TTM autographs received: Sonny Jackson

The former big leaguer from the 1960s through early 1970s signed my cards in a year and 20 days - I counted this one gone as an MIA request, so it was nice to get one of my SASEs back in the mail box and see what I'd sent signed, along with one of the penny sleeves I used for one of the cards I sent.

Featured autograph - Eddie Rosario

I got this card of 2021 NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario signed when played in the Arizona Fall League back in 2014 - this was loose somewhere for the longest time where just kind of 'hung out' as a misfit.

Despite the small sample sizes, maybe the outfielder's postseason outburst with the bat elevates his status just a little past just being another good big league player - who can do some things well [hit for a little power, run the bases a little] but maybe overvalued for his age and the potential salary might be making.

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.

TTM autographs received: David Nied

The former big league righthander signed my cards in about a couple of weeks, including his 1992 Leaf Gold Rookies insert, a card I once coveted as a kid - I thought Nied was destined for stardom, following the likes of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery in the Atlanta Braves rotation in the early 1990s.

Looking back Nied's ascent from a 1987 draft pick to a legitimate pitching prospect - paralleled the Braves' rise from bottom feeders to perennial contenders through the 1990s.

However Nied was left unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft and was the No. 1 pick of the Colorado Rockies - so maybe his big league career never really had a chance of taking off.

TTM autograph received: Glenn Hubbard

The former MLB infielder signed my 1984 Fleer in about three weeks - supposedly Hubbard didn't sign the cult favorite card for the longest time, but loosened his stance over the years.

Though Hubbard wasn't on my 'here and now' list of possible TTM subjects to write to - I'm always looking for 'inspiration' and got it when I saw a collector [on an autograph forum I belong to] post his Hubbard success [with his copy of the 1984 Fleer signed].

I may have at least 3 or 4 more unsigned cards of Hubbard - but the 1984 Fleer was my No. 1 priority, so it was the one sent out.

A monster box rummage - yields a pair of 1990s inserts

1995 Select Gold Team Will Clark #9 of 12 - to juice up my notable player binders by decade, it should be a no brainer to pick up loose inserts, particularly if they were the UV coated inserts from the mid through late 1990s.

1997 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle John Smoltz / Andy Pettitte #9 of 10 - I tend to think dual sided cards are a little odd, a little irregular, but it's a shiny insert with a Dufex finish [at least the 'front' with Smoltz pictured].

Featured autograph - Jonny Venters

It's fun to find autographs I didn't even know I had but must have gotten at some point - in the early part of the decade, Venters was a weapon out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen but three Tommy John surgeries just about derailed his career.

Against all odds, Venters made it back to the majors leagues in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays - regardless of what happens, the occasional comeback story of an individual player is something to get sentimental about.

2018 Topps Living Set Ronald Acuna #19

At the end of April I picked up a couple of copies on eBay for $5 each and just got the cards in-hand this week - wanting to keep up with the occasional hot rookie chase, I'm trying to see where I can channel impulse purchases from loose unopened packs and blasters to relevant Topps Now or Topps Living Set singles.

With over 45,000 cards made, no one was sleeping on these rookie year Acuna cards, though they should be nice cards to put away - according to what I've read on the Blowout Cards forums, these cards are condition sensitive, though ones I received had no obvious imperfections.

Andruw Jones - a borderline HOFer?

I have this 1995 Bowman rookie card [#23] in a miscellaneous binder and I recoil whenever I see it - I remember buying it for something like $30 at the 2000 National Sports Collectors Convention and thought it was going to be a 'money card' of a superstar for years to come.

Maybe card values of any number of random cards probably declined over the past 20 years as players come in and out of collectors' consciousness - but Jones accelerated the dip in values by how his playing career fell apart after leaving the Atlanta Braves.

He got fat when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2008 season and then bounced around for years - even playing in Japan for two seasons before wrapping up his playing career.

After the fact, the most interesting thing is that Jones was probably the best center fielder of his generation and may actually have an argument that he's one of the best to play his primary position of all time - this Sports Illustrated story spells out the idea that he's unlikely to get to the Hall of Fame, but pores over his numerous achievements as well as his decline.

Kevin Maitan - all things considered

As an Angels fan, the addition of Maitan is a nice pickup since he's only 17 and was the most intriguing prospect heading into this past year - the Angels' farm system has been depressed for a while and hopefully Maitan starts building on his promise, giving the Angels a nice little core of position player prospects [along with Jo Adell, Jahmai Jones, Brandon Marsh] to build upon the next few seasons.

TTM autographs received: Charlie Puleo

Puleo signed my cards in about a month and answered a couple of questions - it's a nice bonus when I write a former MLB player and get any sort of personal response.

About his preference between being a starting pitcher or a reliever - he wrote he was "more effective in the big leagues as a reliever."

How a pitcher, his catcher and pitching coach may have a game plan for an outing - he wrote "all 3 work together, but pitcher always had final say."

Farewell Mark Teixeira - a pro all the way

Though Teixeira has had a fine career, it looks like his body is beat up and is apparently retiring at the end of the 2016 season - his year-to-year numbers have generally been in decline for the past five years.

A one-time Angel in 2008, Teixeira hit .358 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 193 at-bats in a 54-game stint after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves near the trade deadline - he provided such a boost with a bat, that it was disappointing [even if any sort of long-term deal wasn't really meant to be] not to see him back with the Angels.

Losing Teixeira through free agency meant the Angels were compensated with a 2009 first-round draft pick - the team used the pick to select Mike Trout, who at 25, continues to build on a monumental career.

The circumstances that gifted the Angels with Trout was something that happened because Teixeira bolted for New York - so there maybe indifference but no real ill will towards 'Tex' after the fact.

After leaving the Angels, I probably hoped Teixeira would be more of an albatross as the years passed by - but in his first season with the Yankees, Teixeira got what he came for when he had another big season and helped the team win a World Series championship in 2009.

Teixeira was a polished college player when the Texas Rangers drafted him in 2001 and was a ready made big leaguer when he made his big league debut in 2003 - he really had some big seasons with the Texas Rangers and I thought he was going to be a superstar for years to come.

Featured autograph - Ryan Klesko

I first learned of Klesko as a top prospect with the Atlanta Braves in the early 1990s - the lumbering slugger with a big swing didn't have the all-world numbers like one-time Braves teammate Chipper Jones would have, but had a pretty good MLB career for himself.

Featured autograph - Andrelton Simmons

I was looking to add a Simmons autograph for my all-time Angels collection since the team traded for him last month - I picked up this certified autograph along with about 21 other miscellaneous cards during a Black Friday promotion at my current 'LCS' in Redmond, Washington COMC.

Compared to the other cards I was looking at, it seems like Simmons used a thicker, bolder pen to autograph this card - I think Topps uses a Lumocolor pen for their autograph signings, but the thickness of the ink would lead to think a Sharpie was used instead.

I was on vacation with my parents overseas when I learned about the news of Simmons' acquisition - I didn't expect the Angels to trade their No. 1 prospect Sean Newcomb [along with fellow prospect Chris Ellis, long-time Angels shortstop Erick Aybar and cash] for Simmons and a minor leaguer, but Simmons is regarded as the best defensive shortstop in all of Major League Baseball.

I was looking forward to seeing Newcomb as the next young arm to come through the minors for the Angels - but for all the plays he makes at shortstop, Simmons just has to hit a little bit more to really fit the profile of a star shortstop an MLB team can build around.

Featured autograph - Kyle Kubitza

I don't know much about Kubitza except the Angels picked him up during the offseason - I got him to sign a couple of cards in the Arizona Fall League a few years ago, so his autograph is already in the collection if he plays in a game for the Angels at some point.

Dare I dream that the 24-year old turns into a solid, but unspectacular player if and when he gets to the big leagues with the Angels - I don't think he's ever been regarded as a top prospect, but I'm just hoping Kubitza establishes himself as a useful MLB player for more than just a couple of years.

2015 Topps Series I pack breaks

When it comes to loose packs, I'm more inclined to pick them up at my card shop, since there is peace of mind that the packs haven't been searched - even if the box isn't entirely 'new' and there have been multiple packs pulled already, I'll take my chances as opposed to a gravity feed at Target and/or Walmart.

Results vary, but I cling to the the idea hobby packs gives me a better chance to pull a card of note - regardless of actual value since flagship Topps costs $2 a pack.

Pack one
#184 Melvin Upton
#15 Joey Votto
#320 Shin-Soo Choo
#269 Jordy Mercer
#343 Shane Greene
#H-19 Mike Schmidt - Highlight of the Year insert
#237 Lucas Duda
#89 Michael Choice
#266 Brandon Phillips
#274 Ryan Zimmerman

Pack two
#178 Christian Yelich
#52 Fernando Rodney
#29 Brandon Belt
#190 Zach Britton

#CRH-FF Freddie Freeman - game used memorabilia card
#133 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#95 Junior Lake
#236 Zack Wheeler

Pack three
#37 Arismendy Alcantara
#169 Adam Jones
#197 Glen Perkins
#160 Washington Nationals team card
#288 Chris Parmelee
#50 Yu Darvish

#FP-13 Suzy - First Pitch insert
#100 Clayton Kershaw
#249 Jose Reyes
#157 Ubaldo Jimenez

Pack four
#74 Tyler Skaggs
#53 Nathan Eovaldi
#24 New York Mets team card
#38 Jordan Zimmerman
#48 John Axford
#FP-09 Tom Willis - First Pitch insert
#179 Jason Vargas
#164 Brian Schlitter
#152 Michael Pineda
#172 Didi Gregorius

Pack five
#16 David DeJesus
#252 Travis Wood - it's just a base card, but there is peeling on the upper right hand corner.
#263 Dillon Gee
#25 Jose Bautista
#9 Hunter Pence
#232 Andrew Susac
#H-18 Willie McCovey - Highlight of the Year insert
#39 Salvador Perez
#69 Justin Upton
#293 Zach Duke

Featured autograph - Yunesky Maya

I picked up a 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter in-person signed card of Maya and it was kind of a no brainer - it was another $2.50 auto from a group of autograph cards detailed in this previous post.

I can go ahead and put my original set card in my collection of foreign born players and not worry about needing him to sign something specific - it's not like Maya was a major want, but it's one autograph set card out of the way from a player that might be tough to track down.

A Cuban defector who was a free agent bust with the Washington Nationals, Maya was pitching in the Atlanta Braves' system this year before being sold to a baseball team in Korea - I just want to say that he's already 32 years old and while he's probably not permanently going back to Cuba, he is on the pro baseball journeyman path.

Random thoughts - the Kate Uptons...err Justin and B.J. Upton

I thought Justin would be a superstar years ago, but he has never quite played at that level consistently and it seems like he's always had 'up and down' numbers - I have several assorted certified autograph cards of the Justin that I should put together as a 'mini-collection,' with other more common inserts I've pulled.

The luster as a potential superstar faded off B.J. a long time ago, but he was a key free agent signing coming into the 2013 season - B.J. can't be as bad as he was last year, though he is what he is while there is still hope Justin bumps up his game as he enters his late 20's.

Featured autograph - Justin Upton

I picked up a Justin Upton certified autograph because he has a nice signature when he takes the time to write it out- while not a personal favorite, he's been sort of a enigma [though not as up-and-down as brother B.J.'s MLB career] and like everyone else I'm still waiting for him to take his game to a whole new level, where he is locked in for pretty much an entire MLB season.

Featured autograph - Fred McGriff

I picked this card up because according to SCN it doesn't look like the borderline Hall of Fame candidate has answered his fan mail since 2008 - impulsively, I may pick up certified autographs that are considered low end pulls in ridiculously high-end products like Topps Five Star featuring players collectors may overlook.

There are still some retired players [maybe more 'fan favorites' than Hall of Fame legends] that sort of have an allure and while probably not notoriously tough signers - need to be contacted and be shown the money to ink up a number of pack insert certified autograph cards.