TTM Success - Shawn Barton

1993 Topps is a huge set.  Checking in at 825 cards, it is the largest Topps issue.  The set is a bit boring, but I try to add them to the autograph album when I can.  This signed Shawn Barton card came back signed TTM recently.  It turned out nicely.

Barton (b. 1963) played in the majors in 1992, 1995 and 1996 for the Mariners.and Giants.  He had a record of 4-2 with 29 strike outs and a 4.71 ERA.

I mailed to Barton on November 26 and got the card back on December 10 for a 14-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Sid Fernandez

When I saw that Sid Fernandez was signing TTM, I scrambled to find some cards and sent them out.  I had gotten him on his 87 Topps via a private signing, so this time I took what I could find in a pinch.  The above 1994 Score Rookie and Traded card covers Fernandez's time as an Oriole, which was fine with me.

I found these two Topps cards (a 1993 and a 1994 Gold parallel) next, then gave up the search.

I was glad to get a few of his cards in the autograph album, since he seemed to be tougher in the past.

I mailed to Fernandez on November 23 and got the cards back on December 6 for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Shane Turner

The above 1992 Donruss The Rookies card of Shane Turner came out of a pack of cards that Mom got me a long time ago.  I held it for a while and finally sent it out TTM.  It's a cool looking card, and now resides in the autograph album. 

I also foind this 1993 Topps of Turner and sent it along.

Turner (b. 1963) turned 62 today.  He played in the majors in 1988, 1991 and 1992 for the Phillies, Orioles and Brewers.  He had 28 hits, no home runs and a .236 batting average. 

I mailed to Turner on October 16 and got the cards back on November 21 for a 36-day TAT.

2024 National Free Signer - Carlos Baerga

The free signers from the National are finally winding down, with just a few more to go.  This one was with Carlos Baerga, who I had gotten TTM back in 2017.

I had this really nice 1998 Fleer Metal that was the main card I wanted to get signed. I had it signed with gold paint pen, and it looks awesome.

I had an extra voucher for Baerga and got his 1995 Topps done (bottom right).  They also called wild cards on him, and I knocked out a few others (top from left: 1992 Topps and 1993 Topps, and bottom left: 1994 Donruss).

Baerga was really nice.  I was glad to get a few extra cards out of my slider box, since I spent a lot of time finding his stuff.

July 23, 2024, Graphing of the Legends at Dirty Birds

On my way to Cleveland for the 2024 National, I met up with my friend, Michael, in Charleston to catch the Lexington Legends at Charleston Dirty Birds.  Greg Zaun is managing the Legends and Arthur Rhodes is their pitching coach.  These were two former Orioles that I wanted to get to sign some cards. 

I cleaned out the rest of the Charleston cards that I had, including a couple more Delino Deshields, Jr. that I found in a box just a couple days before i left for the show.  I was also happy that I finally got my David Lebron Frederick Keys team set card signed.

It took me a while to find some Zaun cards, but I found enough for both Michael and I.  I found some JT Riddle cards in the same box I found the Deshields cards in.  I also got a Midwest League All Star team.set card signed by Brady Whalen.

When Michael and I were looking at teams to see on the way to Cleveland, I saw that former Wood Duck. Nic Laio was on Lexington.  I was able.to finally get his 2021 Wood Ducks team set card signed.  I'm down to just a couple cards left to complete that set.

While I didn't find a whole lot of Greg Zaun cards, I found a ton of Arthur Rhodes cards. 

I loaded a ton of the cards into my book, then also got some help from my friend, Josh, who lives near Charleston.

Josh and his friend Jimmy came to the game, which was the first time I've seen Josh in person since he and I went to Myrtle Beach during the full throes of COVID.  He has since gotten married and now has a one-year old son.  I wish I could have also seen his wife and son, but the little guy isn't quite old enough to catch a Dirty Birds game.  I'm glad Josh brought Jimmy along; Jimmy isn't a huge baseball fan but enjoyed himself and seems to be turning into a fan.  It really made me happy that Josh went out of his way to get to the game to see me.

In all, I got the following autographs: Delino DeShields Jr x 2, Phil Ervin x 6, David Lebron x 1, Cristofer Ogando x 1, Korry Howell x 2, Nic Laio x 3, Arthur Rhodes x 19, JT Riddle x 2, Brady Whalen x 1 and Gregg Zaun x 4 (41 total autographs).

TTM Success - Chad McConnell

Another TTM that came in was this one from Chad McConnell.  The above 1993 Topps turned out nicely.  This is a cool design, made famous by the Jeter rookie. 

I also got a 1992 Topps Stadium Club signed, that looks great.

McConnell (b. 1970) was a first round (13th overall) pick by the Phillies in the 1992 June Amateur Draft out of Creighton University.  He played in the minors from 1993 to 1996 in the Phillies system, reaching AA.  He had 349 hits, 39 home runs and a .254 batting average. 

I mailed to McConnell on March 12.and got the cards back on July 8, for a 118-day TAT.

TTM Success - JT Bruett

The above 1992 Donruss The Rookies card of JT Bruett drove me to send a TTM request to him.  The card came out of a pack I got out of a box my mom gave me a while back.  I finally got around to sending to him, and am glad I can add this card to my autograph album. 

I also found the above 1993 Topps before I mailed, and included it with the request.

Bruett (b. 1967) played in the majors in 1992 and 1993 for the Twins.  He had 24 hits, no home runs and a .250 batting average.  I mailed to Bruett on October 16 and got the cards back on February 26 for a 133-day TAT.

TTM Success - Travis Buckley

Here is a 1993 Topps that I got back signed TTM when this one came back from Travis Buckley.

Buckley (b. 1970) was a 24th round pick by the Rangers out of Johnson County Community College in Kansas during the 1989 June Amateur Draft.  He played in the minors from 1989 to 1998 in the Rangers, Expos, Reds, Mariners, Rockies, Angels and Braves systems.  He had a record of 75-74 with 902 strike outs and a 4.01 ERA.

I mailed to Buckley on December 8 and got the card back on January 25, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Wehner

Some nice early 90s cards were added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from John Wehner.  I had a bunch of his cards, so there were several that I could choose from to send out.  This 1993 Fleer Ultra turned out great.  I like this design, and it looks great in the album .

I also got a 1992 Topps, 1993 Topps, 1993 Fleer and a 1996 Fleer signed.

Wehner (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1991 to 2001 for the  Pirates and Marlins.  He had 200 hits, 4 home runs and a .249 batting average.  He was part of the 1997 World Series Champion Marlins, but did not play in the series.

I mailed to Wehner on November 3 and got the cards back on November 20, for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jamie McAndrew

Some more early 90s Marlins teal was added to the autograph album when I received this TTM success from Jamie McAndrew.  When they were revealed as a team back then, I loved the colors that were chosen, since no other team had colors quite like the Marlins.  That's one of my favorite things to look for now when I go through early to mid 90s cards, those batting helmets.

Some of the other card companies only featured the logo and colors on the cards but must not have jad immediate access to uniform photos. This 1993 Donruss is an example.  Fleer was the same.

McAndrew (b. 1967) played in the majors in 1995 and 1997 for the Brewers.  He didn't even make it as a Marlin.  He had a record of 3-4, 27 strike outs and a 5.98 ERA.

I mailed to McAndrew on October 10 and got the cards back on October 30, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tim McIntosh

While it feels like I'm swimming in 1991 Donruss cards at the house, I rarely add any signed ones to my autograph album. That's in part because that box that houses those cards us toward the bottom of my stack of boxes.  The other part is that just until recently, I hadn't really done a deep die into those years of cards where I pulled a bunch of guys to mail to. 

During the MLB playoffs, I had a lot of time to turn a game on and search boxes for TTM subjects.  Tim McIntosh came up, and I sent some cards to him after I got a few of them pulled.

I also sent off a 1993 Topps and a 1992 Bowman. All of the cards turned out well and made a little room in those 90s boxes.

McIntosh (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1990 to 1993 and 1996 for the Brewers, Expos and Yankees.  He had 21 hits, 2 home runs and a .179 batting average.  One must wonder if his 3 games played for the 1996 Yankees got him a ring that season when they won the World Series.

I mailed to McIntosh on October 20 and got the cards back on October 30 for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Gary Scott

Those teal Marlins hats just do it for me.  I remember when thee Marlins were first announced as a team and their colors were unveiled, I loved how they looked.  Whenever I get a chance to add one of these 1993 Topps Marlins cards to the autograph album, I go for it.  In this case, I got Gary Scott to sign this card TTM recently.

Scott (b. 1968) played in the majors in 1991 and 1992 for the Cubs.  He had 28 hits, 3 home runs and a .160 batting average. Scott was traded by the Cubs to the Marlins in November 1992, but never actually played for them.  He got onto a card in a Marlins uniform, though.

I mailed to Scott on July 31, 2020, and got the card back on August 21, 2023, for a 1,116-day TAT.

TTM Success - Shawn Boskie

This TTM success from Shawn Boskie added some 90s cards to the autograph album, including a run of his Topps cards from 1991 to 1994.  The above 1991 Donruss also turned out nicely. 

Here are the Topps cards that came back signed from the TTM request.  I got a Bible inscription on the 1992 Topps.

Boskie (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1990 to 1998 for the Cubs, Phillies, Mariners, Angels, Orioles and Expos.  He had a record of 49-63 with 494 strike outs and a 5.14 ERA.

I mailed to Boskie on October 18, 2021, and got the cards back on January 23, 2023, for a 462-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Scanlan

Some mid-90s cards were added to the autograph album recently when I got these five cards back from Bob Scanlan.  I liked the above 1993 Leaf; I used to have a ton of these, but the all bricked due to the over-gloss on the cards.  I was glad to add a clean one to my album.

I also got a 1992 Topps, 1993 Topps, 1993 Fleer and 199 Donruss signed.

Scanlan (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001 for the Cubs, Brewers, Tigers, Royals, Astros and Expos.  He had a record of 20-34 with 245 strike outs and a 4.63 ERA.

I mailed to Scanlan on December 2 and got the cards back on December 16, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Kiely

Here are some mid-90s cards that I got back signed TTM from John Kiely.  The above 1993 Fleer Ultra turned out great.  This is a really underrated set; I like the "marble" at the bottom of the card.  The problem with these, like most 90s cards, is the over gloss.  These tens to stick together, thankfully, I got a batch of 93 Ultras that were in really good shape.  A few of them should be added to the album soon.

I also got a 1993 Fleer and a 1993 Topps signed by Kiely.  These also turned out nicely.

Kiely (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1991 to 1993 for the Tigers.  He had a record of 4-5 with 24 strike outs and a 4.17 ERA.

I mailed to Kiely on November 8 and got the cards back on November 17, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Donnels

A few of these early 90s cards of Chris Donnels came from a few boxes of cards that my aunt gave me a couple months ago.  I went through them to see if she was sitting on a gold mine (she wasn't). There were some nice ones I could send TTM and add to my album, though.

In all, I got three cards signed: a 1992 Stadium Club, 1992 Topps and 1993 Topps. They all turned out nicely.

Donnels (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002 for the Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Dodgers and Diamondbacks.  He had 186 hits, 17 home runs and a .233 batting average. 

I mailed to Donnels on October 27 and got the cards back on November 7, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tim Scott

Some more mid-90s cards came back signed TTM; this time from former pitcher, Tim Scott.  This 1995 Topps turned out nicely.

I also got a 1992 Stadium Club and a 1993 Topps signed.

Scott (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 1997 for the Padres,  Expos, Giants and Rockies.  He had a record of 24-13, with 253 strike outs and a 4.13 ERA.

I mailed to Scott on October 26 and got the cards back on November 4, for a 9-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bob MacDonald

When I can get a 1994 Topps signed, it's always kind of nice.  Not because it is a special set to me or anything, it's because I have so few of them left, the options are thin.  I don't want to buy a bulk box, because the cards will be stuck together, so I just take what I can get.  The card, signed TTM by Bob MacDonald, turned out great.

I also got a 1992 and a 1993 Topps signed.

MacDonald (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1990 to 1993 and 1995 to 1996 for the Blue Jays, Tigers, Yankees and Mets.  He had a record of 8-9 with 142 strike outs and a 4.34 ERA.

I mailed to MacDonald on October 22 and got the cards back on November 4, for a 13-day TAT. 

Billy Helps Finish Some Graphs

My friend, Billy, took some of the cards I missed when Columbia was in town and got them signed for me.  I completely missed the above 1991 Crown Orioles card of John Habyan.  Thankfully, Billy hooked me up.

I had found a couple other cards of Habyan and those got done.  I had also found the Bowman Sapphire of Shane Panzini.  The cards turned out great.  I really loved getting these taken care of and into my album.  Billy has been a great friend and a lot of fun to sit next to at the Wood Duck games.  It sucks that the season is ending because I won't see Billy until next season. 

Thanks for getting these cards done for me, Billy!

Another TTM Success From Mark Clark

Usually, I have a pretty good idea who I sent TTM to.  I didn't realize that I had previously gotten Mark Clark in 2018, so here are two additional cards that I got in recently.

I like the 199 Collector's Choice SE set.  When it came out, it was a cheap price point, and I could afford boxes of these.  I probably hand collated a set back in the day, but who knows where it is now.  Still, there are nice cards in the set, and I enjoy adding signed ones to my album every now and then.

I also added this 1993 Topps.  I have these cards coming out of my ears, so any time I can get some out of that box, well, that's a win.

I mailed to Clark on February 3 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 29-day TAT.