TTM Successes
Paul Molitor
Is there anything worse than mailing to a player and thinking “Okay, great, I’ll have finally knocked out all my set needs on him when this gets back,” only to realize you actually still have one more? I did that here: Molitor has not one but two cards in my 2003-2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites project. Fortunately I got one of the two done, but now I’ll need to get an unsigned copy of the other to send out another time.
Paul signed for his $20 fee via his home with a three-week time frame.
IP Report
I skipped out on Lake Country at Cleburne once again this past week. It’s hard for me to justify driving an hour and paying $7 in tolls each way, paying another $5 to park, and finally paying the American Association’s most expensive starting-price ticket at $20.
On the positive side, Frisco is cheaper and has a better caliber of players coming through, so I saw the Dodgers’ AA squad from Tulsa on Sunday. To go along with it, the Roughriders had an alumni weekend, announcing that Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, and Tanner Scheppers would be signing from first pitch until 7:30. Scheppers was replaced by Craig Gentry, and in a classic last-minute bait and switch it was announced that Elvis would only sign for those who paid $30 extra for a special VIP signing. Needless to say, I wasn’t too happy to find that out.
Nevertheless, Harrison and Gentry at least signed and got through the line quickly.
Down by the field before the game, the Drillers were decent signers– a bit of a surprise for a Dodgers’ affiliate. Only five of their top 30 prospects are with Tulsa, but the three who have nationally-released cards all signed one for me: pitchers Jackson Ferris and Peter Heubeck each signed the lone card I had of them, while infielder Noah Miller signed one of two. Fellow infielder Sean McLain was the same signing one of two, while Chris Newell signed the only card I had of him. Former TCU product Jacob Meador signed a pair in the bullpen, while outfielder Jose Ramos signed one of my four cards. Manager Eric Wedge was willing to sign everything and spent a good amount of time chatting with us as well.
Postgame, Sebastian Walcott opted to find a side exit; but Cameron Cauley, Ian Moller, and Aaron Zavala all signed for Frisco.
Draft Season
This past week featured the NHL and NBA Drafts; next week is the MLB’s event, and we’re only two months removed from the NFL’s. It’s a day when the sky is the limit for every player as they join a new team, and while some come crashing back down to reality, many of the highest picks go on to star-studded careers– or at least become serviceable big-leaguers in their respective sports.
So here are a few #1 overall picks who are good TTM signers.
Bill Almon
Picked first overall in the 1974 MLB Draft, Bill spent only 39 games in the minors before debuting late in the season with the Padres. After going back and forth from San Diego to AAA Hawaii, he became a mainstay of the starting lineup in 1977, playing for six more teams in a 15-year career. He now lives in Florida and is a very fast signer for free via his home.
Austin Carr
“Mr. Cavalier” was a highly touted high school player and only the second collegiate player to surpass the 1000-point mark in a season. He was the number one pick in the 1971 draft out of Notre Dame. After some early-career injuries, Carr played with the Cavs through 1980 and later became their Director of Community Relations and a TV commentator, and had his number retired.
He has been an excellent signer via his Cleveland area home.
Billy Sims
The 1978 Heisman Trophy winner went first overall to the Lions in 1980. Sims started his career with back-to-back seasons of over 1000 yards and 10 TDs but a 1984 knee injury ended his career prematurely. His Billy Sims Barbecue operates 45 restaurants in nine states.
Today Sims lived in Texas and signs in under a two-month turnaround.
Rob Ramage
Ramage was a the top pick by Colorado in the 1971 NHL entry draft. A hard-nosed yet skilled defenseman, he was the type who could potentially put up 20 goals, 50 assists, and 200 penalty minutes in any given season. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner and played for eight teams in his NHL career. Rob currently coaches in the St. Louis area.
He tends to sign in about two months via his home.
Simon Keith
While in college in Canada, Keith was diagnosed with myocarditis and received a heart transplant. Three years later, the MISL’s Cleveland Crunch drafted him first overall in the league’s 1989 draft. Along with being a top pick, he is the first athlete ever to play following a heart transplant.
Today he runs the Simon Keith Foundation in Nevada where he signs in typically under a month.
TTMCast Preview
Coming July 4: Les Wolff joins us to preview the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, Drew and Arron talk about the National and the MLB All-Star Game Village, plus all the news about upcoming signings, shows, and TTM successes.
You can listen to June’s episode with Clemente Lisi here.
