Another TTM Success From Chris Hoiles

Another TTM success from former Oriole, Chris Hoiles came in recently that put some really nice cards into my album. The above 1994 Fleer Ultra All Star card is a great looking card.

I also got a 1998 Topps, 1995 Upper Deck SP and a 1997 Score foil signed.  The SP has the one-off gray Orioles hat that they wore for only one season.  I had one of them then, but it is somewhere at my parents house.  I'd like to find it some day.

I mailed to Hoiles on October 24 and got the cards back on January 8, for a 76-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Hoiles

This 1994 Triple Play Medalists card has kind of become an old friend, as far as signed cards go.  I worked to get the card filled with autographs, and finally finished it when I saw a private signing with Chris Hoiles pop up.

I didn't think it would take long to fill the card, then the Orioles canned Fan Fest... Then COVID happened.  I figured Hoiles would be an easy signature.

So, I waited and finally, a private signing came up.  I sent the medalists card, as well as this 1991 Crown Orioles.  Both look great, and I can finally let that medalists card rest in my album.  Now, I just need to figure out which album I took it out of in the first place.

Hoiles (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 to 1998, all for the Orioles.  He had 739 hits, 151 home runs and a .262 batting average.  He finished 16th in the 1993 AL MVP race.

I mailed to the signing on January 2 and got the cards back on March 1, for a 58-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $24.00.

Lots of Mail From Drew

I got a huge package in the mail from my very good friend and long-time trading partner, Drew, the other day.  The package consisted of the stacks of cards that can be seen above.  Most of it was just Drew clearing out space on his card desk, but there were quite a few hidden gems inside as well.

First up is this 1967 Wally Bunker.  I'm warming up to '67.  I used to think it was boring (and it still kinda is) but it is a good, almost iconic set.  Stripped down, raw, and simplistic, the set does have its merits.  Add in the fact that I own the Mantle, I think I could grown to like it even more as other Hall of Famers out of this set join my collection

Here is a Chris Davis card that Drew included.  I'm pretty sure I didn't already have it, but I need to consult my Davis PC and see.  I know I had it in my set (duh) but I really don't remember buying it when I went on my COMC bender a while back.

I really like this 1961 Orioles team card.  Drew has been working on the 1961 Topps set for some time now. I really hope he finishes it because it is a good one and he is well on his way!

Look at this young buck, er I mean young Buck.  A 2005 Topps gold parallel Buck Showalter.  I actually do have a Showalter PC.  He has quickly grown into my favorite Orioles manager, since I don't remember the days of Earl Weaver.

Finally, I just thought this Score Chris Hoiles card was awesome.  I'm especially please about how it scanned.  I mean, look at it, it looks amazing!  The card really looks like it could have come out this year.

So, thanks for all of the cards, Drew!  You know you'll have some stuff coming from me shortly!

Box Busting - 1994 Topps Series 2

Chris and I were bored this weekend (I think Saturday night) and decided to bust a box of cards that I had stashed away in the closet.  I have a couple boxes of 90s 'junk wax' sitting around so we chose 1994 Topps as the product that we were going to bust.

I had forgotten how sharp 1994 Topps looked.  Card collecting took a major hit following the 1994 season, when baseball went on strike.  The year before, Topps released the 1993 set, a behemoth of 825 cards, but slimmed back down to the 80s-90s standard of 792 cards.

There are some good action shots in the set.  I think my favorite that made me stop and look was the above Roberto Alomar card, turning a double play on his brother Sandy.  I just like the concept of the photo.

This is a great shot of Jim Thome possibly blasting a homer.  Who would have thought back in 1994 that Thome would have over 600 homers to his name?

 We got some pretty decent inserts.  In 1994, Topps Finest was an insert set, inserted one into every 36 packs.  The cool thing was that we pulled an Oriole.  It would have been nice if it was Cal, but I will take a Chris Hoiles.

We were also lucky enough to pull a Black Gold Tom Glavine (which is up for trade).  These were one for every 81 packs (or so, I have already thrown out my wrappers).

In all, we did pretty well with our box.  Lots of good photos and a couple decent inserts.  Chris had a good time with it, so that really is all that matters.  I think I'm going to be on the lookout for some more cheap 'junk wax' boxes that he and I can bust together.

My Son Gave Me Some Minor League Cards

At our last card show in December, as we were leaving on the final day, one of the few vendors remaining gave my son a box of minor league cards from the early 90s.

Chris and I weren't expecting much, as many of the packs had been busted.  Several had been opened, so I figured that whomever had the box got the card they wanted out of the box and left the rest to anyone who took it.  I was surprised at some of the cards that Chris and I pulled.

The card that I thought would definitely be gone was, in fact, in one of the unopened packs.  Here, you see a minor league card of Big Hurt.  Frank Thomas is a definite Hall of Famer, and pulling this card from a pack was a nice surprise for Chris and I.  Well, more for me, because Chris didn't know who Frank Thomas was.

 Another good card was this Jeff Bagwell.  Like Frank Thomas, I think it is a matter of time before Bagwell gets into the Hall.  Many people forget that he was once a Red Sox prospect.

 I got a couple Orioles, the highlight being this Chris Hoiles card.  I have met Hoiles on several different occasions and he has always been awesome.

Another former Oriole is Curt Schilling.  Another possible Hall of Famer, too.  I wonder how Schilling's career would have gone if he had remained an Oriole instead of being shipped to the Astros in the ill-fated Glenn Davis trade.  Yuck.

So, I will put these cards aside to one day give back to Chris.  They were a nice product to open a while ago on a rainy Sunday.  He sure enjoyed it.

Mail Day: Jason Lives

Hooray for another awesomely bad sequel title to my mail Day posts...

I got a sweet package in the mail yesterday from Chris over at On Card Autos
He is still pretty stoked about the Nomars I sent him. They were pretty sweet, I do admit, b ut I was definitely pleasantly surprised at the amount of cards I got in return. I have scanned a few of them and they are featured below:

First, this Starquest NICK THE STICK!!! A very pretty card. I enjoy it highly.
Hey look, an Orioles minor leaguer that we will be hearing about once Brandon Snyder and Josh Bell get called up, Xavie Avery. I believe he was taken the same year as Wieters, but I could be mistaken. It has been a while, but from what I understand, he is going to be quite good.

Ahhh another O's prospect. L.J. Hoes. I think he was picked in 2008, the same year as Brian Matusz. I remember a time when the Os minor league system was as bare as the top of Stone Cold Steve Austin's head. Now, they have some legitimate prospects. It sure makes watching them exciting!!

I love the old school factor of this Chris Hoiles card. Gotta love the Sportflics cards... actually, no you don't. If these cards got any heat to them, they would curl up. Lame. THis is a great looking card though, and it is in a top loader to keep it from curling up on me.

An Evening With Brooks

Well, here it is, my super duper special blog I have been hinting at for quite some time...

My brother Andy and I drove from Greenville to Baltimore yesterday, October 26, 2009 to attend 'An Evening With Brooks' at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. We parked at a parking deck in downtown Baltimore that I am familiar with and decided to walk until a cab came by that we could hail (one never did). I had no clue where the site was exactly, but we had plenty of time and were enjoying the walk. We took a turn here and a turn there and found that we were right outside the symphony hall (completely by accident).

We hung around in the lobby for something like 5 minutes and looked outside to see an older gentleman get out of a car; It was Brooks!!!

Andy and I went outside and greeted Brooks, who was very cordial, he greeted us with a 'Hi, how are you doing?', shook my hand and offered to have a picture with me (which was the SOLE mission I was on).

The event was to honor Brooks Robinson and to raise money for The Babe Ruth Museum and Prostate Cancer Research. We purchased tickets for the event, and paid the additional fee to attend the pre event cocktail hour where we were told we would be able to interact with many of the evenings guests and Brooks himself.

We were disappointed when we learned that there were 2 'VIP' sections, on for the people who paid to get into the cocktail hour, and another for ACTUAL VIPS (Brooks, Cal Ripken, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell, etc). We were told that the real VIPS would come down and interact with us, but it didn't really happen. I believe this was mainly because they solg out the event and had not planned on that many people attending.

We did, however, meet, and see a few dignitaries. I was shoulder bumped by Earl Weaver as he walked to the elevator to go the the VIP level. I was so in shock when I realized who it was, I wasn't able to get my camera out.

Cal didn't arrive to the event until it started, and left once his speech was complete... This was probably a good thing as well because he would have been mobbed...

We did have chances to talk to and hove pictures made with Chris Hoiles, the Orioles catcher from the 90's and Tippy Martinez, a reliever from the O's 1983 World Series Championship team.

After the ceremony, we were able to meet with Brooks himself, have our programs signed, and pose for pictures. I was able to get Andy a picture with Brooks this time, since I was unable to do it before hand (I was in complete and utter awe...).

Below are some more pictures from the evening. The ones from our seats didn't take all that well, but I don't care. Brooks and Cal together during Cal's speech. Three of the dignitaries got standing ovations from the 2,000+ crowd, Brooks, Cal, and Earl Weaver.

I'm standing with former O's reliever and World Series Champion Tippy Martinez.

My brother Andy with Chris Hoiles. I attended the game in Baltimore when he was inducted into the O's Hall Of Fame.

We were very happy to be able to attend the event and take part in a ceremony honoring the greatest 3rd baseman of all time; the gold standard by which all other 3rd basemen are measured. He was as nice as everyone has always said he was, and I am still in disbelief that I actually got the chance to meet him and have my photo taken with him.

Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did writing it up.