TTM response received: Adrian Beltre

After seeing autograph successes posted with the future Hall of Fame third baseman through the middle of the MLB season - I tried to send a request with a couple of cards.

Unfortunately the well ran dry and my cards were returned with stamped autographs - the 'autograph' on one card was smeared beyond recognition and it looks funny to see a 'shadow' of the facsimile autograph on one of the penny sleeves returned with my cards.

TTM response received: Andrew Benintendi

I sent an autograph request to the top prospect c/o the Portland Sea Dogs in May - unfortunately the two cards I sent were not returned in my SASE and was replaced by a preprinted card.

I've heard Benintendi was been a difficult in-person autograph to get [even before he got to the big leagues] - so I probably wouldn't have gotten a legit TTM success whether Benintendi had been promoted or not.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Adam Jones

Adam Jones c/o Baltimore Orioles [spring training] - I sent an autograph request to the Orioles' centerfielder on 2/25 and got a SASE back with one card signed in blue ink on 4/7/12.

The other card I sent wasn't returned [an 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition].

I only sent 10 spring training requests in 2012 and the only other response was on 3/8/12 - when I got a 'return to sender' for a request I sent to Detroit Tigers prospect Jacob Turner.

Clayton Kershaw in-person autograph failure - not so close and even further away

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is one of the best young pitchers in Major League Baseball and he made an appearance at a furniture store in La Mirada California Saturday - I see nothing wrong with wanting his autograph, because he's a future stud who has enjoyed at least a couple of strong seasons as a big league pitcher.

However, as a *gasp* Angels fan, I found myself in a sea of Dodgers fans at 8:15 a.m. - it felt a little suffocating, especially when the guy who was behind me ended up cutting [like it really mattered] in with guys a little bit infront of me [he just kept yapping, blabbering and blending in].

Despite knowing most local So. Cal Dodger signings are usually balls deep with fans wanting to get their stuff inked up - I still decided to go just because I thought I could really get Kershaw to sign something at a public appearance, when he has sort of cut down on signing for adult fans [he prefers kids] for the most part.

Die-hards types had lined up at 7 p.m. the night before - once Kershaw arrived at around 10 a.m., the lines for Saturday's appearance moved once an hour and he left about 200 fans hanging when he stopped signing by noon.

As an autograph collector in general, I expected not really getting him, but pissed since it looked like people were coming out with two or three things signed - when it was supposed to be a 'one per autograph' event.

It looks like the wristbands that were handed out a few hours before I got to the signing - were being 'recycled' by people who were getting Kershaw multiple times and just wasting everyone else's time.

One guy was even trying to sell his wristband, after getting an autograph - after no one bit, he went back in line to get another.

Just to finish up, it was sort of a frustrating morning - but something where the outcome wasn't too hard to predict, considering I probably should have gotten to the signing earlier than I did.

Autograph in-person failure - Dean Chance

I thought I had an opportunity to get former Angels pitcher Dean Chance's autograph at the Angels game last Saturday against the New York Yankees - when he threw out the first pitch before the game.

Wristbands were handed out for the first 100 people and I was about 25 back - however, I had to wander around and watch batting practice for that other team [even though I was told by the longtime female usher as I got my wristband, I couldn't wander past the area where Chance was signing other than use the restroom perhaps].

When I finally came back towards the line at the start of the game, I was lumped towards the end of the line for people who were guaranteed an autograph - when Chance started to sign at around the top of the third inning, he only got through about 25-30 people before the signing was abruptly cancelled due to health issues.

I was really disappointed, though I sort of understand Chance maybe at a fragile age at 70 - he isn't like some of the younger Angels alumni who have participated in signing for fans after throwing out the first pitch.

My friend and I spotted him after the game and thought we could get his autograph then - some people saw him too and we followed him out one the side gates at Angel Stadium, but Chance still refused to sign.

Skunked by A.J. Pierzynski's apparent ghostsigner

A.J. Pierzynski c/o Chicago White Sox [spring training] - I think I sent this request out on 2/18 and got it back on 4/20/11; the card was signed in blue ink but it doesn't appear to be Pierzynski's actual autograph.

I know of at least two variations of his autograph - one closer to his early signature, where it looks like Pierzynski has scribbled out his last name kind of letter-for-letter. There is also his 'current' autograph where it looks mostly like this and 'sloppier' variations of it.

The SASE I got back was postmarked from Phoenix, so I assume it was left behind at the White Sox facility at Camelback Ranch - instead of simply mailing my card back unsigned [maybe it was buried beneath a pile of letters that Pierzynski never touched], someone decided to have some fun at my expense.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Adam Jones and Felix Doubront

Adam Jones c/o Baltimore Orioles [spring training] - I sent an autograph request to the Orioles' centerfielder on 2/18 and got my SASE back with two cards signed in black on 4/4/11.

Felix Doubront c/o Boston Red Sox [spring training] - he had signed one signed card in black Sharpie in about a month, but part of the autograph had stuck to the inside part of my SASE, so I'm going to try to remove the autograph with either an eraser or a nail polish remover.

I haven't made up my mind whether or not I lose sleep over these things but I'm anal when it comes to signed items - I don't like imperfections in the way the autograph was signed including but not limited to smears, smudges and bubbling.

Spring training autograph requests sent and one TTM failure

I finally got to a post office and mailed off an initial 'set' of spring training requests for 2011 - each request was mailed in a business envelope with at least a Forever stamp and $0.17 in additional postage [around $0.61 per letter sent].

Inside the outgoing envelopes, there is a typed letter and SASE with one Forever stamp enclosed - along with a random card or two sent to be autographed at some point.

Brandon Belt c/o San Francisco Giants - sent a 2010 Topps Pro Debut.
Lance Berkman c/o St. Louis Cardinals - sent a 2004 Fleer Platinum and 2010 Topps Update.
Chad Billingsley c/o Los Angeles Dodgers - sent a 2008 Topps and 2008 Upper Deck Goudey.
Zack Cox c/o St. Louis Cardinals - sent a 2010 Bowman Draft.
Kyle Drabek c/o Toronto Blue Jays - sent a 2006 Bowman Draft Chrome and 2011 Topps.
Adrian Gonzalez c/o Boston Red Sox - sent a 2009 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts and 2009 Topps Update.
Josh Hamilton c/o Texas Rangers - sent a 2010 Topps Update All-Star card.
Bryce Harper c/o Washington Nationals - sent a 2010 Topps Washington Nationals team card.
Jeremy Hellickson c/o Tampa Bay Rays - sent a 2010 Topps Pro Debut.
Adam Jones c/o Baltimore Orioles - sent a 2007 Topps and 2009 Topps T206.
Hong-Chih Kuo c/o Los Angeles Dodgers - sent a 2008 Upper Deck and 2010 Topps Update.
A.J. Pierzynski c/o Chicago White Sox - sent a 2007 Topps Allen and Ginter.
Mariano Rivera c/o New York Yankees - sent a 1998 Donruss Elite and 2005 Fleer Ultra.
C.C. Sabathia c/o New York Yankees - sent a 2009 Upper Deck.
Jerry Sands c/o Los Angeles Dodgers - sent a 2010 Topps Pro Debut.
Joey Votto c/o Cincinnati Reds - sent a 2011 Topps #134.
Chien-Ming Wang c/o Washington Nationals - sent a 2007 Bowman Heritage and 2010 Topps.
Brandon Webb c/o Texas Rangers - sent a 2007 Topps A&G and 2009 OPC.

I realize I might not get any responses from these players at all and any response may come next off-season or sometime next year - I think I still have to send the requests out in case someone responds. However, getting them all back in a timely manner with successful responses [meaning either my card was signed otherwise] may not be realistic.

Maybe there is a reason this is at the bottom, but former MLB pitcher Kevin Gross returned my cards unsigned c/o a home address - I assume my request got to either Gross or a family member; perhaps he just wasn't home to answer any requests, though there could be several other reasons why I couldn't get my cards inked up.

Whoever sent my cards back used my SASE and took about a month to do so - kind of a bummer since I spend all sorts of odd hours putting together these requests. The requests are unsolicited, but I assume it just comes with the territory, that a former ballplayer is going to receive autograph requests in the mail.