Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Hey guys, Drew back here! Well, college has started to catch up to me, which explains why I haven't been around as frequently now. Regardless of the work load, I only have had one thing to show off, which has kept me relatively unmotivated in the blogosphere. I've had a big drought with TTM successes of late, with the exception of this really unique success I received on September 27th! 

Rachel Robinson: 2/2 in 36 Days c/o Jackie Robinson Foundation

Capping off my recent projects of adding some of baseball royalty's relatives, I was able to get Jackie Robinson's widow Rachel Robinson to sign 2 photos for me! With this success, I now have gotten Babe Ruth's granddaughter Julia Ruth Stevens, Mickey Mantle's son David, and now Robinson. I absolutely love this photo I found online of Jackie, Rachel, and I believe their son Jackie Robinson Jr. The sports world is overrun with publicity, advertising, and pressure, but it's nice to see a picture of perhaps the most controversial athlete in history enjoying being with his family. I don't have enough of baseball's biggest pioneer, but this piece is something I'm very proud to be able to own.

I also was fortunate enough to receive this signed 5x7 "42" movie promo from Robinson! I included this along with the 8x10, but would've been more than content with just the one. She signed this picture perfectly aligned in the direction Jackie is sliding, and it looks so cool! I thought "42" was a pretty good movie, certainly not one of my all time favorite baseball movies, but I think Chadwick Boseman did a good job in the role. 

I'm extremely excited to add such an influential American woman's signature to my collection. Behind every strong man is a strong woman, and I'm sure some of her actions led to Jackie making the unbelievable impact he did on our country. Thank you Mrs. Robinson!

See Ya!

TTM Tuesday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who commented on my previous post advising my recent college decision. Regardless, I am planning on coming home next semester, and I want to say that its more than just that I'm homesick. Being lonely has played into my decision quite a bit, however I also feel uncomfortable on my campus and since it's a big sports school, a majority of the students have a really scummy attitude. I've made one friend on campus, and he and I agree that we're misfits at this school, and after a few of my old friends came to visit a few weeks ago, I realized I couldn't defend why I came to this school in the first place, so I decided that coming home would be the right decision for me. It's one of the first real life decisions I've had to make, but I feel relieved having made a decision and am looking forward to returning home and commuting to a great local private school while getting to see some old friends, my girlfriend, and my family.

Anyway, personal life aside, I've gotten four TTM successes since my most recent autograph post, and here are the first three of them! Enjoy:

Adam Kennedy: 2/2 in 22 Days (Received September 9th)

Adam Kennedy was a staple of my childhood watching baseball. He was always around, and I never knew much about him, but prior to sending off a few of my cards of his, I looked up his lifetime stats and saw that he actually was a fairly solid player. In 2009, he led a career resurgence in which he batted .289 with the A's, swatting 11 home runs, driving in 61 runs, and stealing 20 bases. Mr. Kennedy is now retired, and signed a 2008 Allen & Ginter as well as a 2010 Topps card for my collection; both of which look fantastic signed boldly in blue.

Austin Meadows: 1/1 in 127 Days (Received September 15th)

Last year, I sent 2013 Pirates #1 draft pick Austin Meadows this same card, only to get a response from his mother, which you can see here. Luckily, I retried Meadows earlier this season and got him back this past month, signed beautifully in blue. I've heard great things about him thus far into his minor league career and I really hope to see him succeed for the Bucs down the road!

David Murphy: 2/2 in 35 Days (Received September 25th)

David Murphy has had his moments so far into his 9 year career. He has been known as an average player often times, but he did offer a lot to Rangers fans; maybe to a little bit lesser extent than Nick Swisher gave the Yankees in his time. Now, they both play together in Cleveland, and neither of them had very good years in 2014. However, Murphy has shown that he could turn it around, and I'll definitely be rooting for him after he signed my 2009 Topps and 2012 Gypsy Queen cards in black with bible verses! I remember reading Night Owl Cards' posts about how much he liked that Murphy card, so when I saw it I knew I should try to have him sign it. Sure enough, he came through!

Thank you so much to these three players for signing my stuff, and again to my Dad for opening everything for me while I've been gone! But, I'll be home soon! 

See Ya!

Surprise College Care Package!

Hey guys, Drew back here! So... I've been in college for a little over a month now, and I have to say, the experience really isn't for me. I've always felt like I was more mature than other kids my age, so seeing people act crazy and lose their minds almost every night is almost sickening to me. I know its what most kids our age are supposed to do, but it doesn't feel right for me, so I may end up returning home to commute to a local school following this semester. 

Anyway, one of the coolest things that has happened since arriving at school was receiving a really thoughtful care package from William and his family! William and I have always had a lot in common, and he really understood a lot of what I've been going through when I explained it to him; so he sent me all sorts of snacks and cards to help brighten my day. And he sure did!

Within all of the awesomeness in the box were 3 packs of Bowman baseball! Here's what came out of them:

Nothing overly spectacular was found in these packs, but I did miss the feeling of opening a pack. When things get stripped away from you and you're in a position to start over, there's absolutely nothing better than going back to what you love; and being able to open packs, even though I haven't been very interested in buying cards lately; was an awful lot of fun.

The highlight of the 3 packs was this mini refractor of Royals star rookie Yordano Ventura. These Royals games have been phenomenal thus far into the postseason. I've been glued to my TV whenever they've played (especially because I don't get Fox Sports 1 on my TV, depriving me of all the NL games). William, your Orioles are an awesome story, and seeing them win would be great for your franchise, but I wouldn't be upset if the Royals made it to the World Series one bit.

William also threw in a bunch of recent Yankees cards he's pulled, including a ton of 2013 Topps Mini cards. I've never even seen these to be completely honest, but I'm really glad I got the chance to see them. It's a cool concept solely because Topps did the same thing in the 1970's, otherwise it'd just be an annoying gimmick. I'll take any Jeter cards I can get though! (By the way, sorry the scan got cut off, I'm still adjusting to my new printer/scanner I have in my dorm!)

Along with the Topps mini cards came some other gorgeous Yankees cards, all of which I'm certain I don't already have. I love the look of this year's Finest, and Gypsy Queen (as overdone as it is by now) still has a soft spot in my heart. I also completely ignored the fact that Topps Heritage covered my favorite vintage set of all time today, and I may have to go out and buy some packs of it now!

William, you're the man. I really appreciate all you do to cheer me up, you're a great friend, and even though we've been used to being long distance friends for a while, I definitely miss being more readily available to talk. Thank you. (And thank Chris again for the awesome letter!)

Congrats to the Orioles on advancing, by the way! See Ya!