TTM autographs received: Bill Lee

The former big league lefty signed my two cards in about a month - it looks like tried to mimic his facsimile autograph on the 1971 Topps.

He sent my letter back as well, writing that he just got a callus on his left index finger and as response to the 'I hope you are doing well' I add to the end of my requests - he wrote no he isn't doing well, "my left calf is [broken]."

TTM autographs received: Bill Mazeroski

The Hall of Fame second baseman and Fall Classic hero signed my cards for his fees in about 3 weeks - there was a dead period through the summer where I hadn't sent or received anything in the mail, but I'm looking to see if I can catch up a little on some TTM requests, so I have something to occasionally look forward to.

Some newer card show recaps #3

I’m trying to make something out of what was left of my time, going around to see what may catch my eye - I ended up seeing a 1989 Donruss Baseball’s Best set I relented to pick up.

I remember being envious of a childhood friend in possession of a loose Ken Griffey Jr. rookie year card laying around loose in his room 30 years ago - I finally got a graded version of the Griffey Jr. back in 2006 and didn’t realize centering on the back of the cards were generally ‘off.’

Even though it’s a nearly worthless card of a big league pariah - maybe another highlight was an early MLB card of Sammy Sosa, his only big league card from 1989.

I thought the cards were still factory sealed, though that might not be the case with the outer packaging - the cards are still in bricks wrapped in plastic, though might have been banging around in the display box after all these years.

I don't know if I should try to keep things 'as is' and preserve the set as best as I can or if I should just break things up - so I can make sure the Sosa and Griffey Jr. cards are actually in-hand and see what they look like as far as condition goes.

I stumbled upon a table with a ‘3 for $1’ vintage box - I'm up for having real, old cardboard in-hand, but at this point just haven't been that collecting to gravitate to them.

At the table, maybe the three or four row box of cards were set-up too neat, where there isn't that lure of not knowing what I may find - when clearly it's commons separated by year [from something like 1969 Topps through some scattered early 1970s years].

For the just the rank-and-file commons, I think the 1969 Topps tends to be boring and generic, while other vintage years don’t quite inspire the right perspective in me - I grabbed a trio featuring a 1974 Topps Sonny Jackson #591 [possible TTM], a 1971 Topps John Cumberland #108 [possible TTM] and a 1973 Topps Bob Didier #574 that has a pretty definitive tools of ignorance, plays at the plate image pictured.

I have 1990 ProCards AAA cards for Jackson and Cumberland [Cumberland was a one-time Angel] but those are kind of ugly cards picturing them as coaches - I wanted actual cards from their playing days and kind of found what I was looking for.

TTM autographs received: Mudcat Grant

Grant signed a pair of cards in about a week - I was digging around in my A-Z archive of cards and found a pair [a 1971 Topps beater and a retro 2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams] featuring the former big league pitcher from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.

I thought I'd gotten his autographs in-person 20 years ago - but it might be interesting to see if I can get these miscellaneous cards inked up through the mail.

It looks like the 85-year old Grant is still alive and has signed TTM for $5 each - I wrote out a letter, put together a request and these are my results.

I think requested for him to sign Jim 'Mudcat' Grant since I only saw him scribble out 'Jim Grant' on the successes I've seen - though he actually only wrote out his nickname and last name.

TTM autographs received: Steve Renko

The longtime big league pitcher and one-time Angel signed my cards in about two weeks - the 1971 Topps and 1979 Topps were from a box of loose cards featuring one-time Angels [either pictured as Angels or in another team's uniform] I still need autographs of.

Just to get the TTM machine going, where I may have some mail to look forward to - I dug out cards from the misfit Angels box, to put together and send out some recent requests.

For my Angels all-time autograph collection, I prefer an Angels card, though that might not be the case as I try to go for quantity in tracking down any sort of autograph to count - I worried about not being able to send Renko an Angels card, but I pulled his 1983 Topps from a set I purchased and sent it with the two others.

More TTM autographs received in 2020

I got the bug to put together autograph requests through the mail after writing exactly one TTM request in 2019 - to have a purpose I've tried to write to former Angels guys, whose unsigned cards I ended up with, but autographs I don't have in my collection.

It might be a little hard to account for everyone, but I'll make the best I can trying to add more names to my Angels all-time autograph collection - it is nice to get something back that goes into my regional collection, even if it is more autographs of rank-and-file types that played years before I was born.

Pictures of these successes were saved in my scan folder and I decided to use them in a blog post that maybe my last before going on a spring hiatus - not like this place has been is buzzing with traffic, but for the 1-3 dedicated readers I might have, this might be my last post for a while.

Vintage find - 1971 Topps Chris Short #511

On a whim, I rummaged through a dollar box of vintage cards at the card shop - it's not like the box on the counter is new and the remaining vintage beaters of common players stored in the box are just uninteresting to me.

However, I got this card, since I've vaguely been aware of Pete Rose lurking as a baserunner in the background - the card may still be in the same box five years from now, but I don't have to worry about needing to add it to my bonus babies [or star cameos on common players' cards] mini-collection.

Featured autograph - Tony Oliva

I got this 1971 Topps card signed by the former MLB batting star when he made an appearance at the 2016 All-Star Fan Fest - I probably pulled the card from some card show vendor made vintage repack at least 10-12 years ago.

Autograph request through the mail received: Jim Nash

Jim Nash c/o home - personalized and signed my card in black Sharpie in about a week.

I looked at his stats before putting together my letter and discovered he was a pretty good starting pitcher - I would guess for every 'old school' MLB guy who took pride in throwing 250-300 innings for 10-15 years, there were pitchers like Nash who had success early on, but whose playing careers effectively ended towards their late 20s.

It seems like present-day starting pitchers have the ability to prolong their careers - even though it seems like they don't throw as many innings and at times, they seem to be 'babied.'

Featured autograph - Bert Blyleven

I got Bert Blyleven to sign his 1971 Topps rookie card before the Minnesota Twins / Angels game in Anaheim last Tuesday afternoon - he took the time for nearly everyone who wanted his autograph the first day of the three game series, but was a little more elusive the following days.

I think he signed all baseballs on the side panel - including specialty Hall of Fame baseballs.

Mail day - 1971 Topps Bert Blyleven #26

I picked this Bert Blyleven rookie card about $8 shipped and it came in the mail several days ago - he is throwing out the first pitch before Tuesday night's Angels game at Angel Stadium and hopefully I can get him to sign the card sometime during the series.

He's been a pretty good signer before, though I'm afraid he may make himself a little more difficult - since he just entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Autograph request through the mail received: Bill Buckner

Bill Buckner c/o home - signed two cards in blue ink and one of the penny sleeves used to hold the cards I sent him.

Despite my worry about sending $10 to Buckner in order to sign my cards, this autograph request was otherwise successful - particularly when I had to get my penny sleeve signed for my set.

Right now, I think I'm looking to put together autograph requests I'm sending out to spring training sites - I'm hoping to get an initial 20 out this week and maybe an additional 20-30 the following week, just so the requests are 'out there' with a chance I might actually get something in the mail box.

Target binge - leads to a couple of Topps Million Card Giveaway redemptions

I picked up a 2010 Topps 'Honus Wagner' cereal box [$9.99 each at Target], a 2010 Topps jumbo pack [$4.99 each at Target] and a 2010 Upper Deck Fat Pack [$4.99 each at Target] - I thought I'd impusively pick up one of the Topps cereal boxes, since it is a half the price of a blaster and I've never busted one of these before.

I will concede, I was also looking for a Topps Million Card Giveaway redemption code card - even though the contest seems like an exercise in futility for a baseball card collector looking for what I may consider a historically valuable Topps card.

Much to my wallet's detriment however, the Topps' Million Card Giveaway promotion will probably make me - pick up one more pack, one more jumbo pack or perhaps cereal box of 2010 Topps baseball cards that I may have otherwise ignored [since the cards are plentiful and found everywhere].

Out of the cereal box - I pulled the following in addition to the typical base cards / inserts.
Legends Chrome Refractor pack
#GC-6 Tom Seaver
#TMC-3 Bob Gibson - Million Card Giveaway redemption / redeemed online for a 1971 Topps Oscar Gamble

From the jumbo pack - I pulled a Topps Million Card Giveaway redemption code card.
#TMC-4 Ichiro - Million Card Giveaway redemption / redeemed online for a 1972 Topps Ivan Murrell.