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. 

A Third TTM Success From Scott Bailes

While going through my boxes, I found even more cards of Scott Bales so I could send a third TTM request to him.  The cards I got back were all junk wax era cards, but there's nothing wrong with that.  Above is a 1990 Donruss that turned out nicely.

Above are cards from 1990 Fleer, 1992 Fleer, 1991 Score and 1988 Donruss.  Somewhere i have a partial 1990 Fleer set.  Who knows where that is.  Otherwise, I'd have a lot more of them in the autograph album. 

I mailed to Bailes on November 19 and got the cards back on December 6 for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jay Aldrich

Here's another guy who I didn't now was an Oriole, Jay Aldrich.  I found his card in the 1991 Crown Orioles set, and found a couple other cards from 1988 (a Topps and Donruss).  I sent them off TTM, and they came back signed in black Sharpie.

Aldrich (b. 1961) played in the majors in 1987 and from 1989 to 1990 for the Brewers, Braves and Orioles.  He had a record of 6-5 with 46 strike outs and a 4.72 ERA.

I mailed to Aldrich on November 15 and got the cards back on November 26, for an 11-day TAT.

October 2022 Chantilly Show - Finishing the Ripken Baseball Family Card

When I picked up this 1988 Donruss Ripken Baseball Family card that had already been signed by Cal, Sr., I had hoped of adding Bill and Cal to the card at some point.  Last year, I saw Ryan Ripken when he came through Durham with Norfolk, so I went ahead and for him on the card.  He told me at the time that his dad would love to see the card in person and to talk to me about it.  He also said I should be patient and wait for his uncle Bill to do a signing, because if I tried sending the card through the mail, it would probably get lost.  We also joked that I should get the other Ripken brother (Fred) to sign the card, since, in Ryan's opinion, Fred was the better baseball player out of the three, but didn't pursue it because he didn't like baseball as much as Cal or Bill.

Finally, a signing came along where Cal and Bill would both be in attendance.  Cal hadn't been at the National in 2021 or 2022, so I was excited to see him in the lineup for the Chantilly show.  He did remark on the card, that I had added "Ryan Rip" to the card.  I told him "Yeah, and I'll add Bill later on today.  I just need to add Fred at some point."  That was when Cal's face dropped a bit and he said "You'll have a hard time adding Fred to this card.  We just lost him."  I was floored.  I had created an awkward conversation with my childhood hero.  I apologized for his loss; he explained what had happened.  We was so cool about it, but I felt terrible.  It goes to show how great a guy Cal is, and I feel awful for his loss.  I'm sure he knew that I had no idea that his brother had passed, but it still made for an awkward exchange.  He was still gracious enough to explain the circumstances, and still posed for a picture afterward.  I wish I had more time to talk to Cal, though, because I did feel badly for him.

Bill was super nice, as well.  He said "Oh, I see that you got my mother to sign the card as well."  I had to tell him that was Ryan's signature on the card, and he said "Oh, I thought it was my mother's."  Cal and Bill's mom passed away last year.  He then commented on my Turbo Tubs jersey, which we talked about for a bit before I got shooed away by the handlers.  This was my first time meeting Bill (and third time meeting Cal), and they both were really nice.

I finally got the card completed, but I do wish I had known about Fred's passing.  On my way home, I looked up and read his obituary; he seemed like he would have been an interesting guy to talk to, as well.

TTM Success - Mark Knudson

Here are some nice 90s cards that I got signed TTM from Mark Knudson.  The above 1991 Fleer turned out really well, as they always do.

I also got a 1988 Donruss, 1990 Topps and 1991 Topps signed by Knudson.  All of them look great.

Knudson (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1991 and 1993 for the Astros, Brewers and Rockies.  He had a record of 24-29 with 195 strike outs and a 4.72 ERA.

I mailed to Knudson on November 30 and got the cards back on January 2, for a 33-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Meads

I got a few 80s cards out of my boxes with this TTM success from Dave Meads.  I don't send many 1988 Donruss, I guess because I just see so many of them, and usually pull Topps cards.  Still, this is a classic design, and I should try to get more of them into my album.  It doesn't help that the box they're in is at the bottom of my stack of boxes.

I did pull some Topps cards of Meads, as well.  He signed the above 1988 and 1989 Topps, which both came out great,

Meads (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1987 to 1988 for the Astros.  He had a career record of 8-4 with 59 strike outs and a 4.48 ERA.

I mailed to Meads on January 30, 2020, and got the cards back on December 26, 2020, for a 331-day TAT.

TTM Success - Keith Hughes

I had intended to get this posted earlier in the day, but I spent the entire evening helping Chris with his homework.  Yay.  Anyway, Here are some cards I got signed by former Oriole, Keith Hughes.

Hughes signed 5 cards for me, and getting the Rochester Red Wings card signed was nice.  I can't remember who, but someone sent me that 1988 team set, and I was glad to get another of those signed.  He also signed a 1990 CMC AAA card (above left), 1988 Topps (above middle) and a 1988 Donruss (above right).

I also got this 1991 Crown Orioles card signed.

Hughes (b. 1963) played in the majors in 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1993 for the Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, Mets and Reds.  He had 41 hits, 2 home runs and a .204 batting average.

I mailed to Hughes on June 1 and got the cards back on June 25, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ken Williams

Here are some nice late 80s cards that I got back signed from Ken William.  The above 1988 Score is really nice.  That is a pretty good year of cards if you like bright, bold colors on your borders.

Actually, every card I picked of Williams was pretty bold in color.  A lot of blue on this post.  The 1987 Fleer Update and 1988 Donruss both look really cool when signed.

Williams (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1986 to 1991 for the White Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays and Expos.  He had 252 hits, 27 home runs and a .218 batting average.

I mailed to Williams on May 9, 2019, and got the cards back on February 1, 2020, for a 268-day TAT.

TTM Success - Robbie Wine

Here are some fantastically 80s cards that I got back TTM from Robbie Wine.  From the designs of the cards to the crazy Astros jerseys (and the jacket on the above 1988 Fleer), these cards look really cool.

All three cards come from 1988, which he signed in black Sharpie.

Wine (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1986 and 1987 for the Astros.  He had 6 hits, no home runs and a .146 batting average.

I mailed to Wine on June 25 and got the cards back on July 5, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brian Dayett

This TTM success from Brian Dayett was really nice.  He signed all of the cards that I sent him, and took the time to write an inscription on each.  I felt like that was a really nice touch.

The above 1987 Topps goes in my set.  It turned out really well and becomes the latest in a nice string of 87s to come in.

He signed two other Topps cards, a 1985 and a 1988.  He also signed my 1988 Donruss, which turned out really well.

I tend to lean more toward Topps cards when I send out to players.  The 80s Donruss cards are usually passed over when I send out, but I am glad I sent the 1988 this time around.  I probably ought to give that (and other 80s Fleer and Donruss) set a fairer shake when I am choosing cards to send.

Dayett (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1983 to 1987 for the Yankees and Cubs.  He had 110 hits, 14 home runs and a .258 batting average.

I mailed to Dayett on January 18 and got the cards back on January 25, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Glenn Hubbard

I have taken a few days off from the blog in order to decompress and enjoy some time away from home.  I am back, and have put myself even farther behind on TTMs and other posts.  Still, I don't regret it.

I got some cool cards back from Glenn Hubbard, including the above 1989 Bowman.  Personally, I never liked these cards, but now with my graphing that I'm doing, they really turn out quite well.

I also hot these cards back from Hubbard, including cards from 1981, 86 and 87 Topps and a 1988 Donruss Diamond Kings.

Hubbard (b.1957) has a birthday tomorrow and played in the majors from 1978 to 1989 for the Braves and A's.  He had 1,084 hits, 70 home runs and a .244 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1983.

Hubbard was released from his contract with the A's on July 31, 1989 and missed when they won the World Series that year.

I mailed to Hubbard on May 8 via the Lexington Legends and got the cards back on September 11, for a 126-day TAT.

TTM Success - Charles Hudson

I caught myself up again on my TTMs before I left on another trip this weekend.  Of course, a couple had come in right before I left, but for all intents and purposes, I am again caught up.  This TTM success from Charles Hudson came in right before I had to leave for Charlotte for training this past week.  I scanned a bunch of stuff ahead of time, so I wouldn't fall behind (which turns out to be a great way to stay caught up).  I got a few nice Topps cards out of the success, with the above 1984 and 1987 cards.

One of the drawbacks to rushing to get stuff scanned and all is that you crop the cards a bit off and then they aren't in front of you to re-scan.  Oops.  See above.

Hudson (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1983 to 1989 for the Phillies, Yankees and Tigers.  He had a career record of 50-60 with 580 strike outs and a 4.14 ERA.

I mailed to Hudson on May 1 and got the cards back on May 26, for a 25-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ken Gerhart

Ken Gerhart signed four cards for me in this TTM success.  I had a former complete set of 1988 Fleer sitting around, so I went through it for TTMs and pulled out this Gerhart when I saw that he signed.  These are some really nice cards that look great when signed.  I hope to add some more in due time.

1988 Donruss also looks pretty nice when signed.  I have so many of them lying around.  They usually are passed over in favor of other cards, but this one made the cut this time around.

I did add a 1988 Topps to keep the Topps success coming.  I also included the 1989 O Pee Chee that Angus sent me for Christmas.

Gerhart (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1986 to 1988 for the Orioles.  He had 136 hits, 24 homw runs and a .221 batting average.  He made his MLB debut on September 14, 1986, so happy birthday to me!

I mailed to Gerhart on March 4 and got the cards back on March 25, for a 21-day TAT.

TTM Success - Garth Iorg

I got a TTM success from the other Iorg brother, Garth, recently.  I added 1985, 1986 and 1987 Topps and a 1988 Donruss.  I mailed to him on April 12 and got the cards on June 6 for a 55-day TAT.

Iorg (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1978 and 1980 to 1987 for the Blue Jays.  He had 633 hits, 20 home runs and a .258 average.

TTM Success - Don August

During one of my many Skype sessions with my buddy, Max, he helped me with a list of guys who were currently doing TTMs.  We Skype quite a lot, and it always consists of the both of us looking through boxes and finding stuff for each other.  He told me about Don August, a former pitcher that he has met IP and has gotten a bunch of his autographs.

I went through the boxes that Mom had gotten me and found a ton of August's cards.  I was only going to send a few, but I saw that August will sign anything and everything you send him.  Not wanting to be greedy, I figured I would send some of the extras to a few of my friends who haven't fully embraced the TTM concept.

I was really happy to find the 1985 Topps Team USA cards of him, and the 1989 cards look really cool as well.

The top left card is a 1988 Topps traded.  Those always turn out nice due to the different kind of cardboard Topps was using for the Traded sets back then.  I was also happy to add signed versions from 1989 Fleer, 1988 Donruss and 1990 Donruss.

August (b. 1963) played for the Brewers from 1988 to 1991.  He had a career record of 34-30 with an ERA of 4.64 and 181 strikeouts.  He pitched really well in 1988 when he went 13-7 with a 3.09 ERA.  I imagine he ended up with some injuries that derailed his career after that.

After talking to Max, he told me that August was super nice in person.  He sat and talked to Max for about half an hour at this year's Brewers Fest.  I learned the other day when I posted the TTM success on Instagram that August substitute taught my friend, Bryce, a bunch of times last year.  Bryce also said Mr. August is amazingly nice in person.

After hearing those "testimonials" from my buddies, I have a whole new respect for Mr. August.  It reminds me of the way Virgil Trucks used to be with fans.  I really wish there were more current and former players who would go this far out of their way for fans.  Seeing kids like Max and Bryce be able to sit down and have a conversation with a former MLBer is something that I think will keep kids interested in the game and ultimately the hobby!

Thank you so much for the amazing TTM success, Mr. August.  I'm not sure if you will see this post, but maybe it will find its way to you.  Also, thank you for being so good with the young fans of the game.

I mailed to August on March 2 and for the cards back (all 8 of them) on Friday (3/11) making him a 9-day TAT.