August 20th White Plains Card Show Review Part 3

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, keeping everything moving, here's part 3 of the on going card show series!

Part 3:

Meeting Former Yankees

So, on the 20th, I met 4 players, 2 former Yankees, and 2 members of Cooperstown. We'll start off with the 2 Yankees, and the first of the 4 that I met that day!

None other than "Sweet Lou", Lou Piniella! Words couldn't describe what I was thinking when I first saw the name Lou Piniella on the autograph guest list prior to the show. He surprised me as being somewhat quiet, but we did a little talking about my custom and how I made it in his honor, etc etc. He was very nice, and I really hope he gets a shot at making the Hall of Fame one day!

As I mentioned, I got Lou to sign a Yankees Greats custom card I made. This set isn't huge, but I've gotten quite a few former Yankees to sign them now. Piniella won't have a shot at Cooperstown for his playing days, as he was simply just a solid player on a great team (ie: Jayson Werth). His lifetime batting average was .291 but otherwise his stats were just not enough. However, he managed the Yankees following his retirement, as well as the Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays, and most recently, the Cubs. He won in 1990 with the Reds, and even while managing some bad teams, his career managerial record was a little over .500. 

Next, Dad, Mike, and I all met Bob Watson, a former 1st baseman throughout the 1970's and 1980's, for the Astros, Red Sox, Braves, and Yankees. While his stats were very good, maybe even better than Piniella's, Watson was best known as the first African American GM, when he took a job with the Houston Astros following the 1993 season. He went on to become the GM for the Yankees throughout the beginning of their dynasty in the mid-late 90's. Also, a neat note was that Watson scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history on May 4th, 1975, scoring on a home run by Milt May.

I got a baseball signed by Mr. Watson that day, and I think it came out pretty nice! The ball I used to get signed was cheap, as it was a freebie when you came into the show, so you could use it for autographs. It's made by Steiner, and it's nothing special, but it looks good in person for sure. Watson was again, very quiet, and I didn't have much to say to him, because frankly, I barely knew anything about him when I met him. 

See Ya!

TTM #63- I dodged a "Bullet" with this one!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with my next TTM return. Over the last couple months, TTM-ing has probably been my most common subject in terms of posting, because I really do love that aspect of the hobby. I mean, who couldn't turn down autographs for typically just the price of postage? It's a very affordable and fun hobby, which is why I love it so much. Anyway, a few months ago, I wrote this former Yankee a letter asking for his autograph. Just weeks later, I got a RTS from the Postal Service, and almost gave up on trying him again. However, just last week I decided to try him one more time, and it sure paid off.

Former Yankees pitcher "Bullet" Bob Turley signed a custom for me! Turley was a great pitcher back in the 1950's and 1960's, during his 12 year career. Outside of the Yankees, Bullet Bob pitched for the Red Sox, Orioles, St. Louis Browns, and Angels. By far, his best season was in 1958 when he won the American League Cy Young award after posting a 21-7 record with a 2.97 ERA. He also won the World Series MVP that year when the Yankees won it all. 

He signed the card in 7 days for me, and it looks very nice signed in blue sharpie. His signature has a very cool look to it and I'm happy that I was finally able to add him to my Yankees Greats autograph collection!

See Ya!

TTM's #'s 61 and 62! Awesome Basketball Return!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Over the past few days I've received more signed cards in the mail, and as always, I brought them over to the scanner to share them with you all! Check them out:

First was former Yankees pitcher Bobby Shantz! If you remember, I recently got back from him just a few weeks ago, but the card he signed was very damaged. So, I sent him another letter, and he seemed happy to sign another custom for me! He also sent me another card, from the 2009 Diamond Signature set. It was inscribed "1952 A.L. MVP" and is an incredible bonus to go along with my card. The custom also looks much better, with only one small spot of damage that isn't too noticeable. 

In my previous post concerning Shantz, I wrote a little up about his career. You can check that out here. For the second time, the success only take 5 days, a ridiculously fast turnaround.

The second success was a sick one! Shaquille O'Neal signed 2 cards for me! Shaq has always been one of my favorite basketball players of all time, even though I don't really follow it too well. The 4 Time NBA champion and 2000 NBA MVP is a sure thing Hall of Famer once his career is all said and done. He's been elected to 15 All Star Games and took home the Game's MVP award 3 times! It's safe to say that Shaq has been the greatest center of the past decade but you can even consider him of the best centers of all time. 

Shaq has hit a hot streak in terms of signing autographs for the fans lately, but questions have been rising over the legitimacy that he was the one who actually signed it. I find it all to be rumors, because clearly both of my autographs look different from the other, plus I sent it to his home address while he stayed home on a road trip with an injury. In terms of the autographs, my custom looks pretty cool I have to say, and I'm happy he actually signed it anyway. However, the 04-05 Fleer Showcase card I've had stored away for years looks outstanding signed in silver sharpie! The success took just 7 days, which again is insanely fast, especially for an active player!

All in all I'm pumped to add Shaq to my autograph collection, as well as a replacement from Bobby Shantz! If you're curious in sending a letter to either player and need an address, let me know in the comments or shoot me an email. 

See Ya!

TTM's #58! Former Yankee Ace!

Hey guys, Drew back here. So, I've been very busy lately with practice and getting equipment for the JV team as well as town league, but I didn't forget you guys! In fact, I have a lot of things I want to show you as always! In fact, about a week from right now I'll be coming home with a bag full of cards that I bought earlier that day at the March White Plains Card Show! I'm so excited! I'll have more information about the show as the week goes on, so keep posted. Anyway, got a TTM that I got last week that I waited to show, so is the success:

Former Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang signed not 1, not 2, but 3 cards for my Yankees collection! The first one, a custom, came out a little damaged as always, so I'm a little disappointed, but I'm gonna keep it regardless. The second was a 2007 Turkey Red card, which looks amazing on the front, but the damage from the custom absolutely destroyed the back of the card. Lastly, the final card he signed was from 2009 Allen & Ginter. This card has very little back damage, so it's my favorite of the bunch.

Wang has an awful signature, but he was very hard to get when he was virtually unhittable with the Yankees. He went 38-13 between 2006 and 2007, and was extremely fun to watch. Unfortunately, injuries occurred, and the best way to sum it up now, is that he's struggling to win a pitching spot on the Nationals. Some turnaround huh?

Anyway, he signed the cards in 34 days, and I wanna thank him for doing so! Someone had the guts from Spring Training to sign Drew's Cards! Let's see some more courageous players do the same!

See Ya!

TTM's 48-51! A Record Spring Training Day!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Yesterday I received one of the most unforgettable overall maildays of my card collecting life, with a record 4 TTM returns in one day! All 4 came from either Florida or Arizona, and you know what that means, Spring Training returns! Well I might as well get started with the 1st one I opened:

The first success was from now Toronto Blue Jays closer Jon Rauch! Rauch has pitched 8 seasons in the big leagues, mostly as a reliever, and got his biggest MLB opportunity last season after filling in for the injured Joe Nathan. He is also the tallest player in baseball history, at 6 foot 11 inches tall. Rauch signed 2 cards for me, the first being on a custom card, and the second on a 2010 Topps Update card. The first card is not as pink as it looks, and outside a little minor damage on the corners, it looks great, and while the 2010 Topps is a little bubbled up, it still looks nice. He also inscribed his number 60 on both cards!

The second success from yesterday was of Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs! Stubbs is heading into his second full season in the big leagues after a pretty solid rookie campaign, hitting .255 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI's. They say the best is yet to come from him, which could mean a big 2011 is awaiting him. His greatest moment in the majors so far was his 3 home run game on the 4th of July. How about that for some fireworks! Stubbs signed both a custom and a 2010 Topps 206 card for me, and they both came out outstanding. He has a very nice signature, and I'm very happy with this quick 9 day return.

The third return was from former 1979 MVP Don Baylor! Baylor took the job as the Arizona Diamondbacks hitting coach this season, and due to his successful resume as a through the mail signer, I decided to try him out! He played 19 seasons in the majors, for the Orioles, Athletics, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins. He made one All Star team in 1979, his best season, when he hit .296 with a career best 36 home runs and 139 RBI! He had a solid overall career, with a career batting average of .260, with 2,135 hits, 338 homers and 1,276 RBI. He signed 3 cards for me: a 1978 Topps, 1993 Ted Williams, and a "Yankees Greats" custom card. He has a very funky looking signature, and all 3 of these look different from each other. The second card is a little smudged but it still looks nice. The best one was definitely the custom though, and I'm really happy with that! Baylor signed these in 16 days, so it was a fairly quick ST return.

In my opinion, this was the best success of the bunch, Seattle Mariners top prospect Dustin Ackley! Ackley was drafted 2nd overall in the 2009 MLB Draft after Stephen Strasburg, and after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2008, he came back strong. He was assigned to play in the Arizona Fall League in 2009, and he played so well that he won the MVP for the league! Many people have very high hopes on this kid, and I personally can't wait to see him come up to the big leagues. He personalized the "Stars of Tomorrow" Custom "To Drew", and the card looks really sweet in person! The success took a very short 9 days, and I couldn't be more pleased.

So, now I have gotten 5 successes back out of the 30 I sent to Spring Training, a solid 16% success rate. This hopefully will go up to at least 30-40%, which would definitely make me happy! Any more than that would be considered an incredible Spring Training for me!

Well, there you have it, 4 successes in a day was definitely a pleasant surprise for me after a long boring day of school. What is your record for most successes in a day? And what do you think of my recent successes?

See Ya!

TTM #36- Yankee Champion!

Hey guys, Drew back here. A few days ago, I received my 36th Through the Mail success! And, this is the final one I will receive in 2010, unfortunately. But, it was a nice one!

Yankees former All Star second baseman Bobby Richardson signed 2 cards for me, one being my custom! "Bobby Richardson was the best .260 hitter to ever play the game," said by manager Casey Stengel. Richardson was elected to 8 All Star Games, and won 5 Gold Glove awards in his 12 seasons. He won 3 World Series Championships with the Yankees, and he won the 1960 World Series MVP, although the Yankees didn't even win it that year. The greatest part about Bobby was that he played his entire career with the Yankees. I like him!

He took a few months if I can remember correctly, I sent this in August some time, but better late than never! Both cards look fantastic, and the 1960 WS MVP inscription on the custom looks it look even more beautiful. I'll definitely be on the lookout for this guys cards, as I always seem to do with players I've gotten through the mail.

See Ya!

TTM #19 and Email Success #1!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with two pretty cool autos I got in recently through the mail. We'll start with the first one, which was a little disappointing, but it's still a nice auto:

Al Downing signed my custom, and it would have been much nicer if he signed across the autograph section of the card. Nonetheless, it's still cool to have, he's probably too old to notice the circle. But I mean, if he isn't, if you see that spot on a card waiting for your name to be written across it, wouldn't you sign there? Whatever. Still a success, of one of Whitey's pitching buddies for the Yanks in the 60's. He also surrended the 715th home run to Hank Aaron, which isn't a good thing in Al's favor but an interesting fact.

Moving on, to my first ever email through the mail success! In late July, early August-ish, I sent some emails to some basketball coaches and a former football player. Check out my absolutely free prize was:

Vince Papale! Vince took his time to send a picture about the size of a long envelope and inscribed it "To Drew, You Are a Star, Vince Papale, #83"! This is one awesome piece!

Vince didn't have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL most certainly, but he holds a cool record, the oldest player to ever break into the NFL (30) without any college experience! In 1979 he was named "Man of the Year" for his charitable efforts. There's actually a movie made by Disney about him called "Invincible". You guys should check it out, if you haven't heard it about it already, Mark Wahlberg is the starring actor, playing Papale.

So thank you to both Mr. Downing and Mr. Papale, two truly awesome successes! See Ya!