RBI (172) Jim Leyland TTM...

I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my 365 TTM's come back after a long delay. There was no postmark on it so I wasn't sure who had finally responded. When I opened the envelope I was happy to see Jim Leyland signed my card.

Leyland is notorious for chain smoking during games inside the dugout but not many people complain considering the results he's been able to get as a manager. He's won more than 1750 Games, was 2-time NL Manager of the year, AL Manager of the Year and won the 1997 World Series to give the Florida Marlins their first franchise World Series championship. As Detroit's manager he's had another World Series appearance and been one of the more humorous managers in the game. He's quoted as commenting on Orioles stud Manny Machado that he's the league leader of doubles and Leyland is second in doubles, double vodka's and double scotches. 

Jim Leyland autographed this 2011 Topps Heritage card for me that I sent TTM c/o the Tigers at Comercia Park after 1 year and 4 months.

RBI (161) TTM Response after 1 Year...

The past few months I've given up on any TTM activity. I've gotten no responses or even return to senders so I could at least reuse my smaller return envelopes. Literally I felt like I was just throwing money out the window. I did finally receive a response recently and I will use it as some motivation to throw a few more letters out there into the world.

Former pitcher Carl Pavano responded to my TTM request and recharged my batteries to send some more requests out. Taken by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the 1994 draft Pavano was featured in the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to the Sox and him to the Expos, debuting in 1998. He had a strange history with the Yankees, but his career was highlighted by winning the 2003 World Series with the Marlins, and being a 2004 All Star. He retired with a wining record of 108-107 supported by 1091 Strikeouts. 

Pavano responded to my TTM request I sent to him care of the Twins after 1 year 5 months. I'm glad to add this Carl Pavano autographed 2011 Allen and Ginter card for me. It's the 28th response I got back from my 365 challenge.

RBI (124) Billy The Kid

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find a TTM return waiting for me in the mail. I was even more surprised to see the return was from retired pitcher Billy Wagner.

Wagner was taken by the Houston Astro's in the 1st round of the 1993 draft before flying up to the Majors in September of 1995 to face one batter that season. He would spent 9 seasons with the Astros before playing for Philadelphia, Boston, the New York Mets, and finally Atlanta. He was a 7x All Star, pitched a combined no-hitter, and was the 1999 NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year.

When he finally retired after 16 seasons he was one of the top relievers of not just during his playing time but of MLB history. His career numbers are a 2.52 ERA across 853 games striking out 1,193 and retired with 422 Saves, putting him 5th All-Time on the career saves list. Wagner is someone I feel really proud to add to my collection, and to be honest I'm really surprised a player of his caliber answered my TTM request. I'm not sure if he has the name brand appeal to make it into the Hall of Fame considering he was pitching out of Houston at the same time as Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, but the lefty closer is definitely someone that will be remembered as a great from his era.

Mr. Wagner signed this 2011 Topps card for me after 79 days from his home address. When it comes to players like Mr. Wagner I like having either a rookie card or what I call their career card, the final card produced with all of their career statistics on the back. Not only am I very happy to have his autograph added to my collection but also to have this specific signature added to my collection. Researching his autograph I've seen that Billy has two signatures a short signature that is mainly "By Wagnr" and a full clean signature of Harmon Killebrew crispness that you see on my card. I'm very happy that Mr. Wagner gifted me his autograph and signed with his full crisp signature.

RBI (119) More 1987 TTM Goodness...

I've got to make one thing clear, I very much enjoy working on my 1987 Topps set. I'll obviously never finish it considering there are a substantial number of non-signers, expensive Hall of Famers, and players/managers who have passed on but I enjoy the long arduous task. Maybe one day I'll be close and have hit the lotto so I can buy the missing cards but for now it's all in good fun.

One of the latest 1987 Topps cards I was able to get signed TTM was by pitcher Dan Schatzeder. Dan was taken by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 1976 draft. He debuted in 1977 for the Expos at the age of 22 and continued playing for 15 seasons retiring finally after the 1991 season. He played for the Expos, Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Phillies, Twins, Indians, Astros, Mets, and the Royals. He was  traded from the Phillies to the Twins during the 1987 season and went on to win game 6 of the '87 World Series for the eventual champion Twins. When he retired Schatzeder was 69-68 in 121 Starts and 383 relief appearances. He had 10 Saves and 18 Complete Games tossed in amongst all of his appearances, supported by a career 3.74 ERA and 748 Strikeouts.

Mr. Schatzeder was kind enough to sign this 1987 Topps for me from his home address after a 41 day turn around. Pretty quick considering I sent it to him during the holiday season, and is the 25th return of the 365 challenge.

One further note I really enjoy the '87 Topps considering how well they sign as cards and the plethora of great mustaches you see players rocking in their cards.

RBI (118) ROY TTM Response...

There are times where autograph collecting and TTM can be pretty defeating or discouraging. Athletes today often don't sign for fans anymore, but every once in a while you hear about a player who goes above and beyond for the fans. Even more rare are those players who are so friendly AND are fantastic top level players. You've heard my stories about David Price, but a TTM signer who I've learned is pretty reliable and being amongst the top of the league is closer Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel was taken by the Braves in the 3rd round of the 2008 and debuted as a September call up in 2010. After that the story was over for other teams when it came to the 9th inning with Kimbrel quickly becoming one of the most dominant closers of his generation. He won a unanimous 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Award and was a member of the All Star team. He gained his 2nd All Star nod in 2012 on the way to the NL Rolaids Relief Man as the best reliever for the year. Both seasons had him lead the NL in Saves, while in 2011 he established the MLB record for most saves by a rookie. That is a record I find highly difficult to believe will be broken seeing as 46 Saves by any closer is an elite year let alone by a rookie. In 3 seasons so far Kimbrel has a 1.46 ERA, 89 Saves, and 283 Strikeouts in 160.1 innings. In 2012 Kimbrel was so dominant that he became the first pitcher in MLB history to strikeout more than half the batters he faced. It's scary to think he's only 24 and already accomplished so much. So long as he remains healthy the Braves have found a true crown jewel to lead their bullpen.

I was very excited and happy to open my envelope to find this 2012 Allen and Ginter card autographed by Kimbrel after 86 days c/o the Braves. This was part of my 365 challenge and is the 24th autograph response I received.

RBI (117) A Veteran TTM response...

I was happy to see a response waiting for me in the mail that included a letter response. I opened it to see former starting pitcher Mr. Walt Terrell had replied to my TTM request.

Terrell was taken by the Texas Rangers in the 33rd round of the 1980 draft. He was traded to the Mets in 1982 and made his debut with the organization that year. It was the beginning of an 11 year career that would take him from the Mets, Tigers, Padres, Yankees, Pirates, and back to the Tigers to close out his career. He'd retire with 111 Wins, a career 4.22 ERA and 929 Strikeouts. He'd throw an astonishing 56 Complete games, 14 of which were shutouts, in his 294 career starts.

Mr. Terrell was kind enough to not only sign my 1987 Topps cards but also signed my index card and answered a few of my questions.

What was your favorite team to play for?
Despite playing for six teams throughout his career Walt said, "I enjoyed them all"

Who was your preferred catcher?
His career allowed Terrell to pitch to seasoned veterans Mike Fitzgerald, Matt Nokes and Mike Heath. Walt responded, "They were all very good and each had something unique about their game"

How did you find out you were debuting for the Mets in 1982?
I found this answer to be very revealing as research into this response told me that Terrell's time in AAA was spent learning how to prepare for the big leagues by former top flight closer of his era, "Tidewater coach Jack Aker told me" Aker set the single season saves record of his time with 32 in 1966. Such consistent performance and numerous appearances must have helped influence Terrell's readiness to go the distance and do what was needed for his 56 Complete Games.

Did you ever talk to Wally Joyner about the 9th inning hit?
On August 20th, 2986 Joyner came up to bat in Tiger Stadium at top of the 9th with 1 Out left before Terrell would cement his name in history with a no-hitter. The at-bat went Joyner's way and "We never brought it up"

It was great to get this response from Mr. Terrell after 16 days quickly from his home address.

The 365 Challenge of 2012 Is Over

Well folks it's the first week of 2013. The 365 challenge has officially come to a very unsuccessful finish. The words "utter disaster" come to mind, but it'd be a little harsh and discount the kind responses of the letters I sent that did returned.

Of my hoped 365 letters I sent out 91 letters to current players, executives and retirees of the game. My 91 is only a 19 letter improvement from last years numbers. To make matters worse of the 91 letters that I sent out I only received 23 responses. In 2011 I sent out 72 letters with 31 responses.

I came to some realizations though as I did this challenge:

Number 1: It's not fun. At all.

The entire process becomes cumbersome when I have to choose a player, research them, write them, write a blog post explaining why I wrote them, update the ttm page, update the 365 challenge page, link all the appropriate pages and then finally get to mail my letter. And then blog about any response.

The sheer prospect of such time consumption made me grow a genuine distaste for really getting into any sort of significant letter writing kick.

I got into TTM because I truly enjoy baseball. I want to learn about the history of the game and it's many facets from the men who played the game. Trying to hit a specific number of letters sent out while maintaining that integrity without making it a mechanical process was too difficult.

Number 2: It ain't cheap.

I also came to the realization that it's a semi expensive hobby when you start cranking out those kinds of numbers. Postage for the letter to the player and your return envelope? Envelopes themselves. Index cards. Baseball cards for specific players. Cheap it was not. I'm not saying it broke the bank, but I realized as I dropped twenty after twenty at the post office that I should at lease be enjoying the process more for what I'm spending.

Number 3: Al Kaline sucks.

Yes I'm still pissed about this.

Number 4: There are some people out there in the baseball world that don't suck. Al Kaline take note.

Carl Erskine
Jerry Dipoto
Bobby Doerr

Now I honestly do appreciate every single TTM response that I have ever gotten, but those individuals have definitely gone above and beyond to help a stranger learn a little about the world of baseball.

Number 5: I will try again.

That's right. Despite all the negatives I've listed it was an experience. There's something magical about a no-hitter. The anticipation of every pitch. The holding of your breath when you hear the bat connect to the ball and you can only watch to see if someone can make a play on it. It's a question if can he go the distance. Will time and circumstance come together for something special to happen for 9 innings. I took my no-no to the 3rd inning. Maybe not in 2013 but one day I'll step back onto the mound and see if I can go the distance.

RBI (96) Will the Thrill TTM...

Another nifty 365 TTM return made it's way back to me and I was happy to see when I opened the envelope a 1987 Topps back. Who was nice enough to sign for me? I was thrilled to see Will 'the Thrill' Clark had autographed my card.

Clark was taken by the San Francisco Giants with the 2nd overall pick in the 1985 amateur draft after winning a Silver Medal in the 1984 Olympics. He flew to the Majors and made his debut in April 1986, homering in his first at bat off Nolan Ryan. He would be one of the premier 1st baseman in the National League while he played for the Giants and remains a fan favorite despite leaving for the Rangers, Orioles, and Cardinals.

He retired as a 6-time All Star, Gold Glover, and 2-time Silver Slugger. His career stats after 15 seasons in the MLB are mighty impressive with 2176 hits coming from a career .303 average and .384 OBP. He drove in 1205 RBI while smacking 284 Home Runs which supported a .497 slugging percentage. Clark was put in the College Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, but Cooperstown will not call as he was dropped off the ballot after failing to receive 5% of the vote in 2006.

Mr. Clark signed this 1987 Topps card that I sent to his home address after only 33 days. I was really happy to add Clark to my collection and it's always nice to check another '87 Topps off the list.

RBI (92) A 365 Return Rolls in...

It's been a while since I received a successful 365 challenge return and I've been working on a batch right now, so I thought I'd share the success. It was a quick and very surprising return by a great signer, Arizona Diamondback's starting pitcher Daniel Hudson.

Hudson was a 5th round pick in the 2008 MLB draft, taken by the Chicago White Sox. He flew through the minors and reached the White Sox in September 2009 for a taste of the bigs. He returned to the minors but then was called up in 2010 to replace Jake Peavy following Peavy's injury. Hudson was suitably impressive in his time in the rotation that when the White Sox decided to make a playoff run and wanted veteran innings eater Edwin Jackson, the Diamondbacks took Hudson and a minor leaguer for Jackson.

Hudson was dynamic in the 2011 season, helping ace Ian Kennedy push the Diamondbacks into an unexpected divisional title. He also collected a little piece of hardware for himself in his first year in the National League, being awarded the 2011 Silver Slugger award for a pitcher.

Daniel Hudson was nice enough to personalize and autograph this 2012 Topps Heritage for me c/o the Arizona Diamondbacks after only 12 Days. I'm very happy to have Hudson's reply as I think he's going to be a good solid ace potential pitcher despite his recent injury troubles that will require Tommy John surgery.

On a side note, one of the things that inspired me to write this one was a recent run in with D'backs ace Ian Kennedy. Kennedy informed me he doesn't get to this TTM during the season...but he knew one guy who does...

RBI (83) The 365 returns continue...

finally! It's been a while since I was able to get anything returned to me, and I'm happy to get this one. The Arizona Diamondbacks are a franchise on the rise, and this guy is one of the key supporting cast members. Second base man Aaron Hills is one of the players who call Arizona home and is helping push the franchise back into relevance.

The 13th pick of the 2003 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, the California native made his bones in the AL in 2005 for the Jays. He was a reliable bat that exploded for power in his 2009 All Star campaign, winning a Silver Slugger award and AL Comeback Player of the Year. Eventually his average dropped despite the pop and he was traded to the Diamondbacks. While with the DBacks, he returned to form and helped push the Diamondbacks into the playoffs.

In 8 seasons he has proved to be a productive bat that shouldn't be ignored in the line up. His average has declined to .266 but slugs a solid .416 supported by 102 Home Runs and 205 Doubles. His OBP is a impressive .321 considering his low batting average. While he may not be too impressive between the base paths with a 70% success rate his two Fielding Bible awards prove his ability playing behind them.

Mr. Hill was nice enough to sign this 2011 Topps Lineage for me after 30 Days, sent c/o the Arizona Diamondbacks.

RBI (76) The Curious Case of Al Kaline is Solved...

Regular readers probably are already aware of my previous post regarding Hall of Famer Al Kaline. If you aren't a regular reader and don't want to read the post, it essentially boils down to he has some weird signing habits in person and through the mail and I wanted to see how I'd do.

Okay, usual preamble about Mr. Tiger even though I want to skip to the good stuff. Hall of Famer class of 1980 (88% the vote) played for 22 seasons only for Detroit, an 18-time All-Star, and nabbed 10 Gold Gloves. 3007 hits from a career .297 average knocked in 1583 RBI's that won a 1968 World Series and got his #6 retired by the Detroit Tigers. Want to know the real good stuff? Then seriously, read the other post.

Well I sent my $20 to Mr. Kaline, and this is what I got.

Yes it is a very nice clear blue signature on the card. Yes it's great to have a Hall of Famer added to my collection. But let's be honest. This is the exact same signature that I could have acquired with a letter and $5...maybe $10 and an extra set of postage. For $20 I could have tracked down a certified Topps autographed card on ebay. An extra $10-$15 dollars didn't get an "HOF" or "GG" inscription? I don't think Garret Anderson even charges that much for an inscription and he only signs like twice a year and in person only. Twenty bucks and my index card wasn't even returned to keep the envelope stiff let alone with a "Thanks" scribbled on it.

Now is it a little petty to complain about a Hall of Famer signing for so cheap? Maybe. But it's the principle that has me not so pleased with how this safari went. By his "normal" habits, this could have gotten 2-4 cards signed with the same autograph. Instead my letter went unanswered and my index card wasn't even sent back.

It's not that I was expecting an extra signed card, inscription, or change. But I was hoping to find Mr. Kaline on the side of the fan and not send a completely indifferent response. I guess I was hoping for the Hall of Famer to show something more and act a little classier than a nobody minor leaguer at a card show would. Is that so wrong? Am I expecting too much from a Cooperstown inductee?

Kaline signed the 2003 Topps after 22 days from his home address.

The Curious Case of Al Kaline

Al Kaline, Hall of Famer, and notoriously unpredictable signer.

The first time I learned about Mr. Kaline, it was while reading about him in Cooperstown Confidential. The scene painted around Kaline by the book was of a signer sitting at a corner in Cooperstown during Induction Weekend who was interested in the fee and not the line of fans or their anecdotes. Further research into Kaline revealed stories of him being very unpredictable in person. Finding him at a ball game in Detroit meant he could be personable and willing to sign, occasionally doing multiples for some. Or sitting in the stands he could be grumpy and unwilling to even give a signature to a kid at other times. Appearances at a Detroit car dealership were typically more positive with Kaline getting more favorable and personable reviews.

Through the mail to Mr. Kaline is an adventure in it's own. It seems the fee he charges can be on a sliding scale at times with fans mailing him $5 and getting a card signed, but at times the $5 is returned with a request for $10 even though the request is for a card. Some mail has been returned to fans with the card unsigned and money in the envelope along with it. One especially odd horror story was the $5 returned but it had been cut into pieces. It wasn't clear if Kaline himself did it or the Post Office had a mishap. Regardless, this Hall of Famer is clearly not the same as the rest of his Cooperstown peers who normally have a foundation or handler make the transaction quick, businesslike, and not all that interesting.

The standard return rate of successes and failures alike has seemed to be 2 weeks. Why is this important? Because 2 weeks ago I had a bit of a random occurrence happen. I was browsing through my cards and spotted one of Kaline, it was cool but I wasn't sold on if I should make an attempt with him or not. While browsing my local card shop later that day I spotted another Kaline card and decided to buy it just to add it to my collection. The next day I was pleasantly surprised to find $20 in a jacket I hadn't worn for a few months. Seeing as it was free money and I had just acquired a nice Kaline I decided to leap down the rabbit hole. That's right, I didn't test the $5 or $10 fee for a card. I wrote my letter, labeled my envelopes, and slid the $20 right behind the card.

I'm not really sure what I'll get back, but something should be coming through the mail this week. Be it my card with the fee, a cut up twenty, or maybe just maybe I'll be lucky enough to get the card back signed with the magical letters "HOF" to put in my collection. Either way, Mr. Tiger has made this TTM  safari an adventure.

Batches batches batches...

This batch was focused more on the players who spent their time making their bones in the AL East. After I worked on the AL East I decided to meander into the NL where I don't have too much knowledge off the top of my head. With the start of baseball I'm not sure if there will be many responses now but I'm still hopeful that they're also inspired by the coming season.

Johnny Damon, Despite his time on the Yankees, Damon played a big part in Red Sox history and once again a grinder who forces his way on base and pesters the opposing pitcher to secure a run.
Desmond Jennings, The speed demon is poised to help throw the Rays into contention for yet another season providing great defense behind the overly talented and young rotation and could explode offensively this year. I also enjoy writing to guys I saw at the 2010 Futures game coming into the bigs.
Wade Boggs, I'm a really big fan of the TV show Psych, and when I saw Wade do a guest appearance this season it became one of my favorite episodes from the past few seasons. I just had to write him and tell him how nice it was to see him on the show.
Jay Bruce, While writing letters to Damon and Jennings, I started wondering about other dynamic outfielders. I decided to poke around the NL central since it's not my strongest place of knowledge and looked into the Bruce.
John Axford, While in the division I also remembered the Brewers had an interesting story and dynamic player of their own in closer Axford. Who wouldn't be interested in learning about a set up man who learned from future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman.
J.D. Martinez, Soon to be rival playing out his first full season replacing one of my favorite players (Hunter Pence). It's a big mantle to replace in Houston since they didn't have much to cheer for besides Pence so hopefully he can take it.
Al Kaline....
Jim Leyland, with the Tigers in the making of a strong run and marquee players standing behind him it'll be interesting to hear what Leyland has to say about his career with this season on the horizon.
Tyler Clippard, one of the premier set up men in baseball that is often over looked the ominous visit Drew Storen made to Dr. Andrews has some wondering if this NL All-Star would be given the 9th but his dominance in the 8th has him keeping the status quo there.

RBI (74) Final 365 TTM in the off season...

With baseball's week long opening series' beginning and the Angel's Opening Day tomorrow, I was wondering what would be the final return for the off season. It's a fairly appropriate return as former player, Angel coach and Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.

Roenicke was a 1st round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 June secondary draft. Despite being such a high pick, taken 17th overall he did not make his MLB debut until 1981. Roenicke spent 8 seasons split between 6 teams, and was never able to really capitalize on the playing time he was given as a sometime starter, utility outfielder, and pinch runner. At the end of his career he sat on a .238 average and 17 Home Runs.

Roenicke returned to the Dodgers as a coach and manager throughout the organization at the Major and minor league level. Eventually he left the Dodgers to join the Angel organization as third base coach and was a member of the championship team. After Joe Maddon left to become the manager of the Rays he was promoted to bench coach. His time with the Angels through their dominant regular season runs through the early 2000's gave further credibility to his resume and he continued the Mike Scioscia coaching tree becoming the Milwaukee Brewer's manager. In his first year as a manager he took the Brew Crew to the NLCS, and it'll be interesting to see how he keeps the club pushing forward in the wake of the franchise losing its Prince and the reigning MVP having his crown tarnished by scandal.

Roenicke signed this 1987 Topps card for me sent c/o the Brewers at Spring Training in 43 days.

RBI (71) A Cooperstown TTM for the 365...

I'm sure by the title some of you who read the batch summaries I post before I mail out the 365 letters can guess who responded. Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend Bobby Doerr was kind enough to sign TTM for me.

Of all current players for the Red Sox, second baseman Dustin Pedroia is without a doubt my favorite. He's intense, and leaves it all out on the field and in the batters box. He continues a tradition of excellence at second that Bobby Doerr instilled in the position for the franchise after first appearing for the club in 1937. A tradition recognized by the Red Sox who retired his #1 in 1988 for his service as a player and coach.

Doerr was a generational talent who played 14 seasons exclusively for the Red Sox, though it could have been 15 if he had not been called away to serve in WWII. The 9-time All-Star while being one of the top defensive second basemen in the league, was also a dangerous hitter. When he retired in 1951, his career average was .288 and his On Base Percentage stood at .362. He had assembled more than 2,000 hits, 223 home runs, and 1,247 RBI's. Legendary hitter and teammate Ted Williams asserted Doerr was the "silent captain" of the team, a great tip to Doerr considering Williams' fickle nature about speaking to the public.

After retiring reasonably young at 33 due to injury, Doerr remained around the game as a scout and hitting coach. He is credited along with Ted Williams as being a strong influence in Carl Yastrzemski's evolution mid-career into more of a power hitter. After leaving the Sox he was the first hitting coach for the expansion Toronto Blue Jays from 1977-1981.

Doerr was inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1986 by the Veterans Committee. He was inducted along with Willie McCovey who received 81% of the vote and Ernie Lombardi, also another Veterans Committee inductee.

 Mr. Doerr signed this 2001 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts card for me signed "Bob Doerr HOF 86"

It took me a while to find that legendary cuts card and ironically the day after I bought the card at a card shop I swung through the card aisle at Target. What was sitting at the top of the $4 pack of randomly assorted cards in a clear plastic hanger? Yup. This 1989 Topps commemorating the 1988 All Star Game.
Also signed "Bob Doerr HOF 86"


Mr. Doerr was kind enough to sign these two cards for me from his home address in only 14 days.

RBI (70) A controversial 365 TTM from Spring Training...

Well I'm not sure how much actual controversy there is about this, but I did find it interesting to get a pretty awesome reply from Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos.

Latos was taken in the 11th round of the 2006 draft by the Padres after falling significantly due to maturity concerns. He attended college for a year before signing with the Padres days before he would have re-entered the 2007 having been deemed matured. The time paid off as Latos breezed through the minors reaching the MLB in 2009 for the Padres.

His call up resulted in making the rotation in 2010 for a breakout year where he solidified himself as a front of the rotation pitcher with ace potential. 2011 was a slight regression year for him, but there was still excellent top of the league stuff. So much so that the Reds paid a minor fortune for him in Edison Volquez, and top prospect Yonder Alonso among others.

In 3 seasons in the MLB Latos has supplied himself a 27-29 record, 3.37 ERA, and 413 Strikeouts. In both full seasons he appeared in he made a strong 31 starts, marking himself as a reliable workhorse in the rotation.

As many of you know there was a recent blog post on Reds' pitcher Mat Latos' wife's blog regarding the autograph collecting hobby. It's been discussed at length by the autograph community so I won't really get into that. Interestingly enough don't you know I had actually mailed Mat a TTM request just prior to the now infamous post.

It was a success. Not only was it a success, it was a really cool success. Not only did Mat send his autograph, but also took the time to answer the letter I mailed him. Why's this awesome? Because it's the first time a current player responded to my letter, let alone while at Spring Training:

During your 15 game streak of 5 innings and 2 or less runs did you feel added pressure or feel comfortable?
Showing the ice cold blood in his veins that made the Reds pay a king's ransom for the ace he responded, "Comfortable!"

What was it like to get your first Win?
Even though he debuted the week before, the Virginia native was able to top the local Washington Nationals in 2009 for his first win, "Felt good. Was in my hometown."

What did you see to the key to your 1 hitter of the Giants?
Even though he was only in his first full season in the Majors, he was able to display his stuff against the eventual World Series winners with a 1 hitter supported by him "Hitting my spots."

What was it like to play in the 2009 All Star Futures Game?
I'm a big fan of the game as it highlights the prospects coming up and recognizes their hard work pushing themselves through the minors to get to the show. I'm sure many of the guys who make it agree with his sentiment that "It was Great."

I had sent the 2011 Gypsy Queen as the card I'd like signed and included the 2012 Topps mini with a sticky note that said he could keep it. The Gypsy Queen smeared, but Latos didn't keep the 2012 mini and instead autographed it clean and sent it back to me after only 29 days c/o the Reds at Spring Training.

RBI (68) More 365 Spring Training TTM...

I can't even begin to say how excited I was to get this response. It had been a slow mail week besides the awesome Jerry Dipoto letter, I hadn't been able to get anything else back. But when I saw the Arizona postmark I got a little excited. When I opened up the envelope I was thrilled to see Indians' pitcher Justin Masterson had autographed my card.

I am a huge Justin Masterson fan. I was there at Fenway for his MLB debut in 2008 and immediately saw the talent and possibility that summer. Even now when he's on the Indians I still wear my Red Sox Masterson player t-shirt when he's going to make a start despite the boo's I get around the stadium. When he was traded by the Sox to the Indians, they realized his potential and value that most had underestimated in being worth All-Star hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Years later with Masterson at the front end of the rotation for Cleveland and V-Mart hurt in Detroit it looks like the Indians got the better end of the deal with the former 2nd round pick.

So far into his promising career Masterson has a 28-38 record with a 3.92 ERA and 485 Strikeouts across 4 seasons with the Red Sox and Indians as a starter and reliever. Coming off a career year in 2011 Masterson is posed to help the on the cusp Indians challenge the powerhouse Tigers for dominance of the AL Central. I'm sure he will continue on his success and build a long lasting career.

Justin was kind enough to sign this 2011 Topps card for me c/o the Indians at Spring Training in 27 days. Justin inscribed the card "Phil 4:13" as he is very well known for his faith and has even led the Pentagon's weekly prayer breakfast. I was able to get a Justin Masterson autographed jersey since then.

More 365 batches

Spring Training is always about new beginnings. A new season, new teammates, new parts of a player's career. But every new beginning comes from an ending, either of a player's career with a team or the whole career itself. I decided to write to some of the veterans starting their career over or bringing it to a close.

Mariano Rivera, the last batch I sent to Jamie Moyer and Mike Cameron so I decided to mail the elder statesman of the Yankees as he approaches another season.
Buster Posey, Buster is definitely one of my favorite catchers to watch work because he makes the Giants staff look even more dominant. Here's hoping to him restarting his career after his bad luck injury last season.
Mat Latos, is the kind of front end starter that I've always tended to like. Strong stuff with an attitude to go along with it, and an interest in maintaing his team's rivalries to keep them pumped up. Starting up with the Reds this year it'll be interesting to see what he does with some offense behind him, but being away from Petco.
Carl Pavano, Latos was a pick up I made his rookie year in fantasy and it's always made me kind of favor him as I got to see each stat line of his career develop. Pavano was also another pick up I made his first year with the Twins where he has restarted his career after the poor results with the Yankees.
Austin Romine, Speaking of the Yankees with the trade of slugging superstar prospect Jesus Montero some playing time unexpectedly has opened up for top defensive prospect Romine this year behind Russell Martin. 3/7
Bobby Doerr, Everyone who has collected TTM knows the story about Mr. Doerr. He's a Hall of Famer both literally and for collectors. As a Red Sox fan I'm excited at the prospect of him reading my letter and hope to have him in my collection.
Logan Morrison, Lomo. Rebel with a cause, being awesome while crushing home runs. Awesome awesome awesome.
Aaron Hill, I've been pretty interested in the career of Mr. Hill since his breakout campaign in 2009. His career has had some ups and downs since then, but I think he's going to play a big part in the continued rise of the D'backs.
Keith Mitchell, when I got the Bobby Doerr card I also picked up one for Keith Mitchell. Reading the back of his card he seemed like an interesting prospect and I decided to ask him about his MLB career.
Paul Goldschmidt, After looking through the rest of this batch I thought about who else is on the D'backs and going to be key to their continued success pushing the Giants for top of the division while the Dodgers still recover and Padres continue to rebuild.

RBI (67) A letter from Jerry Dipoto...

No witty title or twists today folks, just some amazing correspondence from current Angels GM and former  MLB player Jerry Dipoto. Yeah that's right, Jerry corresponded with me, and by that I don't mean filled in a few blank lines on the page I sent him. I mean Jerry took two pages of Angel letterhead and wrote me a nice note in response to my own letter to him.

I didn't scan the letter seeing as it's a letter completely from him and to me it didn't sit quite right to scan it. I will however provide a transcription of said letter:

I'd like to thank you for your recent letter and continued support of the Angels. Like you, we are very much looking forward to the 2012 season and the challenges it will bring. 


I appreciate both your thoughts and insights regarding the game in general, as well as the ways in which our club might improve. You can be assured the we will continue to explore every avenue in seeking the right opportunities. We are presently preparing for the start of the regular season and very much looking forward to watching it play out on the field. 


As it pertains to my history as a student of the game, fan and collector - It's been a lifelong passion, one I'm sure you share. This is a great game with great history...here's to the coming season and the hope that the Angels will add to a rich history!


All my best, 
Jerry

Here is Jerry's signature on the bottom of the letter. I think it's kind of cool he just wrote Jerry instead of his full name. It gives it a very personal feel, like he took the time to not just say thanks for the letter but some genuine thought from one baseball guy to another. 

My mind is blown that he took such care and time. It's not often I even expect responses let alone a hand written letter by the GM of a MLB team during Spring Training. This may be one of the true highlights of my collection for the rest of my life, regardless of where the club is lead as it's such a unique piece. For those of you who don't know Jerry is also an avid collector so I'm sure he knows what it means to fans and collectors to receive something like this. Virgil Trucks and Bobby Doerr are in the Hall of Fame for TTM for their kindness and generosity, and I've got the feeling Jerry Dipoto is the kind of guy who will one day earn his way alongside them in the hearts of fans.

Jerry was kind enough to write back to me after only 20 days care of the Angels at their Spring Training facility.

RBI (66) Completing a 365 TTM pair...

Well I suppose they don't mean to be a pair, but since one of their biggest claims to fame involves one another they're stuck as one as far as I'm concerned. Catcher turned science project/first baseman Scott Hatteberg responded to my TTM request and is a nice addition I've slotted next to my Billy Beane card.

Hatte was a 1st round sandwich pick for the Red Sox going 43rd overall in the 1991 amateur draft. Hatte would get a minor taste of the bigs in 1995 and 1996, but became the primary catcher for the Sox in 1997. After '97 though he began to split time before eventually being relegated to backup status due to the arrival of catching sensation and future franchise hall of famer Jason Varitek. An injury in his elbow during his final season with the Sox was expected to end his career as he could no longer throw a baseball.

One thing Hatteberg continued to do despite the catching job going to Varitek was find a way on base when he was given at-bats. This skill was the key to his career surviving as Oakland A's GM Billy Beane was looking for just that ability to rebuild his team in 2002. Hatteberg became a leading symbol of Beane's "moneyball" era and use of statistical analyses to find diamonds in the rough. Hatte became a first baseman for the A's and is most remembered for his walk off home run in the 11th inning against the Kansas City Royals to give the A's their American League record 20 game winning streak.

When he finally retired after a stint with the Cincinnati Reds Hatteberg had managed to extend his once presumed dead career from 7 seasons to 14. He was a .273 hitter with an impressive .361 OPB despite his limited slugging abilities. His line stood at 1153 hits, 106 of which were Home Runs. While most catchers are assumed to be players who are slow and knock guys in, his 527 RBI are actually fewer than his 538 Runs Scored.

Scott Hatteberg was nice enough to sign and return this 2008 Topps card for me after only 41 days from his home address.