My three prized possessions

It’s really hard to say what the three most prized possessions in my collection are. Only two things jumped out, so I really had to think hard about the third.

The first is my Tino Martinez TTM collection. He is my favorite player of all-time, and I’ve gotten him to sign twice for me TTM, about 12 years apart. Here’s the latest.

My second most prized possesion is this beat up 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle. I wanted an original Topps Mantle for years, and finally splurged on this one. Yeah, it’s beat-up, but how else could I afford it? I still think it’s super cool to own.

Hmm, what to choose for third? There’s my Topps Yankees Project. That’s pretty damn cool and unique, in my opinion. However, I went with my ticket stub from the 2009 World Series Game Six. The Yanks clinched their 27^th World Series Championship that night, and I was in attendance. Not many fans are fortunate enough to see their team clinch a championship in person, and this is a moment I’ll never forget. Being at the game was surreal, and I’ll always remember the feeling as the outs started to tick away, especially as it got to single digits. Nines to go, eight, seven…I just kept wishing for the Yankees offense to make outs so the defense could get back out there. When the final out was made – a ground ball to Robinson Cano who threw to Mark Teixeira, I remember not jumping up and down right away because I wanted to see the players all mob each other. Once they did, I let myself go a bit and celebrated with fellow fans. I stuck around and watched the team take a victory lap. When I made it outside, the fans were everywhere in the streets going crazy. I remember a shirtless guy climbing a telephone pole…and it was about 30 degrees out. I finally made my way to the subway and headed home, but didn’t sleep well that night from all of the excitement.

There you have my three most prized pieces in my collection.

You Sir, are ugly.

Fuji asks "what is the ugliest card you have ever seen?" It’s hard to truly call a card ugly. I’ve been on the end of thinking cards are really nice, only to find the masses think they are ugly. I’ve thought cards were really ugly, such as 2011 A&G, while most love them. To each their own. That’s why we collect. It’s a matter of personal tastes.

It was a tough decision. There are so many ugly sets of the 1980s and 1990s. It would be too easy to call out 1995 Fleer, so I won’t. There is one set to me that just sticks out. It feels dark and gloomy every time I look at it. It’s none other than 1987 Donruss.

In some instances, blacks and greys can look cool and edgy. This is not one. Throw in the yellow stripes with the goofy baseballs pattern, and you have a pretty darn ugly card.

I still have the Yankees from this set, and I do appreciate them. I wish I could say that Donruss designs got a little better in the following years, but I think 1987 Donruss started a run of less than stellar designs for the brand. So when you’re thinking about how ugly 1990 Donruss is, blame it on 1987 for starting it all.

TTM Success: Paul O'Neill

I’ve gotten some really good TTMs this year, but this one is the best. I’ve seen others have success with Paul O’Neill over the years, but I could never get a return from him. That changed when I came home to a SASE post-marked from Cincinnati.

Now, I’ve sent O’Neill a few requests over the past year – both to his home and to the Yankees. I’m not entirely sure where this came from. While it was post-marked from Cincy, I could have sworn I sent this card to him at Yankee Stadium. Who knows? I need to keep more detailed records of the exact cards I send.

All I know is that I was thrilled to open the envelope and have this card slide out with a beautiful blue signature scrolled across it. Of course, I wish I had a sent a different card, as this 1998 Score is rather ugly. I tend to be careless sometimes with the cards I choose, but I am glad that the signature stuck well and didn’t bubble, and that it’s easy to read over the image.

TTM Success: Harry Doyle (aka Bob Uecker)

After some slow TTM days, I finally received a few nice successes lately.

Fan-favorite Bob Uecker signed my 2001 Topps Archives card. He signed it in pen so the signature is a little tough to read.

Bob is obviously one of baseball’s gems. He was of course a light-hitting catcher in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but it’s been his contributions to the game since then that have solidified his place in baseball history. He made us all laugh in Major League as Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle. He starred in Miller Lite commercials, and even in the sitcom Mr. Belvedere. The man has done it all.

This is a very unique addition to my autograph collection. Thanks, Mr. Uecker!

Tino Tuesday #50: 2000 Impact Mighty Fine In '99 #MF15

In 2000, Impact put out a 40-card insert set called "Mighty Fine In '99". The set included the 25 key players from the Yankees Championship team, as well as 15 other players from around the league. It was cool to get cards of the lesser-celebrated guys like Jeff Nelson and Clay Bellinger.

Tino, in fact, was pretty good in 1999. I don't know if he was mighty fine, but he hit 28 HRs and drove in 105 RBIs. Those numbers pretty much in line with what was expected of him from around 1995-2001.

I like the design of the cards. Big, block letters that really stand out highlighting the name of the insert. The polka dots in the background are a little weird.

Overall, a pretty cool card, and even cooler set concept.

Welcome, Ichiro!

Last night, as I was just about to shut down my computer at work, I got an email from a co-worker who literally sits about 15 feet away from.

Subject: Ichiro to the Yankees
Message: I hate you.

I should also mention that he is a Red Sox fan.

Brian Cashman has to be the stealthiest, most ninja-y GM in the game. He acquired Ichiro out of nowhere for two minor league pitchers. I love the deal on all accounts. The Yanks barely gave up a thing. DJ Mitchell could end up being a long-man/spot starter, but I'd be surprised if he ended up as anything more. Danny Farquhar was picked up a few weeks ago and isn't much of a prospect.

The asking price for guys like Shane Victorino, Denard Span, and Justin Upton would have cost the Yanks top prospects. Here, they fill a hole with a still speedy, still defensively-strong Ichiro. I'm well aware that this is not the 2001-2009 Ichiro who hit .350 with 225 hits every year. But that's not what he was brought in to be. He was brought in to add speed and defense at the bottom of the order, and I anticipate him doing just that. He'll play RF while Swisher is injured, and then move to left to spell the surprisingly productive platoon of Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez. He took DeWayne Wise's roster spot. In a moment late in the game, who would you rather have at bat? A past-his-prime Ichiro, or Wise?

I can see Ichiro really be reinvigorated by this deal and the potential to play October baseball. If he performs well, he could be brought back on a one-year contract while the Yanks let Swisher walk away in free agency, freeing up money to re-sign Cano and Granderson. And if he doesn't, well, it's still cool to see him in a Yankees uniform.

Either way, I'm excited to add a player like Ichiro, and I hope he shows a little more of his old self than his recent self. It's low risk, high reward.

My fondest IP autograph

For all the TTMs I've gotten, I am not a big IP autograph collector. I've never gone to a formal autograph signing. I've never waited in a parking lot or down at the field level for a signature.

My fondest in person autograph memory was of Tommy Kendall, a racecar driver probably few have heard of. I was probably 8 or 9 years old, and Kendall was the speaker at a banquet my Dad was attending. Being a racing fan, I knew who Kendall was. We were seated at the table, and I saw Kendall walk in and start to talk to a few people. This was before he gave his speech. My dad encouraged me to go talk to him. I brought up a napkin and a pen and asked for his autograph.

Instead of signing my napkin, he opened up a briefcase and took out a photo of his racecar and signed it for me. I later learned that you could purchase one of these pictures for him to sign, but he graciously gave me one. It left me a lasting impression, and I still have that photo back home at my parents house.

In terms of rudest athletes I've met - Graig Nettles. I was at Don Larsen's charity event a few years ago, and Nettles could not have been ruder or less interested in being there. I didn't even end up asking for an autograph after observing the way he was treating other fans. Luckily guys like Joe Girardi and David Cone were as kind as could be, but Nettles was a real jerk.