TTM autograph received: Larry Waker

The Hall of Fame slugger signed my card in about a couple of months - while he does various formal signings for a memorabilia company like Tristar or a trading card company like Topps, he responds to TTM requests where personalizes ['To Your Name'] and inscribes ['Best Wishes'] items sent to him like the card I sent.

TTM autograph received: Len Gabrielson

The former big leaguer personalized and signed my card in blue ink in about a week - this one likely goes into my Angels all-time autograph collection for the 11 games he played with the team all the way back in 1967.

TTM autographs received: Angel Pagan

Pagan personalized and signed my cards in about a month - he was a good get because I don't recall even getting a chance to see him in-person [small sample size noted] as he emerged as a contributor on World Series contending San Francisco Giants teams through the mid 2010s.

While Pagan should have been a player you maybe able to count as a success when trying for better players' autographs on a big league team - maybe he was as difficult to get as the established Giants' stars of the day like Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner or Pablo Sandoval.

PS: I think as long as I'm collecting something, the blog posts on this blog will simply continue - but the relative lack of engagement on my part hits a little different for me, where blogging feels a little dated and it might not be worth it to go on much further.

TTM autographs received: Heidi Watney

The MLB Network host and reporter signed my two cards and personalized one in about two weeks or so - I was going to scan the personalized card with the 'God Bless' inscription but the card pictured 'jumped' out of my SASE and onto my scanner bed.

Featured autograph - Jahmai Jones

Jones, a 19-year old Angels outfield prospect was promoted to Inland Empire 66ers and I was able to get him to sign a couple of cards - before his first game in the California League.

TTM autographs received: Pat Combs

Former MLB pitcher Pat Combs signed my cards in about two weeks - he signed each card with a Bible verse and personalized one of the cards.

Autograph request through the mail received: Jeff Torborg

Jeff Torborg c/o home - the former MLB player and manager personalized and signed two cards in black ink and kept a 2003 Topps I sent; this request was mailed 12/7/11 and received on 6/4/12.

Featured autograph - Domingo Ayala

I'm not sure what to make of Ayala's talents as a baseball player but I guess his routine works - and maybe a guilty pleasure as he spoofs the gestures of Latin American ballplayers in professional baseball.

He appeared at a home run derby to benefit former Arizona State baseball player Cory Hahn last Saturday afternoon in Placentia California - I saw him walking around and I was going to have him sign a dummy card, but he had promotional pictures to give away, which he personalized, inscribed 'pop the chain' and signed.

He seems a little smaller in person but the thing about his 'gimmick' is he does resemble a baseball player[if even just a little bit] - he hit a home run in the derby and it was kind of cool seeing him go deep.

With a little bit of identity theft going on with at least couple of players from the Dominican Republic - I would love to see a scenario where Ayala is exposed to have a different name and age...that maybe where the 'natural progression' of his 'career' goes.

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.'

Autograph request through the mail received: Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer c/o Detroit Tigers [spring training] - personalized [To: Lauren] and signed my card in blue ink.

This was mailed on February 24 and arrived in my mailbox on December 27 - this request took a while to get back to me but it is always nice to get a somewhat unexpected TTM autograph success.

Autograph request through the mail received: Carl Warwick

Carl Warwick c/o home - the 1964 World Series hero personalized and signed my card in blue ink in about a week.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Chien-Ming Wang and Dustin Ackley

Chien-Ming Wang c/o Washington Nationals [spring training] - signed my two cards in blue ink in about three weeks. Wang's autograph seems to have drastically changed over the years and while I think he learn to sign a 'Western' style autograph, I'm sure the ones I got in the mail years ago looked more like his certified autographs from four or five years ago.

Dustin Ackley c/o Seattle Mariners [spring training] - the top prospect personalized and signed my two cards in blue ink in about two weeks or so.

Assuming Ackley will be a second baseman when he reaches the Major Leagues for the first time this upcoming season - I think his offensive numbers will mimic those of a healthy Brian Roberts.

Featured autograph - Brady Anderson

As an autograph collector, one of my collecting priorities in the last decade is trying to get as many cards from particular baseball card sets - signed either in-person or through the mail.

Probably the first set I've tried it with is the 2001 Fleer Tradition set - I didn't like the particular product when it first came out, but I picked up a factory set 'back in the day' for around $30.

The factory sets included a 50-card rookie subset with rookie cards of Albert Pujols, Ichiro and Mark Teixeira - that wasn't available through packs or hobby/retail boxes.

After realizing I was stuck with this complete set, I ended up attempting to get the 400-card set signed - minus the 50-card rookie subset.

Fast forward to 2009 and I've probably half of the set signed in one ink or the other and either in-person or through the mail - there are some players who have slipped through the cracks [that I've never gotten] and some players who have died [Ken Caminiti and Darryl Kile].

Brady Anderson was one of the players whose card I still need signed from this set and I'd stumbled on a supposed list of signers through the Major League Alumni Marketing - which I assume is a way for the Major League Players Alumni Association to raise money.

Anderson [$15] and Ray Lankford [$20] were the two players that stood out [other notables included Stan Musial - $85, Mike Schmidt - $70 and John Smoltz - $70] - as 'sorta tough to get guys, now they aren't playing,' whom I still needed on 2001 Fleer Tradition cards.

So I looked at the list and wondered if it was worth getting Anderson and/or Lankford at a mail-in signing, so I could get them out of the way - I'd gotten Anderson's autograph a handful of times in his playing career, but before the 2001 Fleer Tradition came out.

I'd never gotten Lankford before and while I'd equally needed both of their 2001 Fleer Tradition cards signed - Lankford was the more intriguing name.

I'd looked at the list late Tuesday night and was still thinking about it Wednesday - not a big deal I suppose, though I had a couple of options to be able to knock out a couple of set cards.

I go to the Angels day game against the New York Yankees [9/23] and walking up the aisle from the field level before the game - and out all the random people I might see [among former players perhaps], there is Anderson [though he is in his mid 40s, he still looks like he is in his early 30s] coming up from the ramp, looking for his seats, somewhere in the terrace level.

I literally smack myself in the head, since I was thinking about the chances I'd ever see him - to get him to sign his 2001 Fleer Tradition [#77].

However, there was no 2001 Fleer Tradition card with me - I'd leafed through a stack of various setters [particular brands of baseball cards to get signed under the premise in the first paragraph] I'd put together last night and Anderson was the top card.

It never occured to me to bring any card [much less the 2001 Fleer Tradition] of Anderson - it looked like he had some sort of 'field pass' thing he was wearing around his neck, but I didn't know why he would be at Angel Stadium.

Anderson was still trying to figure out where his seat was and I was following him like I was some sort of lost puppy - when he finally sat down, I asked him to sign a blank page out of my autograph book. He asked for my name and I dilligently spelled it out so he could scribble it out, add a short inscription and sign his name.

It was pretty cool to get Anderson - though I keep thinking of the ways [now], how I can be prepared for the next time I see someone I need on one of my setters.

Featured autograph - Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez was the big man on campus at USC and was the No. 5 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2009 NFL draft - he made an appearance at Angel Stadium to throw out the first pitch a few weeks ago and towards the end of the game, I saw where he was signing for kids. I knew he'd be making an appearance, because I'd heard on TV, but I ended up bringing nothing of significance to get signed.

When I approached him to get his autograph - he asked for my name and personalized my 2009 O-Pee-Chee Angels team checklist card.

I'm pretty sure I overheard the woman standing next to me [who I think was with Sanchez' party] say the reason Sanchez personalizes - is because he doesn't know where the autograph will be going [meaning they might be sold or whatever].

A person I knew got what I assume was a 'cheap football' personalized and signed - it looked like Sanchez had 'spanked it' letter for letter.

Despite the deal with the personalizations - Sanchez was seemingly accomodating and signed without a problem. The person I knew took a 'photo-op' with Sanchez and I should have taken one as well, but was really 'too shy' to ask for one.

Autograph request through the mail received: Casey Weathers

Casey Weathers c/o Phoenix Desert Dogs [Arizona Fall League] - the No. 8 overall pick in the 2007 Amateur Draft personalized and signed one card in blue Sharpie.

I was glad to get this back - since I'd read [on the Freedom Cardboard message boards]someone had received a recent success from him.

I thought it was ironic a few days after I mail my request on 10/10/08 - he gets injured and eventually needs Tommy John Surgery.

Received 4/28/09 postmarked from Sacramento - I think a postmark on a self addressed stamped envelope [SASE] tells a lot of things i.e. where the mail was sent. Often times you get postmarks from the players hometown [or close to it], from the cities they've travelled to as players, et al.

Autograph request through the mail received: Nomar Garciaparra

Nomar Garciaparra c/o Oakland Athletics [spring training] - personalized and signed one card in black Sharpie.

I assume Garciaparra was one of those players who didn't sign through the mail once he reached the Major Leagues - since he was essentially a star from the beginning of his Major League Baseball career and was inundated with 'fan mail.'

Maybe I wrote to him 10-12 years ago, but that possible request is long gone - if it was ever made. I remember getting him in-person during opening night for the Anaheim Angels in 1997, where he signed a baseball for me and my brother. I got him several years later in 2000, but Garciaparra started to sign less and didn't seem to be as accomodating.

In 2008, I got Nomar in-person for the first time since 2000 - but I lost my autograph book with my Garciaparra set card signed. I was bummed out about that one, since the book also contained my Josh Hamilton [1999 Bowman Chrome] cards I'd expected to get signed.

In 2009, I'm glad Garciaparra signed with a West Coast team - you figure he should be a little mellowed out and it won't be as difficult to get in-person, especially considering the number of times I maybe able to see him.

I saw a recent Garciaparra success posted on this autograph forum I am a member of - found a random 2008 Upper Deck card [I'd 'relocated' my Garciaparra cards from sheets in a binder to a box] and sent a request ASAP.

This request was mailed out on 3/21 and was received 3/28/09 - it was rather quick. I didn't care if it was personalized or in black Sharpie, but then I didn't send one of my set cards and the signed card I received looks pretty good to me.

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In other autograph related matters

From this post, I received baseball uber prospect Matt Wieters, who signed an 8x10 photo for me - too bad the autograph had smudged to the point where sending to him had become a waste of time. I had to take an eraser in order to rub the autograph off the 8x10, which is still in decent shape.

Since that last post, I also sent a few more spring training requests - which likely finishes the spring for me as far as requests go, though maybe I'll send a request or two to minor leaguers.

Justin Masterson c/o Boston Red Sox 3/21/09
Nomar Garciaparra c/o Oakland Athletics 3/21/09
Pat Burrell c/o Tampa Bay Rays 3/21/09
Madison Bumgarner c/o San Francisco Giants [minors] 3/26/09
Travis Fryman c/o Cleveland Indians [complex] 3/26/09
Trevor Hoffman c/o Milwaukee Brewers 3/26/09
Ubaldo Jimenez c/o Colorado Rockies 3/26/09
Daisuke Matsuzaka c/o Boston Red Sox 3/26/09
C.C. Sabathia c/o New York Yankees 3/26/09

Featured autograph - Xavier Nady

New York Yankees' left fielder Xavier Nady returned the card [on Jan. 27] I sent to him personalized and signed in blue ink - I either sent it out some times in 2007 or some time in 2008 when he was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I think there were one or two other cards I sent, though I don't remember - I was just surprised at getting Nady back, thinking I was going to get a more recent request back in a SASE I found in my mailbox. The SASE was postmarked from San Diego and I was wondering who I'd written to down there in recent months.

I always like saying his first name and thought he was going to be star when he was drafted by the San Diego Padres back in 2000 - it sort of took a while for Nady to establish himself in the Major Leagues with the Padres, then he bounced around with the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 2008, he had a breakthrough season split between the Pirates and the New York Yankees - he played in 148 games and in 555 at-bats, hit 25 home runs, drove 97 runs and hit .305. He also posted an on-base percentage of .357 and he slugged .510.

At times you will get athletes who insist on personalizing items presented to them in-person - and sometimes they will do so on their own, when you send something for them to sign in the mail.

These days, athletes personalize because they literally want to protect the value of their name - if they are not going to personalize something, both the athlete and his agent feel like they should be getting paid.

I personally would prefer any card or item autographed, not personalized- though I find personalizations are unique and do not mind them. I figure I have many autographs in my collection that aren't personalized and I'm fine with the odd card or item that is made out with my name.