RBI (185) Long Delayed TTM Response...

I was pleasantly surprised to see a TTM return envelope in my mailbox considering I haven't had very much time to send out TTM's this year after burning myself out trying to do my 365 TTM challenge last year. I knew it had to be a fairly old reply but I was shocked to see how old it was when I checked my records.

Cadaret was a journeyman reliever and starter who posted 539 Strikeouts with a 38-32 record pitching from 1987-1994 with a comeback in the 1997-1998 seasons. He debuted for the A's before pitching for the Yankees, Reds, Royals, Jays, Tigers, Angels and eventually the Rangers. I remember asking how it felt to make it back into the majors with the Angels, but unfortunately Mr. Cadaret didn't respond to my letter. I was very glad though to add his autograph in my collection especially since he played for the A's in the 1988 World Series.

Greg Cadaret autographed this 1990 Fleer card for me 2 years and 4 months after I sent it to his home address.

RBI (129) A Kansas City Star...

Sometimes it's interesting to see how different teams and fan bases take in certain personalities. Former pitcher Mark "Gubi" Gubicza is an example of that.

Gubicza was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 2nd round of the 1981 draft. He worked his way through the minors and at age 21was debuting for the Royals in 1984. He was a stalwart piece of the Royals rotation and for 13 seasons was a consistent starter for the team. He was named to the All Star team 2 times and was part of the Royals' 1985 World Series Championship team. He left the Royals to go on to the Angels for only 2 starts in 1997 before his career came to a close.

When he retired his record stood at 132-136 with a 3.96 ERA and 1371 Strikeouts. He threw 42 Complete Games, 16 of which were Shut Outs out of his 329 Games Started. I'm always amazed at the number of Complete Games the studs of the 80's and 90's have compared to the starters who play now. Even the current workhorses are pretty outmatched when looking at going the distance with 8 year veteran James Shields having 20 career completes so far.

Gubi is a pretty popular broadcaster with the Angels, but he's not as consistently mobbed for an autograph after his broadcast as home grown Angel on air talent Tim Salmon is. If they worked for the Royals though I have the feeling the 2006 Kansas City Royals Team Hall of Fame inductee would be the one who had to worry about crowds of fans wanting his signature.

I was able to get Mr. Gubicza to sign this 1990 Fleer card for me at Angel Stadium.

RBI (84) A Little Wild Success...

One of the more cool successes I had during the 2011 season, was with the Seattle Mariners. One person who was especially nice while in Anaheim was former pitcher and current Seattle Mariners Bullpen coach Jaime Navarro.

Taken in the 3rd round by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1987 MLB draft, Navarro quickly moved his way up through the ranks and made his MLB debut for the Brewers in 1989 as a starter. Throughout his career Navarro had various degrees of success going from reliable starter to wild. He spent 7 years in Milwaukee before leaving for the Cubs, White Sox, and Cleveland. While bouncing through his career he would post ERA's in the high 3 range then be rocked for a 5-6 ERA the following season.

When he finally retired as a player after 12 years he stood on a solid 116-126 record with a 4.72 ERA and  1113 Strike Outs. In 309 Starts he tossed 32 Complete Games and 8 of them were Shut Outs, a pretty nice ratio though the majority of the Completes were tossed in the beginning of his career with the Brewers.

Mr. Navarro was kind enough to sign this 1990 Fleer for me in person while watching the Mariners pitchers stretch and warm up before a game in Anaheim against the Angels. He was even kind enough to get me a ball from batting practice later on that day. He signed the ball also for me, and I turned it into a Mariners team ball I'm working on.

RBI (80) A Cy Young TTM...

It's been a bit since I posted a TTM reply, mainly because I haven't had any responses since baseball season started besides the adventure with Al Kaline. Needless to say I'm not overly pleased with my luck lately. One thing that I got very lucky with a few months ago though was a response from Cy Young winner Doug Drabek.

Drabek is a Texan taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 1983 draft. Despite pitching well through the minors for the White Sox he was included in a package to the New York Yankees.  He would eventually be called up with the Yankees in 1986 as a reliever who joined the rotation. He was then traded to the Pirates by the Yankees where he had his most successful years. He'd pitch for the Pirates primarily before a few years split between the Houston Astros, Orioles, and White Sox.

When he retired after 13 seasons in the MLB Drabek had finished an impressive career. He had a 155-134 career record supported by a 3.73 ERA and 1594 Strikeouts. In 387 Starts he threw 53 Complete games and an impressive 21 Shut Outs. He was an All-Star with the Astros, but won the Cy Young in 1990 with the Pirates when he was also named the NL TSN Pitcher of the Year.

His abilities were passed down to his son Kyle a well-known pitching prospect who was the key piece in the Phillies-Blue Jays Roy Halladay trade.

If you have noticed I'm pretty fond of getting 1990 Fleers signed. The backgrounds tend to be nice and the white border helps autographs pop. I'm an even bigger fan of getting cards from the year the player did something big, and if you notice the card is from the same year he won his Cy Young award.

Mr. Drabek was kind enough to personalize the card sent to his home and send it back to me after 8 months.

RBI (69) An Angel Hall of Famer...

And I quite literally mean the Angel's franchise Hall of Fame as the franchise has no members in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. But it doesn't make getting pitcher Chuck Finley's autograph any less awesome. As many of my fellow bloggers have reported Finley recently did a free autograph signing at Living Spaces. I went with my family and was able to get a slew of things signed by the reliable lefty.

The Louisiana native was the Angels' 1st round pick in 1985, taken 4th overall. The highly polished prospect made his debut in 1986 and stayed in the Majors for 17 seasons. His time in the MLB was well regarded across baseball as he was a 5-time All-Star. When he finally retired in 2002, Finley's 3.85 ERA supported a 200-173 record and 2,610 Strikeouts. He did improve that record in my mind to 201 as he was the winning pitcher at Angel Stadium of the 2010 Celebrity Softball All Star Game.

Though he was dropped of the ballot in his first year of candidacy for Cooperstown, Finley was inducted into the Angel Hall of Fame in 2009. He's been on hand for plenty of important Angel events such as the All Star festivities in 2010, and being there to celebrate Jered Weaver's 2011 contract extension.

Finley signed for fans at Living Spaces and was kind enough to sign multiple items for everyone as well as a photo that was provided. And don't worry folks I didn't roll up and hand him a huge stack of cards. My family and I split up the cards so we all got the chance to meet him, but my family was nice enough to give me the autographed cards.

 Finley was nice enough to personalize "To Ryan Good Luck Chuck Finley 31" on the free 8x11 he gave me.

 He signed this 1989 Fleer.

 Signed just perfectly on this awesome '96 Score.

 He inscribed "5x All Star" on my 1987 Topps.

And autographed this 1990 Topps.

It was awesome to meet Finley and see him being so fan friendly. He really didn't have to sign multiples or take photos with fans but he did. When some people even got in line more than once he graciously signed for them and if they wanted another 8x11 he checked the size of the line to make sure he'd have enough for everyone. It was great to prepare for another season of baseball with this signing.

Oh yeah, and this was my 100th post. Wooo

RBI (45) A pair of Hall of Fame hits...

Well not just a hit, but a true hitter. While we are in an era of slugging first basemen, Hall of Famer Rod Carew was never an elite home run hitter, but he was someone you were fearful of every time he came up to bat throughout his career.

Carew was signed as an amateur free agent by the Minnesota Twins in 1964, and while he made his name with the Twins he is an Angel fan favorite. Carew's career spanned 19 seasons and saw him be one of the most dominate pure contact hitters of his era using the entire field to punish opposing pitchers.

He would finish his illustrious career with a .328 average and 3,053 hits. The magical 3,000th hit would fittingly come against Frank Viola, a member of the Twins in 1985. Despite his 1015 RBI he only had 92 Home Runs at the end of his career, but managed to hit 445 Doubles and 112 Triples for a career .429 SLG. His ability to put the ball into play and drive runners in was possible due to his great plate discipline, retiring with only 1028 Strikeouts against 1018 Walks.

While he didn't win a World Series championship, Carew's career was highlighted by his perennial appearances in the Mid Summer Classic, being an 18-time, all consecutive, All-Star. Carew also won the 1977 AL MVP award and 1967 AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Twins. In 1991 Carew was a first ballot Hall of Famer with 90.5% of the vote, and has had his #29 retired by both the Angels and Twins franchises.

Even now Carew's popularity is visible as an episode of the USA network show Psych contained a scene with a photo of Rod being joked about by the main characters.

These cards are a 1986 Topps and 1982 Fleer that I received from Tom at The Angels, In Order. I was able to get Hall of Famer Rod Carew's autograph on these cards on separate occasions at Angel Stadium through the Angels' 50th Anniversary celebration. I was actually on my way out of the door to head to the stadium when the mailman luckily pulled up with the package containing the cards or I'm not sure what I would have had Mr. Carew sign.

RBI (27) An especially polite TTM response...

Not that all the players who respond aren't nice, but Mr. Steve Searcy former pitcher for the Tigers was especially nice in his response this week.

Taken in the 3rd round of the 1985 draft by the Detroit Tigers, Steve Searcy looked to be a promising prospect, and in 1988 he was named the International League Pitcher of the Year. Searcy was a lefty reliever and starter for the Tigers between 1988 and 1991 before being traded to the Phillies for the end of the 1991 and 1992 season. Despite coming out of the bullpen on occasion, Searcy never logged a Save despite finishing 15 games in relief. When he finally retired after 5 seasons and 70 career appearances with 21 starts, Searcy had a 5.68 ERA and logged 140 Strikeouts.

When asked in my letter:

When you threw your complete game did you think you would go the distance at any time?
Showing off the attitude of his generation of pitchers before the even more watchful eye on pitch counts and innings tossed reached the level we see in pitchers today Searcy said, "I always wanted to pitch a complete game every time I started a game."

What was the hardest part of throwing a complete game?
This time Searcy showed how the game started to change in the 90's even if his pitching mentality didn't he wrote, "Because of the way the game is now they will put in a closer or short man even if you're pitching well."

How did you adjust going to the National League from the American League?
Reflecting the work ethic that allowed him to bounce between the bullpen and starting rotation Steve said, "Same game. Just had to try to remember how to hit."

With more than 100 strikeouts were any especially memorable or important to you? 
Proving even ball players are human and they all have heros too, Steve shared a really nice moment from his career and personal life, "Yes. Don Mattingly. He was one of my favorite players when I was in high school."

What was your favorite place to pitch at?
Showing why he was happy to shuttle wherever the Tigers and Phillies needed him to go, Steve showed a real love of the game itself responding, "Anywhere they would give me the ball." 

Mr. Searcy responded to my letter and autographed my card sent to his personal address after 12 days. He was nice enough to sign my 1990 Fleer card with an extremely clean signature, but not only did he sign the card he went one step forward. He also was nice enough to go an extra step by including a note that thanked me for my letter and offered me his best wishes with his signature. I can't thank him enough for such a personal touch.

RBI (25) You're fired...

Or at least that's what one Donald says, but not former Angel infielder Donald "Donnie" Hill.

The southern California native was taken with the 1st pick of the 1981 draft by the Oakland Athletics, but didn't make his debut in the Majors until 1983 at the age of 22. After breaking into the MLB with the A's he stuck around as a part time player never appearing in more than 123 games in his 9 year career. Hill would eventually end his career after a partial season with Minnesota in 1992. He would be a career .257 hitter with 26 Home Runs and 228 RBI.

Donnie Hill autographed this 1991 Fleer card card for me as part of the Angel's 50th anniversary promotion.

RBI (24) A quick TTM send back by a come back player...

Speed on the base paths isn't all that Lonnie "Skates" Smith has, he's also pretty quick at responding and sending back things mailed out to him.

Lonnie Smith is a great personal story of his battles with illicit drug use during his playing career only for him to rise above it and be a championship caliber player. Making his debut with the Phillies in 1978, Smith finally cracked the lineup regularly in 1980, where he batted .339 in 100 games. His performance helped propel the Phillies to a World Series berth against the Kansas City Royals where the Phillies would emerge victorious.

Despite being a solid performer for the Phillies Lonnie was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where he would continue to be successful and have an All-Star season in 1982. He would continue to thrive in 1982 so he would eventually be second place in the National League MVP voting, losing to Dale Murphy. What he would not lose to Murphy though, was the 1982 World Series where the Cardinals topped the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cardinals would send him to the Kansas City Royals, a mistake seeing as the Royals would eventually face and beat the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. Eventually he would be a free agent and have difficulty finding a team due to his drug use. He would be given a chance to join the Braves and despite a rough initial year in 1988 he would be named 1989 NL Come Back Player of the Year.  In 1991 and 1992 Smith's turn around would help propel the Braves to World Series appearances though they did not win the championship. Smith would then bounce around a few years with the Pirates and Orioles before finally hanging up his hat to return to Atlanta to live in retirement.

Lonnie would end his career after 17 seasons as one of the best run scorers and base stealers averaging 91 Runs and 37 Steals per season. He would have a final career average of .288 and .371 OBP which allowed him to constantly pester pitchers for a career tally of 370 Stolen Bases and 909 Runs scored.

Lonnie Smith signed this 1990 Fleer card for me and was nice enough to also respond to the letter I sent to him. Lonnie's signature is a great one to look at, it's very legible and fluid, and his hand writing in the letter as just as nice.

When asked:

What was your favorite part of being an All-Star?
Lonnie took a light hearted and genuine approach to his lone appearance at the All-Star game in 1982 saying, "The great players that were in the All Star Game. By far the best team i ever played on !!! :)" and yes Lonnie really put a smiley face in his response.

Which of your World Series Championships is the most meaningful?
Keeping up with his MVP caliber year Smith said, " '82 Team. We were more of a family of friends."

What was your favorite city to play at as a visitor?
Despite only playing there sparingly since all of his career was for teams in middle America or the east coast, Lonnie kept up his kind hearted approach and responded, "L.A. because it is the city I grew up in with family and friends."

When you set the franchise record for 5 steals in a game for the Cardinals in 1982 which was the most difficult?
Unknowingly I asked him about what seems to be the most memorable and favorite season he spent in the Majors, "Man just getting on base is the most difficult, you have to get on at least 3 times"


Lonnie Smith responded to my letter mailed to his home address after 13 days.