TTM Mailbag: Michael Cuddyer

My latest TTM success is from Michael Cuddyer of the Minnesota Twins. He signed a 2006 Fleer in blue Sharpie in 67 days. The Twins are a pretty good TTM team overall. Cuddyer has one of the nicest signatures in baseball. You can read each letter – it’s not just scribble. The signature reminds me of Mariano Rivera’s signature. Also the card does not have a glossy finish which makes the signature look even nicer. The card got a tiny ding while in the mail. The envelope was taped and the card got trapped where the envelope is glued together. It’s not a big deal. The card still looks great. Many thanks to Mr. Cuddyer!!!!

For the Brian Giles fan...

My latest eBay purchase was 5 game-used cards for a total of $4.00 including shipping. All 5 cards feature Brian Giles. He is still technically playing although he has been on the DL most of the year. There are 4 bat cards and 1 jersey card. I know Giles is pretty much washed up but these are pretty nice looking cards for only 4 bucks. I think my favorite card of the lot is 2002 Fleer Names of the Game only because it’s a jersey card. I’m partial to jersey cards over bat cards. I also like the 2004 Donruss because Giles isn’t in a Pirates uniform. Also, the card is numbered 96/100. By the way, look at the 2001 Fleer Platinum RC Lumberjacks card. (Top Middle) That bat swatch is about to poke him in a bad place. Watch out Brian!!

No Purchase Necessary Win from Upper Deck

I was surprised recently when I received a 2008 UD Football Heroes jersey card of Bob Sanders in the mail. I didn’t buy this card on eBay. I don’t even collect football cards. It turns out that I won the card through Upper Deck’s “No Purchase Necessary” program. I sent an entry for each Upper Deck brand several months ago. I even entered for non-baseball brands which explains how I wound up with this card. Anyone can enter at Upper Deck’s web site: http://sports.upperdeck.com/npn/ All that’s required is that each entrant sign up for a free account. I really like the design of the card and I really like jersey cards. But since I don’t collect football cards, I’ll probably end up trading or selling this card.

TTM Mailbag: Andruw Jones

My latest TTM success is from Andruw Jones of the Texas Rangers. He signed a 2006 Fleer and 2007 Topps card in 56 days. The Topps card has a small bend at the top but it still looks good. The Fleer card looks excellent. The blue Sharpie looks nice on the card because there is no gloss. I really miss Fleer. I also received an odd little bonus. The back of the envelope had a post-it note on it with the phrase “Moyer #12” written on it. I think the writing is in the same blue marker that is on the cards. Any theories???

Random Jersey and Bat Cards

My latest eBay purchase was 8 jersey and bat cards for a grand total of $6.26 including shipping. The jersey swatch on the Saberhagen card really sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a really bright shade of sky blue. I guess that color wasn’t considered ugly in the 1980’s. You couldn’t pay me enough to wear that color jersey. Actually, yes you could. I also think the Troy Glaus is pretty interesting. This card actually features a game used base. I’ve never gotten a game used base card before. The base feels (and smells) like hard rubber. The back of the card says that the base was used in 2001 at Edison Field. In theory, this could be a card for any member of the Angels. I know a lot of people are sick of jersey and bat cards but I really like them. They offer an opportunity to own a tiny piece of Major League memorabilia in the form of a baseball card. Because so many of these cards exist, they are relatively inexpensive.

Brad Lidge is Out

I’ll admit it. Every year I play fantasy baseball. This year I drafted Brad Lidge in the 7th round. I have wanted to drop him for a long time. But I kept him because he picked up saves. I kept him despite the blown saves and ERA around 7.00. Charlie Manuel has finally put me out of my misery by switching closers. Thank you Charlie – for doing what you should have done months ago. I finally dropped Lidge and picked up Ryan Madson who is Lidge's replacement. But after reading the back of Lidge’s 2007 Topps card #3, it turns out that he’s one of us. I guess he’s forgiven.

1997 Upper Deck Collectors Choice Yankees Team Set

I recently received a box of about 800 Yankee cards as part of a trade with Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life! I’m not going to share every card that I received because I have a life. The coolest part of the box was the 1997 Upper Deck Collectors Choice Team Set. The header card is a Yankee logo over silver foil. It’s simple but it looks great. The set design is also simple. The first thing you notice about each card is the player’s photograph, which is the way it should be. There are no fancy graphics. The player’s name and team are visible but don’t take up too much room. The photos feature players during game action rather than studio poses. Also, almost all of the players in the set did something memorable while in a Yankee uniform. Gooden pitched a no-hitter. Cone pitched a perfect game. Jeter is about to break Lou Gehrig’s hits record. Hayes caught the final out in the 1996 World Series. Boggs rode around on a police horse afterwards. All in all, it’s a nice set of 14 cards. Thanks Bo.

6 in 30 Game

OK, this idea comes from Dinged Corners. Pick a random binder from the shelf and pick out 6 cards that make you happy within the 30 second time limit. My binders are organized by team. So I used a random number generator to keep things fair and wound up pulling my Angels binder. It seems like I picked my cards based on card design rather than the photograph or the player. Let’s see what I came up with.

1. 2007 UD Elements Jered Weaver – I picked this because it is so shiny. It would be a terrible card to get autographed, but it’s just a great looking card. The scan doesn’t do it justice.

2. 2007 UD Masterpieces Howie Kendrick – This card is just the opposite of the Weaver card. It has no gloss, but it does have a bumpy surface. I’m not sure why the surface can’t be smooth like a normal card. Anyway, the card just looks cool. Kendrick looks like he’s in the middle of stealing third base.

3. 2005 Bowman Vladimir Guerrero White Parallel 119/240 – I’m a sucker for any kind of parallel or numbered card. The design and the photograph aren’t that spectacular, but they differ from the base cards in the 2005 Bowman set which draws me in.

4,5,6. 2008 Topps Heritage Update Napoli, Mathis & Izturis – The designs are colorful and differ from card to card. Also, these cards are great for autographs because they have no gloss and are a little bit thicker than regular cards.

So there you have it. I picked cards based on appearance rather than substance. I guess I’m vain. One thing that bothers me – Why is it that the Angels are the only team that doesn’t use a city name on its baseball cards? Is Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim sponsored by Santa Monica presented by Long Beach too long?

2008 Upper Deck Timeline: John Smoltz

My latest eBay purchase is a 2008 UD Timeline card of John Smoltz. I paid all of 1 cent for it including free shipping. That's right one penny! It's hard to do any better than that. The top loader and penny sleeve alone are worth more than a penny. It's kind of a shame that Smoltz won't finish his career as a Brave. He accomplished so much in a Braves uniform. The text on the back of the card gives several examples of what he did in Atlanta. Also, I think there is some added prestige in staying with one team for an entire career. Now that Glavine and Maddux have left the game, Smoltz is the last remaining member of Atlanta's Big 3 that dominated the 1990's. Hopefully, Smoltz does not hang on too long with the Cardinals, his third team in two years.

TTM Mailbag: George Sherrill

My latest TTM is from George Sherrill from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sherrill used to be the closer for Baltimore. I even had him on one of my past fantasy teams. He put up some decent stats. He signed a 2008 Topps Heritage in 14 days. The signature is a bit off center but that's okay. I also sent a 2009 Topps for him to keep. Topps Heritage cards are great for autographs since they don't have any gloss, but they are a little pricey. That's why I miss 2006-2007 Fleer.

TTM Mailbag: Jason Marquis

My latest TTM success comes from Jason Marquis of the Colorado Rockies. He signed a 2004 Topps #211 and 2005 Topps #228 in only 9 days. Oddly enough, the 2005 Topps card has a strange black smudge on the back. I think I like the 2004 Topps better just because Marquis is running the bases in the photo. Another great success!