Wednesday, November 29, 2017

November Reign

I was going to wait a day or two to post just in case I hit a new single-month record, but with USPS Informed Delivery not having any TTMs shown in it for today, I doubt I'll hit 40+ cards tomorrow to do so. But still, 209 autographs in a month is pretty good. And November now holds two records for me: most successes in a day (nine on the 13th), and most sigs received TTM in a day (32 on the 20th). I'll edit this should I receive any on the 30th.

By the way, I highly recommend Informed Delivery. It's free, and sends you a scan of every piece of mail to be delivered to you so you know what's coming and know if something was stolen from your box.

Being November, most of what I did was TTM, but you'll see a couple IP outings at the end. I sent out a ton of football, and plan to crank out some baseball soon too.

BASEBALL TTM
Nov 7: Linda Tosetti, c/o home, 2/1, 1 week (Babe Ruth’s only grand-daughter, sent a note back as well)
Nov 20: Mike Marshall, c/o home, 4/4, 2 months

FOOTBALL TTM
Nov 2: Dick Schafrath, c/o home, 2/2, 3 weeks
Nov 4: Phil Villapiano, c/o home, 2/2, 3 weeks
Nov 4: Dick Ambrose, c/o home, 3/3, 1 week
Nov 8: Jim Shofner, c/o home, 2/2, 1 week
Nov 9: Jerry Sherk, c/o home, 4/4, 1 week, personalized
Nov 10: Mike Johnson, c/o home, 5/5, 1 week
Nov 10: Jeff Gossett, c/o home, 4/4, 1 week
Nov 10: Doug Dieken, c/o home, 5/5, 1 week
Nov 10: Brian Brennan, c/o home, 5/5, 1 week
Nov 10: Johnny Evans, c/o home, 3/3, 1 week
Nov 10: Bob Babich, c/o home, 3/3, 1 week
Nov 10: Bob Jackson, c/o home, 3/3, 1 week
Nov 13: Gregg Rakoczy, c/o home, 4/4, 2 weeks
Nov 13: Ernie Kellerman, c/o home, 3/2, 2 weeks, wrote a full letter back
Nov 13: Eric Zeier, c/o home, 5/5, 2 weeks
Nov 13: Jeff George, c/o home, 5/5, 1 week, personalized
Nov 13: Larry Seiple, c/o home, 2/2, 1 week
Nov 13: Joe Bellino, c/o home, 1/1, 1 week
Nov 13: Steve Owens, c/o home, 1/1, 1 week
Nov 13: Bill Parcells, c/o home, 2/2, 1 week, personalized to Dave (um… thanks?)
Nov 14: Brian Hansen, c/o home, 2/2, 2 weeks
Nov 14: Eddie Murray, c/o home, 4/4, 1 week
Nov 14: Fred Dryer, c/o work, 1/1, 1 week, personalized
Nov 16: Steve Largent, c/o work, 1/2, 2 months
Nov 16: Joe Prokop, c/o home, 3/3, 2 weeks
Nov 16: Rolf Benirschke, c/o home, 2/2, 2 weeks
Nov 16: Pete Gogolak, c/o home, 1/1, 2 weeks, personalized
Nov 16: Don Mosebar, c/o home, 4/4, 2 weeks
Nov 16: Andre Coleman, c/o KSU, 4/4, 2 weeks, personalized
Nov 16: Paul Tagliabue, c/o work, 4/4, 2 weeks
Nov 17: Terry Baker, c/o work, 1/1, 2 weeks
Nov 18: Bert Jones, c/o home, 2/2, 5 weeks
Nov 18: Tom Rathman, c/o home, 4/4, 2 weeks
Nov 18: Troy Vincent, c/o NFL, 4/4, 2 weeks
Nov 20: Ozzie Newsome, c/o home, 4/4, 3 weeks
Nov 20: Sean Landeta, c/o home, 3/4, 2 weeks, kept one card
Nov 20: Chris Gardocki, c/o home, 3/3, 2 weeks
Nov 20: Stanley Morgan, c/o home, 2/4, 2 weeks, personalized, returned two unsigned
Nov 20: Ernest Givins, c/o home, 6/6, 2 weeks
Nov 21: Paul Gruber, c/o home, 4/5, 2 weeks, kept one card
Nov 24: Mike Phipps, c/o home, 5/5, 1 week
Nov 25: Don Cockroft, c/o home, 6/5, 3 weeks, added signed bookmark

NASCAR TTM
Nov 1: Matt Kenseth, c/o home, 2/2, 2 months
Nov 1: Michael Waltrip, c/o home, 4/4, 2 months
Nov 4: Joey Gase, c/o team, 2/2, 2 months
Nov 7: Todd Bodine, c/o fan club, 4/4, 1 week
Nov 13: Chris Buescher, c/o team, 2/2, 2 weeks
Nov 18: John Hunter Nemechek, c/o team, 2/2, 3 weeks
Nov 18: Joe Nemechek, c/o team, 4/4, 3 weeks

BASKETBALL TTM
Nov 20: Rebecca Lobo, c/o home, 4/4, 2 weeks

HOCKEY TTM
Nov 20: Steve Rucchin, c/o home, 6/6, 2 weeks

SOCCER TTM
Nov 24: Mark Frederickson, c/o home, 6/5, 6 months, wrote a short note back

HOCKEY IN-PERSON
Nov 24 - Dallas Stars Green Carpet for Jere Lehtinen's number retirement


Ed Belfour 1/1 (top)
Bob Gainey 1/1 (bottom left)
Brett Hull, 1/1 (bottom right)
Guy Carbonneau, 1/1 (card, not pictured)

Nov 26 - Dallas Stars practice in Euless
Curt Fraser 7/7
Kari Lehtonen 6/6
Jamie Oleksiak 3/3
Martin Hanzal 4/4
Antoine Roussel 1/1
Jason Spezza 1/4

The Stars practice kind of sucked-- it was optional for the players, so we didn't see Ben Bishop, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Dan Hamhuis, or Alex Radulov. I also didn't have anything for a lot of the younger players. I was at least able to help another collector out in getting Esa Lindell though. I still need Radulov on a set card. It's just a major slap in the face for them to throw one bone a year to Tarrant County fans and then not have the big names even bother to go.

For the Green Carpet, the disorganization by the Stars' org showed: we were close to the front and half the time they didn't announce who was walking up until after they had passed us by. So I missed out on a few that way, Neal Broten being the big one I wanted. Also Joe Nieuwendyk was there for the ceremony but not the carpet, and Saku Koivu was there but not announced ahead of time.

Back in 2013, I highlighted the Stars as the organization to emulate when it comes to fan friendliness. Clearly I have been proven wrong over time with the elimination of the Ice Breaker, moving training camp to Austin, no longer having alumni autograph signers on Victory Plaza before games, building a door so players can avoid fans at practices in Frisco, and now making the one Tarrant County practice optional. I suppose we need to pay Fanatics for the privilege of owning a Stars player's autograph.

I expect December to be lighter. I want to send out maybe 50 baseball ones, and there's the Rangers Toy Drive. But aside from that, I don't have any big plans. Right now I'm mostly saving for the trip to the National after having to buy a couple new cymbals for the drum set. Still got one more to buy plus some hardware, maybe some new sticks. But that's it.

Still got a few things up for grabs on eBay, and more to list soon as well.

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