TTM Success - Bruce Look

I am rarely able to add 1969 Topps cards to my album, mainly because I am still working on the set.  I know I say every year that I will complete the set, but sadly, I am still plugging along with it.  One of these days I will finish it, and will be able to move on to other sets, but who knows when that will be.

So, that being said, here is a TTM success I received from Bruce Look.  I think this card was extra out of a batch of cards I had picked up for my set.  This means that I had this on my list, but forgot to cross it off when I got one, making me have to re-purchase the card.  I hate when I do that, but it was cool because it gave me a card to send out for TTM.

Look (b. 1943) played for the Twins in 1968, his only season in the majors.  He had 29 hits, no home runs and a .246 batting average.

I mailed to Look on May 11 and got the card back on October 13, for a 155-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Rader

Here are some cards from the 1970s that turned out really nice, in this success from Dave Rader.  The above 1976 Topps is a really cool card, with him showing off the bat.

I liked the 1977 Topps on the right, since it is an obvious airbrush card.  Some of those are historically bad, but this one it pretty decent.  The 1974 Topps on the left turned out really nice, as well.

Rader (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1971 to 1980 for the Giants, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies and Red Sox.  He was a first round pick (18th overall) by the Giants in the 1967 June amateur draft out of high school.  He had 619 hits, 30 home runs and a .257 batting average.  He finished second in the 1972 NL Rookie of the Year voting to Jon Matlack.  He is not related to former player and manager, Doug Rader.

I mailed to Rader on September 2 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 38-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joe Sambito

Here is a TTM success that shows off one of the most outrageous uniforms of all time, the 1970s Astros uniform.  This 1979 Topps of Joe Sambito really shows off the colorful Astros jersey.  You would think their hats would be equally as outrageous (something like the Pirates pillbox caps of that era come to mind), but their hats are pretty low key compared to the jerseys.

These later 80s cards show Sambito in less flashy uniforms.  Still, they are nice cards, and Sambito has a really nice signature.

Sambito (b. 1952) played in the majors from 1976 to 1982 and 1984 to 1987 for the Astros, Mets and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 37-38 with an ERA of 3.03 and 489 strike outs.  He was an All Star in 1979, the only season in which he received NL MVP votes (he finished 21st).  He received votes for the Cy Young Award in 1980, where he finished 5th (NL).

I mailed to Sambito on September 28 and got the cards back on October 6, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Eli Whiteside

I always enjoy obtaining an autograph of a former Oriole, no matter how obscure the player.  I had a couple Eli Whiteside cards in my box, so I figured I would take a shot at sending to him via the Giants this season.  Luckily, I got two of the three cards back that I sent, and they turned out really nicely.  I love the above 2003 Topps Chrome.  This is a really pretty set, and the card looks great in person.

I had two of these 2012 Topps of Whiteside, so I went ahead and sent them both.  He kept one of the cards, which is fine.

Whiteside (b. 1979) played in the majors in 2005, 2009 to 2012 and 2014 for the Orioles, Giants and Cubs.  He had 108 hits, 10 home runs and a .210 batting average.  He was on the Giants teams that won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, but he did not appear in those post seasons.  He is now the bullpen catcher for the Giants.

I mailed to Whiteside via the Giants Spring Training on February 23 and got the cards back on October 5, for a 224-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ron Cey

I sat on my Ron Cey cards for a long time, mainly because I thought I had seen that he charged a fee.  I looked again recently and saw that he would sign up to 2 cards for free, so I went ahead and sent off the two 1987 Topps cards that he is on.

I was disappointed when this one came back smudged, since I had already gotten it signed in person by Steve Trout at the National.  I'm going to keep it as is, though, and not try to replace it.

Cey (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1971 to 1987 for the Dodgers, Cubs and A's.  He had 1,868 hits, 316 home runs and a .261 batting average.  He was an All Star six seasons in a row from 1974 to 1979 and finished as high as 8th for the NL MVP Award (1977).  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981.

Cey appeared on the 1993 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 1.9% of the vote.

I mailed to Cey on September 25 and got the cards back on October 5, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rich Bordi

Here is another former Oriole that I was able to get TTM in Rich Bordi.  I like this 1987 Fleer that I got back, since it really matches with the blue Sharpie that Bordi signed with.

I also added some nice Topps cards, especially the 1986 Topps Traded Orioles card.  They all turned out really well.

Bordi (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1980 to 1988 for the A's, Mariners, Cubs, Yankees and Orioles.  He had a career record of 20-20 with a 4.34 ERA and 247 strike outs.

I mailed to Bordi on September 19 and got the cards back on October 5, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Whitey Herzog

In my quest to add more signed cards to my 1987 set, I spent a little money to add some bigger names.  One of those was Hall of Fame manager, Whitey Herzog.  He charged $5/card, which I gladly sent along.  I went ahead and sent the above 1986 Topps so I could add another card to my album.

Here is the 1987 that I sent, and it turned out really nice.

Herzog (b. 1931) played in the majors from 1956 to 1963 for the Senators, A's (Kansas City), Orioles and Tigers.  He had 414 hits, 25 home runs and a .257 batting average. 

Herzog managed in the majors from 1973 to 1990 for the Rangers, Angels, Royals and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 1,281 - 1,125 (.532%).  He won the NL pennant three times with the Cardinals (1982, 1985 and 1987) and won the World Series in 1982.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010 by the Veterans Committee.

I mailed to Herzog on September 25 and got the cards back on October 2, for a 7-day TAT.