TTM Success - Bobby Doerr, Again

While I was looking for cards to send out for TTM, I found some more of one of the best all-time TTM signers, Bobby Doerr.  Doerr, at 97 years old (he will be 98 on April 7), is the oldest living Hall of Famer and the last surviving player to have played in the 1930s.  I mailed this 2008 UD Goudey to him on March 4 and got the card back on March 24, for a 20-day TAT.

Doerr (b. 1918) played in the majors from 1937 to 1944 and 1946 to 1951 for the Boston Red Sox.  He had 2,042 hits, 223 home runs and a lifetime .288 batting average in an era when second basemen were not known to have pop in their bat.

Doerr was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986 by the Veterans Committee.  I probably won't send to Doerr any more, since I have gotten him a few times now.  However, if any of you are even considering sending TTM to get autographs, I highly recommend trying Doerr.  He was the first ever TTM success I got, thanks to a suggestion from my buddy, Drew.  You can read about it, here.

Top Ten Wishlist Pickup - 1948 Leaf Bobby Doerr

I picked up a card from my top ten wishlist recently when I got this 1948 Leaf Bobby Doerr from Ebay.  I have been wanting one of these for a while; I really like the coloring of the cards.  This makes the second 1948 Leaf that I have, my Virgil Trucks RC being the first.

I believe this is the only card I have of Doerr from his playing days.  Doerr is the last living player who had played in the 1930s.  I've had a few people tell me that I should send this TTM to Doerr, but I have gotten him a few times, and I would really like to keep this card as is.

You can see that there are a few creases, but they don't take anything away from the card at all.  The back is clean as well.

I've done a good job so far working on my goal for this year.  I've now knocked off three cards from my top 10 wishlist.  Hopefully, I will be able to grab a few more of them at the National Card Show in July.

Thoughts on 1986 Donruss Highlights

I didn't get any mail today, so I thought I would put down some thoughts on an old box of cards I found in my collection.

I have had this box of 1986 Donruss Highlights for around 20 years.  I remember when I got it, it was worth quite a bit due to the Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens cards included.   Heh.  Little did we know...

Yes, when I bought it, I paid $14.00.  Probably worth around $5.00 now.  Oh well. 

 The first thing you see when you open the box is this Hank Aaron puzzle.  It is really cool, I think.

 Something really cool in this set is that they showed the players who were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.  I think this is something that should be featured each year.  Above is one of the best TTM signers around, Bobby Doerr.

Here is another '86 inductee, Ernie Lombardi.  I wrote a post last year on Lombardi.  You can check it out here.

The last Hall of Famer featured is Willie McCovey.  I need to get more McCovey stuff.

Bo Knows

 

So, I really like the design of the cards.  There are a bunch of good players in the set.  The set is 55 cards featuring highlights of the 1986 season.  From record setting performances to individual milestones to players of the month for AL and NL for each month of the 1986 season.  Not too bad.

POST NUMBER 500!!!!! (Or, Great Moments in Foul Bunt History)

Hooray! Foul Bunt has made it to another milestone!! 500 Posts! Wooooo.
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Let's take a look back and remember some great moments in Foul Bunt history...

• On November 16, 2008, Foul Bunt opened it's doors. You can read the post here. I chose the name Foul Bunt because I figured the blog would be pretty lame and a foul bunt was one of the lamest things you could do in baseball. Apparently, 80 followers later, my blog isn't as lame as I thought it would be.
• On December 14, 2008, I discussed my best pull ever (up to that time, of course). A 1960 Topps Stan Musial out of a shoebox bought off of Ebay. Read it here.
• On December 31, 2008, I got my 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson card. Read the post here. I also posted the Robinson while counting my 1955 set. That post (here) became my most viewed post yesterday (February 8, 2011), according to my handy dandy stats page.
• On February 1, 2009, I got the Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps rookie card in the mail. Check it out here.
• On May 31, 2009, I demonstrated the perils of alcohol and ebay after I had a couple beverages and bid on (and won) a 1955 Topps Phil Rizzuto.
• On July 3, 2009, Max and I demonstrate that it is not a good idea to try the gum found in 1988 Topps wax packs. Make sure you watch the video. Check it here.
• On July 24, 2009, I completed my first trade with Drew. Who knew that we'd become such good friends since then. Read the post here.
• I said earlier that my 1955 Jackie Robinson post had become my most viewed post. The previous champ that had held the record since google started keeping track in June was my September 22, 2009 post on meeting Bryce Harper.
• On October 27, 2009, I posted one of my most memorable posts, when I met Brooks Robinson in person. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I'm glad I was able to share it with all of you here.
• On December 19, 2009, I completed the 1955 Topps set. One of my greatest card accomplishments ever.
• On May 2, 2010, I got my first TTM signed ball - Bobby Doerr. I've done pretty well with TTMs since then, but Doerr was the first.
• On June 11, 2010, I met Nolan Reimold in person. I was working at a site close to Norfolk and my boss allowed me to stay there overnight. I went to two games at Harbor Park and met Nolan outside the clubhouse. He was a really nice guy and I hope that he can finally put injuries behind him and become the great player that I know he is.
• On July 29, 2010, I met MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. I read Roch's blog every day (multiple times a day). It was awesome to meet him in person and talk about baseball for a while.
• On October 1, 2010, I started my daily listing of 1955 Topps cards. It has become a nice feature of my blog. I wonder what I'm going to do when I finish posting the set. Read the post here.
• On November 8, 2010, I posted probably my greatest TTM success. That of Virgil Trucks. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am now a huge fan of Trucks, but this post is what started it all.
• On December 15, 2010, I posted on the huge loss of Bob Feller. I was really upset when he passed, I sure would have loved to meet him in person. You can read the post here.
• Finally, one of the coolest things to ever happen to me was being able to conduct an interview with the great Virgil Trucks. You can remind yourself here. I'm still amazed that I was afforded the opportunity.

So, there you have it. A much bigger recap post than I thought I'd do. I hope everyone has enjoyed everything. I've really enjoyed it and I hope that I can keep it up! Thanks everyone. Click the links and enjoy some nostalgia!

Bobby Doerr Through The Mail Success

Oh man. Let me tell you, I had an awesome weekend. We got my whole family together in one place (which is a rarity), Max was able to come along (which meant a lot to me), the Orioles swept the Red Sox, and when I got home, I had some mail waiting for me.

Bobby Doerr autographed baseball TTM success. Doerr was a 9-time all star second baseman for the Red Sox from 1937-1951. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1986.

Upon receipt of this ball, I now have autographed baseballs from the three oldest living hall of famers in Stan Musial, Bobby Doerr and Bob Feller.

I sent the ball off on April 23 and it came in the mail yesterday, meaning it had a turn around time of 8 days. Not bad at all!!