2011 Topps Heritage blister recap - my turn at-bat

I was wondering how to deal with the new 2011 Topps Heritage coming out - I'm not going to pick up a hobby box for $75-$80, but like a lemming I wanted to see what the 2011 Topps Heritage cards looked like in-hand.

I don't think I've really loved any particular year of Topps Heritage - maybe 2009 was the last year I really liked how the Heritage cards looked.

I understand they are supposed to mimic Topps' sets from the past, but perhaps I have to be a set-builder to understand the appeal of Heritage - when at times I find the cards dull and boring.

For now, I picked up a 2011 Topps Heritage blaster box and also a three-pack blister [$8.99 each at Target] - the blisters come with '3 exclusive black parallel' cards, which maybe the ideal lure for collectors looking for a non-blaster Heritage purchase.

Black parallel pack
#C30 Clay Buchholz
#C48 Chone Figgins
#C60 Will Venable

Pack one
#208 Rickie Weeks
#68 Travis Snider

#238 Ichiro
#165 Adam Jones
#199 Aroldis Chapman
#156 Hank Conger
#159 Joba Chamberlain
#209 Andrew Romine - is it weird that I imagine being a professional baseball player for the Angels, taking a baseball card picture like Conger and Romine do on their cards?
#153 Marco Scutaro

Pack two
#280 Hiroki Kuroda
#212 Roy Oswalt
#72 Philly's Men Up the Middle - Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley
#320 Jason Heyward
#NAP-14 Felix Hernandez - New Age Performers insert
#167 Wilson Ramos
#414 Jarrod Dyson
#266 Jose Ceda
#155 Brian Wilson - I love this card but everyone has seen it, haven't they? The card is awesome but perhaps Topps should have gone with an image featuring Wilson's trademark beard.

Pack three
#150 Miguel Cabrera
#38 Coco Crisp
#276 Darwin Barney
#65 Robinson Cano
#458 Ian Kennedy - SP
#137 Babe and Mgr. Huggins
#383 Daniel Hudson
#219 Jeremy Hellickson
#191 Ryan Dempster

Featured autograph - Brandon Wood / Angels 2010 recap and preview for 2011

The ways the Angels bumbled in 2010 wasn't solely Brandon Wood's fault - except he has not shown the ability to hit Major League pitching.

Wood is a relatively young kid at 26 and seems healthy - so 2011 is another year where Angels fans hope he can begin to establish himself as a competent Major League player. If he doesn't do it soon, Wood will be thrown among the set of Angels prospects who have failed to live up to expectations.

This is sort of a recap and a preview - after the Angels had enjoyed much success for much of the 2000s, the team stumbled in 2010.

1.) Hitting performances took a dip - Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, Erick Aybar. While Matsui and Rivera are gone, the Angels are hoping Vernon Wells can provide some stability in the lineup and guys like Abreu and Aybar bounce back.

2.) The team in 2010 never really gelled for a prolonged period of time with the injuries suffered by various players - Jeff Mathis got hurt, lost Kendrys Morales for the season, Joel Pineiro got hurt, Maicer Izturis couldn't play a full season due to nagging injuries.

3.) Scott Kazmir imploded - he's a guy who at 27 may need to learn how to pitch and make the transition from thrower to someone who has to rely on guile. The days were he can overpower hitters with sheer stuff seems to have passed him by.

Still the Angels' rotation have a good trio in Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Dan Haren - Pineiro comes up as the No. 4 starter and if Kazmir can do something to revive his career, then the Angels have a staff that is as good or better than the Oakland Athletics or the Texas Rangers.

4.) The Angels' bullpen wasn't good in 2010 and closer Brian Fuentes was dumped for a notable 7'1'' pitcher in Loek Van Mill - Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi look to improve the depth, even though Fernando Rodney can be a question mark at times.

In 2011, the Texas Rangers will likely take a step back because Cliff Lee went to Philadelphia and they chose to let Vladimir Guerrero leave - perhaps the Athletics may be a 'breakout' team if the 'complimentary' hitters [David DeJesus, Matsui and Josh Willingham] the team acquired in the off-season stay relatively healthy and be productive.

I cannot root against my Angels however and believe they will at least get back into the playoffs in 2011 - not that 2010 hasn't created some doubt about that reality happening, but there is a good team in place in Anaheim and despite not signing Carl Crawford and/or Adrian Beltre, they can go and win the American League West.

Autograph request through the mail received: Michael Cuddyer

Michael Cuddyer c/o Minnesota Twins [spring training] - signed my card in blue ink in about three weeks or so.

Cuddyer is one of the 'non-Mauer, face of the franchise' types for the Minnesota Twins - seemingly a blue collar player who has been a fixture in the organization since signing with the team in 1997.

Card shop trip - going retro Topps

Maybe I could have gone retail and picked up a blaster of 2011 Topps Opening Day or even a blaster of 2011 Topps - but I stopped at the card shop after I'd gotten my haircut because I was still feeling a little empty after I'd gone on a card show trip detailed in my previous post.

The card shop I go to on-and-off is sort of quaint - while it seems up to date as far as the newer products and the layout of the store is fairly organized, the actual experience being in the store makes you feel like you've walked into some collector's closet.

I was going to dig through the quarter box, hoping for some 2011, late 2010 commons - but I was hoping for something different, something to catch my eye. The box of $3 jerseys with mostly hockey cards, a few football and no baseball wasn't really what I was looking for.

I went through what seemed to be a 5,000 card box of 1984 Donruss that was all commons and wasn't really of much interest - despite the fact I did want to see what was inside after a previous visit a year ago.

I went through some old-school Topps cards that caught my eye - but the problem as much as I'd like to get to have some nice old Topps cards just because they maybe 35-40 years old, I only want to immediately collect the cards of players I may know something about. I also know I was going through mostly commons, so there maybe a disconnect as going through the older cards and not recognizing the rank-and-file players pictured on them.

I think my immediate goal were to perhaps look for old school Topps cards I may have seen online as being chronicled for whatever reason - maybe a cult baseball player or a baseball card with a unique characteristic.

After picking out three other cards, I think paid too much [$10] for the 1962 Topps American League Home Run Leaders [#53] I saw in one of the shop's showcases - it is beater of a card but was drawn to it because it features Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle and encapsulates the 1961 American League home run race between the both of the Yankees' sluggers.

I thought I was getting a well-worn, beater card to have in-hand and show off - but I saw all the marks on the back of the card was like, 'd'oh!'

With the Angels' 50th Anniversary celebration, perhaps I need to brush up on my knowledge regarding former Angels like Rick Reichardt, pictured on his 1968 Topps card [#40] I picked up for $1 - about 10 years ago I had a friend who was only 18 at the time, but took time to learn about Halos of the past and write to them for their autographs.

I think The Angels, In Order blog is helpful - as far as looking up old-school Angels and their autographs in relation to the franchise's history.

I've seen this 1973 Topps card of Willie Davis [#35] on some other blogs and wanted to add it to my 'awesome action' collection of cards - it seems either Davis was either hit by the pitch or perhaps he was brushed back according to this blog.

I was leafing through a binder of 1975 Topps commons and this 1975 Topps card of Oscar Gamble [#213] stood out - I think I already have his 1976 Topps Traded card, so I got 1975 Topps version as another tribute to the African-American ballplayer who like his hair, hit their prime years in the mid 1970s loud and proud.

Card show trip - random stuff picked up

I know Mitch Williams as the crazy haired reliever for the Phillies who gave up Joe Carter's walk-off, series clinching home run in the 1993 World Series - he is also one of the MLB Network personalities I get to watch nearly every time I turn on the TV. However it is hard for me to believe [without actually looking it up] that 'Wild Thing' actually had a brief 20 game stint as an Angels reliever back in 1995.

Dennis Cook pitched for the World Series champion Angels in 2002, but I think he and Aaron Sele were the two 'notable' veteran pitchers not included in any of the postseason rosters - however Cook did win another World Series five years prior to 2002, with the Florida Marlins back in 1997.

I finally had a chance to go to the collectibles show held on a Wednesday and a Saturday after not being able to get a chance to do so in the past few months - despite the fact it is the only place to go and with the show having a reputation for having everything, I end up sort of buying only the most basic [unsigned 8x10 Photofiles, collecting supplies] of things, since I feel like it isn't always a good place to find just random baseball card stuff other bloggers might appreciate.

I think I spent about two hours at the show randomly walking up and down the aisles - I was bored and relented to pick up three cards from someone's dollar box, which was a pair of 2009 Upper Deck 1989 'buyback' cards featuring two former Angels with dubious ties with the organization and a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado Chipper Jones Magic Numbers insert card with some kind of wood grain finish.

As far as I was concerned, the action for me was sparse - do I bother to mention I was about to leave the show and it occurred to me I probably need to buy some supplies if in case I don't make it back for another few months. In addition the $3 I'd already spent, I went ahead and spent $9.50 more on four ball cubes, about six packs of penny sleeves and a 3,200 card box to hold perhaps all the cards I'm using for in-person signings [or perhaps to hold all my collecting topics cards].

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.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Tom Kelly and Tony Sanchez

Tom Kelly c/o Minnesota Twins [spring training] - signed my two cards in black Sharpie in about two or three weeks; received 3/9/11

Tony Sanchez c/o Pittsburgh Pirates [spring training] - signed my card in blue Sharpie in about two or three weeks [the autograph was smeared however and it looks like I'll be trying to take the autograph off from the card and hope to get him at a future date]; received 3/9/11

Featured autograph - Mike Trout

Mike Trout, the future of the Angels is probably just a couple of years away from reaching the Major Leagues - the autographed card was signed in-person by Trout before a Rancho Cucamonga Quakes game in 2010.

The Quakes, the Angels' advanced A affiliate in the California League up through 2010 now has switched organization this past off-season and is now part of the Dodgers' chain - in 2011, the Angels' advanced A team in the California League will be in the Inland Empire 66ers.

Maybe not as big or really new information, but as spring training gets through the middle part of the schedule - the affiliation change maybe something to think about when seeing possible California League minor league games this upcoming year.

Autograph request through the mail received: Steve Karsay

Steve Karsay c/o home address - signed three cards in blue Sharpie including a 2001 Fleer Tradition card for my set in about about a couple of months.

I remember Karsay in the early 1990s as a high profile draft pick for the Toronto Blue Jays - after being traded to the Oakland Athletics for Rickey Henderson in 1993, he was supposed to be part of the rebuilding program in Oakland as a future ace perhaps.

Karsay was out for much of the 1994 season and had to get Tommy John surgery in 1995 - he did put together a string of four serviceable seasons as a reliever from 1999-2002, but another injury suffered in 2003 was the beginning of the end for his Major League career.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Mariano Rivera and Chone Figgins

Mariano Rivera c/o New York Yankees [spring training] - signed my card in black ink and kept my other card in about three weeks. Don't know what to do about the smudge in 'Rivera' though.

Chone Figgins c/o Seattle Mariners [spring training] - signed my card in black Sharpie in about two weeks and returned the other unsigned.

2011 Topps Glove Manufactured Glove Leather cards

I got three of these insert cards in the mail Thursday and I really like the look of them even though they really are just figment of someone's imagination - I probably wouldn't be able to pull or even consider purchasing one if they were actually game-used.

It maybe obvious, but I assume these leather nameplate cards are supposed to mimic the stitching done on baseball gloves - to personalize them for particular players.

Besides Angels fan favorite Torii Hunter - the other two I got were Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves.

Autograph request through the mail received: Luis Gonzalez

Luis Gonzalez c/o Arizona Diamondbacks - signed my four cards in black Sharpie in about 10 days, including my 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter and my 2008 Topps Allen and Ginter set cards.

2010 Bowman Chrome redemption pack recap

My lone redemption pack of 2010 Bowman black border cards came in the mail after I'd finally sent my 18 Bowman Chrome wrappers in the mail about three weeks ago - I think the cards would have 'popped out' more if they'd been the Chrome variety instead of basic Bowman prospect cards slapped with a black border.

#BP 40 Domingo Santana
#BP 34 Scott Shaw
#BP 26 Cody Satterwhite
#BP 10 Aroldis Chapman
#BP 3 Cole McCurry
#BP 48 Simon Castro
#BP 91 Nolan Arenado
#BP 82 Jacob Elmore
#BP 67 Evan Anundsen
#BP 61 Josh Donaldson

Looking on eBay, the basic black border cards are worth about as much as their regular Bowman Prospect counterparts - of course the real money in these redemption packs is when someone pulls the Bryce Harper 'buyback' 2010 Bowman Chrome USA card.

Featured autograph - Duke Snider

Duke Snider's passing on Sunday may mean more to old-school baseball fans and in particular, those who grew up with the Brooklyn Dodgers - however he was a Hall of Fame legend who seemed to enjoy a reputation for being a gracious signer in-person or through the mail.

With regards to autographs, this story captures just about everything I know and perhaps want to say about Snider and signing autographs - perhaps good and bad.

As far as I was concerned, I never met him in-person and Snider used to refused or 'RTS' mail sent to his listed address - when I started to write him in the early 2000s.

In my experience, I remember having to mark the envelope, 'donation enclosed' to get any sort of positive response - things got better however and for a period of time the successes from Snider in the middle of the 2000s came flooding in.

Most seem to enclose any small fee sent to him, though other times I've read he signed TTM with no donation enclosed - one of the cards I was able to get signed TTM is shown in appreciation of the several times I was able to get something back from him during the past 10 years.

May Mr. Snider rest in peace.

2010 Topps Million Card Giveaway delivery confirmed...

Another picture of the list of cards - I'll now know I'll have delivered to me through the Topps Million Card Giveaway, a day or so before the promotion ends.

I figure that at the very least I'll be able to say I was one of the collectors who took part in having cards delivered from this promotion - instead of just blowing it off and choosing not be part of the collective.

I think the best part of the promotion was being able to trade the virtual cards before having the option to have them delivered - I didn't have anything special and I didn't get any substantial offers, but I was always checking every day to see if someone had offered me a really valuable old-timey Topps card for my drecks.

Maybe I should have kept my 1950s cards, though I'll still have one 1961 Topps common to show for my Million Card endeavors - from the original 'list' of cards I thought about having delivered, I think I already had a 1969 Topps Larry Dierker [found in a dollar scrap bin and eventually autographed TTM] and I was able to trade that for a 1972 Topps Burt Hooton multiplayer rookie card.

2011 Topps Walmart $9.98 break

2011 Topps 72-card Walmart box [$9.98 each] - I wanted to these even though it is your basic 2011 Topps with packaging that looks a little different; I guess this really replaces the $9.99 blasters from four or five years ago and the cereal boxes from the last couple of years.

Was 0-for-6 in my attempt to find Sparkle variations - I've decided to break all sorts of 2011 Topps packs/blasters/etc until I actually pull one.

Walmart Blue Sapphire insert
#WHP-10 Jackie Robinson

#311 James Shields
#224 Milton Bradley
#69 Brett Gardner - any card of a player with 'game used' dirt on his uniform is a keeper.
#182 Jeremy Bonderman
#3 Jon Lester
#72 Jair Jurrjens
#43 Brendan Ryan
#74 Tyler Clippard
#227 Nate McLouth
#297 Jason Jaramillo
#168 Felix Hernandez
#222 Matt Lindstrom
#274 Michael Brantley - could care less about the player but I like the image of Brantley diving back to the bag.

#303 Emilio Bonifacio - making a headfirst slide into third base.
#161 Chicago White Sox
#75 Jered Weaver
#253 Jim Thome
#205 Ty Wigginton
#151 Fausto Carmona
#9 Gil Meche
#176 Dan Hudson
#242 Brad Lidge
#194 Andres Torres
#149 David Aardsma
#76 Tom Gorzelanny
#175 Brennan Boesch
#169 Chipper Jones
#53 Arizona Diamondbacks
#283 Colorado Rockies
#314 Ryan Kalish
#54 Brian Fuentes
#321 Jeremy Guthrie
#215 Edwin Encarnacion
#37 Vicente Padilla

#21 Michael Cuddyer - I like how Cuddyer is caught in the air as he looks to get the ball back into the infield.
#118 Howie Kendrick
#312 Gaby Sanchez
#40 Justin Upton
#119 Jason Bay
#220 Todd Helton
#245 Neil Walker
#277 Trevor Hoffman
#73 James McDonald
#299 Chris Carpenter
#185 Peter Bourjos - making a highlight reel catch in the outfield.
#159 Chris Perez
#11 League Leaders [NL Wins] - Halladay, Wainwright and Jimenez
#138 League Leaders [NL RBI] - Pujols, Gonzalez and Votto

#63 Edinson Volquez Topps - gold parallel serial #'d 0393/2011
#313 Chris Coghlan - Platinum Diamond Anniversary parallel
#TDG-5 Derek Jeter Diamond Giveaway code card - redeemed for a 1977 Topps common of Glenn Abbott and a dig that resulted in a Houston Astros ring.
#KG-36 Hanley Ramirez - Kimball Champions insert
#CMGR-6 Christy Matthewson
#DD-US Justin Upton / Mike Stanton - Diamond Duos insert
The Walmart Jackie Robinson insert
#60YOT-51 Vladimir Guerrero - 60 Years of Topps reprint insert
#T60-44 Duke Snider - Topps 60 insert
#94 Ryan Raburn
#177 Brian Matusz
#201 Mike Napoli
#17 Mark Ellis
#62 Jonathan Papelbon
#32 Chris Johnson
#105 Jonathan Lucroy
#113 Arthur Rhodes
#191 Jay Bruce
#217 Yunel Escobar
#134 League Leaders [NL Batting Average] - Gonzalez, Votto and Infante
#7 Mickey Mantle
#91 Lucas May
#243 Omar Vizquel
#TT-27 Andre Ethier ToppsTown

More spring training autograph requests sent

More spring training requests sent out on 2/24/11 - each request was mailed in a business envelope using at least one Forever stamp and $0.17 in additional postage [around $0.61]; a typed letter and a SASE with one Forever stamp was sent with each request.

Dustin Ackley - sent two 2009 Tristar Prospects Plus multiplayer subset cards #93 and #97.
Francisco Cervelli - sent a 2010 Topps Update.
Eric Chavez - sent a 2002 Upper Deck Diamond Collection and a 2004 Donruss Throwback Threads.
Michael Cuddyer - sent a 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter.
Felix Doubront - sent a 2010 Bowman Draft.
John Danks - sent a 2007 Bowman Draft.
Chone Figgins - sent a 2006 Topps and a 2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee.
Freddie Freeman - sent a 2011 Topps.
Jason Giambi - sent a 2004 Upper Deck USA 25th Anniversary and a 2010 Topps Update.
Yasmani Grandal - sent a 2010 Bowman Draft.
Brad Hawpe - sent a 2008 Bowman and a 2009 Topps.
Bobby Jenks - sent a 2005 Bowman Draft and a 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter.
Andruw Jones - sent a 2001 Fleer Focus and a 2002 Upper Deck.
Tom Kelly - sent two 2001 Topps.
Carney Lansford - sent a 1981 Donruss and a 1991 Donruss.
Jesus Montero - sent a 2008 Donruss Threads.
Carlos Pena - sent a 2002 Upper Deck and a 2008 Upper Deck Goudey.
Rob Rasmussen - sent a 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition.
Tony Sanchez - sent a 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition School Colors insert.
Ryne Sandberg - sent a 1990 Score Dream Team subset and a 2008 Donruss Threads.
Max Scherzer - sent a 2008 Topps Stadium Club.
Seth Smith - sent a 2009 Topps Update and Highlights and a 2009 Upper Deck.
Jake Westbrook - sent a 2000 Bowman and a 2005 Topps Turkey Red.

Autograph request through the mail received: Warren Moon

Warren Moon c/o business address - the former professional football player signed my four cards in black Sharpie and returned one card unsigned.

This request took about two weeks - also enclosed a card [looks like a bookmark] promoting Moon's Twitter, Facebook and official Web site.

A dozen cards out of the quarter box - my story

Before going to work last Saturday, I stopped at a card shop and looked through the quarter bins - I was looking through the most recent 5,000 card boxes within reach, particularly the row with 2011 Topps.

I picked up the following cards for $3 and change [tax] - I went mostly for cards of younger players instead of interesting cards I can add to my collecting topics collections.

2010 Bowman Draft Chance Ruffin #BDPP 64
2011 Topps Joey Votto #5 - too bad this was regular version...
2011 Topps Rick Ankiel #34 - the image is just great as Ankiel tries to slide headfirst into third base without getting tagged by the third baseman. I could just imagine the Atlanta Braves' third base coach barking at Ankiel to get down. This maybe my most favorite 2011 Topps card.
2011 Topps Chris Sale #65 (x2)

2011 Topps Pedro Alvarez #95 - I believe this is his first Major League card after some USA, Razor and minor league cards issued over the last five years.
2011 Topps Albert Pujols #100
2011 Topps Josh Tomlin #160
2011 Topps Jeremy Hellickson #165
2011 Topps Jay Bruce #191 - probably my second most favorite card out of 2011 Topps; looks like Topps got this notable image from Getty too.
2011 Topps Dillon Gee #203
2011 Topps Yonder Alonso #317

Angels received in the mail from Section 36 - Darin Erstad

Got around 52 different Angels cards in the mail yesterday - I remember sending an e-mail with my address to a blog called Section 36, giving away cards. The Angels were one of the teams that weren't claimed and I jumped at the opportunity to add to my collection.

I don't know about any other sane collectors - but I always like to flip through a stack of any cards I haven't gone through before, perhaps in anticipation perhaps of finding at least a couple of interesting cards.

The Angels cards I received were from 2001 and it feels just a little weird 10 years has already past - there were about 10 Darin Erstad cards in the stack of Angels and I'd post some of the cards I received.

Despite his stats screaming 'complimentary player,' with only one 'great, superstar' season in 2000 - Erstad is held in high regard among Angels fans because he played the game hard and unforgiving.

Erstad was the definition of what Bill James once said about Don Mattingly - 100 percent ballplayer, 0 percent BS.

Thanks Section 36 for the cards.

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.

My first 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway card - 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt

After reading this, I unlocked my first code card on the new 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway Web site - for a 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt.

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.