TTM Success - John Hart

A colorful set that I tend to overlook a little of the time is 1990 Topps.  I've got a ton of them, but don't usually go through them often, so they get left out of TTM requests.  I did send one off recently; this John Hart card came back signed in black Sharpie.  It turned out nicely.

Hart (b. 1948) managed the Indians on an interim basis in 1989 for a total of 19 games.  He went 8-11.  He is more well known as a former GM, for the Indians and Rangers.  He replaced Hank Peters as GM of the Indians in 1991, leading the team to an 870-681 record across 10 years.  His teams appeared in the 1995 and 1997 World Series.  

He took over as the GM of the Rangers in November 2001, staying in that role until 2005, when he took over as senior advisor to GM Jon Daniels.  He stayed with the Rangers through 2013.  He would then join the Braves as Senior Advisor, serving that team in various executive roles until his resignation in 2017.

I mailed to Hart on November 25 and got the card back on January 28 for a 64-day TAT.

Spring Training 2025 Plus Other Autos From Max

As he always does, Max delivered a huge package of autographs a few weeks ago.  He went to Cubs Convention and Spring Training and took a bunch of my cards with him to get signed.  I was glad to get a bunch of room cleared in my boxes.  The above Topps Pro Debut relic card of Ryan Vilade was a big hit.

Here are cards sigbed by Riley Adams, Paul Bako, Moises Ballestros, Matthew Boyd, Rob Brantly, Alex Call, Dave Clark.  I liked getting the Winston-Salem Spirits card signed by Bako. I'm pretty sure I got to see him play at Ernie Shore Field.  

These cards are signed by Kenedy Corona, Ryan Dempster, Bob Dernier, Chris Devenski, Sean Doolittle, Joe Espada, Jose Fermin, Daxton Fulton.  I'm certain that I am out of Dernier cards at this point.  It was funny Max got Corona for me; I just got him myself while seeing Sugar Land last week.

I finally got my old Greensboro team set card back signed by Joe Espada.  That was a cool team set to pick up for $5.  Well worth it to have something for Espada to sign.  I was also glad to add a Jose Ferrer card to the album ince I saw him past year but had none of his cards on me at the time.

This group is Ryan Flaherty, Ben Gamel, Stone Garrett, Luis Guillorme, Ricky Gutierrez, Jon Jay.  I did a search and I didn't see that I had any Flaherty signed cards until this moment.  I'm glad I finally found these.  I think Max asked me for Flaherty stuff early last year and it took me forever to find when I had mine sitting.  My Ben Gamel Bulls team set card finally got done, as well.  I was afraid that one wouldn't get done. 

I found several more Luis Guillorme to take with me to the Durham game while Sugar Land was there but Guillorme wouldn't stop and sign for us.  He was in a hurry to catch their flight.

These are Chris Johnson, Reed Johnson, Matt LeCroy, Bill Madlock, Brice Matthews, CHas McCormick, Victor Mesa, Jr., Noble Meyer.  That 2024 Panini Crusade of Meyer turned out nicely.  I had heard that Chris Johnson was a tough graph but Max got him on several cards, which helped get a good many out of my boxes. 

The next batch is of Brian McRae, Jake Meyers, Drew Millas, Rodery Munoz, Connor Norby, Glenn Otto.  That Diamond King Otto is pretty cool.  I didn't even know I owned that card before.  Max really helped to get some older team set cards signed.  That's great because they just end up sitting in a box unsigned otherwise. 

Daniel Palencia, Mitchell Parker, Nate Pearson, Konnor Pilkington, Cal Quantrill, Ethan Roberts, Drew Rom are in this next group.  I love the 2019 Topps Holiday Cal Quantrill.  Those are fun cards to add to the album.  I finally have Drew Rom, a former Oriole farm hand who is in the majors with St. Louis.

Here are Jackson Rutledge, Jon Singleton, Mike Soroka, Geovany Soto, Caleb Theilbar, James Triantos.  Thay 2010 Topps Pro Debut says Kyle Heckathorn on the card but it is actually Caleb Thielbar pictured.  That was a cool novelty card to get done.

These are Keegan Thompson, Luis Vazquez. Christian Walker, Donovan Walton, Ryan Weathers, Forrest Whitley.  Another 2019 Midwest League All Star Card got done.  Im down to just a handful of these.  I couldn't believe I didn't have the 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker in the album yet.  He's really gone on to have a good career.

The Jacob Young above is a really cool card.  I didn't know I sent that one also or maybe Max gifted it to me because he's such a great guy. I was also surprised I had and Jordan Wicks cards left in the boxes to send out.

These are 2024 Topps Heritage minis of Rilety Adams, Jose Ferrer and Dane Myers.  I loved last year's Heritage.  Hopefully this year's using the 1976 design looks good as well.

These horizontal cards of Ron Coomer, Stone Garrett, Reed Johnson, Konnor Pilkington, Cesar Salazar, Jesus Tinoco mixed upky alphabetization of the signatures, but that's ok.  They all look great.

Max also helped with several generic cards by getting Paul Bako, Anthony Bender, Declan Cronin, Joe Espada and Calvin Faucher to sign.

Here are more team cards: Colton Gordon, Ronny Henriquez, Ryan Ignoffo, Bryan Lavastida, Andrey Lara, Jon Lieber, Riley O'Brien, Javier Sanoja.

Finally Eric Wagaman and Carlos Zambrano signed a bunch of these. 

Again, thanks so much for taking the cards from me and getting some signed, Max.  I always appreciate it, even though it seems like it takes me forever to scan and upload them.  Here's to another season of graphing!

TTM Success - Brian Meyer

This TTM success from former pitcher Brian Meyer was very colorful.  I got back a signed 1991 Fleer (above) and a 1990 Topps (below).  Both of the cards are way beyond the normal white-bordered Topps cards.  Ive had people tell me that the 1991 Fleer set is hideous.  I respectfully disagree; I kind of like the set.  They also look good when signed.

This 1990 Topps also looks nice.  This set is reminiscent of the funky colored 1972, 1975 or 2015 Topps.  Sometimes it's a good change to switch from the plain white borders.

Meyer (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1988 to 1990 for the Astros.  He had a record of 0-5 with 29 strike outs and a 2.84 ERA.

I mailed to Meyer on November 21 and got the cards back on December 3 for a 13-day TAT. 

Final 2024 50-50 Returns From Jack G

My friend Jack in Augusta sent me back an bunch of cards that he got signed for me this past season.  I helped him with guys who came through Kinston, and he helped me with some guys who came through his area.  

I still had a few John Habyan cards left over from last season.  Jack took them and finished them all off for me.  I may be out of Habyan now, but I sincerely doubt it, given the amount of junk wax cards that I have.

I had a ton of Grant Holmes cards in the Box-of-Shame since I missed him when I saw Rome in Hickory last season.

These are all of the different Holmes cards that Jack finished off for me.

Sergio Santos was another coach who I was able to finally get finished off.  He only did a couple for me when I saw him with Hudson Valley. 

I probably still have a ton of Dick Schofield, but Jack definitely made a dent in the Box-of-Shame.

I'm surprised I had this many different Schofields left, since I did see him a couple times in the last few years. 

Finally, here are the Daryle Ward cards I got back.  I had a ton of him, as well. 

Thanks for getting these done for me, Jack!

More Signed Cards From Max

My friend, Max, sent me another batch of signed cards recently that added a ton more guys to the autograph album.  He has helped me get so many cards out of my boxes and got them signed.   The above Garrett Cooper 2021 Topps rainbow foil turned out great.  I'm pretty sure I'm out of Garrett Cooper cards by now, but you never know. There's probably a box in my stack of boxes that has a couple more I need to dig out.

Something that I have learned to love is the search function of the blog.  If I mention all of the players shown, I'll be able to search and know who I have in my albums.  That's a big help, especially when someone like Max hooks me up with so many different players.  So, here are signed cards of Ryan O'Hearn, Korey Lee, Kyle Cody, Ty Blach, Garrett Cooper and Brenton Doyle.

I was really glad to get some Cole Tucker cards signed, especially the 2019 Bowman Heritage (top left). The 2021 Topps Pro Debut of Alfonso Rivas looks nice.  Im reappy glad to get those out of the boxes because the font used on 2021 Topps, Chrome and Pro Debut is so hard to read, especially when leafing through cards in a hurry.

Kyle Freeland, Peter Lambert and Jake Bird round out this stack of cards.

Here are two team cards Max used, Tyler Holton at the top and Joe Davis at the bottom.

Here are a bunch of coach cards that Max got signed: Rigo Beltran, Lane Zawadski, Darren Holmes, Dave Bush, Tom Goodwin and Juan Nieves.  That Dave Bush 2007 Topps Heritage turned out great.  I wish I had kept the bulk cards I used to have from that set.

Finally, here are a few Bobby Meacham and Jose Hernandez cards.

Thanks for hooking me up, as always, Max.  I have another box ready to ship, which will hopefully go out tomorrow!

Some Independent League Autos From Mike W

Last season, I sent some cards to a guy I met while graphing in High Point for him to get signed in Gastonia.  I wasn't able to get down there, so Mike W. got a few cards signed for me.  I was able to send him some Curtis Terry cards I had, which was nice.  The Terry cards were left over from when a friend of mine was going to see Saint Paul.  Terry was released and ended up in independent ball.

Mike also got a couple Jack Reinheimer cards signed for me.  I had gotten Reinheimer TTM a couple years ago, but had a couple cards left over.

The above 1990 Topps Goose Gozzo was another card someone had missed during a 50/50.

Finally, these three Zach Jarrets were missed by me when I wasn't able to get him after he came through here with Frederick.  He was released by the Orioles and ended up on Gastonia.  I'm glad I was able to get these team set cards done, finally.

I hope to see Mike again in High Point.  I really enjoy going there and getting those independent guys.

Another TTM Success From Steve Farr

While going through my boxes, I ran into a bunch of cards of Steve Farr.  I last sent to him in 2019, so I figured it was a good time to send off some more.  The 1993 Bowman above turned out nicely.

I sent two different 1991 Upper Decks.  I usually skip that set since it is kind of plain, in my opinion.  The cards are clean and all, but they usually don't supercede Topps cards.  This time, though, I thought it was cool that he had two different cards in the set.

I also sent off a 1990 Topps and a 1994 Topps Stadium Club.  All of the cards turned out great.

I mailed to Farr on January 11 and got the cards back on February 2, for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Todd Zeile

This TTM success from Todd Zeile was one I was really excited about.  He was someone I grew up watching and hadn't seemed to.be someone who signed a whole lot.  Then, I saw some successes from him and realized he had been signing a good bit recently.  A couple trips through some boxes yielded a few nice cards, and I sent them along.  The above 1994 Topps turned out great.  Any time I can add a 94 to the album, I'm going to take it.  It is an underrated and underrepresented set in my autograph album. 

I also got this nice horizontal 2003 Topps done.  It turned out nicely.

I sent several other Zeile cards, including a 1990 Topps, 1993 Bowman, 1996 Pinnacle and 1990 Bowman.  All of them will look great in my album. 

Zeile (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 to 2004 for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, Rockies, Yankees and Expos.  He had 2,004 hits, 253 home runs and a .265 batting average.  He appeared in the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to Zeile on September 30 and got the cards back on January 29, for a 121-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott Fletcher

Here are some 90s cards that I got back signed from Scott Fletcher.  I really like the design of the above 1990 Topps Big, but the autograph smudged.  Oh well. It still looks cool.

I also got a 1990 Topps, 1992 Flair, 1994 Finest and 1994 Score signed.  All of them look great.  The Finest is cool.  I like the mid 90s Finest cards and have been able to get a few signed.

Fletcher (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1981 to 1995 for the Cubs, White Sox, Rangers, Brewers, Red Sox and Tigers.  He had 1,376 hits, 34 home runs and a .262 batting average. He finished 17th in the 1986 AL MVP voting.  

I mailed to Fletcher on November 6 and got the cards back on January 22, for a 77-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tony Fossas

Here is a 1990 Topps that came back signed from Tony Fossas.  I had sent him 5 cards, but this was the only one I got back.  It did help me get some cards out of the boxes, but I'd have liked to get a couple of the others back as well.

Fossas (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1988 to 1999 for the Rangers, Brewers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Mariners, Cubs and Yankees.  He had a record of 17-24 with 324 strike outs and a 3.90 ERA.

I mailed to Fossas on November 28 and got the card back on January 4, for a 37-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Clay Parker

A few more early 90s cards were added to the autograph album when I received this TTM success from Clay Parker.  The above 1990 Topps turned out nicely.

I also got a 1991 Donruss, 1991 Fleer and a 1991 Topps signed by Parker. 

Parker (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1987, from 1989 to 1990 and 1992 for the Mariners, Yankees and Tigers.  He had a record of 7-10 with 121 strike outs and a 4.42 ERA.

I mailed to Parker on November 2 and got the cards back on December 23, for a 51-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Long

My recent TTM successes stretch beyond cards I pulled from Conrad's boxes and my own vintage stuff.  I still have a ton of junk wax era cards to send out, and got a few taken care of with this success from Bill Long.  He signed the above 1989 Bowman nicely.  This will take a spot in an 8-card page and help me continue to fill that up.

I also got a 1989 Score, 1990 Score Rookies and Traded and a 1990 Topps signed.  Each turned out nicely. 

Long (b. 1960) played in the majors in 1985 and from 1987 to 1991 for the White Sox, Cubs and Expos.  He had a record of 27-27 with 247 strike outs and a 4.37 ERA.

I mailed to Long on December 2 and got the cards back on December 18, for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Clint Zavaras

The 1990 Donruss set remains one that collectors either love or hate.  I love it.  It was one of the first sets I completed, yet it remains underrepresented in my autograph album.  I found this one of Clint Zavaras and sent it out TTM, along with his 1990 Topps.  Both of the cards came back looking nice, even though Zavaras's marker appears to be drying up.

Zavaras (b. 1967) played in the majors in 1989 for the Mariners.  He went 1-6 with 31 strike outs and a 5.19 ERA.

I mailed to Zavaras on October 31 and got the cards back on November 14, for a 13-day TAT.