giving thanks for through the mail successes!

i did this last year, and i'm still thankful for the requests i have seen fulfilled this year, so i'll do it again.  i'm still around a 67% success rate with ttm, and i have slowed down with sending new requests considerably in the last few months.  that means that recent returns have been mostly ones that have been floating around in the ether for a while, like my luis tiant request.  my main ttm focus, aside from dodgers, has been 1978 topps and 2004 upper deck legends.  tiant has cards in both sets, so i sent those cards to him with a couple of other 'keepers'.  he signed and returned all four after a few months.

there was his 1970 topps card

as a twin in indians' clothing, and a 1976 alcs card

to go along with his fantastic 1978 card

and the strange sight of him in a yankee uniform on the 2004 upper deck legends card

i was beyond stoked to get all four of these back.  thank you luis.

willie horton also had a card in the 2004 upper deck legends set that he kindly signed and returned to me

he also signed and returned his 1976 topps card

i suppose 1976 is my third favorite set to get cards signed from.  thanks willie!

chris chambliss signed and returned the cards i sent him after a few months.  i had given up hope on these - his 2004 upper deck legends card

and his 1978 o-pee-chee card

i didn't have an extra 1978 topps card, so o-pee-chee went instead.  chambliss has a very nice signature.  i like it, even if both cards are yankee cards.  thanks chris!

as much as i thought about it, i couldn't risk losing my 1979 topps burger king phillies doug bird card, so i only sent his 1978 topps card.

which he sent back fairly quickly.  maybe if i find a double of that bk card i'll send another request.  thanks doug!

barry bonnell returned his 1978 topps card

pretty quickly too.  he has a couple of o-pee-chee variations that i might try to get signed too.  thanks barry!

i was a big ron leflore fan after reading his book (one in a million) and watching the movie (with levar burton as leflore).  he signed his 1978 topps card for $5

he's one of those guys that i would like to have seen in more sets in recent years like legendary cuts or tribute.  there aren't enough ron leflore cards.  thanks ron!

the lesser of the orioles' martinezes, tippy, signed his 1978 topps card for me

i was never sure of tippy as a kid.  where did the name come from? was he related to dennis? why did he leave the yankees?  i didn't bother to ask him any of these questions when i wrote to him.  thanks tippy!

tippy's teammate al bumbry also signed his 1978 topps card

i loved this card as a kid.  he seems pretty happy.  i suppose it's quite a turnaround from serving in vietnam to playing in the big leagues.  al also sent me his 1979 topps card signed

which was cool since i had only sent him the '78 card.

i did send both a 1978 topps card

and a 1979 topps card to the rooster, though.

he signed 'em both.  i met burleson at an offseason hot stove dinner once in the early 80's.  he was with the angels then, and had hurt his shoulder lifting weights.  thanks rick!

burleson's onetime teammate ted cox signed his 1978 topps rookie card

i think it is way cool that ted cox played for the red sox.  if only there were a guy named ros ingeles rodgers who played for the los angeles dodgers.  thanks ted!

speaking of the dodgers, or more specifically dodger stadium, rawly eastwick signed his 2004 upper deck legends card with a photo taken in chavez ravine

he even signed in the right spot.  i also sent him his fantastically airbrushed 1978 topps card which he signed as well

thanks rawley!

disco dan ford signed his 2004 upper deck legends card

featuring him as an oriole.  i think he has another card in the set, but i don't remember if he's an oriole or an angel on that one.  dan also signed his 1978 topps card, which i featured in a different post.  thanks dan!

finally, herbie signed his second 2004 upper deck legends card for me

i featured the other one on a different post.  thanks kent!

happy thanksgiving everyone!