RBI (222) First TTM of 2015....

My first TTM reply came for 2015 and it was a pleasant return to start off my year with. Continuing with my 2014 Topps Heritage set building endeavor I picked up a few of the 2014 Topps high numbers cards. I don't plan on getting all 600 cards done, but I wanted to add a few of the high numbers to my collection.

Eric Young Jr. is an outfielder who is known to be a great player to interact with responded back to my TTM request. EYJ always responds to his fans and he even has a special stamp and personalized label he attaches to his returns now.

I was glad to add the 2013 Stolen base champ on a 2014 Topps heritage. He responded in about two weeks but I lost the exact date I sent to him in December.

RBI (205) Curtis Granderson...

Recently Curtis Granderson has been in the news since an incident where a fan touched Grandy during a game. Surprising to most people Curtis didn't press charges against the fan, but I don't find that very surprising at all. Since his days in Detroit and even as a Yankee and still as a Met Granderson has proven himself to be one of the classiest ball players out there.

I had the chance to get the former 3rd round pick of the 2002 MLB draft finally for my collection. He's a Silver Slugger winner, multiple time All-Star and received the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award. He does a little bit of everything with reasonable numbers in every category and has proven to be the nicest guy in my run in with him.

Grandy was very polite while signing for a few fans responding to questions and asking about our day while he autographed our items. I told him I was sorry he had that bad encounter with a fan here in Southern California and he was very polite about the whole thing. I'm really glad to add this Curtis Granderson autographed 2014 Topps Heritage inscribed "Go Mets!" to my collection and cross his short print off the list.

Autograph Recap San Diego Padres and New York Mets 8/15/13

Ever wonder how to get an autograph at Petco Park? Want to get autographs in San Diego? Here's as close as I'll ever directly tell anyone how to get an autograph at a MLB stadium. Yup that's how irritated I am at my recent trip down to San Diego and the way the graphing community down there was acting.

 I started the day meeting up with Al and Benson to head down to San Diego with the goal of getting Matt Harvey's autograph. That was mistake number one. We went to the game when Zack Wheeler was pitching, and David Wright doesn't travel with the team right now so there was only one guy we were really trying to get the autograph of. Always a recipe for disaster.

We parked and walked around the stadium trying to figure out the best spot for us to hang out to get incoming players. We picked the right spot if you can't tell by all the other graphers that showed up waiting for players to show up to the stadium. If you want to ask them any questions when you get there, don't bother.

It didn't matter though if players came by because the guys down here have no clue who anyone is. They'd flip through their phone while people walked by trying to look at rosters to figure out who the guy 2 feet away was. Repeatedly they would walk to someone with their books of cards ready only for the person to be either A) the wrong player or even more frequently B) a regular person walking down the street. I saw them go up to joe citizen 3 times ready to graph them.

While we watched Kyle and Matt showed up to join us so there was a healthy number of real graphers there to go to work. I was able to get this John Buck autographed 2012 Topps Heritage card to start the day. Al and I were the only ones to get him since the SD graphers had no idea why we were walking to  him.

After Buck Benson and I spotted Andrew Brown showing up to the stadium with a friend but we had nothing for him. Unfortunately the regular SD graphers were busy not paying attention and didn't even notice him despite having cards for him. They also didn't notice Ronny Cedeno walking through the group to get inside until Benson said something, but once again we didn't have anything we wanted signed by him.

A player showed up and we went closer to figure out who he was. We tried to take a glance at someone's book who was getting a card sign and AFTER he got the autograph he noticed us trying to figure out who it was and flipped his book around with his arm over it so we couldn't see. Really? You already got the autograph. Us getting a signature would have no impact on you whatsoever and in the end we didn't even have a card for the player. Why? Because it was Carlos Torres. Someone who is barely hanging around the majors which is why 5 serious graphers weren't able to figure out who he was. Nice etiquette and great pick up San Diego graphers. That's why I'm making this post.

Eric Young Jr. autographed this 2012 Topps after he showed up to the stadium. Cheers to him becoming the 2013 NL Stolen base leader.

Matt Harvey shot us down later in the day after we ran into him by the stadium while we were out going to get some food thinking he had already come in earlier in the day.

We went inside the park hoping to get him. After getting good positions above the Mets dugout Matt convinced Terry Collins to sign and our group racked him before the SD graphers were able to get one. I didn't have anything for him that I wanted signed so I called out to him since I didn't get an autograph if I could have a ball. He laughed and asked if I wanted them all but I said one would be fine and tossed me this Mets commemorative logo ball, in a good nature way saying he was done with favors for all 40,000 fans.

Harvey came in early from BP with a trainer looking irritated and didn't say anything when we asked if he could sign and we're thinking he tweaked something while running. The Mets ended and we went over to Padres side to get some more autographs since we had made the drive down and they sign down the line.

Rising star for the Padres 2nd/3rd baseman Jedd Gyorko autographed my program.

After Gyorko signed Casey Kelly came over and was signing but I already got his autograph at Padres Fanfest. Chase Headley autographed this 2012 Topps Heritage base card.

Since I had it even though I'll never finish I also had Chase Headley autograph this 2013 Topps Heritage insert.

And Yonder Alonso autographed this 2012 Topps Heritage base card with his terrible autograph in a black sharpie.

So after showing up to San Diego for the first time to graph I knocked out 6 autographs and a baseball. That's the closest I'll come to saying how to get an autograph at Petco park from visitors or from the Padres themselves. I If you want to get an autograph in San Diego didn't do all the work for you, but there's enough that you should be able to figure it out. In the words of Ron Burgundy, Stay classy San Diego.

RBI (57) 5th TTM return of the 365 and it's a nice one...

I know part of the first wave of 365 send outs were current players, but I did reach back a bit for this one. I wrote to former Mets pitcher Craig Anderson, a member of the inaugural 1962 Mets team. Having secured Eli Grba's autograph the first player ever to be an Angel, I thought it was important to recognize baseball's other child of the 60's the Mets.

Craig Anderson was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before the 1960 season and made his MLB debut for them in 1961. Anderson was then taken by the Mets as their 8th selection and the 16th selection overall in the 1961 Expansion Draft. Anderson played in the MLB for 4 seasons before leaving baseball behind. He would retire with a 7-23 record, 5 Saves, and a 5.10 ERA.

What Anderson does have is a special place in Mets history beyond just being a member of their inaugural team. Anderson collected the first Save ever for the Mets franchise. He was also the losing pitcher for the last baseball game played at the Polo Grounds.

Mr. Anderson was kind enough to not only autograph this 2011 Topps Heritage News Flashback card but also answer a few questions:

How did you learn you were taken in the 1961 Expansion Draft?
In todays digital world it's pretty easy for teams to communicate with players and agents, but occasionally you still find a story with Twitter breaking news of a trade before the player is even told. In the 60's players found out they were being shipped out in the draft at the same time as everyone else by picking up a "St. Louis newspaper".

What was your favorite memory playing in the Mets inaugural season?
With only 7 career Wins every one must have been special but Anderson was remarkable by picking up a pair by doubling down and "Winning a doubleheader on 5/12/62" over the Milwaukee Braves.

What was Red Ruffing like as a pitching coach?
During the Golden Era of the Yankees Red Ruffing was a pitching stalwart and for the first year the crosstown rival Mets existed they reached for an ace to teach their staff to set the tone. It wasn't quite effective but the players all got to learn from a Hall of Famer who was an, "Easy going, nice man".

How do you think the game is different now from when you were in the League?
Playing in the 60's is definitely different than now in many regards but in Anderson's view the biggest difference is, "more speedy players".

Mr. Anderson was kind enough to autograph my card and reply to my letter sent to his home address after only 11 Days.