A Fourth TTM Success From Jay Bell

Four TTM requests may seem like a lot, but Jay Bell has a ton of cards and signs pretty frequently. I had sent to him in 2016, 2019 and 2023, so  I figured enough time had passed to send a few more. The above 1993 Upper Deck was the card that got my attention to send to him again.

I also cleared out some room in my boxes by pulling the above 1992 Triple Play, 1996 Collectors Choice, 1998 Bowman and 2001 Topps.

I'm pretty sure I'm out of his cards now, so I'm probably done sending to him. Bell or Bobby Richardson may be the two guys I've sent to the most. I'll have to look into that at some point. 

I mailed to Bell on December 22 and got the cards back on January 30, for a 39-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Eddie Taubensee

Here are some cards that I pulled out of the late 90s/early 2000s boxes from the old LCS and sent off TTM.  Eddie Taubemsee signed all three cards.  The above 2000 Upper Deck is a really nice card.

I also got a 1998 Bowman and a 2002 Topps signed. The Bowman is a foil Hometown Heroes card.

I mailed to Taubensee on January 18 and got the cards back on February 1 for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Chris Gissell

My box with late 90s Bowman has yielded quite a few cards to get signed TTM and I was able to get a few Chris Gissell cards signed recently. The above 1997 Bowman turned out nicely. 

Here are some 1998 and 1999 Bowmans and parallels that I got signed by Gissell. The inserts didn't scan too well, but the cards are fine in person.

Gissell (b. 1978) played in the majors in 2004 for the Rockies. He had a record of 0-1 with 11 strike outs and a 14.54 ERA.

I mailed to Gissell on April 2 and got the cards back on April 22, for a 20-day TAT.

TTM Success - Matt Clement

These cards stayed out in the mail for quite a long time, but I finally received a TTM success from Matt Clement.  I had some older Bowmans and a couple early 2000s Topps cards for Clement, and they turned out nicely.

The 1997 Bowman (above, left) turned out well; I was glad to get one of those out, as I don't have very many of them signed.  They seem to live in my boxes and it was good to get at least one of them into my album.  I also like the early 1st Bowman logo.

Clement (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2006 for the Padres, Marlins, Cubs and Red Sox.  He had a record of 87-86 with 1,217 strike outs and a 4.47 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2005.

I mailed to Clement on February 11, 2019 and got the cards back on April 14, 2022, for a 1,158-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott Hodges

This 1998 Bowman was signed TTM by Scott Hodges.  I had gotten a bunch of older Bowman (from 1997 to 2002 or so) in one of the boxes from my former LCS and I decided to send off some of the older ones to try to get them signed TTM.  A lot of the players, I had never heard of before, and Hodges was one of them.

Hodges (b. 1978) was a first round (38th overall) pick by the Expos in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky.  He played in the Expos/Nations system for 9 seasons, reaching AAA.  He had 768 hits, 55 home runs and a .270 batting average.

I mailed to Hodges on December 22 and got the card back on January 11, for a 20-day TAT.

TTM Success - Aaron Akin

I got these late 90s prospect cards out of one of the boxes I got from my LCS a while back.  The above 98 Stadium Club that I got back TTM from Aaron Akin turned out pretty well.  I like the look of the card; it is tough to see from the scan but there are some embossed ball laces on the card, which makes it kind of cool.

I also got this 1998 Bowman signed by Akin.  I've got a bunch of late 90s Bowmans now, and it is kind of interesting to look back at some of the former prospects who weren't able to crack the majors.

Akin (b. 1977) was a first round pick (12th overall) by the Marlins in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Cowley County Community College.  It sounds like an obscure community college, but they boast former players like Trevor Rosenthal, Travis Hafner and Junior Spivey.

Akin played in the minors from 1997 to 2000, reaching High-A ball.  He had a record of 9-20 with 152 strike outs and a 4.42 ERA.  He went on to play 2 seasons in independent ball where he went 0-7 with a 6.18 ERA.

I mailed to Akin on November 18 and got the cards back on December 2, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ed Yarnall

I got a bunch of cards out of my bargain boxes that I got from my LCS and sent them off for signatures.  One of the players I found at the time was Ed Yarnall.  He had a bunch of early 2000s Bowmans, so those were some cool cards to send off.  The above 1999 Upper Deck Black Diamond looks much better in person, by the way.

Above, there are three different years of Bowman represented: 1998 (top left), 1999 Chrome (top right) and 2000 (bottom left).  There is also a 1999 Team Best on the bottom right.

Yarnall (b. 1975) played in the majors in 1999 and 2000 for the Yankees.  He had a record of 1-0 with 14 strike outs, and a 5.40 ERA.  He was originally drafted by the Mets, but went to the Marlins in the Mike Piazza trade (remember the 5 games that Piazza was a Marlin?), then he went to the Yankees in the Mike Lowell trade.  He didn't make the playoff roster either year, but he was a member of the 1999 and 2000 Yankees teams that won the World Series.  I'm sure he got a ring.

I mailed to Yarnall on August 31 and got the cards back on September 9, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Warren Morris

I had sat aside a few cards out of a box of 2000 Topps recently.  The cards were of guys who signed TTM, and Warren Morris was one of them.  I went to my LCS a couple weeks ago and added a few more cards to my pile.  The above 1999 Fleer Brilliants turned out really well, even though the scan doesn't do it justice.

I also got a 1998 Bowman and a 1999 Just Minors.  Both of them look really nice, also.  Note, Morris kept the 2000 Topps that started this whole thing, for some reason.  Still, I like what was returned, and I am happy with this TTM success.

Morris (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1999 to 2003 for the Pirates, Twins and Tigers.  He had 399 hits, 26 home runs and a .267 bating average.  He finished 3rd in the 1999 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Morris on January 23 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Woodard

Here are some nice late 90s cards that I was able to get signed by Steve Woodard.  The above 1999 Topps turned out really well.  I liked the horizontal card and the shot of the dirt of the pitcher's mound.

Here are the other cards that I got signed.  I liked the 1998 Bowmans that I found at my LCS.  The rest came out of random card boxes that I have laying around.

Woodard (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1997 to 2003 for the Brewers, Indians, Rangers and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 32-36 with 464 strike outs and a 4.94 ERA.

I mailed to Woodard on February 11 and got the cards back on February 23, for a 12-day TAT.