TTM Success - Jeff Fassero

This was the last TTM success in my "to be blogged" pile before I left on my trip.  I had sat on Jeff Fassero cards for a while because he is an in-season signer with the Louisville Bats.  So, I finally got the cards mailed out, and here is what I got back.

I love 1997 Fleer Metal.  I have seen some really cool designs with this set, and I have gotten a few of them signed.  The card looks a lot better in person, however.

Here are the other cards that I got signed.  I added one Topps, a 1995, to my Topps Autograph Project.  I, thern, used the opportunity to add a few other sets to the album.

Fassero (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1991 to 2006 for the Expos, Mariners, Rangers, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Giants.  He had a career record of 121-124 with an ERA of 4.11 and 1,643 strike outs.  He finished 9th in the 1996 NL Cy Young Award voting, his only appearance on the ballot.

I mailed to Fassero via the Louisville Bats on May 2 and got the cards back on May 15, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Goltz

My TTM success stack has dwindled down to just a few players, now.  I have gotten fewer and fewer successes back, mainly due to my sending to more difficult-to-obtain signatures, and a gap in sending once the season started.  Still, I have a few more to go, before I am all caught up, then maybe I can show off some recent trades and EBay pickups.  I also have something non-baseball related for tonight, but we will see how time shakes out this evening.

I was able to get several Topps cards signed by former pitcher, Dave Goltz.  I wanted to add another 1973 Topps to the album, and did so, along with a 75, 78, 80 and 82.  Not too bad!

Goltz (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1972 to 1983 for the Twins, Dodgers and Angels.  He had a career record of 113-109 with 1,105 strike outs and an ERA of 3.69.  He was a 20-game winner in 1977 and finished 6th in the AL Cy Young Award voting.  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981.

I mailed to Goltz on April 24 and got the cards back on May 15 for a 21-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe Nathan

I was really excited to add this success to my autograph binder from Joe Nathan.  Especially so, since I was able to get signed one of the limited edition 2015 Topps minis that my good friend, Ryan, gave me.  You can't tell from the scan, but it is a mini.  It turned out really nice, I think.

I also was able to get the 2007 Topps and 2012 Topps signed to help add a couple more recent Topps cards to the ledger.  I have noticed that it is a lot harder for me to get more recent guys to sign TTM, thus leaving me with a lot fewer autographs on cards from 1999 to 2017.  I'm working on adding more, though.

Finally, his 2009 Topps Update turned out really well.  I like the All Star logo on the card.  The only drawback is that the foil doesn't show up really well in the scan.

Nathan (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1999 to 2000, 2002 to 2009 and 2011 to 2016 for the Giants, Twins, Rangers, Tigers and Cubs.  He has a career record of 64-34 with an ERA of 2.87 and 976 strike outs.  His 377 saves rank 8th all-time.  He was an All Star 6 times (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013) and finished 4th in the 2004 AL Cy Young voting (his best finish).  He also has finished 12th on the AL MVP voting (also 2004).  He is currently in the Nationals' system with the Syracuse Chiefs.

I mailed to Nathan on May 3 via the Syracuse Chiefs and got the cards back on May 13, for a 10-day TAT.

I also want to take a moment and change the subject away from baseball.  I am a huge Pearl Jam fan, so today's news of the passing of Chris Cornell cuts me really deeply.  I have listened to Call me a Dog from his acoustic album called Songbook (originally recorded with Temple of the Dog as a tribute to the passing of his close friend, Andrew Wood) at least 5 times already this morning.  You never know what someone is going through, so please, take the time to tell those close to you what they mean to you.  They may be gone tomorrow. #RIPChrisCornell

TTM Success - David Nied

I added some more cool cards to my album when I got these back from former pitcher, Davis Nied.  A lot of folks like cards with pitchers batting, so I thought this would be a cool one to send off.

I have very few 1994 Topps in my binder, so I made sure that this one went along with the TTM request.  It turned out pretty nice.

Here are the other mid-90s cards that I got back.  I do like seeing the Score Gold Rush cards come back signed.  1995 Score might have been one of my favorite sets from the 1990s.

Nied (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1992 to 1996 for the Braves and Rockies.  He had a career record of 17-18 with 146 strike outs and an ERA of 5.06.

I mailed to Nied on May 2 and got the cards back on May 13, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Denny Walling

I added a bunch of cards that had been sitting in my TTM box for quite a long time with this success from Denny Walling.  They were near the back of the box behind a otn of other players, so I finally decided to send them out.

I added 6 Topps cards to my autograph list, upping the totals for some sets that I have a bunch of.  I also added a bunch that had some really cool Astros jerseys like the 1986 and 1981 above.

Walling (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1975 to 1992 for the A's, Astros, Cardinals and Rangers.  He had 799 hits, 49 home runs and a .271 batting average.

I mailed to Walling on May 2 and got the cards back on May 13, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe Morgan

I received a TTM success from Joe Morgan (not the Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan - more on him later) recently on a couple nice cards.  The above 1960 Topps was in my vintage box, and turned out pretty nice.  You can see that the photo was taken at Yankee Stadium.  The old Yankee Stadium, that is.

This 1990 Topps is also pretty cool, 30 years after the 1960.  Funny how much the cards changed.  By this time, Morgan was a manager for the Red Sox.

Morgan (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1959 to 1961 and 1964 for the Braves (Milwaukee), A's (Kansas City), Phillies, Indians and Cardinals.  He had 36 hits, 2 home runs and a .193 batting average.

He managed in the majors from 1988 to 1991 for the Red Sox.  His career managerial record was 301-262 (.535 winning %).

I mailed to Morgan on May 4 and got the cards back on May 12, for an 8-day TAT.

That Joe Morgan is not to be confused with this Joe Morgan, the Hall of Fame second baseman for the Big Red Machine.  I did send a photo to the Hall of Fame a while back and got it signed for Chris.  I need to get it in a frame for him, but I figured now was as good a time as any to post it here.

TTM Success - Casey Blake

I added some more recent cards to the bunder with this success from Casey Blake.  I didn't have any trouble finding his cards, as I had quite a few to choose from.  This 2008 Topps was a nice one to add to the Topps Autograph Project.  I like that it is a horizontal card, even though there isn't much to the background of the photo.

These two cards were some really cool ones to get signed.  I like the 1962 Topps design on the 2011 Heritage.  I didn't have any signed 2010 Topps Attax, so this one is pretty cool.

Finally, I added two Topps cards to my ledger.  These ae two sets of Topps that I have very few of, so getting these really helps.

Blake (b. 1973) played in the majors from 1999 to 2011 for the Blue Jays, Twins, Orioles, Indians and Dodgers.  He had 1,186 hits, 167 home runs and .264 batting average.  His time with the Orioles lasted 6 games during the 2001 season when he was a waiver claim from the Twins.  After that season, he was placed on waivers and the Twins picked him up again.

I mailed to Blake on February 20 and got the cards back on May 12, for an 81-day TAT.