TTM Mailbag: Gang Green Edition

Hey guys, Drew back here with another addition to my Jets autograph collection. I recently sent out a batch of TTMs to former Gang Green players to bolster my collection, and have so far received autographs back from Brad Baxter, Kyle Brady, Bobby Humphery, and Jeff Lageman. I had one more success come back recently; take a look.

Bryan Cox: 1/1 in 53 Days (Received February 9th)

Bryan Cox is the latest addition to my Jets PC! Cox made 3 Pro Bowl teams as a linebacker during his time in the NFL, and most of his success came during his time with the rival Miami Dolphins in the early 1990's. He was known for wearing the strange neck roll they said was similar to a surfboard. He finished his career with 51.5 sacks, over 700 tackles, 22 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions. He also won a Super Bowl in 2001 with the New England Patriots.

Cox currently is the defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons, and has spent most of his time post-career working as coaches for various teams. He signed a 1999 Topps card for me in blue sharpie with his number 51 inscribed! This may be the most successful player of the five Jets I've gotten back in this bunch, and it came out very nice. Thanks Mr. Cox!

See Ya!

We Won't Stop! Mail from William

Hey guys, Drew back here! There was a bit of confusion recently between Frankie, William, and I which resulted in me receiving both William and Frankie's cards in the same box! I accidentally posted the mini Mariano Rivera figure with Frankie's cards, but that actually was from William. Anyway, everything is now worked out, so let's see what William had to offer!

We begin with a whole lot of 2015 Topps Yankees goodness! I did wind up buying 2015 Topps cards at Target surprisingly, but I only pulled a few of the Yankees cards. Luckily for me, William opens quite a bit more than me, and is one of the most generous people in Internet history. I kicked off with the two amazing Jeter cards, both of which have become two of my all time favorite cards. The second it was revealed that Jeter's classic celebration would be the first card in the set I knew this was going to be a special year for baseball cards. I really like the gold parallel of David Phelps too; I'm going to miss him next year when the rotation is on the DL. 

I'm going to hope and pray if Sabathia and Tanaka get injured next season that they don't look sign this lefty bullpen specialist. Curtis James Jackson III, aka 50 Cent, threw perhaps the worst pitch of all time to kick off a Mets game last season. Seriously. (Vlad could still hit it though)

Well, it really doesn't get much nicer than this 2014 Topps Chrome insert of Jacoby Ellsbury! I've always kind of liked the 1989 Topps design, and I think they did a great job with it in this case. I don't have much of Ellsbury in my collection, and I have a good feeling about him in 2015. So I think I've got to do something about that.

I mentioned earlier how the new Derek Jeter 2015 cards are among my favorites of all time. This one has got to be up there now too. From everything I've seen, 2014 Stadium Club looks amazing, although it's not much of a surprise. I may have to try and get some for myself, but I could just be content with this sweet Core Four tribute. It's so weird thinking that this era of Yankee excellence has come to a close. 

He also tossed in some older cards of a couple of my personal favorites. I love that Tino Martinez Donruss rookie; even if I may have it already I'll never get enough of it.

Capping it all off was this rally towel from the Orioles playoff run last year. He seemed to have gotten about a million of these from FanFest this year, and it is a welcomed addition to my collection. If it was a Red Sox logo, I could use this in all sorts of different ways, but I can tolerate his Orioles enough to leave this unharmed. 

I'll never be able to fully repay you for all of this stuff, William. It means a lot to you that you think to send me all sorts of nice things on occasion; it's living proof that you're one of the best people I've ever come across (although you certainly don't need to send anything to prove that). Thank you so much!

See Ya!

A Trip Down My Memory Lane: TTM Successes

Hey guys, Drew back here! I hope everyone is doing well; I've had a slow week but I'm anxiously waiting for some Spring Training TTM's! I got 2 RTS' back from the Red Sox I sent to (Koji Uehara and Jackie Bradley Jr.) because it appears that there was an address change I wasn't aware of, but 26 of them are still floating around in Florida and Arizona. In the meantime, I've gotten two former Yankee successes this past week that I vaguely remember from when I first started to watch baseball.

Jon Lieber: 1/1 in 32 Days (Received February 17th)

Lieber only played one season for the Yankees after signing a 2 year deal in 2003. He missed the first season due to Tommy John Surgery, and started off the second awfully in New York. However, down the stretch he turned it on and pitched great baseball, and wound up having an important role in the postseason rotation that year. He pitched well in the playoffs, and although the Red Sox went on to break the curse that year it really wasn't due to anything he did. Lieber was pretty much the definition of an average pitcher through most of his career, but did earn an All Star selection in 2001. He signed this 2005 Topps card for me in black sharpie, and although his signature leaves much to be desired, I'm happy with how it came out!

Mike Stanton: 2/2 in 40 Days (Received February 24th)

What Lieber lacked with his signature was easily redeemed by the artwork Mike Stanton left on my two cards. The former lefty bullpen cog has one of the nicest signatures in my collection, and I was excited for these cards to return back. Stanton actually holds the record for most holds in history (no pun intended) with 266, and is second in most games pitched in Major League history behind Jesse Orosco! He was a part of the Yankees 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 pennant winning seasons, and was named an All Star his first and only time in 2001 too. He was named in the Mitchell Report however and in Brian McNamee's testimony, which lines up with the time period Clemens and Pettitte were found to be involved with HGH. He later returned to the Yankees in 2005 after playing for the Mets for a short period of time, and was soon released. Stanton signed a 2003 and 2005 Topps beautifully in blue sharpie!

Thank you to both Mr. Lieber and Mr. Stanton for the autographs! Players like them really lead me down memory lane to when I first started learning about all the different players in the game.

See Ya!

I Am Here to Discuss the Past!

Hey guys, Drew back here! On February 15th, Andy Pettitte's son Josh informed the world that his dad's number would be retired by the Yankees at some point during the 2015 season! It was a shockwave to all Yankee fans, and for the most part the reception was positive.

Heard it here first. @Yankees are making August 23rd Andy Pettitte day. Retiring #46 and honoring him with a plaque in Monument Park!!
— Josh Pettitte (@JPettitte21) February 15, 2015

Shortly after, it was also revealed that the team also planned to retire Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams' #'s 20 and 51, respectively, as well as awarding a plaque in Monument Park to former captain and second baseman Willie Randolph. Now, I know most of you in this hobby have more experience seeing players you've grown up watching receive special honors like these, but I must say it's a weird feeling when you first see this. It makes you feel rather old, I must say. I learned recently that only 2 active MLB players began their career before I was born: LaTroy Hawkins and Jamey Wright. I'm not saying I'm heading to my retirement, but it still feels like just yesterday when I first fell in love with baseball, and that was a decade ago.

With all of this mind, I figured I would share my two cents on these four greats players who have a legendary honor awaiting them over the course of this upcoming season. 

Jorge Posada

A born leader. This guy knew what it took to win, and he was as gritty as they get. I'll never forget when he came to the plate in a pinch hitting situation on September 22nd, 2011. We were sitting in our favorite seats we had ever had in the new Yankee Stadium; front row, field level in right field. Jorge came to the plate and broke the 2-2 tie with a two run single to not only win the game, but also the division! I always liked him, but after that moment I was forever a fan of his. I loved how much he defended the team over the course of his career with his fiery passion. People wonder why the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is no longer what it was, but I think much of that hatred dissipated when Posada retired.

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Bernie Williams

The forgotten member of the Core Four. Call him Pete Best, because he really got the ball rolling for the Yankees until Jeter & co. took them to the next level (Beatles anyone?). I missed most of Bernie's good years but I've seen some footage and numbers that easily warrant this accomplishment. He was a quiet presence in the locker room, but could play a mean guitar. I got goosebumps when he played "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Fenway Park for Jeter's last game in 2014. He did a lot of things right during those championship seasons, and was fantastic in the playoffs. He may get shorted of recognition when people discuss the impact of the Core Four, but Yankee fans will never forget their best centerfielder since Mantle.

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Willie Randolph

Obviously Willie was way before my time, but nevertheless you can see his influence every year at Old Timer's Day and beyond. When I first started following baseball he was stepping into his role as Mets manager, and although it didn't necessarily end well in Queens, he's as much of a baseball guy as anyone else. Willie has been heavily involved in the game almost every year since 1975, whether it be as a player, manager, or coach. I had the opportunity to meet him once at a card show and he was such a nice man. One of few people alive today who could say they were captain of the Yankees; Randolph helped anchor those great late 70's teams to 2 World Series titles.

Andy Pettitte

Finally, Mr. Andrew Eugene Pettitte himself. PED's or not, Andy will forever be one of my favorite pitchers of all time. I really believe he got caught up in the wrong crowd with Roger Clemens when rehabbing the infamous elbow injury he suffered in 2002. But enough about that, because surely one mistake can be forgiven from the very apologetic and sincere Pettitte. Much has been said about the lefty's chances at making the Hall of Fame one day, and while I didn't quite see a Hall of Famer while watching him pitch, he was pretty darn close. With 256 victories and several other feats under his belt, Pettitte was the guy you wanted on the mound on a cold October Bronx night. His intimidating glare was enough to blow away batters for 18 seasons, and I had the pleasure of getting to see a solid portion of those games.

I'm really glad that these four are all getting their due this upcoming season, although it does bother me how many numbers are being retired at this point. Sure, they have the most championships of any major professional sports team spanning over 100 years of excellence, so there should easily be 20 players deserving a number retirement. Joe Torre and Mariano Rivera's numbers were forever locked away recently and obviously Jeter's will be coming soon as well. After that numbers 1-10 will never be used again, which I find strange. 

The problem now is that they went overboard in the first place, retiring numbers of great Yankees but nowhere near legends. Ron Guidry was a spectacular pitcher in his prime and pitched perhaps the best season for the team in the modern era, but I don't know if I agree with his number retired alongside Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, and Ford. Billy Martin was a true Yankee at heart and devoted a majority of his life to pinstripes (when Steinbrenner let him), but again it may have been a bit much to retire his number. But now, with their numbers retired, it's only fair that new generation stars like Bernie, Jorge, and Andy get theirs. There's nothing you can do about it, and people will continue to make the "Yankees are going to run out of numbers" jokes for the rest of time, but that's okay. Monument Park provides a true celebration of baseball history as a whole, spanning decades of excellent stars that we will never forget.

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Welcome home once again boys. You're officially here to stay!

See Ya!

TTM Autograph from a Yankee Hero

Hey guys, Drew back here! I am officially in the saving money stage of this hobby, so I made sure to get a bunch of through the mail requests out to help me cope with saving my money. I first sent a batch of 8 Jets players out on December 18th, and I've already received 5 of them back signed! Next I sent to 7 former Yankees, and what I'm about to show off was the 2nd of 3 successes from that group thus far. Finally, I was able to manage 28 envelopes into the mail and off to Florida and Arizona for Spring Training, and hopefully some of those will start to trickle in. It's been a busy few months, but hopefully I'll start to be rewarded for all of the hard work with some great signatures. Today, I show off an autograph from someone dear to Yankee fan's hearts and hated by everyone in Boston. Bucky F*****g Dent.

Bucky Dent: 1/1 in 27 Days (Received February 12th)

Bucky Dent is a Yankee hero without question, known for one of the most clutch home runs in baseball history. He kept the Curse of the Bambino alive when his towering go ahead home run against the Red Sox crashed and landed over the Green Monster in 1978! It was a game that decided who would win the AL East and make the playoffs (since the Wild Card had not been invented yet), and Dent's bomb off of Mike Torrez proved to be the game winner when all was said and done. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series that year in part to Dent's hot streak which took him all the way to winning the World Series MVP! He never was known for his contributions at the plate, but he finished his career with 2 World Series rings and 3 All Star selections; making for a nice overall statline.

He signed a 2009 Goodwin Champions card for me nicely in blue sharpie. This is now my 4th autograph of his in my collection, and I have been able to meet him and have him sign my Mantle 16x20 project. 

Thanks Mr. Dent! See Ya! 

His Life in the Sports Card Hobby Joins Mine!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Other than the ridiculous weather, things have been starting to fall back into place lately. It's been refreshing going to school every weekday morning and coming home to relax to myself (and not having to put up with dorm mates). It's given me a chance to get more involved in this hobby and organize a lot of the mess I have scattered throughout the house. 

Recently, I had the chance to meet Frankie of My Life in the Sports Card Hobby at the Pinstripe Pandemonium in January. I've helped Frankie with some advice as he's been getting started in the blogging community, and he decided to send me a care package out of the blue! It was so thoughtful of him, especially given all the amazing stuff he sent along!

He kicked it off by sending me this little Mariano Rivera mini figure. I'm not sure what this is from or for, but fortunately hoarders like me will take just about anything with an interlocking NY and especially of guys like him.

Frankie tossed in some interesting inserts and rookie cards in the package, my favorite of these four being the Jedd Gyorko Museum Collection parallel numbered to 99. I'm curious to see how the Padres will fare this season with their completely revamped roster, and Gyorko will be a key player in that transition from pretenders to contenders.

I think Eric Jagielo is going to be a pretty good player when he is able to put it all together. I've heard a lot of positive things about the 2013 Yankees draft class; consisting of top prospects Jagielo, Ian Clarkin, and Aaron Judge. They've never been known for having a standout farm system but I think Cashman and co. are heading in the right direction.

I really didn't expect to find this 1967 Yankees team card in the package, and it was easily one of my favorites Frankie included. That bright yellow sure is hideous, but it really represents the team well during the "Horace Clarke Era". In 1967, the Yankees finished 20 games behind the Red Sox in the division. Regardless, it's a classic card and it was super cool of Frankie to send this to me!

This is kind of a cool then and now scan here with Albert Pujols and Jose Abreu. Pujols is still a respectable, productive player, but it seems like the Cuban star is ready to take his throne. I'm keeping Abreu on my fantasy team this year, and am excited to see if he can defeat the sophomore slump. (If anyone has Abreu's to spare, I'd be happy to work something out!)

These were probably my 2 favorite cards from the bunch of two of my favorite players in the game today. I've been debating whether to make Tulowitzki a mini PC on my Who I Collect / Wantlist page, and I think one of these days I'm going to do it. This Bowman insert looks incredible in person. As for the Topps Finest insert of Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen, well, what can I say? It's a beautiful card numbered only 19 of 25! Frankie, you really didn't have to do all this!

To cap it all off, he sent me 3 "hits", the first being a TriStar autograph of Michael Ynoa. I used to have a Ynoa autograph, but traded it and thought I was going to regret it. His future has not been determined just yet, but he was recently included in the Jeff Samardzija trade, so it's possible that the White Sox may see something in him.

David Berg was selected by the Rangers in the 17th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but instead chose to pitch for the UCLA Bruins in college. He is a sidearm pitcher and a dominant bullpen arm in the 2013 College World Series! These USA jerseys are so patriotic and appealing looking, and if he turns out to be the stud he's pitching like it'll be a nice card to own.

Carlos Gutierrez has bounced around the minor leagues since he was drafted by the Twins. He now is in the Cubs farm system around AAA, and could be a call up possibility if injuries strike the big league club. I love pinstripe relics too, and although I don't know much about this kid, I really appreciate you sending me all of this Frankie!

I had a lot of fun uncovering your package and getting a wide variety of different things. I need some diversity in my collection once in a while anyway! Frankie, you really didn't have to do all this, it was so considerate of you to think of sending all this stuff along my way! I'll have to be sure to get you back in the future for this big haul, buddy, so watch out for that.

See Ya!

My First Taste of 2015 Topps!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Last week, I gave myself a little love and picked up a few 2015 Topps hanger boxes and a retail jumbo pack at Target! I've been seeing the new set all over the Internet and although I wasn't a fan at first glance, my opinions took a complete 360 turn in just about no time. So, Mr. Puig and I had a nice date in the Target parking lot during my break between classes in the midst of a snow storm (nothing new there).

My first card of 2015 was of Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. The Giants are my second favorite team now after visiting San Francisco last summer, and I like this kid a lot. I'm more than content to start the year in this fashion.

Jumbo Pack:

It may not be a classy design, but its the way Topps has had to go with their flagship product for years now. In this age of advanced technology, it was only right that the product should be designed with color and flair to depict the time we live in. The photography is excellent as it has been for a few years now, and I absolutely love how there the border colors match the team colors! Hopefully this means we're slowly working towards less pointless parallels. My first Yankee card is of now ex-Yankee Martin Prado. I was bummed to lose him this offseason, but I'm excited to see how Eovaldi will fare in the Bronx next season.

My one gripe with the new product is something that has been a consistent Topps downfall of mine in recent memory: too many inserts. I like the concepts of some of them; particularly the Robbed in Left, Free Agent 40, and First Pitches, but the rest do absolutely nothing for me. The Archetypes cards look cool but have no meaning whatsoever in my opinion. And god- whoever decided to put Austin Mahone in a card set needs to reexamine their life choices (I'll definitely take the Jack White card though).

Hanger Box 1:

Boy oh boy do I love that Jeter card. Not only was it so appropriate to give him card #1 this year, but the picture to top it off just astounds me. I wouldn't be surprised if that is still one of my all time favorite cards years down the road. Another small complaint though is with the "Future Stars" cards, and I think a lot of you have vouched for this earlier. The foil does not look good at all. I'm so glad Topps went without foil for most of the base cards this year, but that was really unnecessary. All or nothing, guys.

I didn't pull anything spectacular in this box, but it was fun to go through. The Jackie Robinson inserts are neat, but I feel like the days of having a full insert set all given to one player should be coming to an end soon. The parallel I pulled of Sal Perez is beautiful looking, and has me excited for Topps Chrome!

Hanger Box 2:

I ran into some serious collation problems between the jumbo pack and this box in particular. Of the 157 total base cards I added that day, there were over 30 doubles including a few triples. With a set 350 cards deep, I shouldn't have come home with that many doubles, but what can you do. Those Hunter Pence and Cole Hamels shots are really sweet though; again, excellent photography.

We conclude with another relatively underwhelming collection of inserts. The dual past/present cards have passed their prime, but this year's Inspired Play is certainly the nicest design they've used for that template yet. The gold cards stand out this year more than in year's passed, and the history cards are interesting too.

Topps is never going to please everyone; and while I'm torn on some things with this product, I do really like it as a whole. I doubt I'll be buying much more due to financial constraints, but I'm happy with what I came home with. Over anything else, I wanted some cards to send out TTM, and I wanted to see the base cards for myself.

Very well done Topps, you're heading in the right path without a doubt! See Ya!

TTM Time w/ Tulo!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Another school week is in the books (see what I did there?) and it's time to kick back and take a little break to show off a sweet new TTM I got back at the beginning of the month! I also was able to get some 2015 Topps yesterday at Target, and I'll be able to show those off relatively soon. But first, check this out:

Troy Tulowitzki: 1/1 in 165 Days (Received February 2nd)

The scan doesn't do the autograph much justice, but this is indeed a Troy Tulowitzki signed 8x10! I've been a big Tulo fan over the past several years, as he has been a tremendous fantasy asset of mine. He does get injured about once a year, but usually seems to make up for it by smacking about 15 home runs in one month or something absurd of that nature! He is easily the best shortstop in the game when he's healthy, and I took full advantage of the Rockies autograph charity system. Last season, if you were to send any item and $25 to the team you could have Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, or Justin Morneau sign for you! I'm a fan of the other two players, but I wanted something nice to display of my new favorite shortstop in the game (god, that's a weird thing to say).

I don't know if Tulowitzki will be around in Colorado for much longer, but it seems like their asking price is a bit high. The Rockies should try to get younger and give this guy a chance to contribute to a championship team before he breaks down even further, because most people can see that his all around talent is generational. I'd personally like to see him on the up and coming Mets, but if they were to have to shed a good portion of their young pitching it really wouldn't be worth it.

Regardless, I'm very happy with how this turned out. If any of you are interested in the Rockies autograph system, here's the link from last season. I would recommend to send during the season and not to Spring Training just to be safe. This success took much longer than I thought it would, but sure enough I came back with a nice autograph from a fantastic, 5 tool player.

See Ya!

COMC Pickups: Nate 'The Great' & Don't Panik!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! I've been busy lately wrapping up my Spring Training TTM's and attempting to get the giveaway packages lately, but I've still been getting some new stuff in. I ordered a few cards off of COMC.com with a few bucks I made selling, mostly to send out to players for Spring Training (link to my store if any of you are interested). I did purchase two cards for my actual collection though, one of a new Yankee pitcher and another of my newest PC player!

I first added this really stunning autograph card out of 2013 Topps Museum Collection of new Yankees pitcher Nate Eovaldi! I really liked their move for Nate this offseason despite losing Martin Prado, because no young, live arm should be counted out regardless of how they start their careers. Larry Rothschild has done an excellent job through his 4 years in New York as pitching coach, and last year he looked especially good for how he transformed now Dodger Brandon McCarthy. I hope he can do the same with Eovaldi, because having a trio of him, Tanaka, and Pineda could turn out to be lethal a few years from now (or could be a complete disaster but I'm trying to think positively). This one is signed on card and is numbered out of 699, and is my first autograph of his in my collection. And no, he is nowhere near "Great" yet, I just suck at coming up with post titles.

I was also able to add this pretty cool 2013 Bowman Chrome mini "Blue Wave" refractor card of Giants second baseman Joe Panik. I decided to start collecting Panik after he helped lead the Giants to the World Series in his rookie season. As I've mentioned numerous times, he is a hometown kid, and with that I hope to make a primary focus of my card collection in the future. This one is part of the "Cream of the Crop" insert set, and is numbered 240/250. It looks even better in person!

So, that's all for today. Before I go, in case any of you were curious, I just added an 'About Me' page to the top of my site, and you're all more than welcome to check it out. I tried to outline the story of my years throughout the hobby, because I'm aware that some people find it interesting how I kicked this site off when I was 12. Believe me, the writing wasn't nearly as high quality (some of you can attest to that for me), but I've loved this hobby for as long as I can really remember and I don't plan on letting go anytime soon. Now, I really need to get my hands on a 2015 Topps blaster.

See Ya!

One Small Step for Man...

Hey guys, Drew back here! The snow has continued to ruin all of our lives up here in the northeast, and I'm starting to wonder if it'll never end. There isn't a doubt in my mind that if my job doesn't get in the way, I'll be heading further south one day. The James Shields express has finally stopped at Petco Park; as he's now set to join the Padres for a 4 year deal between $72-76 million. I've been critical of Shields for his age and innings thrown all offseason, but knew the only way he would be worthwhile was for being a veteran leader of a young pitching staff (like what he did in Kansas City). I wouldn't expect much in "big games" from James, but he'll play an important role in what should be an interesting NL West race this year.

Today I wanted to show off another TTM success I recently received, this one coming back from someone I remember watching the first year I ever followed baseball. He was nowhere near a star, but he became a story that people all around the league grew to embrace.

Aaron Small: 2/2 in 18 Days (Received February 3rd)

Aaron Small bounced around the minor leagues and major leagues his entire career, which began in 1989 when he was first signed. He played for six teams before he eventually had his time for the Yankees, and was called to fill into the rotation because of injuries. People were skeptical as to how he would perform, but he made those 11 starts count, going 10-0 with a 3.20 ERA. On September 3rd, 2005, he threw a complete game shutout as one of those 10 wins, and became a Yankee folk legend of sorts. He ended up retiring the next season with the Mariners after the Yankees designated him for assignment, but his story was one that any current journeyman players could admire.

He signed my 2005 Topps card and wrote "Drew, May God Truly Bless You, Proverbs 3:5-6" (Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight) on the outside of my letter! His Wikipedia states he is a devout Christian, and while I'm not particularly involved with religion at the moment, he seems like a great guy.

Thank you so much Mr. Small for the great autographs! Your story will not be forgotten!

See Ya!

More J-E-T-S Success!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I have to say, I feel like I'm officially back in this hobby, and it's a really nice feeling. I mailed out my 1st 9 Spring Training TTM requests yesterday, and shipped about 7 bubble mailers to kick off my winter wipeout I posted about (PS: you can still get in on the act here if your team is still available). I've gotten quite a few TTM successes back of late, and I figured I'd show off a couple more Jets autographs from the recent football batch I sent out in late December. I mostly sent to former role players on the team, as I have a majority of the elite Jets already. Check these two out:

Kyle Brady: 2/1 in 28 Days (Received January 15th)

Kyle Brady returned my Jets card signed and also included a fairly damaged signed Jaguars card as a bonus in just under a month! Brady was the Jets 1st round pick in the 1995 Draft out of Penn State; and while he wasn't exactly who fans wanted the team to draft, he was still projected to be a very good player. After four mediocre years as a Jet, he signed with the Jaguars and watched his career take off. He was never a star, but was a durable, productive player for a bad Jags team, until he signed with the Patriots in 2007. He was a helpful part of a team that went undefeated in the regular season, and he retired following that season. He worked in broadcasting shortly following his career and now is a licensed financial advisor for athletes.

He signed and personalized the Jets card I sent him, and threw in the bonus I mentioned before. It was a pretty nice success, in all.

Brad Baxter: 2/2 in 29 Days (Received January 16th)

Former running back/full back Brad Baxter was drafted in the 11th round of the 1989 Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, but became a Jet soon after. He played parts of 7 seasons in the league, all for the Jets. His best season was in 1991 when he ran for 11 touchdowns, but he never quite was the same player after that year. He signed two early 1990's Jets cards bold and black with his number 30 inscribed, and they came out great. I love those old Jets uniforms, and wish they could use them as retro uniforms once in a while today. Just a thought.

Alright, time to go finish some schoolwork. The Walking Dead returns tonight, and Better Call Saul premieres as well. I got to say it's gonna be a good day.

See Ya!

Former Yankee Captain Signed Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here! We're about to take on (hopefully) the remainder of this horrible snow storm the next few days, and I just get more and more excited for baseball season the more this continues. I've went out to my Target twice now, and have come up empty as far as 2015 Topps goes, but hopefully I'll be able to get a few packs sometime next week. So far, everything I've seen looks super impressive! Anyway, at the Pinstripe Pandemonium show, I was able to also meet up with my buddy Michael, who is prominent on Instagram mostly and is beginning to run his own website. Michael is a young kid who can wheel and deal autographs like nobody I've ever seen at his age, and he had something I was interested in at the show that I was able to purchase off of him.

He was able to hook me up with this really nice Graig Nettles signed ball! I met Nettles once and had him sign my Mantle picture, but I wasn't particularly impressed with him and I haven't heard the best stories about him as a signer. However, he was a great player, and deserves to have a spot in my Yankees collection; and I think this ball will help do the trick! It was actually taken out of one of those TriStar baseball boxes, and Michael didn't really want it, so I was able to take it off his hands for a good price.

I'll always think of Nettles for his defensive prowess, but he was an above average offensive player too! He would've won more than his 2 Gold Gloves if he didn't play at the same time as Brooks Robinson, but Yankee fans remember him for his ability to make flashy plays at the hot corner. I played third base for a while in high school, and let me tell you, it's not easy. He was also named the 11th Yankees captain in franchise history in 1982, and with this ball I now own a signed baseball of their 11th-14th captains (Nettles, Randolph, Guidry, Mattingly)! I'd like to get a Jeter ball once his prices settle down a little, but that may be as far as I can go back, because Munson balls are hard to come by and don't run cheap at all. I thought it was particularly cool to have that streak of 4 players in a row though, and I'm glad I was able to make this deal with Michael.

Thanks for the help and great business Michael! See Ya!