TTM Success - Chris Wakeland

This 2000 Topps Gold Label signed by Chris Wakeland is a really nice looking card. It's also pretty thick, as cards go.  I like the concept, a high level chromed-out card.  I'd like to see some more of these pop up in some future releases. 

Wakeland (b. 1974) played in the majors in 2001 for the Tigers.  He had 9 hits, 2 home runs and a .250 batting average. 

I mailed to Wakeland on January 2 and got the card back on January 21 for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Dimmel

Another 1991 Crown Orioles card was added to the album when this Mike Dimmel signed card came in TTM.

Dimmel (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1977 to 1979 for the Orioles and Cardinals.  He had 1 hit, no home runs and a .125 batting average.

I mailed to Dimmel on January 6 and got the card back on January 21 for a 15-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Ryne Sandberg

With Ryne Sandberg battling cancer, I wanted to send to him again and also send a note with well-wishes to him.  I did, and got my cards back signed pretty quickly.  The above 2024 Panini Crusade is a really cool card that looks great in the autograph album. 

I also got him to sign my 2018 Topps 1984 Chrome silver pack card.  This had been sitting in a stack on my desk since 2018.  I finally sent it off to get signed, and it looks great.

I mailed to Sandberg on December 16 and got the cards back on January 21 for a 36-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

TTM Success - Kip Wells

TTMs have been very slow to come in lately.  I'm slowly whittling down my stack of stuff to be scanned.  I also am almost at a point where I'll scale back what I mailed out as the season progresses.  I'll be focusing on prepping for upcoming series and scanning stuff that has come in from 50/50s; starting with a box of awesome returns from my guy Max.

I'm getting ahead of myself.  The 2007 Upper Deck First Edition that came back signed TTM from Kip Wells was the next card in my stack to scan.  The card is pretty cool and turned out nicely. 

Wells (b. 1977) played in the majors from 1999 to 2009 and 2012 for the White Sox, Pirates, Rangers, Cardinals, Rockies, Royals, Nationals, Reds and Padres.  He had a record of 69-103 with 963 strike outs and a 4.71 ERA.

I mailed to Wells on November 9 and got the card back on January 21 for a 73-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nyls Nyman

Here are a couple of 70s cards that came back signed TTM from Nyls Nyman.  The above 1976 Topps looks pretty cool.

The above 1975 Topps also turned out well.  I'll have to look and see if any of the other guys are signing.

Nyman (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1974 to 1977 for the White Sox.  He had 85 hits, 2 home runs and a .238 batting average.

I mailed to Nyman on October 29 and got the cards back on January 21 for an 84-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sidney Ponson

A private signing came up recently that helped me add another former Oriole to the autograph album.  I was never able to get Sidney Ponson in person, so I was glad I could send in to a signing with him.  I also really like the 2005 Studio set, so that was my choice to send in.  The card turned out amazingly.  I paid a little extra for the "Sir Sidney" inscription.  I wish he had signed the card then inscribed "Sir Sidney" under the signature.  Still, the card looks awesome anyway.

Ponson (b. 1976) played in the majors from 1998 to 2009 for the Orioles, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Rangers and Royals.  He had a record of 91-113 with 1,031 strike outs and a 5.03 ERA.  He is a knight in the Dutch empire, hence the "Sir Sidney" moniker.  He also once punched a judge while on a beach in his native Aruba.  Sidney was a big guy, I don't know that I would have tried to cross him.

I remember Ponson being better than his record, and he seemingly put things together in 2003 when he went 14-6 for the Orioles leading up to the trade deadline.  In a really shrewd move, the Orioles traded Ponson to the Giants in exchange for Ryan Hannaman, Kurt Ainsworth and Damian Moss; just to be resigned by the Orioles the following offeason.  Unfortunately, none of the players in the deal worked out and Ponson was never able to duplicate his pre-deadline pitching.

I mailed to the signing on December 2 and got the card back on January 21 for a 50-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $45.00.

TTM Success - Rich Poythress

This 2010 Topps Pro Debut of Rich Poythress is a random card that I pulled out of my box and sent out TTM.  I bought a couple boxes of 2010 Pro Debut with a former friend and still had some left over after all these years.  I went through them recently and sent some TTM.  I remember when Pro Debut came out; the former friend and I were really excited to get more minor league stuff.  Our plans never came to fruition and that dude is long gone.  I still get a chance every so often to get one or two signed, so that's nice.  I'm glad with how this one turned out.

Poythress (b. 1987) was a second round pick by the Mariners in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Georgia.  He played in the minors from 2009 to 2014 in the Mariners, Braves and Marlins systems.  He would reach AAA.  He had 554 hits, 74 home runs and a .280 batting average. 

I mailed to Poythress on December 18 and got the card back on January 17 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Fenwick Trimble

Another 2024 Bowman Draft that came back signed TTM was this one from Fenwick Trimble.  He personalized the card paired with a nice signature. 

Trimble (b. 2002) was a 4th round pick by the Marlins in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of JMU.  He made it to Low A Jupiter last season and had 31 hits, no home runs and a .258 batting average. 

I mailed to Trimble on December 16 and got the card back on January 16 for a 31-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jose Cruz Jr

Some really nice cards came back signed TTM from Jose Cruz, Jr.  I had met him last summer in Erie when he was up for Trei Cruz's birthday; I wish I had known so I could have cleaned out my collection.  Thankfully, I found a LCS close to Erie and I picked up some cards to get signed IP.  Still, I had a bunch of his stuff in my boxes, so i sent to him TTM via Rice University.  The above 1999 UD SP Authentic is a reappy sharp card that I was happy to get back signed.

I also had a cool 1999 Pacific Private Stock (above left) that looks good in the album.  I topped it off with two Topps cards, a 2001 and a 2002.  All of the cards look great.

Cruz (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1997 to 2008 for the Mariners, Blue Jays, Giants, Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Dodgers, Padres and Astros.  He had 1,167 hits, 204 home runs and a .247 batting average.  He finished second in the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year voting (behind Nomaaahhhh).  He won a Gold Glove Award in 2003.

I mailed to Cruz on December 27 and got the cards back on January 16 for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Chris Cortez

The 2024 Bowman Draft TTMs are just about caught up.  This one was from Chris Cortez.  He signed my 2024 Bowman Draft Chrome and paper.  Both cards are nice but he doesn't have much of a signature. 

Cortez (b. 2002) was a 2nd round pick by the Angels during the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Texas A&M.  He has yet to make his professional debut. 

I mailed to Cortez on December 19 and got the cards back on January 15 for a 27-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Justin Nicolino

Something I like to do from time to time (especially during the offseason) is go through the box of shame and pull some cards that I can try to send out TTM.  This helps reduce the cards in the box and make room for more guys that I'll miss out on the next season.  I got two Justin Nicolino cards out of the box.  I missed him in 2023 when he was with High Point. 

I got Nicolino TTM back in 2022 on a couple cards.  This time around, he signed a 2016 Topps (top) and 2012 Topps Pro Debut (above).  Both of the cards turned out nicely. 

I mailed to Nicolino on September 20 and got the cards back on January 15 for a 117-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brad Correll

Wow. This card didn't scan well at all.  I guess I also didn't get all of the powder off of the card.  Still, in person, this 2010 Bowman Chrome that I got back signed TTM from Brad Correll looks pretty nice.  The cards shine up really well with the baby powder that I use.

Correll (b. 1981) was a 29th round pick in the 2002 June Amateur Draft by the Reds out of Limestone College (in Gaffney, SC).  I bet he remembers the giant peach.

He played in the minors from 2002 to 2009 in the Reds, Phillies, Pirates, Marlins, Red Sox and Royals systems.  By the time he got into independent ball, he had reached AA.  He had 720 hits, 89 home runs and a .278 batting average.

I mailed to Correll on January 8 and got the cards back on January 15 for a 7-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Prior

Over the last week or so, TTMs have been scant to some in.  Checking the mail every day has been a drag, since the mailbox is virtually empty when I open it.  One reason why may be because over the last month or so, most of the TTMs I have sent out have been to Spring Training.  Spring Training TTMs are a chore every season and I keep saying I'll cut back next season.  This year (like the last several), I sent out 50 Spring Training TTMs.  So far, only 3 have come back.  The players and coaches sometimes hold the cards (if they do sign at all) and send in the off-season.  One success came back in January from 2024 Spring Training.  So I have a little tiny sliver of optimism that maybe I'll see some of this year's attempts come in.

This TTM success from 2024 Spring Training came in from Mark Prior.

Prior is the pitching coach for the Dodgers.  I had gotten him TTM back in 2020, again from Dodgers Spring Training. 

I mailed to Prior on February 10, 2024, and got the cards back on January 14 for a 339-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Spikerman

Even more 2024 Bowman Draft cards were added to the autograph album when this TTM success came in from Phillies Draft pick John Spikerman.

He signed both cards in black Sharpie.  They look pretty nice.  He has a decent signature for someone so young.  It seems that more and more of them end up with some jacked up sigs.

Spikerman (b. 2003) was a 3rd round pick by the Phillies in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.  He got into 17 games with low A Clearwater last season.  He had 14 hits, no home runs and a .226 batting average.

I mailed to Spikerman on December 27 and got the cards back on January 13 for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rico Rossy

A couple early 90s cards came back signed TTM from Rico Rossy.  I had his cards pulled for quite some time, and finally got around to dropping them in the mail.  The above 1992 Topps Stadium Club turned out well.

This 1992 Score also looks nice.  I don't have many of these cards left in the collection. It was nice adding this one to the album. 

Rossy (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1991 to 1993 and 1998 for the Braves, Royals and Mariners.  He had 67 hits, 4 home runs and a .211 batting average. 

I mailed to Rossy on August 1 and got the cards back on January 13 for a 165-day TAT.

TTM Success - Byron Browne

This 1970 Topps of Byron Browne ended up with some frequent flyer miles after a first trip through the mail resulted in a RTS. It took a second shot at Browne to get his autograph into the album. 

Browne (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1965 to 1972 for the Cubs, Astros, Cardinals and Phillies.  He had 205 hits, 30 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Browne on October 12 and got the card back on January 13 for a 93-day TAT.

TTM Success - Doug Gwosdz

Here are a couple 80s cards that came back signed TTM from Doug Gwosdz.  I got a 1984 Topps (above) and a 1982 Topps (below) signed.

I had hoped I could finish this 1982 Topps San Diego Padres Future Stars card, but Mike Armstrong hasn't signed in a while and Fred Kuhaulua has passed away.

Gwosdz (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1981 to 1984 for the Padres.  He had 15 hits, 1 home run and a .144 batting average. 

I mailed to Gwosdz on January 2 and got the cards back on January 11 for a 9-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Bobby Valentine

Since Bobby Valentine signs one per, I had this 1971 Topps held in my to-be-TTMed box for a while until I got a few of his other cards out of the way.  Finally, I sent this one off to be signed.  It turned out great.

Unfortunately, Mike Strahler passed away in  2016 at the age of 69.  I believe I have one other Valentine put aside to be signed, so I may drop that in the mail sometime soon.

I mailed to Valentine on December 4 and got the card back on January 11 for a 38-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Brandon Backe

Some fairly recent cards (more recent than some TTM subjects) came back signed TTM from Brandon Backe.  I'm seeing more and more returns from guys that played in the mid-to-late 2000s, so I have been searching boxes over the last few weeks for more cards like these.

I got a 2006 Topps (top), 2008 Upper Deck (above left) and 2009 Topps (above right) back signed from Backe.

Backe (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2002 to 2009 for the Devil Rays and Astros.  He had a record of 31-29 with 360 strike outs and a 5.23 ERA.

I mailed Backe on October 24 and got the cards back on January 11 for a 79-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chase Harlan

While preparing to discuss Chase Harlan and this 2024 Bowman Draft TTM success, I noticed that Harlan was born in 2006.  Let that sink in for a second. 2006. He is younger than my son.  Wow!  For someone his age, Harlan has a great signature.

He was chosen in the 3rd round of the 2024 July Amateur Draft by the Dodgers out of Central Bucks East High School in Pennsylvania.  He has yet to make his professional debut. 

I mailed to Harlan on December 16 and got the card back on January 10 for a 25-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Cord Sandberg

A break in 2024 Bowman Draft TTM successes happened recently when this TTM success came back from Cord Sandberg.  This success got a couple 2013 Bowman Draft cards out of the box.

I was happy to get a couple of these cards out of the box that had been sitting for a while.  He signed the cards in black Sharpie, and they turned out well.  The top card was a 2013 Bowman Draft Chrome refractor.  That was hard to tell from the scan.

Sandberg (b. 1995) was a 3rd round pick by the Phillies in the 2013 June Amateur Draft out of Manatee High School in Florida.  

He played in the minors from 2013 to 2018, all in the Phillies system.  He reached AA.  He had 427 hits, 29 home runs and a .243 batting average.  He is not related to Hall of Famer, Rene Sandberg. 

I mailed to Sandberg on December 27 and got the cards back on January 10 for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bryce Cunningham

More 2024 Bowman Draft cards were added to the autograph album.  This time, I got cards back from Yankees draft pick, Bryce Cunningham.

Both of the cards turned out well.  I haven't had a whole lot of luck getting Yankee prospects IP, so it was nice adding one any way I can.

Cunningham (b. 2002) was a second round pick by the Yankees in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Vanderbilt.  He has not made his professional debut in the Yankees system yet. 

I mailed to Cunningham on December 26 and got the cards back on January 8 for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan Campos

My next TTM success from 2024 Bowman Draft came from Ryan Cmapos.  The card turned out nicely. 

Campos (b. 2002) was a 4th round pick by the Cardinals in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Arizona State.  He played at Low A Palm Beach last season.  He had 29 hits, no home runs and a .319 batting average. 

I mailed to Campos on December 16 and got the cards back on January 7 for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Scott Ullger

A random 1984 Topps was added to the autograph album when this one came back signed TTM from Scott Ullger.  1984 Topps isn't my favorite set to look through, but it's not terrible.  I just don't find myself drawn to the cards too often.  Still, I was glad to get this Ullger card out of the box and into the album. 

Ullger (b. 1955) played in the majors in 1983 for the Twins.  He had 15 hits, no home runs and a .190 batting average.

I mailed to Ullger on December 17 and got the card back on January 7 for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Steve Searcy

While clearing out some room in my boxes, I gathered some cards of guys I had sent to in the past with the plan to send again.  The point was to make room in the boxes and added new cards to the album.  I pulled a few cards of Steve Searcy, who I had sent to back in 2018.  Back then, I jad sent only his 1989 and 1990 Topps.  This time I got a 1989 Score, 1989 Donruss, 1991 Donruss, 1991 Topps and 1991 Stadium Club back signed.

All of the cards turned out nicely.  It was nice to get these Junk Wax Era.cards moved into the autograph album. 

I mailed to Searcy on December 27 and got the cards back on January 6 for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Charlie Beilenson

Here is another 2024 Bowman Draft TTM success; this one is from Charlie Beilenson.

He signed my 2024 Bowman Draft paper and chrome in blue Sharpie.  Both look great.

Beilenson (b. 1999) was a 5th round pick by the Mariners in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Duke.  He pitched at Low A Modesto.  He went 0-0 with 4 strike outs and a 2.45 ERA.

I mailed to Beilenson on December 18 and got the cards back on January 6 for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Carl Thomore

A couple older Bowman cards were freed from the Bowman box recently when I sent these two cards TTM to Carl Thomore.  Getting cards like these signed is a lot of fun; I am able to learn about past minor leaguers who were around before I started graphing in person. 

Thomore (b. 1993) was a 2nd round pick by the Rockies in the 2011 June Amateur Draft out of East Brunswick High School in New Jersey.  He played in the minors from 2011 to 2014 in the Rockies and White Sox systems.  He reached low A Kannapolis prior to leaving affiliated ball in 2014.  He continued to independent ball in 2015 and 2016.

He had 159 hits, 8 home runs and a .213 batting average during his time with affiliated teams.

I mailed to Thomore on December 4 and got the cards back on January 6 for a 33-day TAT.  He included a note that said "Thanks for loving this great game.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to your family." 

February 24, 2025, Graphing of UNC at ECU

Chris, Jesse and I went to the UNC-ECU game here in Greenville on Monday.  We had hoped to see one of Chris's former teammates, but he is injured and has been redshirted.  Still, we did a little bit of graphing while we were there and got some Perfect Game cards signed by guys on both teams.  Luke Stevenson may be one of the biggest prospects that we saw, and one of the few that limited us.  Still, he was really nice.

We graphed on the UNC side, hoping to see Chriss teammate.  We were told about his injury, but continued to try and get as many Tar Heels as we could.  We missed a few, so I'm going to have to go up to Chapel Hill and try to finish up the rest of the Perfect Game cards I bought.  I did find out afterwards that while Ryan Lynch signed a Perfect Game card, the card is of a different Ryan Lynch.  Maybe that's why he looked confused and signed only one per.

One ECU guy (Ian White, Jr.) walked by us on that side.  After the game, we got Michael Kalinich as he walked off of the field.  We missed the rest of the ECU guys, so I'll have to catch another game here in town.

In all, we got the following autographs: Boston Flannery x 10, Gavin Gallaher x 10, Perry Hargett x 8, Reece Holbrook x 10, Harrison Lewos x 10, Ryan Lynch x 2, Parker McCoy x 10, Luke Stevenson x 4, Mitch Wilson x 10, Michael Kalinich x 10 and Ian White, Jr. x 10 (94 total autographs). 

Another TTM Success From Mike Garman

Back in 2018, I got a TTM success from Mike Garman.  Recently, I got some from my friend Ryan, and a couple more Garmans were in the stack.

I got a 1975 Topps (top) and a 1977 Topps (above) back signed.  Both turned out nicely.

I mailed to Garman on November 23 and got the cards back on January 2 for a 40-day TAT.