RBI (227) Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez, Arod, A-roid. Plenty of names have been put on Rodriguez since he was caught, disciplined and suspended for his infractions. At the end of the day he's still an autograph that is desirable, collectible and for my 2014 Topps heritage set, incredible necessary. Thankfully I was able to come in possession of one during the Arod "Forgiveness" tour as he's been playing this season and knocking out untold numbers of autographs at stadiums around the country.

I was very happy to get this Alex Rodriguez autograph in my collection and now no longer have to worry about one of the most difficult cards I thought I'd have to obtain. I'm highly doubtful he ever makes it in the hall of fame despite his numbers, but he's always going to be a name brought up for his era of baseball.

As always if you have any signed 2014 Topps heritage, let me know what you have and we can work something out.

RBI (210) Brian Roberts...

Brian Roberts. Multiple time All Star second baseman who was quick on the base paths for steals and doubles. This guy has never signed for me before and has been notoriously difficult to get.

Apparently it's easy to get him when he rolls up to the stadium 10 minutes before the gates are supposed to open for fans to come into the game. Roberts signed a few autographs on his way in and I was finally able to cross him off the list.

Brian Roberts autographed my 2014 Topps Heritage card for me to add to my set. I'll be doing a massive update about the progress of my set but it's looking very nice right now.

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 (181) New York State of Mind...

I've got to give it up to outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher. Even when he was a New York Yankee he was a reliable autograph signer and he's kept that trend up since crossing over to the Cleveland Indians.

Swisher was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2002 MLB draft as part of Billy Beane's Moneyball movement. He played for the A's before moving on to the White Sox, Yankees and Indians. While in New York he was a member of the 2009 World Series Championship team and was voted an All Star in 2010. He's crossed the 1000 hits and 200 Home Run marks being a reliable RBI machine despite his fairly pedestrian career batting average.

I had Nick Swisher autograph this 2012 Topps Heritage card for me when the Indians came to Anaheim to play the Angels during the 2013 season. You can find Nick Swisher's twitter @NickSwisher here.

RBI (151) Mariano Rivera...

I'm not sure I really need to say much more about getting an autograph from one of the arguably greatest MLB players of all time. A sure thing first ballot Hall of Famer who is an icon for not only his dominance on the mound but also for his humility and charity.

He has the MLB saves record surpassing 630 Saves, a number that at the end of this season will be etched in stone as one of the untouchables considering the factors that went in to his ability to set the mark. Longevity, consistency, team success and dominance for twenty years that will likely never be truly rivaled or witnessed again. He's an all-time great, one of the Yankees Core Four, the key cog in the Steinbrenner dynasty that brought a fist full of World Series rings to New York.

It's a true honor to be able to this Mariano Rivera autographed baseball and I'll treasure it forever. Without a doubt it is something that will always be special to me. It's another sign of his humility and generosity that Mariano not only signed for me but had knocked out a significant number of autographs for fans at Angel Stadium, working his way up and down the line for fans. He gave everyone a clean signature, truly gifting his autograph to the people that supported him throughout his career.

As a final note, it was great being able to get Mariano's autograph next to my good friend well known grapher David who got a great item signed. Last year we were able to get Derek Jeter's autograph together and this year Mariano, it'll be great to see who we can get together next year.

RBI (86) The Captain, Derek Jeter...

I still don't really believe that I'm writing this right now. Those of you who also read David's blog are aware that this Memorial Day the unthinkable happened. The New York Yankees were in town for a 3 game series against the Angels and I had pretty good luck before the game, but nothing compared to inside the stadium.

The stars all aligned and I decided to take off for a quick bite between when the players arrive and the gates open. When I finished eating my pre-game lunch I went to toss the empty wrappers and say hi to all the usual graphers. David and Benson were nice enough to slide me in the line with them as the gates got closer to opening (thanks guys). After we went inside we were able to see a few friendly faces and made our way to the Yankee dugout.

We watched the Yankees stretch and after Jeter started to do an on field interview. When the interview was over he came over to the fans calling for him behind the dugout and asked why we were there. The response of course was variations of "Waiting for you, please sign" and Jeter smiled and started to sign. Initially we figured he'd do one or two and disappear, but Jeter went down the line pointing out each person and would catch the item, switch pens and autograph it. The captain. Switching pens. Pointing at me. Epic.

As a Red Sox fan I will have to point out Jeter's toss back to me was a little short and I had to quickly lunge out and sprawl onto the dugout to prevent the ball from hitting the top and scuffing, but let's be honest he could have rubbed dirt on it and I wouldn't be complaining. Sox fan or not, he's Jeter. He's more than just a future Hall of Famer, or a World Series Winner, All-Star, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, AL Rookie of the Year, Yankee all-time hits leader, he's an icon.

You may notice the stitching on the ball looks a little different than the normal ROMLB, that's because it is an Official 2010 All Star Game Ball. If you haven't been able to tell by the photo that's at the top of this blog, the 2010 All Star Game was a proud event for me, and I'm really happy to have related items signed. This Derek Jeter autographed baseball is definitely a highlight of my collection, and something that'll always be special to me especially since its a Derek Jeter autographed All Star baseball. Thanks again to a great day with David, Benson and the rest of the usual graphers.

RBI (42) A true champion's TTM response...

There's no need for a cheesy introduction for this signer. The man needs no introduction, but has had such an epic career it's necessary you honor him with one. He's a 10 time All Star, Cy Young winner, 6 time World Series Champion, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and had his number retired by the New York Yankees. Yup folks, a Whitey Ford autographed baseball card.

The accomplishments and titles speak for themselves, but he's got the statistics to go along with them. A 2.75 ERA over a 16 season career gave Whitey 236 Wins with only 106 Losses. In 438 starts he had 156 Complete games with 45 Shutouts, making him an almost guaranteed off day for the bullpen. 9 times he was in the top 30 for the MVP award, an award that even in his Cy Young year eluded him.

Throughout all the annals of Yankee lore, you hear about Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio but the Babe, Mantle, Iron Horse, and Joltin Joe were never Chairman of the Board. For all the mystique of the Yankees the glory always falls onto the power of the long ball and elite hitters. It's not unexpected as home run swings make better photos than strikeouts, but as seen in today's game without an Ace it doesn't matter how many home run kings you have in your line up.

Mr. Ford was kind enough to take a break from his busy duties as member of the Baseball Assistance Team advisory board to autograph this 2011 Topps Lineage cloth sticker card. That's right readers, the sticker card. I really hope you take the time to look at the close up of the card. The cloth material gives it a nice weathered vintage look that I couldn't resist. I'm extremely grateful the Chairman took the time to sign the card, and this is one that I really will cherish. I have to say there aren't many times someone has their nickname enter the way we speak as a culture and Whitey Ford became part of more than just baseball Whitey Ford autographed this card after 9 days.