TTM Success - Rocky Childress

I added these three cards with this TTM success from Rocky Childress.  The above 1988 Fleer turned out really well.  I have a whole box of these somewhere, but I think it is buried under the guest bed.

I also got a 1988 Topps and a 1990 CMC AAA signed.  The 1990 CMC AAA came out of the attic box that Mom found a while back.  I've gotten several of these cards signed; they have really come in handy.

Childress (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1985 to 1988 for the Phillies and Astros.  He had a record of 2-3 with 65 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.

I mailed to Childress on September 29 and got the cards back on October 13, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Gary Varsho

I got some nice-looking cards back from Gary Varsho.  The above 1992 Leaf turned out pretty great, I think.  I think his signature in black really fits well with this card.

Varsho also signed a 1990 CMC AAA, 1993 Topps and a 1989 Topps.

Varsho (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1988 to 1995 for the Cubs, Pirates and Reds.  He had 204 hits, 10 home runs and a .244 batting average.  He also managed two games for the Phillies in 2004 and went 1-1.

I mailed to Varsho on July 31 and got the cards back on August 14, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Beau Allred

The cards I got back signed from Beau Allred all turned out pretty well.  There was a lot of orange to go around, but that's ok.  The cards all look sharp, and scanned well.  The above 1990 Score Traded is pretty cool, and will stand out in my album.

The 1990 Topps in the middle of the next scan is actually a Rediscover Topps buyback card that I pulled.  I've never been a fan of the foil stamps on cards, but when I'm getting them signed, they're pretty cool.  I also got Allred's 1990 CMC AAA and a regular 1990 Topps.

Allred (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 tom1991 for the Indians.  He had 38 hits, 4 home runs and a .230 batting average.

I mailed to Allred on July 24 and got the cards back on August 7, for a 14-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 - Jeff Tackett

I added a bunch of cards of former Orioles backup catcher, Jeff Tackett, to my autograph album with this TTM success.  I had a ton of his cards, and sent as many as I could off for signature, and they came out pretty well.  I liked the above 1994 Topps, because I don't have many of them signed.  This might be one of my least favorite sets, mainly because all of the cards stick together, and become a brick, after a while.  I'm sure if I went into my completed sets, my 94-05 sets are all probably bricked.  I don't want to think about that.

I got a 1990 CMC AAA signed out of the attic box that my mom gave me a long time ago.  The 1993 Upper Deck (above right) is a rare set to be found in my albums.  The set itself isn't rare; I just don't have many of the cards, and even fewer of them signed.

I got a good many Topps cards signed, in addition to my 1994.  Tackett signed a 1992, 1993 and 1995.

Tackett (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1991 to 1994 for the Orioles.  He had 71 hits, 7 home runs and a .217 batting average.

I mailed to Tackett on June 3 and got the cards back on June 20, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Keith Lockhart

I added an assortment of cards to my album with this TTM success from Keith Lockhart.

The above 1996 Pinnacle came out of a box that I got when I visited Andrew for his graduation several years ago.  I have been able to get some of the cards that I got on that trip signed, which is really nice.

The 1997 Score and 1990 CMC AAA card (left and right) both came out of boxes that my mom gave me, and the 2001 Topps in the middle was from another box I got while with Andrew.

Lockhart (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1994 to 2003 for the Padres, Royals and Braves.  He had 591 hits, 44 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to Lockhart on January 14, 2019 and got the cards back on March 21, 2020, for a 432-day TAT.

TTM Success - Torey Lovullo

I added some 90s-era junk wax cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Diamondbacks manager, Torey Lovullo.

I have a 5,000-count box of just 1994 Score, and I was really glad to be able to get at least one of them out of the box.  That box is near the bottom of a stack of 5,000-count boxes, and it is hard to get into it, sometimes.

I also have a bunch of these 1990 CMC AAA cards; they came from a box that Mom found in her attic.  These have come in handy with some of the older coaches in the league.  Also, 1994 Donruss is a pretty nice, colorful set that look good when signed.

Lovullo (b. 1965) played in the majors in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 1999 for the Tigers, Yankees, Angels, Mariners, A's, Indians and Phillies.  He had 165 hits, 15 home runs and a .224 batting average.

He was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 and holds a record of 217-190 (.533 win %).  He was the NL Manager of the Year in 2017.

I mailed to Lovullo via Diamondbacks Spring Training on February 7 and got the cards back on April 27, for a 79-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ed Wojna

I am fairly caught up on posting my TTM successes (even though I got 5 in today).  This one came last week, and I was really happy with it.  I was able to get a card signed that came out of Mom's attic box of minor league cards.  I had this Ed Wojna card sitting in my TTM box for a while.

I also got a 1986 Topps, 1986 Donruss and also a 1987 Topps for my set.

The best part of the TTM success was this long hand-written note from Mr. Wojna, himself.  He provided his testimony, and I am very appreciative of him taking the time to write all of this out.

Wojna (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1987 and 1989 for the Padres and Indians.  He had a career record of 4-10 with 60 strike outs and a 4.62 ERA.

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

TTM SUccess - Dann Bilardello

My TTM pile has gotten a lot smaller, but I still have a ton I need to blog, so here is one I received from Dann Bilardello.  I needed him for my 1987 set, and then got his autograph on a few more cards.

While I am not the biggest fan of 1984 Topps, the above (leftmost card) photo with the dirt surrounding him looks pretty cool.  I also added a 1986 Topps (middle) and a 1990 CMC.

Bilardello (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1983 to 1986 and 1989 to 1992 for the Reds, Expos, Pirates and Padres.  He had 194 hits, 18 home runs and a .204 batting average.

I mailed to Bilardello on May 29 via the Palm Beach Cardinals and got the cards back on June 7, for a 9-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Paul Zuvella

Back in June 2016, I received a TTM success from Paul Zuvella on a 1986 Topps Traded.  I failed to look for any other cards of his, so I missed out on sending a 1987 Topps.  Since I needed him for my set, I sent to him again.  This time, I included a few other cards.

The above 1990 CMC AAA was in the minors box from Mom.  It's always nice to get some of those taken care of, since I have so many.

I also got his regular 1986, and obviously the 1987 for the set.

I mailed to Zuvella on February 27 and got the cards back on April 17, for a 49-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kevin Ritz

Here is a small break from the onslaught of 1987 Topps TTMs that I have gotten.  This success from Kevin Ritz featured some nice 90s cards, especially the above 1997 Fleer Metal.  The card turned out great.  I didn't prep it at all, and the Sharpie didn't smear or bubble any.  It really turned out great.

The card on the top left was one of the 1990 CMC AAA cards that came out of Mom's attic box, and the card on the bottom right is a rare appearance of a 1997 Topps in my album.  I'm glad I was able to add that one.  I am debating as to whether or not I want to pick up a box of 1996 or 1997 Topps to add to my hoard of Topps products, but with my 1987 project, I am not pressing too hard with that.  It is something I might do, if I come into some money sometime soon.

Ritz (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 to 1992 and 1994 to 1998 for the Tigers and Rockies.  He had a career record of 45-56 with 462 strike outs and a 5.35 ERA.

I mailed to Ritz on August 7 and got the cards back on February 2, for a 179-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Kingery

I got a TTM success in the other day from Mike Kingery after it had been out for quite a long time.  I knew when I mailed to him that it would take a while, so I just sat back and waited.  Thankfully, the cards came in, and they look great.  I used this as an opportunity to add a 1987 Topps to the album, and here it is.

I also took one of the ProCards AAA out of my attic box from Mom and got it signed as well.  I like being able to use these cards, and it is also cool seeing some of the bygone minor league teams.

The 1995 Topps Cyber Stats (left) turned out a lot better than I thought it would, and it is pretty cool next to the actual base 1995 Topps.

I also was able to add a couple other Topps issues, 1989 and 1991.

Kingery (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1986 to 1992 and 1994 to 1996 for the Royals, Mariners, Giants, A's, Rockies and Pirates.  He had 546 hits, 30 home runs and a .268 batting average.

I mailed to Kingery on September 2 and got the cards back on November 27, for an 86-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Hammond

Here is another player who's cards I sat on for a long time before I finally mailed to him.  The reason why I waited so long to send these cards to Chris Hammond was because he charged for his autograph, and I didn't want to spend the money.  In an effort to clean up my box, I went ahead and mailed to some of those guys who charged.  I was really happy with the cards that I chose.  The 1996 Fleer Metal shown above turned out really nicely.  Hammond charges $1.00/card to a scholarship fund, so I had no problem sending him some money, once I got around to it.

I was able to get another card signed out of the attic box that Mom sent me.  These cards aren't anything glorious, but they do help when you need cards of someone who was in the minors at that time.

Finally, here are the other cards that I got back from Hammond.  The highlight, of course, is the 1996 Topps at top right.  I have very few cards from this set, let alone of any guys who sign, so I definitely needed to make sure that one was in my TTM request to Hammond.

Hammond (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1990 to 1998 and 2002 to 2006 for the Reds, Marlins, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, A's and Padres.  He had a career record of 66-62 with an ERA of 4.14 and 712 strike outs.

I mailed to Hammond on October 4 and got the cards back on October 16, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Walewander

Sometimes, when you send out a TTM request, the player will send their own cards along with what you sent.  This happened early on for me, when Virgil Trucks sent me a couple signed cards along with my baseball.  I wasn't expecting an extra card from Jim Walewander, I was just hoping the second time sending would be a charm since the first address didn't work.

Walewander sent this awesome art card along with the cards I sent, and it looks really cool!

I used the request to add some late 80s Topps cards to my album like this 1988.  I have a ton of cards from 1988, but the box was at the bottom of my stack of Topps boxes, so this set is often overlooked.

I sent out a 1990 CMC (top left) that I found in a box that Mom rescued from the attic, and the top right 1989 Pro Cards minor league card came out of a box that my wife got me a long time ago for my birthday.

Walewander (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1993 for the Tigers, Yankees and Angels.  He had a 52 hits, one home run and a .215 batting average.

I mailed to Walewander on September 14 and got the cards back on September 23, for a 9-day TAT.  This was my second attempt, as his listed address has changed.

TTM Success - Ron Washington

This was a TTM success that got me pretty excited when it came in.  I had a few cool cards of former Rangers manager, Ron Washington, and they all came back looking great.  This 1990 CMC AAA was one of the minor league cards that came out of a show box from Mom's attic.  I'm glad to be able to use some of those obscure minor league cards, and this one of Washington looked really cool.

I had to add a 1987 Topps to the album, and I don't have many 1989 Upper Deck for whatever reason.  Both of them turned out really nice, as well.

Washington (b. 1952) played in the majors in 1977, then from 1981 to 1989 for the Dodgers, Twins, Orioles, Indians and Astros.  He had 414 hits, 20 home runs and a .261 batting average.

Washington managed the Rangers from 2007 to 2014 to a record of 664-611 (.521%).  His Rangers won the AL Pennant in 2010 and 2011; losing in 2010 in 5 games, and losing in 2011 in 7 games.

I mailed to Washington on June 12 and got the cards back on August 12, for a 61-day TAT.  I sent via the Braves at SunTrust Park.

TTM Success - Tuffy Rhodes

Ok, I was late to the party on this one.  I didn't make the connection between Karl Rhodes and Tuffy Rhodes until just recently.  I had seen his cards and that he signed, but had no idea that Karl and Tuffy were one in the same.  I got two nice Topps cards signed, the above 1991 and 1995.  They turned out really nice.

I had these other cards of Rhodes that I had found.  The 1994 Score Gold Rush was the card that got me started on him.  I was also able to knock off a 1990 CMC AAA from Mom's attic box.

Rhodes (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1990 to 1995 for the Astros, Cubs and Red Sox.  He had 132 hits, 13 home runs and a .224 batting average.  The story doesn't end there.  Rhodes turned himself into a prodigious power hitter in Japan, and hit 464 home runs.  He played in Japan for 13 seasons and hit 40 or more home runs in 7 of the 13 seasons.

Rhodes began playing professionally in 1986 at the age of 17.  He played until 2009, missing the 2006 season.  Over his 23 professional seasons, Rhodes had 2,863 hits, 531 home runs and .280 batting average.  I wish I had made the connection sooner; I would have been much more excited when I got the cards back.  After reading all of his stats, I'm sitting here and thinking - WOW!

I mailed to Rhodes on January 26 and got the cards back on May 7, for a 100-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rich Amaral

I added some cool cards with this success from Rich Amaral.  I have really been wanting to add some Studio cards to my autograph binder, and this 1994 Studio turned out really nice.

I added another 1990 CMC AAA that was in my Mom's box from the attic.  I had the 1993 Jimmy Dean in my collection for a long time, and it is a perfect card to fit into the "different" kinds of cards I want represented in my album.

I also added a couple Topps issues with the 1998 and 1994 shown above.  Amaral has a really nice autograph, and it showed up well on all of the cards.

Amaral (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1991 to 2000 for the Mariners and Orioles.  He had 493 hits, 11 home runs and a .276  batting average.

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

TTM Success - Steve Fireovid

I sat on these Steve Fireovid cards for a while, before I sent them out.  Some of them were sat on longer than others.  First off, though, I had to add another 1987 Topps to the album.  That set is the one I have the most of, by far.  I don't plan on letting up on it, either.

The real highlights, though, were these two minor league cards.  The card on the left came out of the box of stuff Mom pulled down from the attic a while back, so it has probably been in my collection for over 20 years.  The card on the right came out of a box that my wife bought off of Ebay back in 2007.  So, I have been able to add these two cards to my album that have been languishing in boxes for quite a lot time.  Now, they will have a place where they can be displayed for all to see (all who come over and look through the album, I guess).

Fireovid (b. 1957) played in the majors in 1981, 1983 to 1986 and 1992 for the Padres, Phillies, White Sox, Mariners and Rangers.  He had career record of 3-1 with 27 strike outs and an ERA of 3.39.  The blue minor league card actually messed me up; I glanced at it quickly and almost typed "hits" but then, realized yes, he was a pitcher.

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

TTM Success - Ray Rippelmeyer

Last month, I took my final trip to the antique shop in Columbia, SC.  Conrad has finally retired and is closing up shop for good.  I made sure to stop by to see him before he closed, and I had to pick up something since I was there.  I picked up a bunch of bulk cards, a signed baseball (which, surprisingly, I haven't posted yet) and several 1961 and 1962 Topps cards for TTM purposes.

I bought those because at the time, I had only one signed 1961 Topps.  So, I figured I would beef up that portion of my ledger, and some of the cards I picked up really looked great.  The first of the cards to come back was this success from Ray Rippelmeyer.  The above 1961 Topps is his rookie card, and I really enjoyed how his uniform looked on this card.  It looks almost like an early 50s Topps in that he appears to be a painting, as opposed to a photo.

I went through a box of 1961 Topps at the shop and picked out several folks who signed TTM, according to Sportscollectors.net.  After I got my subjects from that box, one of Conrad's helpers searched a few other boxes in order to help me find some other cards to send off of those guys.  He found this 1962 Topps Rippelmeyer for me, and I'm glad he did.  1962 Topps looks great, and that was another set that was not well represented in my binder.

Little did I know, I had another Rippelmeyer card at the house.  This 1990 CMC was in the box that Mom had found in her attic and gave to me right before I went to Columbia.  I was able to put another of these minor league cards to good use, which I was happy to do.

Rippelmeyer (b. 1933) played in the majors for 18 games in 1962 for the Senators.  He had a record of 1-2 with 17 strike outs and a 5.49 ERA.  While his card from 1961 lists him as being on the Reds, he never made the majors with them.  He was picked up by the Senators in November 1961 in the Rule V Draft.

I mailed to Rippelmeyer on January 16 and got the cards back on January 25, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ray Soff

I put some cards to use that had been hanging in a box for a long time.  The above 1990 CMC AAA card of Ray Soff was in a box of cards that my mom found in the attic.  I was happy to see one of these come back signed.

Normally, I send off Topps cards, but it is nice to get a few cards from some other sets signed.  These two 1987 cards (Fleer and Donruss) turned out really nice.  I like both of these sets, and I seem to have a decent amount of bulk cards, so I may be able to get some more signed.

Finally, here is yet another 1987 Topps that I was able to get signed.  The card isn't really this bad off-center, but it scanned crooked.  Instead of scanning it again, I just straightened it and went with it.  Yes, I'm lazy!  I have over 30 different 1987 Topps signed.  I don't plan on pushing for the entire set, but I will select an 87 before I go with another year, if I have a choice.

Soff (b. 1958) played in the majors in 1986 and 1987 for the Cardinals.  He had a record of 5-2 with 31 strike outs and a 4.19 ERA.

I mailed to Soff on January 12 and got the cards back on January 21, for a 9-day TAT.