TTM autographs received: Sid Fernandez

I have not kept up with TTMs through the past year, but occasionally see a success posted [on social media] that intrigues me - especially when I do not have either TTM or in-person history with getting a former player's autograph, like the former MLB pitcher from the 1980s through the mid 1990s.

I realized that Fernandez had 1984 Donruss #44 RC and 1990 Leaf #66 cards that I did not have in-hand - I needed to hold off sending out to him until I was able to get the two particular cards.

I ended up picking up the cards online and once received, sent them off along with an oddball Dodgers issue I pulled apart from a perforated sheet and a 1991 Upper Deck #242 - it looked like the responses from 'El Sid' were quick and I got my cards back signed in a week.

TTM autographs received: Todd Zeile

I got a response from a request I sent to the former big at the end of October 2022 - I wasn't sure if he really signed TTM [maybe he was locked up with an autograph middleman or promoter], but took a chance of sending since he had a 1990 Leaf I wanted inked up.

Zeile was a hot prospect for a moment in the middle of the junk wax era, but never really ascended to that perennial all-star performer level - he ended up a being a perfectly competent player who bounced around different teams in the middle of his career, where you can plug and play him on a short term basis.

TTM autographs received: Kevin McReynolds

This is my first success of 2023, though the request was mailed out in last month - I realized McReynolds had both a 1984 Donruss and a 1990 Leaf, but sat on sending out a request for the longest time because I had to go out and grab those two set cards first.

I tried picking up a 1990 Leaf McReynolds several years ago, but I ended up being shipped a miscut copy, so that was a waste of time - I had found an early 1980s minor league team issue in a card show dollar boxes of doom, but wasn't going to send the card out [McReynolds charges a $5 fee to sign] without the two priorities.

At the end of 2022, I just made it a mission where I picked up the two set cards I needed, put a request together with the cool minor league card and finally sent off a request - even though I might have other loose McReynolds cards [from the junk wax era], I figure I have the cards I really want signed out of the way.

TTM autographs received: Dennis Rasmussen

Sometimes a straggler success like this gets me through stretches when there isn't any action in the mail box - the former big league signed my cards that were mailed out in April 2021.

Maybe I found it silly that I attempted to mail to Rasmussen c/o a burger joint he worked at and/or his family had owned for the longest time - but despite a long wait, was pleasantly surprised a response actually came back.

Featured autographs - Jesse Barfield

On a forum I belong to, I saw a post where someone was going to helping out with a signing with the former outfielder from the 1980s through early 1990s - the idea of looking for and sending out cards to an organized, paid signing ends up feeling like too much work, but the person helping out had extra unsigned cards in-hand and I picked out a 1984 Donruss and a 1990 Leaf.

I sent out a SASE and $15 per card about a month before the signing and waited around - where I got my cards back several days after the signing was completed.

TTM autographs received: Gregg Olson

The former big league reliever signed my cards in about three weeks back in August c/o Auburn University where he is a coach - I may have wrote on my request to Olson that he could keep the other cards if he wanted, but to at least sign the 1990 Leaf if he could.

However in my return, the only card he didn't end up signing was the one I wanted signed the most - I just had to chuckle at this apparent mishap [at least for me] and ended up grabbing a signed copy of the 1990 Leaf on eBay.

TTM autographs received: John Olerud

The former first baseman signed my cards in about a couple of months, including a 1990 Leaf RC and a 1990 Score McDonald's - it's fun to get back cards for sets where I'm trying to get as many signed [1990 Leaf] or potential TTM fuel found in the wild [such as the seemingly harder to get McDonald's oddball].

This post marks my first since a month long hiatus due to being out of the country on vacation - not feeling emotionally invested in throwing out scheduled, automated posts, I wanted to create a gap, where something was clearly up with the lack of posting activity [regardless of whomever really reads what I might write on a regular basis].

TTM autographs received: Frank Tanana

The former big league lefty signed my cards and added a personal tract card in about a couple of weeks - I might remember Tanana at the tail end of his career as a junk wax era guy, whose cards were strictly common fodder.

However, the Tanana that pitched through the 1980s and early 1990s was way different from the one that paired up with Nolan Ryan in the 1970s as California Angels' aces - it might be fascinating to look back at how great Tanana was for a time, before injuries sidelined his career and he had to reinvent himself as both a person and a player.

TTM autographs received: Charlie Hough

The former big league knuckleballer signed my cards in just about a week - I've gotten him in-person before, where he has dutifully signed my cards, but wanted to send a couple of cards [1984 Donruss and 1990 Leaf] I don't think I ever got him to sign.

End of the year card show meanderings

I've probably gone to more card show dates this past year compared to the last 2 years before the pandemic - however I've gotten self-conscious about showing up to where the scene is a little more unfamiliar perhaps.

I find myself feeling too much like a rando in a room of guys in the know who are simply interested in 'here and now' concepts I'm not vaguely aware of - big time wheeling and dealing involving higher end slabs, other sports [NBA, NFL], non-sports.

Maybe there has always been something bigger, something hyped that people who might be collecting and speculating are chasing after - but maybe I'm stuck in my reality, which has me less emotionally invested in the nuts and bolts of a card show, where it’s harder to cultivate any enthusiasm.

With sellers are more focused on other things besides bringing material catering more to my interests - it takes more effort to find things I can get into.

On the other hand, keying on tables with bulk cards for a dollar and less has me looking forward to that next rummage at shows - where as much as things are different, I can still find my roots at a random card show.

At my last card show trip, I was aimlessly wandering around and found myself digging through boxes at a table in the corner of the main room in a hotel - the table didn't register to me at first glance and now that I've planted myself, it doesn't look like there is any good 'ole baseball in these parts.

I started to find clusters of some old-school and / or vintage cards to go through [even if not seriously consider] - there was some vintage 1960 Fleer Greats, but I'm not sure what to make of them because they are a retro set rather than a set with active players [circa 1960].

There was a father / son manning the table but it seemed clear to me that the adult son [probably in his 30s] - wasn't really into the cards and may have been tagging along as more of chaperone, compared to his old man who was really running the table.

The prices were half off the stickered price - though I worried the prices on the cards might be marked up.

Finding a 1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero Ken Griffey Jr. #VJ 10 [$4] may have actually spurred me on to find more cards - though it wasn't going to be that big splash purchase, it might have been a random scratch the itch want.

I found and set aside 1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy REV NEG #357 [$30] in a yellowed semi-rigid, which may have been interesting - the guy grabbed it for a moment and was telling his son it was some kind of error.

I occasionally see random cards that I might not flag outright but end up dwelling on after the fact - maybe the cards are not semi-definitive or definitive cards for a collection, where it's only a big deal in my head, but types of cards I shouldn't let get passed me.

There was doubt whether I should make the Murphy the centerpiece of what I might have found off these random boxes - the card was a bit more on the quirky side of the junk wax era, but I might be second-guessing myself for not grabbing this error outright.

Finally I found a 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas #300 [$10] and while it's been over 30 long years and I have a graded copy - the card was a status symbol of early 1990s collecting, so I wanted a loose copy, even if there is a tiny bit of worry about potential counterfeits that might be mixed in various collections and/or inventory.

TTM autographs received: Ernie Whitt

The former big league catcher signed my cards in about 3 months, including a 1984 Donruss and a 1990 Leaf - I wasn't familiar with his playing career, but Whitt had a nice run through the 1980s as a catcher who could get on base and hit for some pop at the plate.

There might be a Mandela Effect going on, but I have a random memory where I might have seen Whitt on TV over 30 years ago - grinding through an at-bat in a Atlanta Braves game, he had the most awkward looking stance to hit from and I guess at his age then, was clearly overmatched by the pitcher he was facing.

Featured autograph - Duane Ward

Off a Facebook post, I saw some extra signed cards offered f/s, presumably from a past signing with the former big league reliever - I saw there was a 1990 Leaf pictured and picked it up for $11.

It probably doesn't work for everyone, but rather than deal with the hassle of sending in a smaller item like a trading card to an organized signing - I would rather take my chances seeing if there are leftovers where I can take a look at how an autograph comes out for a card from a particular set [when available].

While I don’t think Ward has been considered a historically tough autograph to get - he seems more likely to do something for pay than for free and I don't know if there was ever a period of time [maybe over the past 15-20 years] where he regularly responded to through the mail requests.

I remember Ward as a hard throwing weapon out the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen through the early 1990s - he pitched a lot of innings in his prime and while his postseason pitching totals were a little shaky, he did his part during the Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

I mostly forgot about him through the mid 1990s, though he missed all of the 1994 season and his MLB career was basically done the next year - he was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

TTM autographs received: Scott Fletcher and Frank Bolick

Maybe it's not reasonable to really live by the mail box, waiting on returns, especially when I'm not a 'mass TTM mailer' and most days yields bupkis - still, it is fair to anticipate something, when I have made that tiniest bit of effort to send out autograph requests to get my random card (s) signed.

Fletcher, a former big league infielder from the 1980s through the mid 1990s signed my cards in about 3 weeks - with the realistic number of cards to pick up and send out, who knows how long my interest is going to run, but it's another 1984 Donruss and 1990 Leaf pair signed.

Bolick signed my cards in about a month - in his 16-year professional playing career, Bolick spents parts of 2 seasons with the Montreal Expos and Anaheim Angels.

Though Bolick was a fringe big leaguer, it's fun looking up his numbers - especially when through his mid 30s, he put up some video game numbers during a 4-year stint in Japan 20 years ago.

Some assorted odds and ends

I was looking on doing something on Christmas eve and found some cards online - I ended up with these to amuse me as part of a 27-card order that was mostly 1984 Donruss base cards for my partial set build of sorts.

The holiday mail was a cluster, so I had to wait 3 or 4 weeks for these cards to come in from an online seller - these were not the most important thing in the world to fret about, but in my little space, might represent some sort of lifeline as far as having something to look forward to.

1988 ProCards Denver Zephyrs Paul Mirabella #1258 - pitchers posed in a batting position maybe a playful thing pictured through random minor league teams sets through the late 1980s.

Around this time, Mirabella was a big league veteran who had intermittently pitched in the minor leagues - when a big league opportunity wasn't quite there for him.

1989 ProCards Cedar Rapids Reds Chris Lombardozzi #935 - this was a scratch the itch card I had to get my hands on, where the 6-year minor leaguer is pictured along the dugout railing with an Arby's roast beef sandwich and a drink in his hands.

1990 Best Stockton Ports Frank Bolick #7 - I don't think the one-time late 1990s Anaheim Angel has cards picturing him with the team, but I wanted to have a pair of cards to send to him in a possible through the mail autograph request.

1990 Leaf Gary Sheffield #157 - when he really had his first superstar season with the San Diego Padres nearly 30 years ago, this may have been his best mainstream card along wish his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card.

Through the junk wax era, there might have been a distinction where if a player's rookie cards were from your typical Topps, Donruss, Fleer or Score brands - there might a premium attached to something like Sheffield's first card [but really a second year issue] from a high-end, in-demand set that came of age through the early 1990s.

1997 Fleer Terry Steinbach #540 - I tried to make sure this was the card that pictured him as a Minnesota Twin where he is signing autographs; the inking it up version is an update from his other card in the set, still picturing him on the Oakland Athletics.

TTM autographs received: Alejandro Pena

The longtime big league reliever from the 1980s through mid 1990s signed my cards in about a couple of weeks for $3 per card - unofficially I might start building the 1984 Donruss and 1990 Leaf sets minus the cards I might already have, just so I have cards I can send out for TTM requests and perhaps have a signed / unsigned hybrid in-hand.

I doubt I'll ever pay any sort of premium to get any particular card from the sets signed, but I'd like to see my progress after a couple of years - there is something 'classy' about the sets that appeal to me, even 30-40 years after the fact.

TTM autographs received: Storm Davis

I didn’t know if I would get back a good response from Davis after sending him a letter meant for someone else - I had written out several TTM letters, folded them up to fit a business sized envelope and left them loose overnight.

The next day, I was putting together my request for Davis and even took a picture of what I was sending - however in the rush to jam everything into an outgoing envelope to place in my mail box, things got mixed up and only after the fact did I realize I still had my handwritten letter to Davis.

I was sweating out this request, wondering if I'd be scolded for sending a letter to the wrong guy - what if I just didn't get my stuff back?

However, after four weeks, my cards came back signed and there was no note or anything - I was almost disappointed that I didn't get a reaction, though my best assumptions are the guys who have signed regularly for decades don’t particularly read their mail and / or have seen it all.

Maybe someone presumably helping Davis go through his mail, saw and pointed out my goof - but I did send Davis his cards and not another former player, so the intent was there to show my request was for him otherwise.

1990 Leaf Mark Eichhorn #472

It's all ancient history but 1990 Leaf was a high end set and while early 1990's collectors / speculators who opened a lot of this product at some point may not have cared - just getting my hands on a random common or two probably would have been a big deal when I only came across the usual Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Score and Upper Deck.

I remember Eichhorn as mainly a 'junk wax guy' who had a sidearm delivery, but I wasn't aware of his great rookie season until I read this Baseball Think Factory thread - Eichhorn is mentioned in posts #57-#59 as part of a discussion whether or not a reliever can do enough to merit serious consideration for the MVP.

Pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, Eichhorn outpaced other rookies with a 7.0 WAR - he finished third in the 1986 American League Rookie of the Year race behind Jose Canseco and Wally Joyner.

Cardboard curiosity - Max Fried

I picked up a 2012 Leaf Memories [#539] card of the No. 7 overall choice in 2012 by the San Diego Padres - if you squint hard enough, maybe you can see Fried as being comparable to Los Angeles Dodgers star lefty Clayton Kershaw.

I've avoided Leaf branded products of recent lineage, but after getting this lone Fried card in-hand - I must say the card seems like reasonable facsimile of the 'classic' 1990 design and I kind of like it.

Maybe the font is off, but the card stock has the same feel and the grey tinted back looks like the originals - if only there was a more reasonable way of getting a bunch of these cards at once, I'd be chasing after other prospects with these Leaf Memories cards.

Even though they may not be the main 'hits,' it looks like various singles of prospects go for $3-$20 on eBay - kind of inflated pricing because the cards come from a high end product and are numbered to /99 so people are trying to sell them as limited parallels.

Featured autograph - Dave Winfield

Pictured is an autographed card I got from Hall of Famer Dave Winfield this past Major League Baseball season during a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game - he is wearing an Angels uniform on the 1990 Leaf card and while he is remembered for being Mr. May in New York[and also killing a seagull in Toronto as a Yankees' player], he posted respectable numbers towards the latter part of his career [with the California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and finally the Cleveland Indians], before retiring in 1995.

Sammy Sosa - no one really cares

1990 Leaf rookie card #220 - I bought one just like the one pictured for $30.

So Slamming, Corking Sammy Sosa tested for a performance enhancing drug back in 2003 and really no one really cares anymore - it is like Michael Jackson supposedly accused of molesting another kid.

All sorts of home run hitting sluggers juiced and Major League baseball fans are sort of desensitized to it - it is kind of sad that the people [outside of probably the Dominican Republic] who have strong feelings and care to talk about him, blog about him or Tweet about him are the only ones left to really care about his legacy.

As far as his Hall of Fame chances now, he is probably going to have to wait a year longer than Jim Rice did and I think Rice was voted in his last year - so I'm implying he may not ever make it in.

However, I'm not here to pass judgement - I was on the bandwagon, just as I was on the A-Rod's, Manny's, Barry's and Big Mac's among other prominent Steroid Era sluggers.

I would have thought I'd won the lottery back in the spring of 2002 at HoHoKam Park - when I was able to toss my ball over to some lady by Sosa's car and have her get Sosa's autograph for me among the 50-100 people who'd gathered to wait for him to leave during a spring training game.

Sosa was an exciting figure to watch and follow the exploits of - no matter how much you thought of his 'baseball has been berry, berry good to me' crap.

There was a point Sosa got too big [maybe literally] for his own good - where he couldn't be touched or approached, signed for just the cameras [basically signing when everyone is taking your picture to show you are 'fan friendly' when you could care less] and his image was nothing more than a crummy act.

In his latter years as a 'superstar,' Sosa still put up dominant numbers, but also corked a bat and also left a Cubs game early, during a regular season game - maybe if he didn't become such a douche in the years following the 1998 season, maybe wouldn't have such a big target on his back.

While I still kind of think it was a classless move when Rick Reilly challenged Sosa to pee in a cup - it seems Reilly's middle-age angst over this one particular Major League player and the particular era he played seems more than justified now and it is kind of sad if you think about it.

Jose Canseco was right again - Major League Baseball is a mafia that works to glorify players in their prime and tosses them out when the league has no need for them. Leak all the names now if you must.

I think if Major League Baseball outs A-Rod and Sosa as having tested positive for PEDS - then the rest of the names of the other players should come out. Let the hammer fall.

Fan reaction at Bleed Cubbie Blue - where those interested in the Cubs gather online.