TTM Success - JJ Hardy

Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS still is the greatest baseball game that I have attended.  The Delmon Young 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th inning resulted in the loudest moment I've heard at a ballpark.  I had hoped for a private signing with Young for some time now, since his 2015 Topps shows him at bat for that hit.  That hasn't happened, but JJ Hardy's 2015 Topps also captures part of that moment.  As a result of a signing with Hardy, I was able to get a few of his cards signed and added to my album.

I couldn't settle just for the base card being signed.  I had this blue refractor from 2015 Topps Chrome, and sent it along, as well.

Hardy's 2015 Bowman also shows him rounding the bases as part of the Young double, so I included it in the package, as well.  I topped the request off with the above 2012 Bowman red ice parallel because it looks so cool.

Hardy (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2005 to 2017 for the Brewers and Orioles.  He had 1,488 hits, 188 home runs and a .256 batting average.  He was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2012, 2013 and 2014) and an All Star twice (2007 and 2013).  He also won the Silver Slugger award in 2013.  He appeared on the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to the signing on February 14 and got the cards back on March 9, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Ryan Rua

TTM successes have been very slow to come in this summer, but they haven't been non-existent.  This one from Ryan Rua was a good one to move a few cards out of my boxes.  The above 2018 Topps turned out great.

Rua also signed a 2012 Topps Pro Debut, 2015 Topps Heritage, 2015 Topps Chrome and a 2016 Topps.  All of the cards turned out well.

Rua (b. 1990) played in the majors from 2014 to 2018 for the Rangers.  He had 164 hits, 23 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Rua on June 14 and got the cards back on June 24, for a 10-day TAT. 

Graphing Recap of April 2022 Mudcats at Wood Ducks

Another homestand has come and gone, this one being an eventful one between regional rivals, the Carolina Mudcats and Down East Wood Ducks.  Usually, there isn't much of a rivalry; but this series saw benches and bullpens clear twice, and a lot of chirping going on.  Luckily, no one really came to blows, and only one person was ejected (that I saw).

I was able to get a lot of cards signed, and finished off all of what I had for the Mudcats.  The above 2021 Bowman Draft chrome mojo parallel of Eduardo Garcia is one I actually pulled myself, so it was nice to get it signed.

Several of the Mudcats have cards, and the signature I liked the most was Hendry Mendez on the 2022 Bowman First Edition.  He has a cool signature, and I was glad a fellow Instagrammer sent two, so I could get one signed.  He also sent several Hedbert Perez cards, one of which is the 2021 Bowman Draft Chrome shown above.

I ordered a Jeferson Quero Ray Wave parallel from Ebay, and it turned out great, even though Quero's signature looks like a bike.

My friend, Gerard, sent an assortment of Guilder Rodriguez cards, and I got a good many of them signed.  I have a bunch left, still, but those can be gotten over the course of the next few months.

I added a 2022 Bowman First Edition of Maximo Acosta, as well as his 2021 Bowman Chrome.  I also picked up a few Jose Rodriguez 2022 Bowman First Editions off of Ebay, so I could add him to the album.

Finally, Gerard ordered a few Dylan MacLeans to be delivered to the house, and they got here in time to be added to the book to get signed.  Dylan even liked the color parallel.

I had a good time this series, even with the jawing back and forth between the two teams.  It is a long season, and I think there will still be some animosity when the Mudcats come back to town.

In all, I got the following signatures this series:  Guilder Rodriguez x 14, Jeferson Quero x 28, Eduardo Garcia x 18, Leury Tejada x 6, Dylan MacLean x 11, Hendry Mendez x 2, Hedbert Perez x 11, Arbert Cipion x 6, Maximo Acosta x 8, Jose Rodriguez x 7 and Micah Bello x 1 (112 total signatures).

Graphing Recap - 2022 Wood Ducks Meet the Team Event

Happy Opening Day!  For some folks, at least.  Tomorrow, more teams will start, along with minor leagues.  The Wood Ducks start on the road at the Mudcats, so tonight, they had their "Meet the Team" event for season ticket holders.  It was a real nice time, even though they scaled it back due to the threat of rain (it didn't rain on us).  I was hoping for some free food.

This season, Maximo Acosta is the big prospect who is on the Wood Ducks roster, and I preemptively bought some nice Bowman Chrome parallels off of Ebay with a gift card that my wife got me for Christmas or my birthday (I can't remember how long I've had it).  The above 2021 Bowman Chrome Ray Wave refractor is just an awesome-looking card.  I got it for 5 bucks, and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

The black and white speckle parallel (top right) was another card I bought in a lot on Ebay.  The other two haven't been signed yet.

I was also able to add Dylan MacLean; he was in 2021 Topps Pro Debut and 2021 Heritage Minors.

Finally, my friend, Gerard, hooked me up with the pink chrome refractor of Guilder Rodriguez; I was also able to knock a couple Hickory team set cards out of new Wood Ducks coach, Justin Jacobs.

In all, Chris and I got 20 autographs.  This was a great way to kick off the season, and I hope they do this again.

TTM Success - Trevor May

I got some nice cards back TTM from Twins pitcher, Trevor May.  The above 2015 Topps Chrome turned out really well.  I like how the 2015 chromes look, especially when signed.

I also got a 2015 Panini Diamond King and a 2019 Topps Gary Vee's Top Entrepreneurs signed by May.

May (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2014 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020 for the Twins.  He has a career record of 23-21 with 367 strike outs and a 4.44 ERA.

I mailed to May on January 6, 2020, and got the cards back on November 5, 2020, for a 304-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rymer Liriano

A private signing with Rymer Liriano came up and I probably would have skipped on by it, except for the fact that I had this really nice green parallel from 2015 Topps Chrome.  I kept seeing it when I would go through my boxes, so I decided to go ahead and get it signed.  I had a 2015 Topps base of Liriano right behind the chrome in my box, so I sent that out, too.

Both cards look great, and will be added to my autograph album.  I haven't gotten a signed 2015 Topps back in a bit, so getting this one done was nice.

Liriano (b. 1991) played in the majors in 2014 and 2017 for the Padres and Mets.  He had 33 hits, 2 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to the signing on July 1 and got the cards back on August 6, for a 36-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10/card.

TTM Success - Adeiny Hechavarria

While most everyone on Instagram who does TTM goes after current players, I focus primarily on older retired players.  Still, I do like to send to current players from time to time.  I mailed to Adeiny Hechavarria when I sent out my first batch of spring training requests, but his address was actually a home address.  I had a few 2017 Topps mixed in with all of the spring training guys, and Hechavarria's is the first 2017 to come back.  I was happy to go ahead and knock off 2017 from my Topps Autograph project.  I know this will be an ongoing thing, knocking off a year when a new set comes out.  Kind of keeps the challenge going, really.

I wanted to include something else, so I thought this 2015 Topps Chrome would look nice, especially since it was a horizontal shot.  I wasn't disappointed at all when it came back.  It was treated with baby powder, and turned out great!

Hechavarria (b. 1989) has played in the majors since 2012.  He began his career with the Blue Jays in 2012 before being included in a trade for Mark Buehrle, John Buck, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes (and others).  He has 555 hits, 14 home runs and a .254 batting average so far in his career.

I mailed to Hechavarria on February 8 and got the cards back on February 16, for an 8-day TAT.

Jonathan Schoop Pickups From The National

A National Card Show wouldn't be complete without my picking up Jonathan Schoop cards dirt cheap.  I have continued to take advantage of him being grossly underrated, which is fine, since I can get some really nice stuff of his.

This year, I picked up some great parallels and a couple autos.  The above green refractor from 2015 Topps Chrome is numbered 7/99 and came out of a dollar box.  It was cheaper than a dollar because I got a bulk deal on it, so that made it even better.

This 2011 Bowman Platinum blue parallel was also in a dollar box.  Even worse, it was unsleeved, just floating around loose in the box.  It is numbered 9/199 and now resides in a penny sleeve and top loader.

This 2014 Bowman Chrome Mini blue parallel is numbered 112/250.  It was ALSO in a dollar box and was floating around loose.

I don't remember what I paid for this 2011 Leaf Valiant Schoop auto, but I believe it was in a $5.00 box.  Not too bad for a nice auto.  This is a cool-looking card that definitely looks better in person.  It didn't scan all that well.

Finally, here is a nice 2014 Tier One auto numbered 211/399 that was priced at $7.00, but I got cheaper since it, too, was part of a bulk deal.  I need to sit down and count how many Schoop autos I have.  I'm sure I have a bunch now.

Schoop is having a great season for the Orioles. batting .282 with 20 homers through 127 games.  He has been a solid piece for the Orioles and could very well top out at more than 30 home runs this year.  I believe Schoop will have a few big moments for the O's down the stretch.

Set Pickups From The National

I didn't have a lot of time for box searching at the National like I had hoped, but I did get a few cards to help with some sets I have been working on.  I was disappointed that no sellers seemed to have any 2015 Stadium Club cards, but I knocked out 5 1969 Topps cards for the set, all big names.  The above Frank Robinson was actually on my Top Ten Wishlist, so I was able to cross a card off of that as well.

The other guys I got were Red Schoendienst, Ron Santo, Gaylord Perry and Jim Kaat.  We also walked into the show with Frank Robinson on Friday.  That was really cool.

I also knocked off all of the 2015 Topps Chrome cards that I needed, except for four short prints.  I need to get those from Ebay, I guess.  I nabbed 28 cards that I needed.  I wish I had been able to finish the whole set, but oh well, I'm really close.  I'll probably hit Sportlots and Ebay to finish Chrome and Stadium Club.

More Pickups From the Card Show

I got a bunch of deals while at the show this past weekend, and added a few nice cards to my collection.

I got the above 1975 Topps Mini Brooks Robinson for my PC.  Thing is, I thought I had this already, but I can't seem to find it.  So, for $5, I grabbed this one while walking around Sunday at the show.

Right after I picked up the Brooks, I kept walking and checked out another table nearby.  I saw that he had this Chance Sisco gold mini shimmer from 2015 Bowman.  This one is numbered 20/50 and looks really cool.  The vendor really needed to put his glasses on, though, because he kept telling me it was Christian Walker on the card.  I didn't want to be rude, but I did correct him, because I felt like he was about to charge extra because it was Walker.  I ended up getting this for $5, though.

The vendor next to me had a nice box of recent stuff and parallels that I went through a little later when I was bored.  I found a few cards for friends of mine, and this Adam Jones for myself.  I had been tipped off by my friend, Tim.  This Adam Jones black refractor from 2014 chrome is numbered 80/100.

Finally, I got this card from Tim, himself.  He had gone through a dime box and rescued this purple JJ Hardy for me.  It is numbered 55/250.

I feel like I did really well at this past show.  I sold a decent amount of stuff, and have enough to carry over to the one day Easter show, if I'm able to attend that one.  I also bought some nice stuff, but didn't break the bank.  I wish I could say that for every show that I go to, though.

Julie Sends the First Holiday Package of the Year

I got my first holiday care package of the season in the other day from Julie.  She writes the fantastic blog "A Cracked Bat".  She was nice enough to include some really good cards.  The above Zach Britton relic from 2015 Topps Update was a nice addition to the collection.  The Orioles were kind of a middling team this past season,  but they still had 4 all stars.  Not bad!

I need to see if the other All Stars have relics.  Those would be nice cards to pick up.

Julie included this base auto from 2015 Chrome of Christian Walker.  I need to try to get the color parallels of Walker's 2015 autos, but that is something I will do later on.  Walker is a good player, but I would be completely ok with him playing this season at AAA Norfolk.  Especially if that means that Chris Davis will be coming back.  Come on guys, sign the man!

Finally, Julie sent me this really nice insert from 2015 Topps of Jason Johnson.  Johnson doesn't have a whole lot of cards these days.  He is significant for me because he was the first ever player I got an auto of IP.  He was really nice at the time, and I always hoped that he would pitch well for the O's.

Thank you so much for the care package, Julie!  I really appreciate it!

Instagram Trade With Dylan

I completed a trade recently with my friend, Dylan from Virginia when I sent him a Rafael Devers auto that I pulled from a pack of 2015 Contenders baseball.  In return, he hooked me up with this really nice Rickey rookie.  I had an extra one of these before, but traded it away.  This one is in much better shape, even though it didn't scan all that great.

Dylan sweetend the deal with this 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker pink refractor.  This is a nice card to see in person.  I found it a bit odd that it wasn't serial numbered.  I thought for sure that the pink parallels were numbered.  Oh well.  It is still a nice card.

Finally, Dylan surprised me with this Cal Ripken standups card from 1985 Donruss-Leaf.  It is an '85 All Stars standup, and as you can see, it features Cal inside the Hubert H, Humphrey Metrodome.  I don't think I had this in my collection until now.  I think I would know, especially since this is an elongated card, and it would stand out.

Thanks so much for the trade, Dylan!

Card Shop Pickup - 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker Refractor Auto

Jacob at the card shop had a card for me when I went to the card shop this past weekend.  I was happy to see that it was this 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker refractor auto.  The refractors from Topps Chrome look really cool.  This one is numbered 100/499.  I think I am going to try to get more of these color parallels from 2015 Topps Chrome.  They just look cool.  I wish more Orioles were in the set (cough cough Chris Davis cough cough).

Jacob gave me a pretty good price on the card; it was a bit of an over pay, but it was more of helping a guy out than anything else, which I am fine with.

Jonathan Schoop Pickups From an Instagram Trade

I was browsing Instagram recently when I saw that a guy had a collection of Jonathan Schoop cards posted for a really good price.  He wanted $30 for three cards, with one that really caught my eye. The above 2015 Topps 2014 Post Season patch is just a really cool card.  The relic cards themselves are tough to pull, so a patch card is doubly so.  I bought one at The National for $25, so getting this, plus extras for $30 was a no-brainer.

The patch card is numbered 41/100, and is really sharp.  I'm holding out hope that the O's can pull out a miracle this season.  Hey, stranger things have happened, right?

This is my first and only Sepia parallel from 2015 Chrome.  I was glad that he had this, because I always enjoy the Sepia parallels.  I hate that they are not numbered this year, but oh well, they're still nice.

Finally, another awesome card was this 2015 Topps Chrome gold parallel numbered 38/50.  I don't know if I am going to pursue the Schoop rainbow, but if I do, I have a good head start.  Again, I wish Chris Davis was in 2015 Chrome, but oh well.  Schoop is a heck of a player, and I am glad to add these to my collection.

The guy I got all of these from is lukescards13, and according to him, I was his very first Instagram deal.  I was happy to help him with a positive experience, and I hope that he continues collecting.

Instagram Deal With Nick - 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker Auto

Is the 2015 trainwreck season over yet?  Holy balls, it has been brutal.  I don't see it getting any better, either, with Chris Davis being represented by Scott Boras.  I don't have any good feelings that the Orioles will grow a pair and actually sign him.

So, I guess I need to embrace the next first baseman in the minors, Christian Walker.  I actually do like Walker, having seen him in his days as a Gamecock.  I went to a few Cocks games with my younger brother who lives in South Carolina, so that gives me a good reason to follow him.

I got this 2015 Topps Chrome RC auto off of Instagram in a trade with a nice kid named Nick that I have traded with before.  We did a straight-up trade for Chrome autos.  I sent him a Corey Spangenburg auto for this Christian Walker.  Not bad at all.

Walker has had a pretty decent season at AAA Norfolk.  The playoff-bound Tides have benefited from a surging Walker.  He has 18 home runs, 136 hits and a .257 batting average this season.  From what I understand, offense comes at a premium at Harbor Park, so Walker's numbers are actually pretty good.  It looks like he will the the O's starting first baseman next year, so I need to start getting excited, right?  Mehhh, maybe in November I will be feeling it.  I'm not at this moment in time, though.  May just put a bag over my head for a while.

Thanks for the deal, Nick.  I do appreciate it.

An Amazing Pull From 2015 Topps Chrome

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled series of posts about what I got at the National to show what I pulled yesterday out of 2015 Topps Chrome.  I got a jumbo box in the mail from my supplier and busted it right before dinner last night.

I was very excited to pull this purple refractor of Kris Bryant that is numbered 211/250.  The card is amazing, no way around it.  I would normally keep something like this, but I already have a buyer lined up, and I doubt I would let it go to anyone else.

Still, though, this was a really awesome pull, and the box I bought it paid off and then some by just one card.  I wish I could be this lucky all the time.