1/30/2010

No mail makes me a sad collector. I haven't gotten a TTM success in a while. I am hoping for some of the batch I sent out a couple of weeks ago to start trickling in this week.

I also made up my mind regarding my collecting. It seems to me I have been concentrating more on getting hockey and basketball autos. Yes, I enjoy watching The Devils and Knicks play and am equilly happy when one of their players (former and present) will sign an autograph for me. But, in the process of working to write letters, create customs, I have neglected the one team I truly love, the New York Yankees.

I have been a Yankees fan since 1976. In fact, the first game I watched was Game 5 of the '76 ALCS when Chris Chambliss hit the walk off home run to put the Yankees back into the fall classic since 1964 only to get swept by the Big Red Machine of Cincinnatti. I have been a follower of the Yankees since. My love for autographs started out in the 80's when I was old enough to go to Yankee Stadium by myself. I would wait outside for the players to come out. Some were awesome signers like Lou Pinella, Don Mattingly while some seemed to take glee in turning down a kid like Graig Nettles, my former favorite Yankee. He was mean then and is still pretty nasty to this day. Back then, the metal bars seperating you from the players walking in was not far at all. As the years past, the metal started getting further and further back from the entrance until they were right by the Yankee Clubhouse Store at the old stadium! If you are at all fimilar with the old Yankee Stadium, you know how far away that is. You needed binoculars just to see who was entering the stadium. Now at the new stadium, The players can just drive in to a private parking garage that is built inside the stadium. Earlier this year, you werent even allowed to go downstairs to watch batting practice or try for autos like in the old stadium. That changed though thanks to the public outcry. I guess the people who paid 2 grand for their seats didn't want a ham and egger like myself standing in their area, trying to get Teixiera to sign.

It seems I went off on a tangent. Fact is, the Yankees are my favorite team. When I started to write for autographs, I wanted to concentrate soley on the Yankees players, past and present. Over time, I started to add players who played for the Jets, Knicks, Devils and Islanders. I think it was because I was buying and trading for certified autos on baseball cards that I didn't need the ones who were signing ttm. Plus, there were some players that I just didnt have cards of. Now that I have learned to create custom cards, that shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, my quest to get as many autos of the players who played in Yankee Pinstripes has officially rebegun. Doesn't mean I will stop ttm'ing my other teams. It just means I will make a more concerted effort on the Yankees.

Anyways, thanks for reading my tangent. I hope to have some successes to report this week.

Mike