An unexpected TTM or a Fake: Clayton Kershaw

Yesterday I got a ttm in the mail. I haven't kept track on my ttm requests very well recently and I haven't sent a ton out recently either so I didn't know who to expect.

I did see this postmark though and thought it looked familiar.

In my head I was thinking Kershaw, but I know he only sends back in February. I also know he's not in Texas right now. He's in Phoenix, AZ at Camelback Ranch for Spring Training. So I knew it wasn't going to be Kershaw.

When I opened the envelope though the first thing I saw was this.

This followed.

I did some checking around and a few other people got Kershaw back yesterday as well. So did these get stuck somewhere for the last month and just recently made it to the post office? I guess that's possible. Could Kershaw have gone back to Texas for a day or two during spring training and found a few more requests that he forgot to sign earlier? Maybe. I should be really happy, but I can't help but question whether or not it's real. 

I'm not naive to think that when I send a ttm request out that someone other than the player signs my card. I didn't see it being signed, so I have no idea who actually signed it.

Am I being paranoid?

I got another Kershaw back in February, like most everyone else. Take a look.

I'm not an autograph expert, but even I can tell that there are a lot of differences between these two signatures. Now, again I'm not saying that someone can't have some discrepancies in their signature from time to time, but it does make me question a little bit.

What do you think? Real or Fake?

Spring Training Autograph Recap: Ryan Roberts

My kids got some vouchers for Spring Training tickets for reading a certain amount of books, so we got tickets for yesterday and today. They are on spring break and both days the Royals were in Goodyear playing the Reds yesterday and the Indians today.

I wanted to see the Royals because Ryan Roberts signed a minor league deal with them this off season and I wanted to try to get him to sign a Rays game-worn jersey that I had picked up off ebay.

Yesterday the Royals played a split squad game and Roberts was in Peoria and not Goodyear.

Today he was there and I was able to get him sign the jersey and an 8 x 10.

The autograph turned out great! I couldn't be happier. I was a little nervous because I don't use paint pens very often. I handed Ryan the pen and he actually shook it and I asked if he would test it out before he started signing and he did.

After signing my jersey, Roberts signed for a few other and I waited until it dried and then I got this 8 x 10 out and Roberts signed it for me really nicely!

I got a few other autographs between the two days, but I'll save those for later. 

Contest over at Baseball Card Breakdown!

Baseball Card Breakdown is having a contest. Go check it out! He has combined two of his hobbies into one and wants us to show him some love. Easy enough! And he's offering up some awesome prizes. Not sure if I'm more excited about winning an autograph or one of his magnet cards! If you haven't seen his magnet cards yet, be sure to check them out!

a couple of ebay pick-ups

I picked up a couple things off ebay recently and the other day I got two packages in the mail.

The first package had this 2014 Five Star Chris Owings Auto. This probably isn't my favorite year for Five Star as far as the design goes, but I still like it. I didn't notice the RC logo in the bottom right hand corner until I scanned it. I got this for the starting bid of $3.99 with free shipping.

The other package contained a 5 card lot of the same card. It's a 2002 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Signs of the Future Autograph of Chad Tracy. I won the 5 card lot for $1.05 plus $3 shipping. So these were just 81 cents apiece. Tracy spent his first 6 seasons with the D-Backs. 2005 was his best season. He batted .308 with 27 home runs. He retired after the 2013 season after spending time with the Cubs, Marlins, and Nationals.

A box of cards from Hot Corner Cards!

Pat, of the blog Hot Corner Cards, blew me away with a box of awesome D-Backs cards yesterday! So many great Diamondbacks cards Pat! Thank you so much!

My favorite was this 2015 Topps First Home Run Coin Card of Paul Goldschmidt. It's just awesome!

I'm sure most of you are familiar with these at this point, but these cards are super thick and heavy, but I think it's that card that is heavy and not the coin. Still an awesome card and I love it even more because I remember watching that game that he hit his first home run and I picked up the ticket stub off ebay and then just got him to sign it a couple weeks ago.

Pat sent several other Goldschmidt cards!

Pat sent several Brandon Webb cards as well. Here is my favorite. I needed it as well so that's another bonus! 

Pat sent a couple of minis. I love the Aaron Hill. You might notice the number 19 patch on his jersey. In 2013, 19 volunteer firefighters from Prescott Arizona died while fighting a wildfire. I was at the game that they debuted these tribute patches and held a moment of silence for the lives that were lost, so seeing that means a lot to me. 

 

Pat sent the Goldschmidt coin card and 4 team bags stuffed with D-Backs, so it was tough to pick a few to represent the many, but here are a few other many additional awesome cards that Pat sent. Thanks again Pat!

Reds Spring Training Autograph Recap

Yesterday and today I went out to the Reds Spring Training complex in Goodyear, AZ. I live in Goodyear, so it's less than a 5 minute drive.

Here is what I got yesterday.

This was the biggest success and failure of the day. I had one ball and Joey Votto started signing for people so I got out my ball and pen. He signed on the sweet spot for me, but the pen didn't start working right off so I ended up with only half a signature.

Here is what I got today.

Ryan Roberts ebay Pick-Ups and a Rainbow

A couple of days ago I was browsing ebay and found some good deals on a couple of cards of Ryan Roberts cards that I've had my eye on for a while.

I got this 2014 Choice Pawtucket Red Sox card for just under $2 shipped.

Roberts has one other card from his time in the Red Sox Minor League system. It's a Dunkin Donuts card that I could pick up for just over $5 shipped, but I'm trying to see if I can get a better deal on it.

The other Roberts card I picked up was this 2012 Panini Red parallel.

I've wanted this card for a while, but the price tag has always been too high. I found this one for $4.46 shipped. It finishes a rainbow for me. 

Base

Green (Retail)

Blue (Wal-Mart)

Red (Target)

Gold numbered to 10

Finite Black 1/1