2026 National Free Signer - Chuck Knoblauch

Chuck Knoblauch was the next free signer at this year's National. I was excited to get him because I had found so many of his cards in the lead up to the show. I had gotten him once before; by way of TTM back in 2021. I also had met him at a past National when I had a free photo voucher with him. I couldn't find my photo before I left for the show, however.

I had gotten a couple Knoblauch vouchers and then was able to get a bunch more cards signed when they called wild cards on him. That was great, because it helped me not to have to put a bunch of stuff back in my boxes. 

Knoblauch was nice enough. He didn't really say a whole lot, but wasn't rude or anything like that.

TTM Success - Branden Florence

A random 2003 Topps that I found in my box came back signed TTM by Branden Florence. Normally, here is where I say the card tur ed out nicely. However, Florence needs a new Sharpie, as it seems his is on the way out. Still, the card is signed, and I can't really complain. I'm still appreciative that he took the time to sign for me.

Florence (b. 1978) was an undrafted player who played in the minors from 2001 to 2007 and 2009 in the Giants, Orioles, Phillies and Angels systems. He reached AA. He had 684 hits, 57 home runs and a .310 batting average. While his batting average was pretty good, he was generally one of the older players in each league he played in, which could have skewed his numbers.

I mailed to Florence on February 6 and got the card back on February 18, for a 12-day TAT. 

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.  

TTM Success - Derell McCall

Here are two Derell McCall cards that I was able to get signed TTM. I'm pretty sure that the above 2003 Bowman came from the stack of early 2000s Bowman that Ryan sent me.  I think the below 2003 Topps came out of my own box.

McCall (b. 1981) was a 10th round pick by the A's in the 2000 June Amateur Draft out of J. M. Tate High School in Florida. He played in the minors from 2000 to 2004 and 2007 to 2009 in the A's and Marlins systems. He reached AA in affiliated ball and also bounced around the independent leagues for a bit.

In the minors, McCall had a record of 45-52 with 531 strike outs and a 4.29 ERA. I mailed to McCall on December 10 and got the cards back on December 30, for a 20-day TAT. 

August 5-10, 2025, Graphing of the Sussex County Miners at Down East Bird Dawgs

After getting a lot of the stuff posted from this year's National (with more on the way), I now have to catch up on some graphing that I have done recently.  The Sussex County Miners came through town earlier this month.  I had a bunch of cards for the team pulled and they all got signed.

Former Major League catcher Chris Widger was the manager of the team.  His son CJ used to play in Kinston, so we talked about that while he signed.  He was really nice and signed everything we had. 

Mahki Backstrom was also with the team.  I had a bunch of his cards and got them all signed.  I also got the above card signed by Will Zimmerman.

A couple new Bird Dawgs with cards were on the team, and some of the stuff I had ordered had come in like my Colby Backus University of Tennessee cards (bottom row, above).  My friend Josh also made a few customs, and I got a few of those done.

In all we got the following autographs: Mahki Backstrom x 21, Chris Widger x 13, Will Zimmerman x 2, Kalae Harrison x 2 and Colby Backus x 7, Ryan Sleeper x 10 and David Tiburcio x 1, Emmanuel Tapia x 1, Yassel Pino x 1, Trotter Harlan x 1 and Stephen Ditomaso x 1 (60 total autographs). 

TTM Success - Cliff Politte

Here are some older cards that I got out of my boxes and sent TTM to Cliff Politte.  The above 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars card turned out nicely.  I got a bunch of these from the former LCS and have been able to send a few out to get signed.

I also got a 1997 Bowman and 2003 Topps.  Both of these are pretty nice as well.

Politte (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2006 for the Cardinals, Phillies, Blue Jays and White Sox.  He had a record of 22-23 with 342 strike outs and a 4.40 ERA.  He won the World Series in 2005 with the White Sox.

I mailed to Politte on January 18 and got the cards back on April 3 for a 76-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tim Spooneybarger

My friend Ryan sent me a bunch of cards to try TTM. One of the successes I got back was from Tim Spooneybarger on some early 2000s cards.  The above 2003 Topps turned out nicely.

The above 2004 Topps also turned out nicely.  I recall a time when I didn't have very many signed 2004s in the album. Now they have caught up with some of the other years in the album.

Spooneybarger (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2003 for the Braves and Marlins.  He had a record of 2-3 with 68 strike outs and a 3.24 ERA.

I mailed to Spooneybarger on February 5 and got the cards back on February 26 for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Prior

Over the last week or so, TTMs have been scant to some in.  Checking the mail every day has been a drag, since the mailbox is virtually empty when I open it.  One reason why may be because over the last month or so, most of the TTMs I have sent out have been to Spring Training.  Spring Training TTMs are a chore every season and I keep saying I'll cut back next season.  This year (like the last several), I sent out 50 Spring Training TTMs.  So far, only 3 have come back.  The players and coaches sometimes hold the cards (if they do sign at all) and send in the off-season.  One success came back in January from 2024 Spring Training.  So I have a little tiny sliver of optimism that maybe I'll see some of this year's attempts come in.

This TTM success from 2024 Spring Training came in from Mark Prior.

Prior is the pitching coach for the Dodgers.  I had gotten him TTM back in 2020, again from Dodgers Spring Training. 

I mailed to Prior on February 10, 2024, and got the cards back on January 14 for a 339-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Sparks

My Steve Sparks cards that I had held with the intention to send them TTM sat for quite some time.   I'm not sure why I waited for what appears to have been years to send these off.  The above 1996 Topps is a great shot.  I wanted to add this card to the album for a while.  Im.glad I got off my butt and sent it out.

I also sent a 2002 Topps Finest, 2001 Fleer Platinum RC, 2002 Topps and 2003 Topps.  Sparks has a great signature and it shows on each card. 

Sparks (b. 1965) played in the majors in 1995, 1996 and from 1998 to 2004 for the Brewers, Angels, Tigers, A's and Diamondbacks.  He had a record of 59-76 with 658 strike outs and a 4.88 ERA.

I mailed to Sparks on September 11 and got the cards back on November 2, for a 52-day TAT.

TTM Success - Michael Garciaparra

The last name sounds familiar. Michael Garciaparra is the younger brother of Nomar, or Nomahhh as folks from Boston like to say.  This Garciaparra was a Mariners prospect who appeared in the 2003 Topps complete set on a prospect card.

Garciaparra (b. 1983) was a first round (36th overall) pick by the Mariners in the 2001 June Amateur Draft out of Don Bosco Technical Institute in California.  He played in the minors from 2002 to 2010 in the Mariners, Phillies, Brewers and Astros systems.  He had 560 hits, 19 home runs and a .263 batting average.  He would reach AAA before hanging up his Spikes.

I mailed to Garciaparra on February 13 and got the card back on March 23, for a 39-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 - Denny Stark

This 2003 Topps card of Denny Stark was just a random card in my box.  I checked to see if he signed TTM; he did, so I sent it off.  It turned out nicely and has been added to my autograph album. 

Stark (b. 1974) played in the majors in 1999, 2001 to 2004, and 2009 for the Mariners and Rockies.  He had a record of 15-14 with 127 strike outs and a 5.81 ERA.  He finishes 9th in the 2002 NL Rookie of the Year voting when he went 11-4 for the Rockies.

I mailed to Stark on January 17 and got the card back on April 11, for an 84-day TAT.

2023 National Free Signer - Geoff Blum

The next free signer was someone I hadn't gotten in person or TTM previously, Geoff Blum.  A good many of this year's signers were guys I had gotten before, so it was nice pulling cards that I hadn't gotten signed.  The above 2009 Topps Update turned out nicely.

Both of these (2003 Topps and 2010 Topps Update) also look nice.

Blum (b. 1973) played in the majors from 1999 to 2012 for the Expos, Astros, Devil Rays, Padres, White Sox and Diamondbacks.  He had 990 hits, 99 home runs and a .250 batting average.  He won the World Series in 2005 with the White Sox.

TTM Success - Andy Fox

This TTM success that came back from Andy Fox had a nice variety of cards from several different card sets.  The above 1996 Score Select has a nice wood grain border, and looks pretty nice now that it is signed.

I got a 1991 Carolina League all star card signed, which was a really nice find.  Fox's 1993 ProCards minors card also was a good find in my boxes.  I rounded the submission out with a 1996 Fleer and a 2003 Topps.

Fox (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1996 to 2004 for the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Expos and Rangers.  He had 461 hits, 30 home runs and a .239 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1996.

I mailed to Fox on March 21, 2022, and got the cards back on January 20, 2023, for a 305-day TAT.

Matt F With 50-50 Returns

There should be a bunch of 50/50 returns coming in soon now that .inor league seasons are wrapping up. I'm glad that I'm getting a handle on my posts, because that means a ton of cards are headed back (hopefully).

A friend of mine from Instagram (Matt F) took some 50/50s last season and this year, we expanded further and sent out a ton of stuff to each other. Matt may have gotten me the most out of everything I sent to everyone, as far as 50/50s go. I had pulled these Joe Boyle cards when I busted 2020 Bowman Draft and had hoped I could send them TTM. It's never able to fi d a good address for him, but got lucky when I saw that Matt could take him.  The cards look awesome and now I don't have to worry about getting them signed.

Parker Meadows was another guy I had held cards for TTM, but sent them to Matt, instead. I'm glad he got these done for me, as well.

I love getting random cards out of my boxes and sent out for TTMs and 50/50s.  I've become a bit of a hoarder, as far as cards go, and making room for new stuff is always good.  I kept running into the 2015 Heritage Chi Chi Gonzalez in my box, so it was nice to finally get it signed and into my album.  I was also tired of seeing these two James Marinans in the Bowman boxes, and now they're done, as well.

Matt really hooked me up with some guys this season, and it is really appreciated.  I moved a bunch of recent Bowman stuff out of my box.

Matt's home minor league team was Dayton, but I ust found out that he moved. I'm hoping he can take 50/50s next season, since he does so well with getting my stuff signed. It is going to be tough not being able to knock out Dayton guys as easily as I had with Matt. I guess I'll have to find someone else who sees them.

Matt hit me up on a bunch of the coaches for Dayton and some other guys from that league.  He also sent me a few extra autos he had, as I had done with him. 

He was able to get Bryan LaHair for me on a few cards, which was great.  I was also glad to move a few Jimmy Jones out of my Topps boxes.

Finally, Matt got a couple Juan Samuel cards signed for me.  He had gotten a little difficult the last couple of years, as far as signing his mail.  I think I opted for a private signing to ensure that I got my 1987 Topps Phillies leaders card signed; I should have waited. Thing is, had I have waited, he may not have signed for Matt.

Thanks so much for getting all of these cards signed for me, Matt.

A Ton of Autographs From Drake

This post may seem like a card/scan dump.  I regret that I didn't break my friend, Drake's shipments up and post them when they came in.  I know Drake was disappointed that I waited to scan and post everything that he has sent me this past year.  I got busy trying to catch up on TTMs and then in-season graphing, I let his stack of cards get super huge.

Still, I finally sat down to scan everything, and even though my scanned froze several times, I finally got through it.

Drake has taken a ton of cards for 50/50s from me over the last two seasons.  He sees some teams in Florida and also Illinois.  He also has been able to see some players on rehab assignments in Florida, and I believe he also went to Tampa for a Rays game.  He was going to get Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco for me, but I don't think he was able to.  I am really happy with the Josh Lowes he got signed.  He has my 2020 Topps Heritage Minors blue parallel still, and that should be coming in the mail soon.

It was really hard sorting the stiff he had sent into some kind of pattern that would make it easy to post and discuss, so I decided to try to put stuff together that was similar, even though they may not all be the same teams.  Drake knocked out a bunch of Bowman products for me.  Several minor leaguers I may not have been able to see, he got them.

That's what appeals to me the most about doing 50/50s with folks.  They take cards from me of guys I wouldn't normally see, and I get them guys that I see.  We swap, and everyone is happy.  It also helps me clear space in my Bowman boxes for new product, and keeps teams that I never see from just sitting there collecting dust.

I especially like knocking out 2021 Heritage Minors cards.  I'm not working on the set, by any means, I just like the colorful cards and I also like reducing the stack that I have here at the house.

Drake took a couple Jordan Walkers from me that helped reduce the leftovers I had from my trip out west.  Maybe next season, he and I can get together and graph.  I'd enjoy it.

Drake also has helped me clear out some extras that I have here at the house.  He loves doing "blind trades" where he is happy taking any set number of cards and exchanging them card for card.  He doesn't mind obscure players or team personnel, so I try to send him some stuff he wouldn't normally see.  He does the same for me.

This has put several random team set cards in my album, and since I enjoy the randomness of my album pages, the cards fit right into my theme.

Here are some older Heritage and Heritage Minors cards that Drake has sent me.  I feel like Heritage and Heritage Minors are nice cards to get signed.  I also appreciate that they don't have to be prepped.

The Bowman cards Drake sent go back to the early 2010s.  I have some from those years, but seeing guys who were in those sets are getting tougher and tougher to see.  I have to go to places like AAA to see some of those guys, or wait until they become coaches.

I wonder just how man extra autographs Drake must have, since he sent me a ton.

He also included some older Topps cards that I can use to check off of my Topps ledger for some of those early 2000s sets.

This Tirso Ornelas was one of those 2017 Bowman Chrome minis.  I have seen them around, but never pulled any.  I have a few of them from some former Wood Ducks.

So, Drake really hooked me up with a bunch of stuff.  I hate that it took me so long to scan and post them, but they're finally here, and also have finally been added to my autograph album.

Thank you so much, Drake, for all of the cards, and also for taking all of the 50/50s the past two seasons.