TTM Returns: Week Ending 2-3-18

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the week ending February 3, 2018:

Donnie Dewees

Greg Adams

John Tudor

Baseballs from a Few Private Signings

I just added a few more baseballs to my collection courtesy of my good friend Darrell, who runs a number of private signings throughout the year, at Halkman Sports.

It all started with a Roy Oswalt signing that took place last Summer. I was excited to find out that Darrell was putting together a signing with him. I grew up in the Houston area, and he was one of my favorite Astros of the 2000s. He was a big part of the Astros' run to the World Series in 2005, and was named the NLCS MVP. I sent in a 2011 Heritage card to be signed and ordered a baseball, as well. The card came back soon after the signing, but due to the confusion of different orders being submitted at different times, the ball did not arrive with it. I'm good friends with Darrel, and trust him completely, so I knew it would make it's way eventually. After a few messages back and forth, I finally got the ball in the mail to go with the card I got earlier.

It took longer then expected, but like I said, that was ok. I knew it would be on the way before too long, so I was patient. Still, Darrell felt bad for the wait, and sent me another ball to go along with it, free of charge! This one is from a signing he did last year with former Major League outfielder Jacque Jones. It is absolutely perfect for me, as I am a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and live in Minnesota, and Jones played all but one season on his MLB career with either of those two teams.

Lastly, is another throw-in from Darrell's most recent signing, with former Major League shortstop Felip Lopez. He was quite the journeyman, playing for eight different teams (including two stops in St. Louis and Milwaukee) during his 11-year career. His longest tenure with a team is three years with the Cincinnati Reds, which included his best season, when he made the 2005 All-Star Team. Of course, I had to get a ball with that inscription, which always makes it look better.

Speaking of Felipe Lopez. there is one more item of his that I have to show off. In fact, it was the item that actually sparked the initial exchange that resulted in this delivery, but that will have to wait for another day.

2018 Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan

It seems like every year in the past, my work schedule has gotten in the way, but I finally made it this year to the 2018 Twins Winter Caravan when it made its stop in Fargo last week. The caravan travels around the state of Minnesota (and a few places in neighboring state), visiting schools, hospitals and businesses, finishing off each day with an open-to-the-public program that night.

Our night began with a "traditional ballpark meal," consisting of a hot dog, some chips, and a soda. There was also beer that could be purchased, which I did, since that it MY "traditional ballpark meal." After that, the event began with some local introductions, and some announcements centered around the event's $5,000 donations each to the Moorhead Crush Softball organization to help with field maintenance, and Fargo Park Service to be used for their baseball programs.

Then came the guests of honor. There are a few different groups, usually consisting of one or two current Twins players and one retired player. Our event was with Hall-of-Famer Bert Blyleven and current relief pitchers Trevor Hildenberger and Taylor Rogers. There was a Q&A session with the audience, followed by some door prizes (I didn't with anything), and when the event reached its conclusion, the guests headed over to some tables for an autograph session.

Bert Blyleven was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011, in his 14th year of elligibility. He finishhed his career with 3,701 strikeouts, and until his long-overdue induction, was the only ember of the 3,000 strikeout club at that time who was not in the Hall of Fame. He has somewhat of a reputation for being difficult at free signings, so when I saw that he was actually signing the sweet spot on my ball, and not side-panelling it, I was thrilled, as it would fit right in with my other signed balls from Hall-of-Famers.

Trevor Hildenberger is a side-arm relief pitcher who spent half of the 2017 season in the Majors. He told the story of developing into a side-arm pitcher, when he had trouble with his speed in college and had trouble seeing any in-game action. His coach suggested a side-arm style, and he was able to change up his game, give his team something unique, and eventually made it all the way to the show. He signed a ball and an 8x10 for me, and I must say, he has one of the best autographs of anu current player. Despite having one of the longest names in the majors, you can practically read every single letter.

Taylor Rogers is getting ready to enter his third season in the Twins' bullpen. He has the ability to turn things around for the team, as he has compiled a 10-4 record, despite typically only making short appearances. He signed a ball and an 8x10 photo for me. His autograph might not be quite as nice as Hildenberger's but it still looks great on the sweet spot of a baseball.

I was so happy that I was able to make it to one of these events. I was able to add another signed baseball of a Hall of Famer to my collection (I am up to 10 now), plus I got to meet a couple of up-and-comers who can continue to make a big difference for a really good Minnesota Twins team.

TTM Returns from the Past Few Months

Well, it's been a while since I posted on much of anything here. Nothing's been going on, I guess I just got a little distracted with other things and just never got around to it. Anyway, I haven't been sending out my TTM requests with quite as much frequency, so I don't have a ton built up to go, but anyway, here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the past few months.

Justin Grimm

Ryan Whitney

Steve Balboni

Maikel Franco

Charlie Hough

Mike Birkbeck

Scott Garrelts

Neil Walker

Cody Franson

Jose Guzman

Alex Stalock

Cliff Pennington

Tommaso Ciampa

TTM Returns: Week Ending 10-21-17

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the week ending October 21, 2017:

Jeff Reardon

Willie Fraser

Ken Oberkfell

Allan Bester

Bryn Smith

Jerry Browne

Jim Lindeman

Eric Bell

Autographs after Two Coyotes Games in March

Well, I guess with the new season starting, it's about time to show off some ink I got in Arizona last March. I've had everything scanned and ready to show off for months now, I just never got around to it. Anyway, here we go.

My wife and kids and I took our annual Spring vacation to my extended family's vacation home in Chandler, AZ. There's always a few things we like to do for our three girls, like Legoland Discovery Center and Butterfly Wonderland, but for me, it's always Chicago Cubs Spring Training and the Arizona Coyotes. We were able to get tickets to see them play the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators, and even got upgraded to on-the-glass seats for the Hurricanes game.

As always, after the game, I hung around near the exit of the players' underground parking lot, where a few guys are always good about stopping to sign autographs. I've done this for a couple years now, and is a great experience, and with a struggling Coyotes team, the crowd was pretty small. Night one, I got Shane Doan, Connor Murphy, Tobias Rieder, and Jakob Chychrun, and night two, I got Doan, Murphy, Anthony Duclair, and Louis Domingue.

Here are the goods from each guy:

Shane Doan

Connor Murphy

Jakob Chychrun

Anthony Duclair

Tobias Rieder

Louis Domingue

That's all for last year. We are planning another trip in late March, and will be there when they take on the St. Louis Blues. I'll see what I can get at that time, but with Doan and Murphy, the two most reliable signers, no longer with the team, it will be interesting to see what happens.

TTM Returns: Week Ending 10-6-17

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the week ending October 6, 2017:

Jerad Eickhoff (Sent a card, received this 4x6 photo)

Paulo Orlando

Frank Tanana

Rich Bordi