TTM autograph received: Bobby Shantz

The former big league lefthander signed my trading card in blue ink and wrote a thank you note on the my letter he sent back to me - go figure, I got my request back in about a week, on the day he turned 95.

Not that I try to play the death pool game or anything, but there might not be too much time left to get something signed by one of the all-time autograph signing greats - so like Roy Face, I whipped up a letter and put together a request [with $5] to see if I'd get back a positive result, sending a 1955 Bowman beater picturing Shantz with his brother.

I can’t account for the inevitable but I think I just keep on and see which guys to send to - maybe I think about the accomplishments of the person, not as someone to be objectified because they it might be their time NOW.

2020 Topps Archives blaster recaps

Originally anticipating not being able to find anything at a big box store - I ordered 2 blaster boxes online that was MIA for about three weeks.

While the shipment was out of the seller's hands, it remained idle with the UPS somewhere - until tracking started to pick up again and a package finally showed up at my doorstep.

Box one

1964 Topps Giants pack

#64O-FTJ Fernando Tatis - the back seems off-center and/or miscut

Pack one

#79 Matt Chapman

#42 Jeff McNeil

#8 Kyle Schwarber

#142 Cal Ripken Jr.

#136 Ty Cobb

#60AR-SO Shohei Ohtani

#208 Chris Sale

#216 Robel Garcia

Pack two

#64 Joey Votto

#87 Juan Soto

#27 Mookie Betts

#186 Willie McCovey

#177 Hyun-Jim Ryu

#152 Corey Kluber

#259 Anthony Santander

#219 Rollie Fingers

Pack three

#37 Kyle Lewis

#73 Ryne Sandberg

#60 Carl Yastrzemski 

#180 Gleyber Torres

#133 Tony Gonsolin

#308 David Ortiz - Big Papi

#281 Lou Gehrig

#226 David Wright 

Pack four

#52 Catfish Hunter

#91 Jordan Yamamoto

#156 Clayton Kershaw

#108 Mike Piazza

#121 Frank Robinson

#76TT-320 C.C. Sabathia

#273 Adrian Morejon

#248 Christian Yelich

Pack five

#24 Xander Bogaerts

#57 Ozzie Albies

#109 Randy Johnson

#172 Zac Gallen

#199 Giancarlo Stanton

#60CC-SM Just Dingers - feat. Will Smith and Max Muncy

#271 Jose Ramirez

#265 Ryan McMahon

Pack six

#54 Max Muncy

#93 Mallex Smith

#4 Nick Senzel

#158 Brooks Robinson

#194 Christian Walker

#69AR-GT Gleyber Torres

#270 Jose Abreu

#284 Wil Myers

Pack seven

#92 Matt Carpenter

#48 J.D. Martinez

#197 Danny Jansen

#174 Trey Mancini

#132 Buster Posey

#B55-8 A.J. Puk

#292 Yu Chang

#247 Craig Biggio

Box two

1964 Topps Giants pack
#64O-NH Nico Hoerner - this was bent coming out of a blaster, probably due to my boxes bouncing around different places.

I don't know what to make of it besides trying to store the odd-sized card in an 8x10 top loader and hope the applied pressure flattens the card out eventually - even if it takes a couple of years.

Pack one

#77 Paul DeJong

#23 Francisco Lindor

#163 Max Scherzer

#138 Blake Snell

#112 Stephen Piscotty

#60CC-YH Master & Apprentice - feat. Yelich and Hiura

#258 Roger Clemens

#244 Brendan McKay

Pack two

#7 Shohei Ohtani

#82 Luis Aparicio

#29 Robin Yount

#170 Rowdy Tellez

#143 Brandon Crawford

#307 Chris Sale - The Conductor

#300 Freddie Freeman

#277 Joe Morgan

Pack three

#95 A.J. Puk

#51 Brock Burke 

#3 Charlie Blackmon

#120 Carlos Correa

#127 Roberto Alomar 

#237 Trevor Hoffman - Purple parallel serial #’d 043/175

#254 Rougned Odor

#253 Aaron Nola

Pack four

#26 Keston Hiura

#33 Will Smith

#25 Jackie Robinson

#122 Sandy Koufax

#107 Kerry Wood

#60AR- EJ Eloy Jimenez

#236 Bryce Harper 

#295 Kyle Seager

Pack five

#80 Ramon Laureano

#40 Sam Hilliard

#149 Roberto Clemente

#184 Trent Grisham

#200 Marco Gonzalez

#76TT-316 Randy Johnson

#241 Ronald Acuña Jr.

#246 Kole Calhoun

Pack six

#34 Brusdar Graterol

#75 Mike Mussina

#14 Harmon Killebrew

#146 Ketel Marte

#131 Eric Hosmer

#309 Noah Syndergaard - Thor

#207 Carter Kieboom

#202 Anthony Kay

Pack seven 

#53 Lou Boudreau

#31 Alex Bregman

#113 Hunter Dozier

#134 Jon Lester

#129 D.J. LeMahieu

#B55-23 Logan Allen

#293 Anthony Rendon

#220 Chipper Jones