TTM Overhaul Update!

Hey guys, Drew back here. My favorite part of the TTM hobby is that even if you aren't involved in various other forms of collecting, you can still receive nice gifts from time to time. When I get some free time, I try to whip up a few autograph requests, and during my blogging absence I received quite a few substantial successes! Take a look at what I got the pleasure of adding to my collection:

IronE Singleton: 1/1 (145 Days, Received February 8th)

Any Walking Dead fans? I've recently become a bit of a TV fanatic but despite all the shows I've obsessed over, this one still is up there as one of the best. Singleton played T-Dog, who was definitely a likeable character. He inscribed this "To Drew, IronE Singleton, T-Dog, Truth + Love", and it came out beautifully on this 5x7 I printed on Snapfish!

Doug Drabek: 2/2 (167 Days, Received February 14th)

Drabek was just before my time, but had a few very good seasons throughout the 1990's with the Pirates, and began his career with the Yankees! He personalized both cards out to me, which some people hate but I personally love. I wish more players would personalize instead of not signing at all, because I've never had any intentions of selling my TTM successes. 

Bill Campbell: 4/4 (7 Days, Received April 29th)

Two time Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award winner Bill Campbell signed 3 cards and personalized an index card out to me within a week's time! I love knowing when players read my letters, which normally are pretty standard except for when it's someone I really want to add. I mainly sent to Campbell to add his autograph to my Pacific set, which I recently realized was a two year set with the same design for both years. There are over 200 cards between the two years, and I've got about 20 signed thus far!

Gary Peters: 3/3 (7 Days, Received April 29th)

Peters was a 2 time All Star and the 1963 American League Rookie of the Year, so I figured getting his autograph for free was a must. He signed a 1988 Pacific, a 1960 Topps (signed in ballpoint, very difficult to see), and an index card with his Rookie of the Year inscription! On April 29th I received 7 total autographs between Peters and Campbell, so it was a pretty big day for me. 

Bill Virdon: 2/1 (9 Days, Received May 1st)

I already got Virdon a few years back on one of my custom cards and an index card, but I needed to add him to my Pacific project as well. He signed that for me and also threw in an additional signed card, which I assume was supposed to be someone else's. I'll take an extra autograph any day!

Dick Groat: 2/2 (9 Days, Received May 1st)

I've also gotten Groat before, but it didn't seem right to not add him to my set given his great credibility as a TTM signer. Seriously, if any of you haven't gotten Virdon and/or Groat yet, you should definitely get on it. Both were key contributors to that legendary Pirates team that beat the Yankees in 1960, and Virdon was a former Rookie of the Year, while Groat was a former NL MVP! Groat also signed my 1967 Topps, which came out as a carbon copy of the facsimile autograph directly below it!

Alvin Dark: 1/1 (10 Days, Received May 2nd)

Al Dark was a 3 Time All Star and the 1948 Rookie of the Year, and on top of that he managed throughout the 1960's and 1970's after his playing days came to a close. He won a World Series with the Giants as a player in 1954 and with the A's as their manager in 1974! He's now 92 years old, as you can probably tell by the autograph he gave me on my card below. He also included a little prayer pamphlet, which doesn't interest me all that much but is interesting nonetheless. All in all, a very cool success from a man who has accomplished a lot during his time in the game.

Mike McCormick: 0/2 (Failure, 13 Days, Received May 5th)

Former Cy Young Winner Mike McCormick left me a note on my letter that read "Because of E.B.A.Y. I now charge $5 for signed cards, Sorry" and left his address below. Well, he's not getting my $5, so I guess everyone loses in this case.

Rich Reese: 2/2 (15 Days, Received May 7th)

I'm not quite sure why Reese was included in this set, as he was simply a mediocre player for the Twins in the 1960's. However, he's indeed part of it, so I now have his ballpoint pen signature in my set, along with a signed index card!

David Phelps: 1/1 (16 Days, Received May 8th)
I am really growing to like what David Phelps brings to the table. He's been one of the Yankees most consistent pitchers this season, and it's great seeing how much he's grown since he first got called up a few years ago. Of all of the successes I got in this post, this (and maybe the Walking Dead one) was my favorite! He signed a 2014 Topps card for me beautifully with his number inscribed. Safe to say I'm an even bigger fan now!

Eric Young Jr.: 2/2 (17 Days, Received May 9th)

This guy is pure electricity, and I absolutely love that in a ballplayer. He doesn't hit for much average, but he's a sparkplug and this season he's stolen 22 of 25 bases! He signed and personalized both cards for me, the 2014 Topps even included #R2BI, which is apparently something he started that stands for "Refuse to Be Ignored". I love the way the National Chicle card came out, and these are both pretty awesome additions as well.

Ken Holtzman: 1/2 (64 Days, Received June 25th)

Holtzman was my most recent success, and although it didn't come out pretty (probably one of the worst autographs I've ever seen), it was my 20th signed card in my Pacific Legends set! He threw 2 no hitters, made 2 All Star teams, and won 3 World Series', so he had a pretty solid career to say the least!

It sure is nice to be back on here from time to time. I should have more coming in the future, and I'm planning on attending one last card show with my dad before I head off to college next fall! Stay tuned for all of that, but for now, See Ya!

Just Checking In...

Hey everyone, Drew back here (finally)! I can't even begin to tell you where the last few months have taken me, and I have to say that while I missed all of my fantastic following; I don't know if I've ever been happier. My life has really taken a turn for the best thanks to letting certain people into my life and moving away from others that did nothing but simply cause me pain. But, I'm back for now, and I can't promise how often, or if this will be anything like it once was, but this is my way of saying hello, while also giving a special shoutout to my great friend William! While I've been gone, I hope you all have been catching up with him over at foul bunt, because he's had an awful lot of awesome stuff to share lately. Me on the other hand, not so much, other than what he recently spoiled me with! Speaking of which, let's take a look at some of what he surprised me with over the past month!

First are some really nice cards out of the new 2014 Bowman baseball product! He must've opened quite a bit of Bowman this year, since he sent me just about all of the Yankees base and prospects! I never would buy Bowman back in my card prime, however I always enjoyed looking back at the prospects a few years later and seeing which ones would pan out. The Yanks' new 3: Beltran, Ellsbury, and McCann have been really disappointing so far this season, but there is still plenty of time for redemption. It's a long season.

Next were some more cool Yankees (and Cano) out of this year's Series 2 set, mostly of the new offseason additions. I love getting cards of the new players regardless of whether I like them or not, because I tend to get kinda bored with the typical CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova cards (like the ones above), and I enjoy fresh faces on my cardboard! I still can't get used to seeing Robby as a Mariner, oh well.

Ahhhh, I didn't realize how horribly I cut off the bottom of this scan. We just got a new printer and scanner since the last one died out on us, and I'm still getting the hang of it. Anyway, these are some other 2014 Yankees (and again, one Cano) that I'll be adding to my Yankees box soon. The 1975 Topps Rudy May is a buyback, and I have to say they really serve no purpose in the hobby. It'd be nicer without the stamp on it, because if I was collecting the 1975 set I wouldn't be able to use that as May's card. I don't know, I'm a stickler like that. Boy, it was fantastic seeing Yogi at Old Timer's Day this past weekend. He always makes me smile, and I wish I could get the chance to meet him but its looking increasingly unlikely as days pass on.

Here are some more assorted Yankees, most from the newest Gypsy Queen. I love the look of the Gypsy Queen cards, but I feel like they're overdone also at this point. It's hard to argue with the look of that Jeter insert though (Happy 40th Jete, by the way!). It's sad seeing where Mason Williams is at at this point of his career, especially after meeting him and thinking so highly of him. He got a DUI last year, and ever since his hitting hasn't been nearly as consistent. But, just like Dellin Betances proved so far this year, there is always still a chance.

Wow, I love this guy. Tanaka has become my second favorite current Yankee (behind The Captain), and without his remarkable consistency I don't know where the team would be, but it certainly wouldn't be in the playoff hunt. It isn't looking likely that we'll see him pitch in the All Star game due to the Yankees scheduling conflicts, but it sure has been fun to watch him thus far! I got to see Tanaka pitch in person with my girlfriend on May 3rd, which didn't turn out to be his best start this season, but it resulted in a win nonetheless. Here he is from that day:

Again, he's awesome. And thanks to William, I now have his rookie card, so thank you so much for that! But, on top of it all, he decided to get me a graduation gift, one that I didn't see coming at all.

This beautiful Thurman Munson triple relic has a nice story behind it. William had pulled this out of a pack 4 years ago and has been taunting me with it ever since. We had planned on making a trade in which I'd give him a Ripken autograph in exchange for this card, but ever since I met Ripken I've had a hard time letting it go. Sure enough though, for my graduation, William hooked me up with this beauty, and I'm so excited to add it to my small Munson collection. I never got to see Thurman play obviously, but I loved ESPN's Bronx is Burning special and my dad always talked about how much he loved him, so it's really cool to have a piece of his history!

Thank you so much William for all of the great stuff, and especially for that Munson! I know you really liked it, so maybe one day I'll have to get the guts to give up my Ripken and complete that trade! I hope everyone is doing well, and I'm looking forward to trying to be more active, as I've lately been transferring a lot of my computer files over to my brand spankin new MacBook Pro I received from my parents as a graduation gift! Yeah, it's pretty sweet!

Since I didn't quite get the chance, I also wanted to offer my condolences to the Gwynn family. He was far too young, but Tony Gwynn's legacy will last forever.

See Ya!

A "Donnie" Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here! It has officially become the busiest time of the year for me; baseball season. Our school Varsity team is 2-0 to open the season and I'm making really solid contact with the ball as of now! The season is nowhere near as long as the MLB season but it sure can be a grind, especially when we have 3-4 games a week. Luckily for me, my senior year is all but wrapped up academically, as I only wait for my AP Calculus, Literature, and Government tests! Following that, my final quarter grade will be based on an internship project I'm going to be doing with the Hudson Valley Renegades! I'm really looking forward to working with them and it'll be a great way to transition my high school career into a college education and hopefully a great career in the Sports Management business.

So, now that you're all caught up with what's going on in my life, how about I show off the newest signed ball in my collection? Check it out:

Former Yankee captain and current Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is the most recent addition to my signed baseball collection! My dad bought this beauty for me at the last card show we were at, and it certainly makes for a great addition! Mattingly is one of my favorite Yankees of all time even though I was too young to see him play; he led the team the right way and was a respectable player throughout baseball. I don't know if he should be in the Hall of Fame or not, but with recent selections such as Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin I don't see how he can't be. Maybe if he can lead the Dodgers to a few World Series championships he can go in later in his career similarly to Joe Torre, but regardless of whether or not he makes it, he will always be a fan favorite and Yankee legend. Having him in my signed baseball collection was a must, and I'm so glad I can now check him off the list!

Thanks so much Dad! As always, you didn't have to, but it will most definitely be hanging around in my collection for as long as I can foresee.

See Ya!

Tiny Progress with the Mantle Project!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Today I'm going to explain to you exactly how not to sign for fans (even if you are the free signer). At the White Plains card show my Dad & I recently met Mariano Rivera at, we also took the time to wait in line for Ruben Sierra, who as I mentioned before was the day's free signer. I wouldn't have had much interest in meeting Sierra had he not been eligible (under my standards) to sign my Mickey Mantle 16x20 photo. I figured he'd be one of those nice little names to balance out the big guns that already signed the picture, such as Berra, Jackson, and Henderson. Well, he signed it... but that was about it.

While signing my Mantle picture and a card I also brought along, Mr. Sierra was taking a phone call, and it wasn't one of those ordinary "Hold on I'm busy let me call you back" sort of calls. It was more of a "How are you? Oh yeah... I can talk" conversation, even though I believe he was speaking Spanish but it was hard to tell with the noise of the building. I don't know about you, but I feel like if you're doing a meet and greet, you should probably at least try to look like you care. I thought Sierra was beyond disrespectful and that little amount I may have ever liked him has basically gone away. I couldn't even get a picture with him because he didn't even look up at me. I tried leaning in for a photo and was ready to say to him "I hate being rude and interrupting your phone call and all but would you mind posing for a picture?" Whatever.

Sierra signed directly below Charlie Hayes, and about the only positive I can draw from the experience was that he has a nice signature. Otherwise, autograph #51 on the Mantle poster was as lackluster as it got. I know Sierra was a freebie, but so was Roy White and so was Ron Blomberg, two of the nicer guys I'd ever met. It's just another example of how most modern day players are nothing like Mariano Rivera.

Here's my other "prize" from the Sierra encounter. A signed 1992 Studio card. Yippee!

I'm not disappointed, because I didn't expect much from him. Heck, I hardly even wanted to meet him in the first place. But this was pathetic.

Feel free to share your rude autograph seeking experiences in the comments below. And do you think having a phone conversation is crossing the line?

See Ya! 

Meeting One of my Heroes

Hey guys, Drew back here. I told you all to stay tuned a little over a month ago, because I knew something big would soon happen. What I didn't realize was that nothing else would really come between then and now, so my apologies for making you all wait so long (in case you cared). But, anyway, here we are, I'm still kind of speechless writing this post but I want to make sure I cover as much of this as I can while its still engrained in my memory.

On Saturday, my Dad, Schuyler, and I went down to the Westchester County Center for a JP's Sports Show! Obviously most of you who have been around this blog for a while know that this is nothing new for us (I actually recently counted, this was my Dad & I's 15th trip), but the day had the potential to be the most special of them all. And in some ways, it was. I didn't plan to do much at the show other than make the most of the enormous fee I had to pay to meet one of my all time favorite players; someone I grew up loving more than anyone with the lone exception of Derek Jeter.

So... Mariano Rivera. When I saw his name grace the JP's Sports lineup for this March Madness show, I was stunned, and even with a lofty autograph price, I knew I had to do what I could to shake his hand. And, that I did. It turns out that Steiner Sports were responsible for the event as I figured they would, given their deal with Rivera that many other big name Yankees have agreed to. On his left sat his Steiner representative while on his right was apparently his agent. They sold 400 autograph tickets to the fans and from what I heard, it sold out relatively quickly. Steiner is awesome when it comes to allowing players to appear for public signings and I think they do a great job with their business, however I knew that I wouldn't get the full experience, even with Mo's wonderful and charismatic personality.

It was very odd seeing Mariano sitting behind a table rather than preparing for the 2014 season. I guess it still hasn't sunk in that the only times "Enter Sandman" will play again in Yankee Stadium are when Rivera makes his occasional returns. Otherwise, I have to say that I was truly honored to watch him play. And with as much as I could've said to the man, between time constraints and nerves, that was about all I could say to him. He thanked my Dad and I and shook Schuyler and I's hands, and it was a short and simple experience. What can you expect from the man who owned the 9th for 17 years?

My biggest complaint from it all was that Steiner pushed us out before we got a chance to take a quick picture with him, and that is something that will bug me until the next time I get to meet him (fingers crossed). I understand that he was scheduled to sign for 400 people in 2 hours, but I don't see why leaning over the table for 5 extra seconds would make for such a big problem.

There is Mariano signing my picture. He was happy and gracious as always, and it was really cool getting to see that up close. I've always admired him for his charity work and contributions to baseball more than his actual performance. He's a larger than life role model for people of all ages, and I have to say seeing him kiss baseball goodbye last year really proved to me how much of an impact he's made on me (hence why I cried like a baby all throughout his final game). Jeter and Mo will always be in a league of their own in my heart as a diehard Yankee fan, and seeing them both make their way out of the pinstripes these past few years has really caught me offguard.

With all of that said, I introduce my latest autograph project, featuring 4 of my all time favorite players. Check it out:

When I got this issue of Sports Illustrated in the mail I absolutely loved the cover, but I didn't think about getting it signed by all four members of the Core Four- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte! I spent weeks weighing my options of what I wanted to get Mariano to sign, but ultimately I felt brave and decided "You know what? Let's get em all!" I ordered an 11x14 copy of the cover on sicovers.com, which came out very nice, but the second I got to the show I saw it as a 16x20 and had to make that mine instead. The guy who sold me the 16x20 is a friend of my Dad and I's, and he was saying that if I were to do that project, it'd come out much nicer on the bigger photo, and I couldn't argue with him on that. 

Mariano signed Andy's arm beautifully in blue, and I already have 25% of the project complete! Getting Posada and Pettitte on it shouldn't be impossible, with Derek being another story. If I ever do complete this, I'd be a lucky man, but given my luck in the past, I'm sure I can do it. I'd be disappointed if I lived the rest of my life and never got to shake Derek Jeter's hand. I've written about him in several school reports over the years and outside of family members, he's been my idol growing up. But that's certainly nothing against Mo, who's been a close second, and getting shake his hand was probably the coolest thing I've ever gotten to do in this hobby (from a personal standpoint at least). I shook the hand that threw the cutter, the hand that was responsible for recording an unprecedented MLB record 652 saves, and the hand that closed out 4 World Series championships for my all time favorite team. Woah. It all just hit me.

Be sure to check out the blog soon for more from the show! And thank you so much Dad for taking me and helping me with the cost of this event! 

See Ya!