Introducing GameDay Graphers 2010
(ooh, how Upper Deck-y)
After having lost the files for my ’09s, and having actually had a back-up of my test designs for the ’10s, and getting bitten by the pants ants (they give me antsy pants), I thought it was high time to let loose the new cards. What you can’t see from the hard file mock-up here is the iridescent layer I apply to the front after assembly. Think of it as homemade refractory goodness. This will be a fun set to put together, for sure!
Remember the TTM Race?!
(…you’ll never guess who won second place…)
So, yesterday I made reference to a certain envelope that made its way into my pile of goodies. This certain envelope, as I had stated, made it quite clear what the main portion of the contents were. It was your job then to guess what it was. As it stands, you did not guess. Shame on you. Alas, nonetheless, heretofore, othersnootywords, I’ll give in to my blog temptations and share the big secret.
Obviously, this has to do with a few cards that I had sent out earlier this summer for a little TTM action. Everyone guessed correctly on who would send back first. Not a big surprise there. The player that responded next? Well, he didn’t even get one single vote. NOT ONE! This player’s card was sent to a minor league affiliate where he was pitching at the time. He was recalled back to Minnesota not long ago, so I figured that if I hadn’t received his card back by now, I won’t at all. I mean, he’s here in Minnesota, his card is in New York.
And, who, pray tell, is this mystery man of mystery? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s none other than…
Wow. Totally unexpected. When I saw the envelope, I told my wife that I thought it was going to be Michael Cuddyer. The big surprise in this is that the card was received yesterday and was sent from Rochester, New York on July 24. What’s so weird about that? He was pitching in Los Angeles that day. Hell, he was pitching in Los Angeles the day before that! There must have been a nice pile of letters in the Red Wings outgoing box, and he must have quickly gone through his fan mail just after he got recalled. What a cool surprise!
The surprise, however, kept on getting cooler. When I was slowly opening the TTM envelope in front of my wife, my eyes widened. Instead of a card, I slowly pulled out a small piece of paper, likely taken from the note that I wrote to him…
Woah. Totally floored. This is the first note I’ve ever received from a Major League player and… Mikey liked it!! I wonder if this note means that he would like one for himself, or perhaps an entire stack to hand out to friends, family, and colleagues. Either way, I’m sending one directly to him c/o The Minnesota Twins. Thanks, Jesse!
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I got yet another package in the mail today. Yay! It was a trade package going towards my Allen & Ginter Project. Yay yay!! I’ll post about that tomorrow night so as not to diminish the utter importance of the trade and, well, my Allen & Ginter Project! I mean, for real. It’s a big deal. That’s how I feel.
Jessical Beil.
Ahem.
That reminds me. I made reference to Dave Matthews Disco last night. I stood corrected earlier tonight. It was my wife blasting Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog. I’m not sure if that makes me feel any better. I mean, at least Matthews is an accomplished and talented musician. Neil Patrick Harris is… Horrible. (boo…)
Quick blog update. You might notice that I’ve moved some things around over to the right. I’ve added a Release Calendar that I hope will be useful to both you and myself. Seriously, I completely forgot when Upper Deck X was coming out. Now I won’t miss out!
Lastly, I’ve gotta give a little shoutout to Pat Neshek board member, Pistonsfan, who is a loyal reader of The Wax (this wax, not that other much more popular Wax), and runs his own blog called TTM Autographs. Go on and check him out!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!
(I can’t believe this only lasted one week)
After only one week, I ALREADY have a TTM back. Some of you voted on the seven cards that went out to predict which card would come back signed first. Let’s check the results.
Joe Nathan – 14
Michael Cuddyer – 6
Nick Punto – 2
Anthony Swarzak – 1
Jesse Crain – 0
Sean Henn – 0
Jose Morales – 0
Sean Henn was sent to AAA the day after I mailed out the cards, so there was no way I was getting his first. I likely won’t get his back at all. Swarzak was sent up a couple of days after I sent out his card to the AAA team he was playing for at the time, so he probably won’t see his card, if at all, until he gets sent back down. I’ve never gotten Punto TTM, and I’ve yet to get any latino player TTM. Nathan and Cuddy, however, have never failed me. But who came through this time?
Was it a surprise?
Was it out of the blue?
Was it signed?
Was it who the majority of the voters believed it would be?
Well…
…let’s find out.
And, the winner is…
…drum roll…
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Take That, O-Pee-Chee!
(I got yer retro cards right here)
Forget GameDay Graphers… THESE would be some sweet cards to get graphed.
TTM RACE UPDATE
So, remember how I sent some GameDays out to some current Twins for some good old fashioned TTM autographs? Just one day after sending out those cards, one of those players got sent down to AAA. Seems as though Sean Henn won’t be getting his copy. I wonder if it will get sent back to me?
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!
(trust me, you’ll need a little more than the edge for this one)
Before my computer took a nose-dive into PC oblivion, I had a bunch of GameDay Graphers prepared for a handful of Twins to sign at the recent Twins Autograph Party. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to every player that I wanted or needed, so now it’s time to try my luck at getting these guys inked up through the mail (TTM–not to be confused with A2M).
I’m not wasting my time on guys that I know won’t sign for free, especially through the mail (like Morneau and Young). Instead, I’m focusing on guys who are proven TTMers, rookies, AAA guys that made appearances this year, and lower-level pro-ball journeymen.
Joe Nathan
Michael Cuddyer
Nick Punto
Sean Henn
Jose Morales
Jesse Crain
Anthony Swarzak
Nathan and Cuddy are excellent TTMers, and Punto is alright, although I’m still waiting on a card I sent out to him well over a year ago. Henn is a newcomer, and Morales is a young 3rd-string catcher. Jesse Crain was recently sent down to AAA, and Swarzak was called up earlier this year to make some spot starts for a then-injured Glen Perkins, but was sent back down when Perk returned.
The question is, though… whose card will I get first? Whose will I get last? Will I get them all back? Should I have my wife write out the letters so they don’t think some middle-aged graph hound is out to score a quick buck? Will Jose Morales understand English? These are all excellent questions, but we’ll just focus on one tonight… answers to the other questions along with any other comments are more than welcome.
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