got the cards back on February 13 for a 15-day TAT. 

Andrew Helps With a Mattingly

My buddy Andrew lives in Evansville, Indiana and has access to cheap signings with Don Mattingly.  He reached out to me and offered to take a Mattingly card of mine and get it signed for me if I wanted to pay the fee.  I was all for that, so I sent him this awesome insert from 1990 Bowman.  The card turned out great.

Thanks for getting the card done for me, Andrew.  If they keep these signings up in Evansville, I'll definitely send another along.

TTM SUccess - Brandon Williamson

Here are a couple recent cards that I was able to get signed TTM by Brandon Williamson.  The above 2024 Topps Heritage is a really nice card.  I loved that Heritage set, and was glad to get a few signed when I did.

I also sent off this 2023 Topps Update. The signature shows up a little better on this one than the Heritage.

Williamson (b. 1998) had played in the majors since 2023 for the Reds.  He has a record of 5-5 with 110 strike outs and a 4.39 ERA.  He hasn't pitched yet this season; he's on the 60-day IL.

I mailed to Williamson on January 13 and got the cards back on February 10 for a 28-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Dave Criscione

Here is yet another 1991 Crown Orioles card that I got signed TTM for the autograph album.  I had never heard of Dave Criscione.  He signed the card nicely and inscribed it with his uniform number. 

Criscione (b. 1951) played in the majors in 1977 for the Orioles.  He got into 7 games and had 3 hits, 1 home run and a .333 batting average. 

I mailed to Criscione on February 3 and got the card back on February 10 for a 7-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Andrew Owen

Here is a TTM success that was driven by my need to justify purchasing some cards.  A couple years ago, I bought a 10-card lot of 2019 Perfect game cards of Andrew Owen.  He had been drafted by the Rangers and I had hoped he would be a Wood Duck. He never made it to Kinston, and I was stuck with bis stuff (in the box next to Antonio Cabello, Bayron Lora and Kenen Irizarry.  I found an address for Owen and sent two of the 10 cards out TTM.  They came back signed.

Owen (b. 2002) was a 14th round pick by the Rangers in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Grossmont College in California. He went 1-2 with a 14.54 ERA and 4 strike outs at the Rangers Arizona complex league team.

I mailed to Owen on January 15 and got the cards back on February 7 for a 23-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Blas Minor

Back in 2017, I got Blas Minor TTM on some cards.  I found two more and finally sent them out recently.  I was glad to add another 1994 Topps to the autograph album. 

I also sent out this 1994 Scotr, which turned out great.  I've got a 5,000-count box of that year of Score and was happy to get one of them out.  

I mailed to Minor on January 7 and got the cards back on February 6 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Hugh Quattlebaum

Here is a random 2001 Topps that I got halfway done when I sent it out TTM to Hugh Quattlebaum.

Quattlebaum (b. 1978) was a 25th round pick by the Tigers in the 2000 June Amateur Draft out of Amherst College in Massachusetts. He played in the minors from 2000 to 2003 in the Tigers and Orioles systems.  He would reach AAA.  He had 180 hits, 3 home runs and a .241 batting average. 

I mailed to Quattlebaum on January 21 and got the card back on February 6 for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Archie Manning

Here is a card I found in one of the boxes of cards from the former LCS.  I sent it out TTM to Archie Manning and it came back signed.

Manning (b. 1949) played in the NFL from 1971 to 1975 and 1977 to 1984 for the Saints, Oilers and Vikings.  He had 125 touch downs and 23,911 yards.  He is the father of Peyton and Eli Manning.

I mailed to Manning on January 11 and got the card back on February 5 for a 25-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Paradis

A few Orioles cards got out of the box and into the album when I got this TTM success back from Mike Paradis.  It is kind of sad that these cards span two years, but Topps used pretty much the same photo (or close to it).

I got these three different 1999 Bowmans signed; a paper, chrome and a foil.  The card at the top was his 2000 Bowman Chrome.

Paradis (b. 1978) was a first round (13th overall) pick by the Orioles in the 1999 June Amateur Draft out of Clemson.  He played in the minors from 1999 to 2004 in the Orioles system, reaching AAA.  He had a record of 29-47 with 415 strike outs and a 5.24 ERA.  He was among a long string of failed first round draft picks by the Orioles during the "Dark Times".

I mailed to Paradis on January 17 and got the cards back on February 4 for an 18-day TAT. 

May 9-10, 2025, Graphing of Titans at Bird Dawgs

The Bird Dawgs had their opening series this past weekend versus the Ottawa Titans.  There were a few guys with cards on the Titans.  Lamar Briggs (above) had a team set card from the 2024 Tri-City ValleyCats.  I bought two of that card and they both got signed right away.

Brandon Marklund had a card in 2020 Topps Heritage Minors, but I didn't have any of those in my boxes. My buddy Gerard had several, and I was able to take a 50/50 for him.

Prior to the season, I bought a lot of 15 Tom Carcione minor league cards off of Ebay.  Carcione was really cool and signed everything we had.  He took my book and was showing the cards off to one of the Titans players.

I got one more Bird Dawg, Carter Raffield, on his 2019 Leaf Perfect Game card.  There's one more guy who signed with the Bird Dawgs in the offseason that hasn't been here yet, if I get him, all of the Perfect Game cards I bought for the team will be done.

I took some photos from Opening Day.  Grainger Stadium has changed a bit, but it still has the same charm.  Attendance for Opening Day was 2,666; a sellout.

Here is Carcione signing for us.  My friend Jimmy Kilpatrick took this awesome picture.

Saturday was Star Wars night.  I didnt get his autograph, but I did get a picture with Darth Vader.

Finally, I won a jersey auction.  I got Tyler Blaum's jersey (I also won Cameron Masterman's).  Blaum practices with former Wood Duck, Josh Trentadue in the offseason and had heard of us prior to us meeting him at the first exhibition game. I was glad to win his jersey and get this picture with him post-game.

In all, we got the following autographs: Lamar Briggs x 2, Tom Carcione x 15, Brandon Marklund x 5, Carter Raffield x 10, Tyler Blaum x 1 and Brandon Fields x 2 (35 total autographs).

TTM Success - Joel McKeon

A random 1988 Topps made it into the autograph album when this one came back signed TTM from Joel McKeon.  A true Junk Wax Era cards, but it is still a nice addition. 

McKeon (b. 1963) played in the majors in 1986 and 1987 for the White Sox.  He and a record of 4-3 with 32 strike outs and a 5.17 ERA.

I mailed to McKeon on January 8 and got the card back on February 4 for a 27-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Clay Bruner

This 1998 Bowman Chrome of Clay Bruner turned out nicely when it came back signed TTM. I've got a bunch of these cards and have been trying to get some of them signed and into my album.

Bruner (b. 1976) was a 4th round pick by the Tigers in the 1995 June Amateur Draft out of Weatherford High School in Oklahoma.  He played in the minors from 1995 to 1999, all in the Tigers system.  He reached AA.  He had a record of 40-18 with 402 strike outs and a 3.24 ERA.

I mailed to Bruner on January 25 and got the card back signed on February 3 for a 9-day TAT.

May 7, 2025, Graphing Recap of the War Dogs at Bird Dawgs

Last night, the Down East Bird Dawgs hosted the US Military War Dogs in an exhibition game at Grainger Stadium. This was the second of two exhibition games the Bird Dawgs had scheduled prior to tomorrow's opening day.

The Bird Dawgs won the game 10-3.  I.almost didn't make it to the game, as work i traded, but I got to the park just in time for the gates to open.  I got autographs from one of the three players I had left for the Bird Dawgs, Yeniel Laboy.  He signed 10 2021 Perfect Game cards for Jesse and I.

The Frontier League season starts tomorrow and I am excited to see the next generation of baseball in Kinston.  I've got extra box tickets for a good price if anyone wants to sit with us.

TTM Success - Steven Moya

Here are a bunch of cards that had a lot of frequent flyer miles on them.  I had these Steven Moya cards pulled when he was in the Atlantic League, but missed him.  Then, the cards were sent to a couple different people to try for 50/50s and they didn't get done because Moya wound up playing in Japan for a few seasons.  I saw that he was back in the states, so i figured I'd try to get him TTM, and that worked out.

I was glad to get a couple of these Bowman Chrome minis out of my boxes and have them signed.  They can be a pain to deal with, but it doesn't matter now that they are locked into the autograph album. 

I also got an older team set (I believe a 2016 International League All Star) card, a 2013 Bowman and a 2015 Topps signed with this TTM request.  Moya also included a nice note.

Moya (b. 1991) played in the majors from 2014 to 2016 for the Tigers.  He had 31 hits, 5 home runs and a .250 batting average.

I mailed to Moya on January 22 and got the cards back on February 3 for a 12-day TAT. 

May 5, 2025, Graphing of the First Ever Down East Bird Dawgs Game

The replacement for the Down East Wood Ducks began play at Grainger Stadium last night.  The new team is the Down East Bird Dawgs, and they are part of the Frontier League.  The Frontier League is an independent league that is one of the partner leagues to MLB.  I've explained it to friends and family as a league for players who went undrafted out of college or former minor leaguers who had been released that aren't quite ready to hang it up.  I have spent the offseason following transactions in the league and picking up cards of guys who have signed with teams that come into Kinston, and also guys who signed here.

Axel Andueza was one of the early signings by the Bird Dawgs.  He was the first guy's cards that I picked up, and was the first guy that signed for us last night.

The Bird Dawgs played an exhibition game against Lenoir Community College following a torrential downpour and a lightning delay.  The game ended after the 8th in a 5-5 tie.

I was able to find cards of several Bird Dawgs over the last few months.  I think it is going to be fun to get all of these different team set cards signed as the season goes on.  I begged the assistant GM of the team to get a team set for the Bird Dawgs this year.  I doubt my say has anything to do with it, but I'm going to try.

Finally, one of the nicest players I've ever met signed for us last night, Brandon Fields.  He stood and chatted with us for a while after the game.  I'm really excited to see how this season goes and whether or not any of the guys get picked up by affiliated clubs.

In all, we got the following autographs: Axel Andueza x 4, Tyler Blaum x 4, Brandon Fields x 10, Cameron Masterman x 4, Yassel Pino x 8 and Emmanuel Tapia x 5 (35 tktal autographs). 

Also, I took another picture of Chris by our graphing spot, 8 years after I took one of him at the first Wood Ducks exhibition game.  What a difference 8 years makes...

TTM Success - Stuart Levy

Soon, old team set cards will be dominating this space since the Frontier League has come to town and it seems that most of the guys who have cards are in random team sets.  In that vein, I started cleaning out my boxes and looked toward moving some old team set stuff.  I sent off some TTM and started getting a few back.  One player who returned his cards signed was former Orioles minor leaguer, Stuart Levy.

I got Levy on his cards from Aberdeen and Frederick.

Levy (b. 1992) was a 27th round pick by the Orioles in the 2015 June Amateur Draft out of Arkansas State University.  He played in the minors from 2015 to 2019, all in the Orioles system.  He wound up reaching AAA.  He had 157 hits, 12 home runs and a .207 batting average. 

I mailed to Levy on January 15 and got the cards back on February 3 for a 19-day TAT.

Levy also included a hand-written letter that said: Dear William, I appreciate you reaching out.  It is not often anymore that I get asked for autographs for anything baseball related.  It was a very special surprise. It brought back a lot of memories seeing these cards.  I hope they add nicely to your  collection, even from a nobody like me.  Sincerely, Stuart Levy.

TTM Success - Glenn DIshman

A couple mid-90s cards finally got out of my box when I sent this 1996 Fleer glossy and a 1995 Topps to Glenn Dishman.  I couldn't find his base Fleer from that year (the cards, with their rough finish, are cool to get signed, but are a pain to leaf through).

Both of the cards turned out nicely. I'll have to see if Rob Grable signs so I can complete the card.

Dishman (b. 1970) played in the majors from 1995 to 1997 for the Padres, Phillies and Tigers.  He had a record of 5-10 with 66 strike outs and a 5.25 ERA.

I mailed to Dishman on January 6 and got the cards back on February 3 for a 28-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Duffy Dyer

Here is another 1972 Topps that I got signed TTM recently.  I had gotten Duffy Dyer on a couple cards before, but found this 1972 and wanted to send it along.  The card turned out great.  I have a ton of 72s left over from when I was building that set.  I probably ought to build a couple of partial sets and sell them to make some room in that box and a little bit of money on the side.

I mailed to Dyer on October 30 and got the card back on February 3 for a 96-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Eddie Taubensee

Here are some cards that I pulled out of the late 90s/early 2000s boxes from the old LCS and sent off TTM.  Eddie Taubemsee signed all three cards.  The above 2000 Upper Deck is a really nice card.

I also got a 1998 Bowman and a 2002 Topps signed. The Bowman is a foil Hometown Heroes card.

I mailed to Taubensee on January 18 and got the cards back on February 1 for a 14-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Tanner Bibee

There are a couple current players who still sign TTM; Guardians pitcher, Tanner Bibee is one of them.  I sent the above 2024 Topps Heritage Mini and the below 2023 Topps Heritage to Bibee to sign. 

He doesn't have much of an autograph, but the cards are still cool.

Bibee (b. 1999) has played for the Guardians since 2023.  He has a career record of 24-14 with 353 strike outs and a 3.36 ERA.  This season he is currently 2-2 with 25 strike outs and a 4.36 ERA.

I mailed to him on January 15 and got the cards back on February 1 for a 17-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jimmie Schaffer

Another card from Conrad's boxes came back signed TTM, this 1964 Topps Jimmie Schaffer.  He signed the card in pen.   

I had gotten Schaffer TTM back in 2017 on a 1963 Topps, so this is a nice addition to the autograph album to go along with it.

I mailed to Schaffer on December 4 and got the card back on February 1 for a 59-day TAT.

TTM Success - Curtis Pride

This TTM success from Curtis Pride took a long time to get here but the cards finally came back signed.  The above 2015 Topps Pride and Perseverance insert turned out great.  This was the whole reason I sent the TTM request in the first place.

I also got a 1994 Topps and a 1994 Donruss signed. 

Pride (b. 1968) played in the majors in 1993, from 1995 to 1998, 2000 to 2001 and 2003 to 2006 for the Expos, Tigers, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees and Amgels.  He had 199 hits, 20 home runs and a .250 batting average. He was the first deaf player to play in the majors since Dick Sipek in 1945.

I mailed to him on May 30, 2017, and got the cards back on February 2, 2025, for a 2,804-day TAT.

TTM Success - Stephen Drew

The last signing that my friend Jack hosted recently was with Stephen Drew.  It was an easy decision to send the above 2010 Topps National Chicle.  The card turned out great.

Drew (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2006 to 2017 for the Diamondbacks, A's, Red Sox, Yankees and Nationals.  He had 1,109 hits, 123 home runs and a .252 batting average.  He finished 26th in the 2008 NL MVP race. 

I mailed to the signing on December 30 and got the card back on January 29 for a 30-day TAT.