TTM Success - Tony Fiore

A nice 2003 Topps came back signed TTM by Tony Fiore. I always enjoy the blue border of 2003 Topps. A white border is nice and all, but it's ok to have another color here and there. I got a broken set of these for free a while back at the former card shop, and have been pulling from it periodically. It's a nice set to add to the album from time to time.

Fiore (b. 1971) played in the majors from 2000 to 2003 for the Devil Rays and Twins. He had a record of 12-6, 94 strike outs and a 4.39 ERA.

I mailed to Fiore on January 9 and got the card back on January 28, for a 19-day TAT.  

Another TTM Success From Andy Van Slyke

Back in 2018, I got Andy Van Slyke to sign my 1987 Topps card TTM. Enough time had passed, so I sent to him again once I got a few nice cards together. The 2018 success was through a private signing. This time around, I sent to him directly. 

He signed the above 1992 Topps, which looks awesome. 

He also signed a 1987 Fleer Update (above, left), a 1995 Upper Deck (above, middle) and a 2023 Panini Prizm pink parallel (above, right). The 1995 Upper Deck adds an Orioles card to the collection. That's always a good thing.

I mailed to Van Slyke on January 3 and got the cards back on January 28, for a 25-day TAT. I paid a fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - Dave Stewart

Dave Stewart is a guy who I thought I had gotten before, but it turns out the signed card I got for my 1987 Topps set came from Max. So, when I saw a private signing for him, I pulled and sent this 1982 Topps rookie card. After I had signed up for the signing, I saw that Stewart was signing on his own for the same fee. The card turned out great. 

Stewart (b. 1957) played in the majors in 1978 and from 1981 to 1995 for the Dodgers, Rangers, Phillies, A's and Blue Jays. He had a record of 168-129 with 1,741 strike outs and a 3.95 ERA. He was an All Star in 1989. He won 20 or more games in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990. His best finish in the Cy Young Race was 2nd (1989, AL), and his best finish in the MVP race was 8th (1990, AL). He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981, A's in 1989 and Blue Jays in 1993. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2001 and 2002, receiving at most, 7.4% of the vote.

I mailed to the signing on December 11 and got the card back on January 28, for a 48-day TAT. The card came from an old box of cards Mom found at Goodwill. 

TTM Success - Jason Kubel

Jason Kubel is a guy who I could have sworn that I had sent to TTM before. It turns out, I hadn't. I already had this post titled "Another TTM Success From Jason Kubel". When I was adding tags, I saw that his name didn't pop up. Hmm. Well, here we go. I added Kubel to the autograph album when these two cards came back signed. The above 2005 Flair Showcase is a relic from my days at the former card shop in Winston-Salem. I opened a bunch of these, but offloaded much of what I had at card shows back then.

I also got this 2012 Topps signed. It also turned out great.

Kubel (b. 1982) played in the majors in 2004 and from 2006 to 2014 for the Twins, Diamondbacks and Indians. He had 913 hits, 140 home runs and a .262 batting average. He finished 24th in the 2009 AL MVP voting.

I mailed to Kubel on December 5 and got the cards back on January 26, for a 52-day TAT. 

TTM Success - PJ Morlando

Some recent cards got signed TTM back in January when these came in from PJ Morlando. I got a 2025 Topps Pro Debut (above) signed, along with a 2023 Panini Stars and Stripes (below, middle) and a 2025 Bowman Chrome Mojo (below, right).

The 2023 Leaf Perfect Game (above, left) was added by Morlando, which was a nice touch.

Morlando (b. 2005) was a 1st round (16th overall) pick by the Marlins in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of Summerville High School in South Carolina.

He has played in the Marlins system since 2024, reaching Single A Jupiter. So far in his career, he has 58 hits, 7 home runs and a .212 batting average. 

I mailed to Morlando on January 10 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - John Morris

There are actually two players named John Morris from whom I have received signed cards TTM. This John Morris played in the late 80s and early 90s, and is in the 1987 Topps set. I had gotten that card several years ago from a friend. This time around, I cleared out some othet older Topps cards from the boxes.

He signed my 1988 (above, left), 1989 (above, right) and 1990 (top) Topps cards. All turned out well.

Morris (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1986 to 1992 for the Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. He had 145 hits, 8 home runs and a .236 batting average. 

I mailed to Morris on January 7 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - John Santor

Here is another early 2000s Bowman from Ryan that I sent off to be signed TTM. This 2004 Bowman of John Santor turned out nicely. 

Santor (b. 1981) was a 35th round pick by the Cardinals in the 2000 June Amateur Draft out of Highland High School in California. He played in the minors from 2000 to 2005 in the Cardinals organization. He had 409 hits, 48 home runs and a .249 batting average. 

I mailed to Santor on January 3 and got the card back on January 24, for a 21-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Will Cunnane

Here is a nice 1996 Bowman foil parallel that I pulled from a box I got a while back when visiting my buddy, Andrew. This Will Cunnane card turned out great. I love the old Marlins teal hats, and it shows up great on the card.

Cunnane (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1997 to 2004 for the Padres, Brewers, Cubs and Braves. He had a record of 13-12 with 234 strike outs and a 5.26 ERA.

I mailed to Cunnane on October 25 and got the card back on January 24, for a 91-day TAT.

TTM Success - Claude Raymond

This 1965 Topps of Claude Raymond came back signed recently. I had held into the card for a while, until I restocked on international stamps to send to Canada. Raymond signed the card at the very bottom, which was kind of weird. Still, the card is signed and in the autograph album. 

Raymond (b. 1937) played in the majors in 1959 and from 1961 to 1971 for the White Sox, Braves (Milwaukee and Atlanta), Colt .45s/Astros and Expos. He had a record of 46-53 with 497 strike outs and a 3.66 ERA. He was an All Star in 1966. I mailed to Raymond on December 5 and got the card back on January 22, for a 48-day TAT. I paid a fee of $7.00.

TTM Success - Jonny Deluca

This TTM success from Jonny Deluca was borne out of my missing him when he was in Durham at the end of last season. I had tried to get him when he was on injury rehab, and missed him completely. 

I saw that he was signing TTM, so I took two of the cards out of the Box-of-Shame and sent them on. I was really glad to get this 2024 Topps Finest signed. 

I also got this 2025 Topps done. My buddy Jesse really loves this set. I have to say, i rather enjoy it as well.

Deluca (b. 1998) has played in the majors since 2023 for the Dodgers and Rays. So far in his career, he has 115 hits, 10 home runs and a .243 batting average. 

I mailed to Deluca on January 8 and got the cards back on January 20, for a 12-day TAT. 

April 18, 2026, Graphing of the Tides at Bulls

On Saturday, Jesse and I headed to Durham to graph the Norfolk Tides for the first time this season. I had hoped to get a couple Orioles who were on rehab assignments, but Jackson Holliday had been sent to Frederick to reset his rehab stint. The other person I was excited to try and get was Keegan Akin. 

Fast forward to outside after the game, Akin refused to sign saying "Inside only, sorry guys." That's fine that he wants to only sign inside, except he looked right at us beside the bullpen, INSIDE, and couldn't be bothered to come over and sign my one card. The same guy who told me at Orioles Fan Fest years ago that he was not happy to be there. Sorry to put you out, Keegan. Really. I'll never bother you again.

Now, had that been my only experience on Saturday, I might be a bit upset. Thankfully, we got to interact with several other Todes players, and got a bunch of stuff signed.

I was a bit embarrassed that I kept telling Jesse about the snow globe card of Jose Barrero; except that I realized a ways through the day that it is a crystal ball card. Not a snow globe. Oof. We'll, the card is signed and in my album. 

I got a couple nice Panini Enrique Bradfield, Jr. cards signed, which turned out great. I was also glad to get a Christian Encarnacion-Strand 2025 Topps done.

I finally was able to get Jackson Kowar to sign some cards that had been in the Box-of-Shame for a long time. I also love the Cade Povich Topps Now that I got signed. It looks awesome.

I finally got another Willy Vasquez signed for the album. He was a bit tough when he was with Bowling Green. Now he is in the Orioles system, and I cleared out a 2023 Topps Pro Debut. 

The card above that, though, is a 2021 Topps Heritage Astros Rookie Stars card that I got signed by Enoli Paredes. I had gotten him last year when he was with Gwinnett, but failed to pull everything that I had. I found my 2019 Carolina League All Star card in my box, and got it signed. 

We sat beside the bullpen and talked with Paredes for most of the game. He was really awesome. My experience with Akin later did nothing to ruin my night. Paredes was so cool. He also talked to a dad witg two kids near us, giving them advice and talking about life in the minors. There needs to be more guys like him.

In all, we got the following autographs: Silas Ardoin x 4, Jose Barrero x 3, Enrique Bradfield x 6, Christian Encarnacion-Strand x 2, Jud Fabian x 2, Maikol Hernandez x 4, Jackson Kowar x 7, Enoli Paredes x 6, Cade Povich x 2, Bryan Ramos x 2, Willy Vasquez x 1, Cooper Bowman x 2, Carlos Colmenarez x 2 and Logan Davidson x 2 (45 total autographs). 

Another TTM Success From Mark McGwire

Anither 1991 Fleer ProVisions card was added to the autograph album when I got this one back signed TTM from a private signing with Mark McGwire.

I always thought this set was cool, so i really enjoy getting these signed when I can. I saw the signing with McGwire pop up, and had already pulled the card to send out.

I mailed the card to the signing on November 12 and got the card back signed on January 20, for a 69-day TAT. I paid a fee of... a lot.

Another TTM Success From Jerry Browne

Here are some mid-90s cards I cleared out of my box to send out TTM to Jerry Browne. The above 1993 Topps turned out great.

I also got a 1993 Pinnacle and a 1994 Score. Both of these cards are very similar, and turned out well.

I mailed to Browne on January 6 and got the cards back on January 17, for an 11-day TAT.  

TTM Success - Jack Savage

What a cool name. Jack Savage. It sounds like a wrestler's name. I saw that I could get Savage to sign TTM, so I pulled some junk wax era cards and sent them off. The above 1989 Donruss turned out nicely. 

I also sent out a 1990 Topps Traded (above, left) and a 1991 Topps (above, right).

Savage (b. 1964) played in the majors in 1987 and 1990 for the  Dodgers and Twins. He had a record of 0-2 with 12 strike outs and a 7.67 ERA.

I mailed to Savage on January 6 snd got the cards back on January 17, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jason Bulger

A couple mid-2000s cards of Jason Bulger were added to the autograph album when the above 2006 Upper Deck and below 2006 Topps Rookie 52 came back signed TTM.  Bulger signed both cards in black Sharpie. 

Bulger (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 for the Diamondbacks and Angels. He had a record of 7-2 with 138 strike outs and a 4.33 ERA.

I mailed to Bulger on November 3 and got the cards back on January 17, for a 75-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Ryan Church

Here is another 2010 Topps Update that has been added to the autograph album. I got this one back TTM from Ryan Church. I had sent to him back in 2019, so it was time to add another of his autographs to the album. 

I mailed to Church on December 23 and got the card back on January 16, for a 24-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jeff Heathcock

1986 Fleer is a nice set that often gets forgotten. The dark blue border looks nice. This 1986 Fleer of Jeff Heathcock came back signed TTM recently.

Heathcock (b. 1959) played in the majors in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1988 for the Astros. He had a record of 9-9 with 64 strike outs and a 3.76 ERA.

I mailed to Heathcock on December 18 and got the card back on January 16, for a 29-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Trever Miller

These two Trever Miller cards have been floating around in my boxes for quite a while. I had gotten Miller TTM in 2017, so these cards must have appeared after that.

The above 1991 Classic Best is a pretty cool card. I like the border of it, and was happy to finally add it to the autograph album. 

I also had this 1991 Topps Stadium Club with the cool early 90s Glamour Shots head shot of Miller. It would be funny if Topps would bring these back as a Bowman subset. I think they would be popular.

I mailed to Miller on June 20 and got the cards back on January 15, for a 209-day TAT.

April 11, 2026, Charleston Riverdogs at Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Yesterday was a solo trip to Fayetteville to get some cards signed. I worked this past week to prep for the trip. Chris had a memorial service to go to, and Jesse was out of town.

I got into the stadium late due to the long line, missing the free jersey they were giving out. I wasn't too late to get most of the guys I needed, though.

I messed up and included coach Kevin Randel with Fayetteville's stuff, but the former Marlins lifer is coaching with Charleston.

Fayetteville doesn't have a whole lot of guys with cards, not like Charleston does. Still, Anthony Huezo racked for me. Camilo Diaz and Xavier Neyens wouldn't sign at the ramp. I had to walk over to the other side of the dugout to get Diaz. I got Neyens outside after the game.

I got almost every Riverdog that I needed by the ramp, pregame. Caden Bodine was already on the field whenI got in, so i had to get him coming off of the field post game. Mason Auer signed everything I had in my book, which was cool.

Dylan Lesko also signed everything I had. The only players who limited were Camilo Diaz, Caden Bodine and Danny Mendick. It didn't mess anything up, though.

I didn't cone home with very many leftovers to put back in my boxes, so that's always a plus.

In all, I got the following autographs: Mason Auer x 5, Caden Bodine x 2, Cooper Flemming x 2, Dominic Fritton x 1, Taitn Gray x 1, Nate Knowles x 3, Dylan Lesko x 9, Danny Mendick x 3, Dean Moss x 3, Camilo Diaz x 3, Kenni Gomez x 1, Anthony Huezo x 5, Xavier Neuens x 2, German Ramirez x 1 and Kevil Randel x 1 (42 total autographs). 

TTM Success - Matt Macri

This 2004 Bowman gold of Matt Macri is another card that came in a stack from Ryan. I sent it off TTM to Macri, and it came back signed in black Sharpie. 

Macri (b. 1982) played in the majors in 2008 for the Twons. He had 11 hits, 1 home run and a .324 batting average. 

I mailed to Macri on November 12 and got the card back on January 14, for a 63-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Roberto Hernandez

Another pass through my Topps boxes caused me to pull a few more Roberto Hernandez cards out and send them to him TTM for signature. The above 1999 Topps turned out great.

I also sent out the above 1993 Topps and 2004 Topps. Both also turned out well. 

I had previously gotten Hernandez to sign TTM two other times (in 2017 and 2019). 

I mailed to Hernandez on January 3 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Joe Vetrano

A guy that Chris and I missed last year on our trip was Joe Vetrano. I don't remember why we missed him, but I sent off a few of the cards that got missed. The above 2024 Topps Pro Debut chrome refractor turned out great.

I also sent off a 2023 Bowman Draft and a 2024 Topps Pro Debut. 

Vetrano (b. 2002) was a 5th round pick by the Dodgers in the 2023 June Amateur Draft out of Boston College. He has played in the minors since 2023 in the Dodgers system. He is playing at AA Tulsa this season. So far in his career, he has 146 hits, 12 home runs and a .236 batting average. 

I mailed to Vetrano on January 2 and got the cards back on January 13, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Sid Roberson

Here is a random 1996 Collectors Choice that I got back signed TTM by Sid Roberson. He signed the card in black Sharpie, and it turned out nicely. 

Roberson (b. 1971) played in the majors in 1995 for the Mariners. He had a record of 6-4 with 40 strike outs and a 5.76 ERA.

I mailed to Roberson on December 23 and got the card back on January 12, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Kyle Sleeth

Here is a 2004 Topps that I got signed TTM recently by Kyle Sleeth. I remembered him from a poster that used to hang on a bathroom wall at the former card shop in Winston-Salem. 

Sleeth (b. 1981) was a first round (3rd overall) pick by the Tigers in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of Wake Forest. 

He played in the minors in 2004, 2006 and 2007, in the Tigers system, reaching AA. He had a record of 12-21 with 192 strike outs and a 6.30 ERA.

I mailed to Sleeth on January 3 and got the card back on January 12, for a 9-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Sean Keys

A few 2025 Topps Pro Debut cards came back signed TTM by Sean Keys. The above purple foil parallel turned out great.

I also sent a chrome and a base; both of these also look great.

Keys (b. 2003) was a 4th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2024 June Amateur Draft out of Bucknell. He has played in the minors since 2024 in the Blue Jays system, reaching AA. So far in his career, he has 118 hits, 21 home runs and a .230 batting average.

I mailed to Keys on December 26 and got the cards back on January 10, for a 15-day TAT. 

April 3-4, 2026 Graphing of the IronPigs at Bulls

Graphing season for 2026 has kicked off, and Jesse and I did really well this weekend in Durham. We went to see the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Friday and Saturday. Friday was interesting, since Phillies ace, Zack Wheeler was starting for Lehigh Valley. There were a ton of Phillies fans there, especially by the dugout pregame. The only IronPigs guys who stopped pregame were Adam Lind and Bryan De La Cruz. Lind signed the above 2010 Topps Chrome, becoming the first person to get me on the board this season.

A huge variety of cards got signed on the trip. I had to buy a couple Christian Cairo cards off of Ebay for the trip, and they were the last two cards that were signed Saturday night. We did so much better on Lehigh Valley outside the stadium both nights. Getting Genesis Cabrera was nice; it was nice to get some 2019 Bowman cards out of the box. He also signed a 2019 Bowman Heritage, which is always nice to add to the autograph album. 

We got De La Cruz a few different times, and he helped add a bunch of cards to the album. A 2025 Topps Heritage High Number was signed by Connor Gillispie, and Seth Johnson hit my 2025 Topps.

Aside from Wheeler, Orion Kerkering was on a rehab assignment, as well. He was really cool and signed everything we had. He signed my first 2026 Topps Heritage.

Carter Kieboom and Pedro Leon are two guys who had been in the Box-of-Shame for a long time. I was glad to get a few of their cards out of there and into the album. 

Griff McGarry is another guy who I had missed in the past. He signed everything we had by the bullpen after the game, Friday. He was a really nice guy. I hate that he walked in a ton of runs on Saturday. 

Lou Trivino was really cool, as well. He talked to Jesse and I a bit. Jesse took his picture with his Polaroid (yes, Jesse has a Polaroid), and got the picture signed after the game.

I was really glad to get my Trevor Richards 2019 Stadium Club signed. The cards I had of him all had logged a lot of frequent flyer miles, as they had been sent to Chiacago and back for Max to try and get signed a while back. 

Saturday, Jesse and I tried graphing on the Bulls dugout. The big get for us was Gavin Lux, who signed one per for us. The card I got was a 2022 Panini Capstone. It turned out great.  I didn't have any Brody Hopkins in my huge pile of 2025 Topps Pro Debut, for some reason. Gerard sent me some, so I was able to add him to the album. He outpitched Wheeler, which was cool.

I finally got a Jacob Melton signed. I missed him last season with Sugar Land. I finally saw Victor Mesa, Jr., and just happened to get the cards back of him that I had sent Max, which worked out great for me. I was glad to get his 2021 Topps Heritage Minors done. I love that set. If I were to work on a more recent set, that one might be it.

I was happy to get my 2024 Topps Edward Olivares purple shimmer parallel signed. He got hurt Friday, and left Saturday as we were out graphing on the sidewalk. I hate that he got hurt. Joe Rock walked on the other side of the street, but we were able to get him. He signed a 2026 Topps, which was cool.

One of the cool things that I got signed this weekend was this MLB debut ticket of Carter Kieboom. Michael had sent me the ticket earlier in the week, and I decided to take it along to try and get it signed. I told him about it, to which he replied "oh that's sick!"

While I was waiting in line for my obligatory Rita's gelati, I ran into one of my former geology professors from UNCC, Kevin Headd. We have kept in touch over the years via Facebook; and he used to come into the store I worked at back then. He is such a good guy. He took this selfie while I was in line.

Kevin met us outside the stadium and graphed with us. I helped him identify some if the players and hooked him up with a marker. His wife took a few pictures while we were at work. Here is one she took of us getting Blake Sabol.

Here is another with Carlos Colmenarez. I was so happy to run into Kevin, and let him see a little bit of what I'm always posting about on Facebook. 

In all, I got the following autographs: Carlos Colmenarez x 6, Logan Davidson x 3, Luis Guerrero x 2, Brody Hopkins x 4, Justyn-Henry Malloy x 2, Trevor Martin x 3, Jacob Melton x 2, Victor Mesa x 5, Tre Morgan x 4, Edward Olivares x 2, Joe Rock x 6, Blake Sabol x 2, Wool E Bull x 2, Sergio Alcantara x 5, Genesis Cabrera x 6, Bryan De La Cruz x 10, Connor Gillispie x 1, Jonathan Hernandez x 2, Seth Johnson x 2, Orion Kerkering x 7, Pedro Leon x 4, Adam Lind x 1, Griff McGarry x 5, Robert Moore x 7, Trevor Richards x 7, Chase Shugart x 1, Lou Trivino x 3, Chris Clark x 4, Gavin Lux x 2, Kodi Whitley x 2, Christian Cairo x 2 and Carter Kieboom x 5 (119 total autographs).