August 19-24, 2025, Graphing of the Jackals and Boulders at Bird Dawgs

The last week of graphing at the Bird Dawgs for the season was last week.  There were two three-game series; one against the New Jersey Jackals and one against the New York Boulders.  I had been looking forward to the Jackals coming back because Jake DeLeo signed with them.  I got every DeLeo card signed the first game of the series, which was great.

I had gathered all of my DeLeo cards for my trip to see the Washington Wild Things this summer.  He had been released and I was stuck with my cards.  I was glad to get them all signed.

I picked up some team set cards for New Jersey and got those done.  The Michael Esposito cards got smudged when he signed prior to the first game.  I wiped two of them and got them redone on Wednesday.  Esposito commented how he had signed for me the day before, but I told him about them being smudged.  He came over and signed the two of them, but one got smudged again.  I gave up fixing that one.  Oh well.

I had also picked up several team set cards of some of the new Bird Dawgs cards.  They all got done during the Jackals series.

I got a couple more of the customs that my friend Josh made.  He corrected the "error" of misspelling Stephen Ditomaso's name.  

Jesse, Chris and I caught the last Bird Dawgs home game of the season on Sunday.  Several of the players came up to us after the game and thanked us for our support the entire season.  It meant a lot to us that they noticed that we were there the majority of the time.

During the week, we got the following autographs: Tyler Blaum x 1, Kalae Harrison x 7, Jackson Hicks x 3, Caden O'Brien x 3, Luke Trueman x 3, Jake DeLeo x 13, Michael Esposito x 6, Albert Gonzalez x 4, Joe Testa x 9, Jaylen Smith home run #6 signed ball and Stephen DiTomaso x 1 (51 autographs).

August 17, 2025, Graphing of the Sounds at Bulls

A couple weeks ago, I went on my own to Durham to catch the Nashville Sounds while they were in town.  I was pretty much by myself at the visitors dugout pregame, until a woman from Nashville joined me.  She was really good at identifying the players, so that was helpful in getting a good many of my cards signed.  My friend, Josh, ended up showing up and helped get a few extras done.  

I had picked up a few cards from the National, like the above 2024 Topps Chrome Oliver Dunn.  It turned out nicely.

I was excited to get Jorge Alfaro on several cards.  The 2023 Topps gold parallel was a nice addition to the autograph album. 

Alfaro signed for me inside, and again outside.  I knocked out a lot of different stuff, so that was great.

Daz Cameron did almost an entire page both times I saw him.  My green shimmer refractor 2017 Bowman Chrome (bottom far left) was another National pickup.  It was the first card that Cameron hit, and that was a good feeling.

Raynel Delgado (top, left) was really friendly.  He signed the one 2018 Bowman that I was able to find.  Oliver Dunn signed everything that I had.  Josh helped me get my light blue parallel from 2024 Topps Heritage (middle left) signed.  Eric Haase signed during the game at the bullpen.  That was really nice of him.

I happily added a couple more Freddy Zamora to the album.  He was nice when he came through a few years ago with the Mudcats.  I thought I had already gotten the 2021 Heritage Minors signed, but it looks like I hadn't.

Bruce Zimmermann didn't seem like he wanted to be bothered signing, but he did stop.  I can't complain; he signed two of four.

Finally,I got over to the Durham side outside after the game, almost too late.  We were graphing Nashville on their side outside, then the bus left.  When we got over to the Durham side, the only guys we could get were coaches abd trainers.  I had bought a 2025 team set; however, it was great getting the trainers.  They usually are the hardest people to get because they get to the park so early and leave so late.

In all, I got the following autographs: Jorge Alfaro x 6, Daz Cameron x 16, Raynel Delgado x 1, Oliver Dunn x 6, Eric Haase x 3, Jared Oliva x 1, Jeferson Quero x 2, Garrett Stallings x 1, Freddy Zamora x 3 and Bruce Zimmermann x 2, Tsutomu Kamiya x 2, Tyler Ladendorf x 2, Chrystal Rowe x 1 and Kris Russell x 4 (50 total autographs).

August 16, 2025, Graphing of the Drive at Grasshoppers

A few weeks ago, I had to go out of town for work.  That Saturday night, I went to Greensboro to try to get a few more Grasshoppers cards out of my box.  I got one more Konnor Griffin signed; he was promoted to Altoona the next day.

I knocked out a few more cards from the Greensboro team set, which was nice.  None of the guys had numbers on the front, so getting signatures was tough.  Still, a few got done, which helped.

I got a 2021 Bowman Chrome refractor of Shalin Polanco that I picked up from the National.  He also signed his team set card.

I was able to use up my remaining free ticket to the Grasshoppers (from the rainout in June).  I was glad to get those taken care of.  I didn't get a single Drive player, but that's ok.  Also, I got out of the stadium late because I was waiting for Griffin, so I missed the Drive guys I needed outside.

In all, I got the following autographs: Jack Carey x 1, Jesus Castillo x 1, Hung Leng Chang x 1, Khristian Curtis x 2, Konnor Griffin x 1, Steph Lombard x 1, JP Massey x 1, Matt Myers x 1, Connor Oliver x 1, Shalin Polanco x 3 and Will Taylor x 1 (14 total autographs). 

August 5-10, 2025, Graphing of the Sussex County Miners at Down East Bird Dawgs

After getting a lot of the stuff posted from this year's National (with more on the way), I now have to catch up on some graphing that I have done recently.  The Sussex County Miners came through town earlier this month.  I had a bunch of cards for the team pulled and they all got signed.

Former Major League catcher Chris Widger was the manager of the team.  His son CJ used to play in Kinston, so we talked about that while he signed.  He was really nice and signed everything we had. 

Mahki Backstrom was also with the team.  I had a bunch of his cards and got them all signed.  I also got the above card signed by Will Zimmerman.

A couple new Bird Dawgs with cards were on the team, and some of the stuff I had ordered had come in like my Colby Backus University of Tennessee cards (bottom row, above).  My friend Josh also made a few customs, and I got a few of those done.

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). 

2025 National Free Signer - Will Perdue

The last free signer from this year's National was former Bull, Will Perdue.  He signed this nice 1991 Skybox for me that turned out great.

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).

2025 National Free Signer - Ron Blomberg

Rom Blomberg was one of the free VIP signers at this year's National, nine years after I had last seen him at the 2016 National.  I had a couple cards left and they got done at this year's show.

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.

Two Hall of Famers - Two Paid Signers at the 2025 National

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.

While waiting in line for Yount, I caught a cool moment of conversation between Yount and Rafael Palmeiro.

Here is Yount signing the card.  Yount was really nice and suggested I complete the card by going to the next table over to get Molitor.  I told him I was right on top of it.  

Finally, here is Molitor signing the card.  Molitor was also really nice.  The card has some miles on it but is now in the album. 

2025 National Free Signer - Dwight Gooden

For the second year in a row, Dwight Gooden was one of the free VIP signers at this year's National.  I still had cards pulled from last year and brought them with me to the show.  I only used one of those cards, as Jesse and I found some nice Goodens in some bargain boxes.

Something cool was that we found a set of 1985 Renata Galasso cards. I grabbed the above card that I thought looked cool.  Jesse found a great one that had Gooden's first grade picture on it.  It got Gooden to stop signing and admired the card.  His wife even took a photo of it.

I also found the (left) 1991 Fleer ProVisions card in a box; that card had to get added to the album.  The card on the right was the only one that I brought from home.

Gooden was awesome, as always.  Im glad he came to the show forward second time.

2025 National Free Signer - Doug Plank

Doug Plank was the next free VIP signer at this year's National. He had previously been a signer at the 2023 National.   I got him on a couple of cards then.  This year, I got him on two more cards; one was a duplicate that I'll probably give to Max.

Plank was nice as usual.  I was glad to get him again. 

2025 National Paid Signer - Todd Helton

One of the paid signers I got at the National this year was Hall of Famer, Todd Helton.  I needed Helton for my signed baseball collection.  He was giving HOF '24 inscriptions for free.

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. 

2025 National Free Signer - Dave Corzine

This 1990 Skybox card that ai got signed by Dave Corzine looks awesome.  I had the handler give a gold paint pen to Corzine, and the signature turned out great.

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. 

2025 National Free Signer - Johnny Roland

This 1969 Topps football card of Johnny Roland was another card that I picked up from Sportlots.  He was the next free VIP signer at this year's National.  I was excited to.add this one to the autograph album.  I love some of these old football card designs.  I'd be happy if Topps rolled out some baseball products using these old designs.  Why not?

I found this Roland card in a bargain box and picked it up as well.  This is a 1971 Topps football card.  I wanted to get Roland's 1967 Philadelphia (brand, not the team) card but it wasn't going to get here in time.

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. 

2025 National Free Signer - Emery Moorehead

This 1983 Topps Football card that I got signed by Emery Moorehead at the National turned out great.  It was another Sportlots pickup that I got prior to heading to Chicago.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - John Cangelosi

Max provided me with some extra cards for the next free signer from this year's National, John Cangelosi.  The above 1986 Donruss The Rookies is really cool.  I don't think I had many of these in the autograph album, so I was glad to get it signed.

I also upgraded the Cangelosi for my 1987 Topps set.  The one I had was signed in black, so it was good to add one in blue.

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.

2025 National Paid Signer - Billy Williams

For my next paid signer (Billy Williams), I had a 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary card put aside.  It was a nice card, but after discussing with Max, I opted to find a 1961 Topps of Williams to get signed instead.  With what I was paying for the signing, it made sense to find his rookie card and go ahead and get it signed. 

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. 

2025 National Paid Signer - Tony Perez

Next up is one of the paid signers I signed up for at this year's National.  When I saw Tony Perez on the list, I knew I wanted to sign up for him.  I had this 2004 Topps Tribute that I wanted to get signed, so that's was the card I brought with me to the show.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Kyle Calder

Kyle Calder was the next free VIP signer at this year's National.  He signed the card above that I got off of Sportlots. 

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.  

2025 National Free Signer - Craig Hodges

Our next free signer at this year's National was former Bull, Craig Hodges.  This is a 1991-92 Upper Deck.  The card turned out nicely.  It was another sportlots pickup.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Roland Harper

Here is another free signer from this year's National.  Roland Harper was really cool.  I ended up with a couple extra vouchers of his, so I got the cards I bought off of Sportlots signed.  I also got an 8 x 10 signed in gold paint pen.  I think I'm going to give that one to a coworker.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Keith Van Horne

The next free VIP signer was delayed a day.  Keith Van Horne missed his scheduled appearance due to lingering back pain.  He was there the next day and apologized to a lot of people for missing out.  He was really nice. 

Van Horne (b. 1957) played professionally from 1981 to 1993 for the Bears.  He a National Champion with USC in 1978 and won Super Bowl XX with the Bears.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Ben Eager

The next free signer was former hockey player, Ben Eager.  I got him to sign this 2006 Parkhurst card that I found on Sportlots and an 8 x 10.  The photo has already been put away.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Mark Bortz

The next free VIP signer at the National this year was former Bear, Mark Bortz.  He was really cool; he kind of reminded me of the guy from Ted (Sam Jones) that played Flash Gordon.  I had picked up a few of Bortz's cards from Sportlots for the trip, and they turned out great.

Bortz (b. 1961) played professionally from 1983 to 1994 for the Bears.  He was a two-time Pro Bowler.

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.

2025 National Paid Signer - Michael Busch

The first paid signer this year at the National was Cubs first baseman Michael Busch.  I needed to complete the above 2019 Bowman Chrome Franchise Futures card that I had already gotten signed by Kody Hoese.

I was only going to go for the dual, until I found the above purple chrome parallel from 2024 Topps Heritage. This card looks great.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Rich Nye

Back in 2020, I got Rich Nye TTM.  I was out of his cards, but saw that he was added to the autograph lineup early enough in place if Jim Osborn to order cards for the trip.  I hadn't gotten Nye on a 1969 Topps yet, so that was the card that I ordered for myself.  I also ordered a 1970 Topps for Jesse.

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.

2025 National Free Signer - Milt Wilcox

The other of Wednesday's free signers at the National was Milt Wilcox.  He wa supposed ti be at last year's show, but had to cancel.  I wanted to get this 1971 Topps previously signed by Frank Duffy completed.  The card looks great now that it is complete.

They called Wild Cards on Wilcox, so Jesse and I used them up to get some more cards out of the box.  I got my well-worn 1972 Topps (left) and this sharp 1980 Topps (right) signed as well.  Both turned out great.

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.