TTM Success: Jose Valentin

I'm happy to report that former Major League infielder Jose Valentin has responded to a through the mail autograph request in just 14 days.

TTM Success: Craig Reynolds

In 2010 I decided to experiment with through the mail sports autographs. This is where a collector sends sports cards or other items to a sports star requesting an autograph.

Some players ask for donations for a charity while others signs for free.

During the year, I received back 63 autographs and then got distracted with life, and stopped mailing - but I still have several cards gone.

Just as I had decided it was time to chalk up the remaining baseball cards as a loss former Houston Astro Craig Reynolds came through and signed my card and returned it.

It took 303 days to get the card back from Reynolds home address in Houston, Texas. The two-time-all star played shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Astros during his big league career.

He played in the National League Championship Series once with the Pirates and three times with the Astros but never made it to the World Series. Reynolds took the mound as a pitcher two times for the Astors, once in 1986 and once in 1989.

Both times he pitched one inning, allowed three hits, a total of seven runs and walked three batters. He did record a strike out and hit a batter.

Today Reynolds works as the preaching and teaching pastor at Second Baptist Church North Campus in Houston, Texas.

TTM Success: Eisenreich, Suppan, Benes, Lieber and Peltier

Well it has taken me four months to add five more autographs to my through the mail autographed baseball card collection.

I won't go into the sorted details as to why the drought but I won't place the blame on the players or the mail service.

  Instead I will report on the five that have came through.

First up is retired outfielder Jim Eisenreich, who played for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Florida Marlins, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Eisenreich suffers from Tourette Syndrome and I sent a $5 donation to the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for Children with Tourette's Syndrome, founded in 1996. It was a 215 day wait for the autograph but it arrived.

Next to arrive was an autographed card from big league pitcher Jeff Suppan.

Suppan played for the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates,  St. Louis Cardinals, and the Milwaukee Brewers. Suppan is most recently listed with the Royals which is the address he responded from in only 50 days.

Andy Benes came through with an autograph in just 18 days.

Benes pitched for the San Diego Padres, Seattle  Mariners, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks.

Another pitcher, Jon Lieber came through in 93 days.

Lieber played for the Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Dan Peltier responded in 170 days. Peltier played for the Texas Rangers, and San Francisco Giants.

So those are my latest success and if you read on, you will see those I have sent requests to.

Of those, the one that concerns me the most is the Nolan Ryan request.

I followed the instructions and sent a card and a check for $35 as a donation to the Nolan Ryan Foundation.

After several weeks the check was cashed. So far no card. However, I'm remaining positive that the card will come through.

TTM Success: Mike Mason, Kevin Bass, Jay Bell, and Ron Roenicke

Former pitcher Mike Mason, outfielder Kevin Bass, shortstop Jay Bell, and outfielder Ron Roenicke joins my collection of through the mail baseball autographs.

Mason played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and the Minnesota Twins.

He pitched in 140 games and struck out 328 batters during his career.

Mason allowed 65 career home runs with Ron Kittle, Tom Brunansky, Carmelo Castillo, and Alejandro Sanchez each hitting three homers off of him. Reggie Jackson was one of many to hit two homers off of Mason.

Today Mason is the pitching coach for the Iowa Cubs.

Bass played with the Milwaukee  Brewers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and the Baltimore  Orioles.

In 1986 he was selected as an All-Star and played in the National League Championship series with the Astros.

TTM Success: Aaron Sele and Willie Blair

Autographs from current and former Los Angeles Dodgers and pitchers keep arriving as my through the mail autograph collection continues to grow.

TTM Success: Carlos Garcia, Doug Drabek and Troy O'Leary

Three more baseball autographs arrived in the mail this week bringing my total number achieved to 53 since September of 2010.

TTM Success: Todd Hollandsworth and Bill Mueller

If you are a baseball fan and thinking of starting a through the mail autograph collection, former Major Leaguers Todd Hollandsworth and Bill Mueller are good players to start with.
Both of them responded to through the mail autograph requests in just 11 days.