TTMCast Preview
Drew and Arron answer listener and reader emails and give advice in Grapher DIY on where to go for cards and addresses for those getting back into the hobby after a long layoff. Plus all the latest news in shows and upcoming product releases.
You can listen to this week’s show here.
TTM Successes
Just barely missed another empty week with a Saturday success.
Jyrki Lumme
Admittedly, I’m heavily biased toward Finnish players, seeing as I am half-Finnish myself. But I always thought Lumme was vastly underrated, being stuck as a depth defenseman for Montreal early on (and the team’s first ever Finn), then going to a Vancouver team that always severely lacked media coverage, onto another largely-ignored team in Phoenix, a cup of coffee in Dallas, and finally two comparatively quiet seasons in Toronto. But in those years he had five 40-point seasons and ended up on the good side of the plus-minus ledger in 12 of 15 seasons.
Canucks broadcaster Tom Larscheid referred to him as “the best kept secret outside of British Columbia.”
Jyrki signed these for me in three months via his home in Canada. He splits time between Vancouver and Tampere, Finland.
In-Person Report
While most of my graphing is indeed sports-related, once in a while I venture outside of that world.
Former TTMCast co-host Troy Rutter is a big collector of celebrity autographs and I have been known to dabble in the music world. In the last half-decade, I’ve gotten items signed via mail by Booker T. Jones of Booker T. and the MG’s; Jack Ashford, the lone remaining member of Motown’s backing band, The Funk Brothers; Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas; and the late Mary Wilson of The Supremes. In-person, I’ve gotten albums signed by Rev. Horton Heat and a couple members of the New Bomb Turks, a CD signed by members of Stabbing Westward, and a shirt signed by four members of the Dropkick Murphys.
So when I saw that Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma from New York hardcore legends Agnostic Front were doing a pre-show book signing here at their Dallas concert, I put on my Doc Martens and went to get a copy.
Next week, it’ll be back to sports: I’m making my way over to Frisco, Fort Worth, and Cleburne for games over the next two weeks.
Insight Wanted: John Stephenson
I got an email from a collector last week– which we also talked about on TTMCast– asking about John Stephenson. He was a catcher from 1964 to 1973, playing for the Mets, Cubs, Giants, and Angels. He caught Nolan Ryan’s first strikeout, and had the game-winning hit in Casey Stengel’s last game as the Mets’ manager.
This collector was mentioning Stephenson as a tough autograph to get– he has a photo of him but is understandably reluctant to mail it off since the 83-year-old Stephenson hasn’t been a reliable TTMer in almost 20 years. SportsCollectors.net has its last success in 2006.
From 2002 through 2006, he was a reliable signer but then… nothing. Twelve straight attempts listed by SCN members went unanswered.
My first thought was, after some digging, that 2006 was Stephenson’s final season as a coach. Was there an injury or illness; perhaps just burnout and wanting to stay away from the game? But no, a Facebook dive found him coaching at a Louisiana youth baseball event in 2019.
Many tougher signers have never been good signers, so they can be explained away. But this one is a rarity, the good signer who just stops out of nowhere with no reason given. Not even a paid signing. Plenty have started signing only for a fee, or at least said they will only respond to mail up to a certain date, as hockey’s Bill Clement recently did.
So, readers, I’m reaching out to you. Does anyone have any idea why Stephenson suddenly stopped signing? And how many others can you think of who have done the same?
If you have any graphing questions, you can reach Drew via email at DFWGrapher@gmail.com
