Random Autograph of the Day - 2017 Topps Heritage #369 Robinson Cano

Who? - I'm not sure that Robinson Cano needs any introduction, but if you somehow don't know who he is, he is an eight-time all-star second baseman who has spent 15 years in the major leagues with the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets. He hails from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, the same hometown as Rico Carty, Sammy Sosa, and Alfonso Soriano. Cano's career statistics can be found here.

How did you obtain this? - This autograph was obtained in person down the Mets line just before first pitch of a game with the Phillies in Philadelphia, PA on June 24, 2019. Robinson started at second base for the Mets that day, putting up an 0-for-5 line as the Mets fell to the Phillies in an offense-packed game 13-7. The box score for that contest can be found here.

Any interesting stories/facts about this? - Robinson came right to me down the line just minutes before first pitch and only signed a few before jogging into the dugout. If I had been anywhere down the line but where I was, I likely don't have this card. This was also one of my better outings last season, as I was able to nab Cano, Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, JD Davis, and Todd Frazier that day as well as bunch of lesser players. I thought this was a bit odd at the time because this was literally the day after Mets pitcher Jason Vargas and manager Mickey Callaway had an altercation with a reporter in Chicago, but the Amazins' seemed to be in good spirits and most of the team signed at one point or another.

Any thoughts on the item? - This is hands-down my all-time favorite insert set of my favorite product of all-time. It really doesn't get better than this, and Robinson only helped matters with a pretty good signature given the circumstances. Throw in the fact that the player featured is probably the second-best second baseman I have ever seen play (Chase Utley was ridiculously good at his peak) and you get one of my favorite cards in my collection.

TTM Success - June 19, 2020

I came home to only one envelope in my mailbox this afternoon, but it was still a return that I am quite pleased with!

Johnny Giavotella - 3/3 signed - Sent 6/10/20, Received 6/19/20

Giavotella, a second baseman from Metairie, LA, spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors, logging time for each of the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Baltimore Orioles. He was kind enough to sign all three of the cards I sent him with a nice blue marker, likely a sharpie. I remember Johnny most for a brief stint with my favorite team, the Miami Marlins, in 2017 Spring Training as well as a couple weeks with the Marlins' AAA affiliate at the time, his hometown New Orleans Baby Cakes. I can also vaguely remember the walk-off hit that spurred the Gatorade shower depicted on his 2016 Topps card - a double that can be seen here. As for Johnny's career stats, they can be seen here.

I've already spoken about 2017 Topps on here before, and this card is a prime example of my problem with the set - this is a great photo of Johnny trying to make a jump throw that is framed oddly by the video game nameplate. However, 2016 and 2013 Topps are probably my two favorite set designs of the decade, and the photo on the 2016 card is downright magical-looking with the Gatorade suspended in the air. Johnny has a nice signature and used a nice pen, so this is a pretty good return in my book.

Random Autograph of the Day: 2006 Bowman Heritage #9 Rocco Baldelli

Who? - Rocco Baldelli, the current manager of the Minnesota Twins and former outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays and Boston Red Sox from Woonsocket, RI, is currently in his second year at the helm in Minnesota. He earned the post after a playing career that lasted through parts of seven seasons in the majors. Baldelli's playing career stats can be found here, and his managerial stats can be found here.

How did you obtain this? - This autograph was obtained in person at the hotel for the Minnesota Twins before a game with the Phillies in Philadelphia, PA on April 7, 2019. Rocco was the manager of the Twins at the time. The Twins fell to the Phils by a score of 2-1 that afternoon. The box score for that game can be found here.

Any interesting stories/facts about this? - Rocco was quiet but signed 1 autograph each for all of the graphers gathered at the Twins' hotel that Sunday morning, giving me my only signature of his in my collection. His battle with Mitochondrial Channelopathy & a complicating run with Lyme disease makes signing tough for him, so it is very considerate of him to do so at all. I remember this graphing outing as one that went very well and I even attended the game afterwards, trying to procure Bryce Harper's autograph at the Phillies side pregame but striking out. It was no matter, though, as during the game, I discovered my new favorite seating location at Citizens Bank Park - the stools along the visitors' bullpen in center field.

Any thoughts on the item? - 2006 Bowman Heritage is one of my favorite sets of the 2000s. The green Devil Rays color scheme plays well with the blue background, and the cardboard-like card stock takes a sharpie extremely well. I wish Topps still used this stock for its Heritage sets, and that the Bowman Heritage revival of 2019 was a mainstream set and not an online-exclusive mess. 

TTM Returns - June 18, 2020

Good evening everyone!

This afternoon, I came home to find three of my SASEs back in my mailbox. Luckily, all three were successes of my favorite kind, players that I grew up watching in the late 2000s & early 2010s!

Casey Blake - 4/4 signed - Sent 6/8/20, Received 6/18/20

Blake, a utility man that primarily played third base for the Blue Jays, Twins, Orioles, Indians, & Dodgers, was kind enough to sign all four of the cards that I sent! In my memory, Blake stands out the most as the starting third baseman for Los Angeles in the 2008 & 2009 playoffs, but his best playoff series at the plate was actually the 2007 ALCS, where he hit .346/.370/.538 with one home run in his Indians' seven-game loss to the eventual champion Red Sox. He spent a total of parts of 13 years in the majors, and his career stats can be found here.

As for the cards sent, the 2000 Pacific rookie card and 2003 Fleer Tradition are my favorites, and the blue sharpie that Blake used stands out very well on them. 2010 Topps & Upper Deck aren't my favorite designs, but both played a large part in my formation as a young card collector, so I do have a soft spot for them. Casey's signature is interesting to me as well, with the best example, in my opinion, being on the 2010 Topps. Thank you Mr. Blake!

Josh Collmenter - 4/4 signed - Sent 6/10/20, Received 6/10/20

Collmenter was a right-handed pitcher that spent parts of seven season in Major League Baseball with the Arizona Diamondbacks & Atlanta Braves. He beautifully signed all four cards that I sent with a black sharpie. I remember "Tomahawk" mainly for his funky delivery and years as a solid swingman for the D-backs, and as one the last few regular starters whose fastball averaged under 90 MPH. His career stats can be found here.

Collmenter's clear signature is one of the my favorites that I have ever seen - it almost seems that, like his preferred deceptive style of pitching, Josh's autograph would fit in more with the baseball of the 1940s and 50s than the 2010s. The cards span Collmenter's entire time with the Diamondbacks organization, and represent a favorite quadfecta of mine - a First Bowman (2009 Gold Border), a rookie card (2011 Topps Update Cognac), a Topps flagship card (2015), and a Topps Heritage (2015). Thanks for signing, Mr. Collmenter!

Jason Frasor - 5/5 signed - Sent 6/8/20, Received 6/18/20

Jason Frasor was a right-handed relief pitcher who played for the Blue Jays, White Sox, Rangers, Royals, and Braves over 12 total seasons in MLB. He signed all five of my cards in blue sharpie over the course of 10 days. One of the more solid and tenured set-up relievers of the early 21st century, I personally know Frasor best for being a big part of what I considered at the time to be a surprisingly effective 2013 Texas Rangers bullpen alongside names like Neal Cotts, Tanner Scheppers, and Joe Nathan. Frasor is also the all-time appearance leader for the Toronto Blue Jays, not a small feat for a franchise that has been around since 1977. His career numbers can be found here.

2005 & 2006 Topps came just before I started collecting in 2008, but nevertheless, both rank among my favorite set designs, mostly due to nostalgia. I've already made my thoughts on 2010 known, and 2012 and 2014 are roughly in the same "meh" camp for me. All five cards capture Frasor in his windup and delivery, and the 2012 Topps features a pretty good photoshop job. Jason has a distinctive autograph that is very consistent over all of the cards, though his marker seems to be fading a bit (I've seen others get him back today in a different black marker, which supports this theory). Overall, though, I'm quite pleased with this return. Thank you, Mr. Frasor!

Random Autograph of the Day: 2017 Topps #376 Chase Anderson

Who? - Chase Anderson, a right-handed starting pitcher from Wichita Falls, TX, is currently in his 6th year in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays after spending time with the Arizona Diamondbacks & Milwaukee Brewers. His career stats can be found here.

How did you obtain this? - This autograph was obtained in person by the visiting team bus at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA on June 9, 2018. Chase was a member of the visiting Milwaukee Brewers at the time. The Brewers beat the Phillies by a score of 12-3 at this game, the box score for which can be found here.

Any interesting stories/facts about this? - Chase was very friendly with the fans that series and signed whenever he was asked, as he pretty much always has been and done in my experience. This was one of 6 autographs that I got from Chase over the course of the series, but I haven't seen him since. This graphing session was also memorable for being the same day as a Kenny Chesney concert at neighboring Lincoln Financial Field, which took over the CBP parking lots and clogged the roads around the ballpark as well as led to some interesting interactions between players leaving the stadium and Chesney fans who were, shall I say, a bit intoxicated.

Any thoughts on the item? - 2017 Topps isn't one of my favorite designs, as it was sort of the start of the recent trend of Topps flagship designs looking more like MLB the Show profile cards than actual baseball cards. However, Topps picked a nice action photo of Anderson rocking the wonderful throwback Brewers uniforms and Chase signed the card very nicely, so overall I'd have to say I like this one.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone!

My name is Joshua, or, as my Instagram followers know me, @worldsbiggestdud. I have been collecting autographs in some form or another since I was about 9 years old, when I first opened an envelope containing a Grady Sizemore TTM return. Since then, I have collected thousands of autographs both through the mail and in person and met countless athletes, musicians, and other notable people. Along the way, I've also experienced many memorable moments and stories that I have always wanted to share in a way that an Instagram post just can't do.

As such, inspired by blogs like Dan Giacobbe's Daily Autograph & William Regenthal's Foul Bunt, I have decided to create my own blog to not only share my autograph collection but also the stories behind the ink. For now, that means sharing my TTM returns as well as IP autographs from the past, but in the future, taking my IP graphing recaps from Instagram and expanding on them - showing not only what graphs I've gotten but also telling the (to me) often much more interesting tale of how I got them! Hopefully, you'll enjoy these stories as much as I do.

However, no blog is complete without its followers! Feel free to comment on any of my posts with your own personal stories or interactions, thoughts on the autograph I've shared, or, frankly, anything you'd like as long as you keep it civil! 

I can't wait to share my autograph collecting journey with you, as well as get to interact with everyone!

As Robert Lamm of Chicago once said, it's only the beginning of what I hope becomes something wonderful!