Returns.

Well, once again it's been a long while since I wrote. Lots going on in life recently and that's interfered with my blog. One of those things was more computer issues. In all the confusion and transferring of data I lost most of the images of cards I have scanned in over the years for the blog. The last time this happened (a few months ago) I took the time to re-scan the lost images. This time I will not. The result may be that you occasionally see cards posted in the future that you have already seen. I apologize in advance for that. I'll be making every effort to avoid that happening but I am on the verge of shuttering Texas Rangers Cards for good so I really can't afford the time to re-scan the lost cards images.

While I was away the mail kept arriving. A few folks remembered me and sent some Rangers for my collection. I will post those packages in the coming days. Also, a few long awaited autograph requests returned as well.

One of the returns was from Charlie Hough. Mr. Hough signed this 1983 Topps card featuring him and Buddy Bell as well as signing a 1984 Topps card of his. I sent both cards out on March 3, 2016 and they arrived back home on Sepember 26th. Also coming home were signed cards from former Ranger Dickie Noles (sent October 28, 2015, returned November 1, 2016) and former Senator Ken Hamlin (sent January 13, 2016, returned September 30, 2016). Many thanks to all three of these gentlemen for taking of their time to sign and return cards for a fan.

Last night the Cubs broke their curse and won the World Series for the first time since 1908. While I was pulling for the Indians to take the crown I have to admit, not too many teams get three chances to close out a championship and still fail to get it done. Congratulations to the Cubbies for the long-awaited ring. Condolences to the Tribe and their fans. I know the pain of seeing your team lose a close one like that.

Fences and a Trip to Houston.

Wow! I knew I had gotten busy this summer and slacked off the blog. I didn't realize it has been almost a month since I posted. Lots going on that ate up my posting time. In the meantime the Rangers managed to get their magic number to clinch the American League West down to two games. Looks like they might well clinch in Oakland again.

Perhaps the biggest thing I had going was a fence replacement. This last spring a portion of our back fence blew down. The neighbor and I repaired it but it was obvious the time was short before a new fence would be needed. We crunched numbers and decided to wait until September to get the project done. Out came the old fence and in went the new. At least for about 60% of my yard. Now one of the other neighbors is talking about replacing the fence between us within the next month or so. That's going to take some more time but will almost completely give me a new fence to keep the dog and kids in.

In the midst of the fence endeavor, Spiff Jr and I took a short trip down to Houston to follow the Rangers to Minute Maid Park. We watched the game on September 12th. Took some time to walk around the park before the game. It was my first time in an enclosed stadium and I wasn't really impressed. Not that there was anything just terribly wrong, Minute Maid is a nice park. I just prefer outside baseball I guess. Hopefully the Rangers new enclosed park will be left open most of the time. The other thing that struck me was that there were almost as many Rangers fans there as Astros fans. Hopefully the Rangers can avoid that problem as well. The Rangers winning the contest in extras put a great finish to the night.

Of course, we had to check out the local card shop before the game. I found the Houston Sports Connection online prior to our trip and we made it a point to get there. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't Duane's Sportscards in Arlington. The shop employees were friendly and we picked up some needed supplies. The shop was cluttered though and seemed to be focused on high-end cards and autographed memorabilia. I didn't see a single quarter box or very many common cards at all, even of the Astros. We did manage to find several game-used and autographed Rangers cards though, including the pictured 2004 Leaf Second Edition Kevin Mench auto. The prices on those weren't unreasonable but it didn't take long for Spiff Jr to run through his budget. I think he would have preferred some lower priced cards to take a look at. All things considered, if I am ever in Houston again I will probably try to stop by again.

All in all the trip was great. We had some guy time, hit a card shop, and got to a game. Can't beat that. Unfortunately the fall is just as busy as the summer was. Another fence project, Spiff Jr back to playing ball, and several other family activities could make it a challenge to keep up on the posting. I'll do my best though to stay on top of things and not be a stranger.

Another Random Auto.

Since the Rangers lost again last night I decided to go with another random Rangers autograph from the autograph box.

Doc Medich appears today on a signed 1982 Fleer card that I picked up as part of a signed lot off Ebay. I think his expression fits the thoughts of most Rangers fans after the past couple of days losses in Baltimore.

Hopefully the boys can get their act together tonight. It would be a very bad thing to leave Baltimore without a single win. If they can't get things figured out, it will be a very long road trip.

A Sample from the autograph box.

With the Rangers continuing their free-fall, Shin-Soo Choo returning to the Disabled List, and Prince Fielder out for the season (if not forever) with another herniated disc in his neck, there just isn't much positive to dwell on for Rangers fans right now. I am really hoping the guys can right the ship and get things back on track before they cough up the division lead to the surging Astros. Guess we just have to wait and see.

Since I don't have a lot to say about the current club I decided to get a random Rangers autograph to post again this week. Strangely, Billy Sample appears for the second time in two days. This time he shows up on a signed 1981 Topps card that I picked up as part of a lot of Rangers autographs on Ebay. Sample is a very good signer and I prefer to get autographs from the player when possible so I didn't buy the lot for Billy's autograph. Can't remember who was included that is a harder autograph. Hope you enjoy Sample and his powder blue uniform today and maybe soon I will have some Rangers wins to write about.

Random autograph.

Well, with little to say positive about the Rangers past few games, I decided it is probably better to say nothing at all. Instead I went with a totally random Rangers autographed card.

Looking at this 2007 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness card I had to ask the obvious question, why does Johnny Whittleman have an arm growing out of his neck? Not the most flattering photo Bowman could have used. The next question is, who is Johnny Whittleman? Whittleman was the Rangers second round draft pick in 2005 and played mostly third base with a few appearances at first thrown in.

Johnny did all right his first season at Rookie ball in 2005 but his batting average tanked below the Mendoza Line during winter ball in 2006. Texas kept him in the system though but Whittleman had trouble getting his average up over .250. He managed to do so a few times but couldn't sustain the success and never broke the .300 mark. He never got above Double A with Texas and left the franchise after the 2010 season.

Starting in 2011, Johnny spent two seasons in the Kansas City Royals system without making it above Triple A. There is no record of him past the 2012 season. I guess in spite of the signs, Whittleman was unable to deliver on the greatness.

Latest Autograph Return.

Well, thanks to a bullpen meltdown last night, the Rangers were unable to take advantage of an early lead and fell to the Yankees.

In order to counteract the bad vibes from the loss last night I will leave you with this signed 1990 Topps Jamie Moyer. I sent this card, and a 1989 Topps card, to Mr. Moyer on January 23rd of this year. He graciously signed and returned both. They arrived home on June 23rd. Both filled holes in team sets I am trying to get signed. Many thanks to Jamie Moyer for taking the time to sign for a fan.

Good news, Bad news.

Yesterday was a good news, bad news type of day for the Rangers.

On the good news side, Cole Hamels dominated the Reds en route to another Texas win. Hamels struck out eight over six innings while giving up just one run. Jake Diekman had an unusual outing and coughed up three runs but otherwise the bullpen was great once again.

The offense picked Diekman up with Ian Desmond and Shin-Soo Choo homering as the bats put up six runs. Final: Texas - 6, Cincy - 4. Since this was a two game series and the Reds took game one, I am not sure if this counts as a series win or loss. Either way a win is always good news.

On the bad news side of the ledger, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis joined Yu Darvish on the Disabled List. Anytime a club has three starters on the DL there is cause for concern. Dutch got put on the shelf with left shoulder inflammation. He is slated to be out at least two weeks but it could be longer. Hopefully in the mean time he can get things figured out. The team has recalled Luke Jackson from Triple A to fill the hole on the pitching staff.

Colby Lewis, shown here on a signed 2002 Fleer card, is an altogether different matter. Not only was Colby having a great year, he won't be back in action for at least two months. Lewis left his last start early and an exam revealed he had a strained lat muscle in his right shoulder. Having Colby down will definitely hurt the Rangers.

A.J. Griffin is due to make his return from the DL on Saturday and Nick Martinez and Martin Perez will have to step up with Lewis and Holland gone. Hopefully they can bridge the gap until Darvish returns from the DL. If they can then perhaps the club can avoid dealing some of their prospects for a starter to keep them in the race.

Returning home.

Well, the Rangers lost the final game of their road trip last night to the Mariners 4-2 in ten innings. That puts them at .500 as they come home to face the Red Sox tonight. Since they left on the trip a game under .500, I think one has to count the trip as a success. Hopefully they can keep the ball rolling as they return home.

Speaking of returns, I still have a few through the mail requests trickling in now and then. This 1992 Donruss card of Donald Harris was one that came in this past week. I sent it out on January 23rd. Mr. Harris was kind enough to sign it and a 1993 Topps card and return both of them. Also coming in was a success from former Ranger first baseman Will Clark. Thanks to both players for taking of their time to sign and return my cards.

Doc saves the day.

Almost shut out on the autograph front this week. Former Rangers pitcher George "Doc" Medich swooped in on Monday to save the week with this signed 1978 Topps and an accompanying 1979 Topps that he also signed. I sent the cards to Dr. Medich on February 24th and he was kind enough to sign and return them. It was the sole return for me this week but both cards hit holes in my autographed team sets. Many thanks to Dr. Medich for his time.

Meanwhile in Surprise, Arizona the Rangers are continuing to get into shape for the upcoming 2016 season. I received a report last night from a friend who is down there. Apparently Joey Gallo is putting on some impressive power displays and Hanser Alberto looks very good on defense. With manager Jeff Banister considering a 13 man pitching staff, the competition for position player spots could intensify.

The club has made two rounds of cuts though so those left have been getting increased playing time. That will help in the final evaluations and the final decision on whether or not to trade a bench spot for an extra pitcher. Look for final decisions to be made soon with Opening Day only about two and half weeks away.

Through the mail tales.

Had a great week of through the mail returns this past week. Nine autographs total from five former Rangers players and former Rangers manager Bobby Valentine. All of the returns filled holes in my ongoing quest to get complete Topps Rangers team sets signed

Bobby V graciously signed and returned this 1991 Topps card along with a 1989 Topps card. Also coming back home were signed cards from Danny Patterson, Bobby Witt, Ken Suarez, Cris Carpenter, and Bucky Dent. Many thanks to all these gentlemen for taking the time and sign and return my cards.

The fastest return came from Ken Suarez, I mailed out a 1972 Topps to him on March 3rd and it returned home on March 9th. Mr. Suarez also took the time to jot a quick thank you to me for writing him.

The longest return was Bucky Dent who took from January 20th to March 4th. I sent Mr. Dent two cards, a 1983 Topps and a 1984 Topps. Interestingly, he kept the 1984 Topps but signed and returned the 1983 Topps. Curious. Still, a return is a return and I'm not complaining.

On the really weird front was a return that was not really a return. Earlier in the year I sent former Ranger Dave Moates a request that came back return to sender. I checked the address I used and decided I wrote the city down wrong. On February 24th I sent a second request to what I believed was the correct address. On March 8th I received the request back marked "Return to sender". What I found strange was that the envelope had been opened, the contents taken out, rearranged, put back in, and the envelope taped shut before being sent back. Apparently Mr. Moates either did not like my letter, wants money to sign but does not want to say so, or is simply not signing these days. At least I got my card back I suppose.

Kunkel in, Hamilton out.

The autograph returns dwindled to almost nothing this past week. Jeff Kunkel saved the day when he signed and returned this 1990 Topps card and the 1991 Topps card I sent to him on January 23rd. Both cards arrived home last Friday. Only a few requests left out there from my last couple of batches of requests. Just sent out another batch yesterday though. Hopefully it won't be long until they start their returns.

It wasn't long for the Rangers to decide what to do with the ailing Josh Hamilton. Apparently they decided they won't be waiting for the second opinion on Monday. Looks like Josh will be starting the 2016 season on the Disabled List due to inflammation in his left knee. The club is hoping he'll be back by the first of May, if all goes well. It's the second season in a row Hamilton begins on the DL.

That leaves his spot in left field wide open and will spark a scramble for the job. Of course, as discussed yesterday, Texas has several in-house options. They are also still browsing the free agent market for possibilities. One name being bandied about is former Ranger David Murphy. He wants a Major League contract though and Texas is wanting to sign someone to a minor league deal. Understandable since the fill-in is only projected to play regularly until May. The difference could be a deal breaker. At least the pantry is well stocked at home so the Rangers have some options.

More TTM returns.

So here we are on Spring Training eve and it's time for one final off-season through the mail return report. Of course, I'll be sending out requests throughout the season but hopefully there will be lots of great Rangers news to talk about.

Sent this 1983 Donruss card and a 1983 Topps card out to former Ranger Frank Tanana on January 20th of this year. Got them both back signed on February 11th. Mr. Tanana included a Gospel tract, as is his practice. Also received returns from former Rangers Dave Schmidt, and Jeff Huson and former Texas draft pick Ritchie Moody this past week. Many thanks to all four of these gentlemen for their consideration in signing and returning my cards. I really need to get some pennies saved up and pick up some more stamps in order to keep the returns coming.

Anyone else been passing the off-season requesting autographs? If so, how did it go?

Updates.

Well, the 2016 season keeps getting closer. Pitchers and catchers report on the 19th. Getting down to the final checkups for the players headed in. Jurickson Profar, Derek Holland, and Ryan Rua claim they are healthy and can't wait to get going. Adrian Beltre should also be ready to roll once camp starts. Josh Hamilton's knee is about ready but look for Texas to take things slowly with him to keep him from re-injuring it before it's completely back. Yu Darvish is reportedly on track coming back from Tommy John surgery but likely won't be making any starts until May.

The Rangers have also avoided arbitration with first baseman Mitch Moreland. The deal came just a few hours before the hearing was scheduled to begin. The agreement gives Moreland $5.7 million for the 2016 season. Mitch was the last Rangers player scheduled for arbitration. The deal with him means Texas has not had an arbitration hearing in 16 years.

Meanwhile, the 2016 Topps cards are out. I have yet to pick any up, mainly because I spent my card money on stamps and haven't yet got my stash built back up. Anyone else got any yet? If so, what are your thoughts on the new release?

Speaking of stamps, a few more through the mail autograph requests found their way home this past week. This signed 1983 Donruss card of former Rangers hurler Steve Comer was among the bunch. Returns also arrived from Johnny Grubb, Billy Sample, and Jerry Don Gleaton. Mr. Sample was nice enough to enclose a note wishing me good luck with my collection and blog. Thanks to all four of the players who were kind enough to sign and return cards to a fan.

Coming and going.

The Rangers are going. Yesterday was truck day at the Ballpark. The equipment is loaded on the truck and now on the way to Surprise, Arizona for Spring Training. Only two weeks until pitchers and catchers report. The 2016 season is creeping closer and I couldn't be more happy. It's been a long winter and I'm ready for some baseball.

While baseball teams are heading out for Spring Training, the through the mail autograph requests keep coming in. Over the last week several requests came back with successes. One such return was this 1986 card that Dwayne Henry was gracious enough to sign and return. It arrived in my mailbox yesterday after I sent it out on the January 23rd.

In addition to Mr. Henry, in the past week I received autographs from former Rangers Bobby Johnson, Bill Stein, Bob Lacey, Scott Fletcher, Mike Mason, Mike Smithson, and Jack Daugherty. It was a great week for autograph returns. Thanks to all these guys for the time they took to sign for a fan and drop the cards back in the mail.

I received another return that was pretty cool as well. I recently sent former Rangers outfielder Billy Sample an autograph request. I included a short note asking for an interview for this blog. I haven't received my cards back but I did get an email from Mr. Sample. He said he was willing to do the interview. I sent him some questions and he replied with some great answers. Should have the interview ready to post tomorrow. Be sure to check it out.

Senators send-back.

So, the through the mail returns have been coming in recently. I had three waiting when I returned from FanFest last week. One of those was from former Senators hurler Matry Kutyna.

I sent Mr. Kutyna a single 1961 Topps card on January 13th and asked him to sign and return it. My first clue that something was not normal was the fact that my card arrived back home on the 23rd in a large manila envelope, not the small self addressed envelope I included with the request.

Not only did Marty sign and return my 1961 Topps card, he added a trove of goodies to the package and paid the return postage himself. Included in the envelope was this 8x10 summary of Kutyna's career, personalized and signed by Mr. Kutyna himself. Part of the account tells the story of how Marty caught a ball thrown out on opening day by President Kennedy in 1962. JFK signed the ball after Kutyna recovered it. An 8x10 photo of Kennedy signing the ball was included. Mr. Kutyna personalized and signed that photo as well. Next came a photo-copy of a 1961 newspaper article about Marty's efforts with the Senators that year, a print out of the Wikkipedia entry about Kutyna, a print out of his career stats, and an account of his first face-off with Ted Williams.

Three autographs and a great package of information and photos. Can't beat that. It was way more than I expected. Players will occasionally include a custom card or a small note. This was far beyond that. Thanks a lot Mr. Kutyna!

FanFest, 2016 Recap.

Well, I've had time to recover from the Rangers FanFest last Saturday. Time to offer a recap and review.

Spiff Jr and I got to the ballpark just about 0800 to get in line for the 0900 gate opening. It was a bit nippy standing in line but at least this year there was no wind. Surprisingly, the gates opened about twenty minutes prior to the start of the FanFest. That allowed most folks to get in before things got started.

Unfortunately programs and schedules were not handed out until after entrance. That robbed us of our normal planning time and made the beginning of the day feel a bit rushed as we tried to absorb and process the information we needed to plan our attack. Checking out the autograph schedule gave me the first let down of the day. Jose Guzman, Pete O'Brien, and Eric Nadel were on the schedule. None had been in the list of names released by the Rangers and so I had nothing other than generic Rangers stickers and hologram cards for them to sign. Pete O'Brien was a real kick since he won't sign through the mail and I would like to have him for a couple of team sets I am working on.

This year the autograph sessions did not start until 1100. Initially I was not impressed with this but, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. With a couple of hours before guys started signing, we had time to get in a few things without feeling like we were missing out on autograph chances.

Headed up to the Rangers Foundation sale. Missed it last year but in 2014 they had some great deals. This year they were crammed into the Jack Daniels Club along with the Rangers Futures signings. Made for a very cramped space but folks were good about it all. Picked up a Prince Fielder bobblehead, 2015 Media Guide, a Rangers cereal bowl, and a couple of other small items for $20. Not too bad. If I didn't already have more than enough jerseys I would have grabbed one or two of the $25 ones they had for sale.

After the sale we met up with some friends, checked out the Rangers Hall of Fame museum, and headed down to the visiting clubhouse for the autographs. Got in line for Toby Harrah, Bobby Jones, and Kevin Mench about twenty minutes before they started signing. Good thing too. Unlike previous years, the staff was very prompt to cut the lines at 250 people this year. We ended up making every session except the 1400 one featuring Rusty Greer, Tom Grieve, and Dean Palmer. That line was already full and cut when we finished getting signatures from Jeff Russell and Mike Adams. We went ahead and got in line for the final session, to feature only Darren Oliver. Much to my surprise, not only was Oliver signing but Eric Nadel had been moved down from the previous session and John Wetteland was making an unannounced appearance. I had no card for Wetteland and ended up asking him to sign the Upper Deck Rangers hologram card featured above.

Made a couple more quick stops once the final autograph session ended then stopped by Duane's Sportscards after leaving the park. I needed to replace the 1972 and 1973 Topps Toby Harrah cards I pulled out of team sets for him to sign.

The delayed start of the autograph sessions worked out better than I expected, we got autographs from 13 former players and current coaches, and spent some quality father-son time visiting while waiting in lines. The biggest area to improve next year would be a more complete listing of players who might sign. I would rather have a list, pull cards, and have a player cancel than end up without something for a player to sign. All in all, it was a great day and I am looking forward to going back next year.

Getting ready for the fest.

Well, here we are two days out from the Rangers 2016 FanFest. Spiff Jr is busy getting his cards pulled and a sharpie set aside to go autograph hunting. We did well last year, scoring autographs from 19 former Rangers. Bump Wills was one of the players signing that day and he inscribed this 1980 Topps card for me. I'm big on asking for autographs through the mail but getting them in person is much better.

So far I have only been to two FanFests but both have been great and I am looking forward to getting back again this year. Just wish the team would post the list of players attending a little earlier than they do.

Anyone else planning on attending the Rangers FanFest, or one for another team? Let me know if you've already been to one for another team and what you thought of it. As always, if you are planning on attending this year's Rangers FanFest and would like to meet up in person, just drop me an email (or a comment with your email address) and we can work out the details.

Final 2015 Autograph Post.

Well, here we are. The last post of 2015. Decided to finish off the game-used and autograph year with my most recent through the mail return.

I sent this 1965 Topps card to Pete Richert on October 31, 2015. It returned to my mail box on December 26th. Thanks to Mr. Richert for taking of his time to sign and return my card.

Gotta say, I am loving getting these Senators cards signed. Of course, Rangers returns are always awesome as well. For some reason, getting an autograph from a player always makes me feel like a kid again. Seeing Spiff Jr beginning his own autograph collection is even more thrilling. Throughout the year I have been blessed by active and retired players taking the time to sign for me, both in person and through the mail. I appreciate their kindness.

Equalling the players who sign are the fellow collectors who trade, blog, and just talk about baseball and collecting. The comments on this blog and the random packages of Rangers cards are much appreciated and I can never repay your kindness.

Looking forward to the new year and many more great collecting memories. Thanks again to everyone and may your new year be a good one.

Random Autograph.

Well, here we are on Christmas Eve. Things are getting busy around the Spiff household and, I trust, around yours as well. Wishing you and yours a great time of fellowship and reflecting on the greatest gift of all.

No through the mail returns this week so it's time to take a look back at a random Ranger autograph. In this case it's Bobby Witt's signature on his 1996 Leaf Signature Series card. While I don't particularly care for this picture of Witt, I have always considered this set to be a nice looking one.

No big news on the off-season front either for the past couple of days. Looks like Kansas City may be losing the Alex Gordon negotiations. Hard to predict those things though, they may end up hugging and making up. Look for things to heat up news-wise after Christmas as the clubs try to address their roster needs and the players look to avoid being the last free agent off the bus.

Building plans.

Well, things are starting to get busy here in the lead up to Christmas. I hope everyone is enjoying the season and the looking forward to the prospective time with family and friends.

The through the mail request returns have slowed almost to a stop. I haven't sent any out in several weeks and probably won't until after New Year's. After all, baseball players get busy around the holidays as well and need some time off. The most recent return was this 1962 Topps card of former Washington Senator Jim Piersall. I sent this card to Mr. Piersall on October 30th. He took the time to sign and return it. It arrived in my mailbox on December 10th. Thanks a bunch Mr. Piersall!

In other news, the Rangers and the city of Arlington have apparently agreed to build an entertainment center between Globe Life Park and Jerry World where some football team plays. The project looks to cost around $200 million. It will include a hotel and a convention center along with a few other things. The company doing the building has several other similar projects across the US. They did one in Saint Louis near the ballpark that my Dad has seen and says is a pretty nice place. I'm liking the sound of that. I love the Rangers but the area around their park is pretty bland and bare. It would be nice to see something close to it along the lines of what Boston, the Cardinals, and the Cubs have around their parks. Also, so long as it doesn't break the bank, an investment of this magnitude is likely to keep the Rangers anchored in Arlington for many years into the future. No more talk of Dallas stealing the team away, I hope.