My Cubs and Bears Collection

Just got permission from the wife to attend the National Convention this year being held in Baltimore.  No names are posted yet as to who will be there, but I am gearing up to design a new custom 8x10 for it and hopefully get a lot of signatures during it.  Nothing in the mail so far this week.  Way too early for any of my spring training mailouts to come back.  Still waiting on any answer back from William "The Refrigerator" Perry and Brian Urlacher (I sent them both mini-helmets in December 2011).  I guess I can pretty much write off that $50 worth of mini-helmets!!  I did purchase a few mini-autograph footballs and will be bringing them to the National Convention to get signed by some HOFers hopefully.

Not much really happening in the TTM or IP world today.  Over the weekend I decided to send my Cubs Spring Training collection, hopefully none get kicked back because they are too early.  I sent to everyone on the Cubs 40 man roster and hope to get about a 50% return rate.  I am still trying to get the ever elusive Starlin Castro for my collection.  I hope to get all of the new-comers and another hard to get autograph from Geo.  I did get some mail this morning, unluckily it wasn't a Cub or a Bear, but it was a Dolphin (for my younger son's collection) - Matt Moore.  I obtained this thru an email request at his site:  www.mattmoore.com  This came to me 3 days after I sent the email!!!  Quick response and hopefully he stays down in Miami for a while, he seems like a nice guy.  Also, just found out that one of the best friend in the autograph collecting world has signed with the Orioles and hopefully his love for the hobby will spread throughout the Orioles.  Welcome to the area Mr. Pat Neshek!!!

After having an educational conversation with DJAUWERDA, I am trying to come up with some new customs, hopefully I will have something out this week and posted up on SCF.  Til next time, have fun collecting.

I just cam back from 2012 Orioles FanFest and the results are located under the "For Sale or trade" tab above.

Because I have moved into the DC area, I have decided to widen my autograph collecting habits.  So I forked out the money for the 2012 Orioles FanFest and purchased tickets for the following people (still trying to obtain former Cubs players for my collection):

Zach Britton, Ryan Flaherty (ex-Cub for my collection), Tommy Hunter, Oliver Drake, Dana Eveland, Jim Palmer, JJ Hardy, Jai Miller, Troy Patton, Taylor Teagarden

I am hoping that I will be able to trade some of these for the current and former Cubs autographs I need.  I would alos like to throw a shoutout to a great asset in my Cubs and Bears autograph collection - DJAUWERDA from www.sportscardforum.com.  Due to his proximity in the chicagoland area he has been able to provide me with some much needed autographs and invaluable insight into the collecting world.  I hope to be able to repay him as much as I can.  I would also lioke to say thank you to FREDDYCUB on www.sportsgraphing.com for his work on Chicago Bears autos for me.

In the mail this past week I have received 4x6 custom photos signed by Julius Peppers and Patrick Mannelly.  I have also won a few ebay auctions of Cubs and Bears autographs.  I hope to have the pictures posted this weekend. 

I just went to my mail box and received a baseball signed by ex-Cubbie Shane Andrews and a baseball signed by Cubs prospect Chris Carpenter.

Went to a card show today to obtain an autograph of Tim Brown for my brother-in-law.  Got to meet Tim Brown, Emmit Smith, and Jim Kelly.  Pictures are located in my "Non-Cubs/Bears NFT" page.

I found out that Cal Ripken Jr. was going to be at a Microsoft Store opening in Tyson's Corner, VA.  I was first in line to play Kinect Baseball against him and obtain an autograph.  I haven't scanned in the autograph yet, but will do that this weekend. Mr Ripken is a great guy and by the way, he struck me out on 3 pitches!!!!  We were both sweating our butts of, imagine, he still had another 199 people to play against.  Pictures of ticket and a man who was behind me in line are posted under the "Non-Cubs/Bears NFT" tab.

I decided to add another section on my page titled "Non-Cubs/Bears PC", check out some of the pictures.

1st: Sent baseballs to Carlos Pena, Darwin Barney, Bryan LaHair , Matt Garza, and Ivan DeJesus.

6th: Sent baseballs to Derrek Lee (I know he is no longer a Cub, but I am trying to get autographs of current and former Cubs), Reed Johnson, Blake DeWitt, and Marlon Byrd.

12th: Received baseballs back from Ivan DeJesus and Bryan LaHair -----Thank you very much Mr DeJesus and Mr LaHair!!!!

16th: Sent baseballs to Andrew Cashner, Tony Campana, and Stephen Strasburg (I know he isn't a Cub, but my older son likes him).

19th: Sent photos to the following current/former Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears: Buddy Ryan, Jim McMahon (received), Gary Fencik (received), Thomas Sanders, Richard Dent, William Perry, Mike Tomczak (received), Steve McMichael (received), Shaun Gayle, Ron Rivera, and Dan Hampton.

26th: Sent photos to the following current/former Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears: Tom Thayer, Dennis McKinnon, Kevin Butler (received), Mike Phipps (received), Bob Avellini (received), and Rick Mirer (received).

I am hoping now that the baseball season is over for the Cubs, that I can start receiving some stuff I sent out to Pena, Barney, Garza, Castro, Lee, Reed Johnson, DeWitt, Byrd, Cashner, and Campana.  And hopefully the Bears autographs keep trickling in.

I am in the process of adding the addresses used to the photos that are already posted.  I will be adding more photos soon.