Marian Hossa

Mailed on 7/23/09 and received 1/1 back on 7/31/09.  Great success but I'm not sure about the authenticity of this one.  Ill have to do some research and figure it out.  I hope it is because I've been trying to track down Marian Hossa since he signed with the Hawks.  He's a great player and is going to have a huge impact on the young Hawks.  Card was mailed to what I think was a home address.

Jeremy Roenick

Mailed on 7/17/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/31/09.  This is the second Roenick success I've gotten lately, I really wanted to get the card that was already signed by Eric Daze signed by JR as well.  The card looks great and now I just need Chris Chelios to sign the card not sure if I should mail it now or wait and see what team he joins next season.  The sharpie JR used this time is much better then the sharpie I got last time.  Bold black signatures on both cards.  Cards were mailed to his home.

Micah Hoffpauir

Mailed on 7/22/09 and received 1/2 back on 7/30/09.  Micah is a great young hitter for my home town Cubs and I look forward to watching him at firstbase for many years.  I was kind of disappointed he kept the card he did.  I sent this card and a 08-09 Upper Deck card, which looked really sharp and would have looked great with a signature on it.  Oh well he did sign his rookie card which is nice.  Quick turnaround form a big leaguer is always nice.  Cards were mailed to the Cubs.

Mike Sillinger

Mailed on 5/15/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/25/09.  A great return from a long time NHL'er.  I can't remember if I mailed the older Ducks card or he switched out a card on me.  I don't remember mailing that card but I don't remember a different card that I may have mailed.  Oh well cards look good so I'm happy.  Mr. Sillinger could use a new sharpie though the one he's using is getting a bit old.  Cards were mailed to his home.

Steve Rucchin

Mailed on 6/8/09 and received 4/4 back on 7/25/09.  Id been looking for this address for a while then I finally found it and as you can see I got a very nice return back.  Cards are signed in blue sharpie which always looks good.  Cards look great very happy.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Rucchins home address.

Ben Grieve

Mailed on 7/6/09 and received 2/6 back on 7/23/09.  Ben played in the MLB for a long time and was a productive player.  I was surprised that he only signed two of the cards but thats ok, after getting shutout the first three days this week any success is nice.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Grieves home.

The Blackhawks Convention 2009

I went up for the Hawks convention just on Saturday even though it ran all weekend.  I was sitting on my computer Thursday night and bought a cheap ticket on ebay, just a last minute thing I decided to do.  Wow it was over-crowded and took forever to get an autograph.  You either had to choose to wait in the basement area of the hotel and get autographs or you could go upstairs and enjoy the activities of the convention.  I heard there was a line of people waiting to get into the autograph area and they were not letting people go back in if you left.  So I chose to stay in the autograph area.  The lines were pretty bad, I waited in line for 2 hours to get Kris Versteeg only to see him standing around outside the hotel as I was leaving.  It took about an hour and a half to get Amonte and Probert and times on the other varied.  The quickest was Aaron Johnson... funny story... kind of.  Aaron Johnson was signed up for a Kids only signing at the same time Amonte and another popular player where signing.  So only a few kids were going into the line every once in a while.  So after I got out of the Probert line I walked me way over into the room where they were selling all sorts of stuff, bought a Johnson card, walked right through the line and got Johnson to sign my card for me.  That was the only autograph all day that didn't take forever.  Bob Probert, Tony Amonte, and Phil Russel were probably the nicest guys I got autographs from.  I thanked Amonte for coming and said he was glad to do it and appreciated all the great fans.  Probert was nice talking to all the fans.  He complimented me on my card and showed it to the security guard.  Russel was just a classy guy and I was able to have a short conversation with him.  Jim Pappin didn't seem thrilled to be signing, not talking much to anyone.  Most guys smiled and thanked you for coming which was nice.  I'm still glad I went, it was a fun experience and it was free autographs so I can't complain.  I also got to talk to a lot of people as I waited in lines all day.  Lots of nice people so that made waiting not as bad.  I was kind of disappointed that Toews, Kane, or Hossa didn't do any signings for the convention, the only way to get them was a VIP signing that only people who stayed at the hotel had an opportunity to go to.  A very long day got there at 8:30 Am and left at 6:30 PM.  

All in all 12 autographs

Cards: 1 each from Tony Amonte, Bob Probert, Kris Versteeg, Brent Sopel, Aaron Johnson, Jim Pappin, Lou Angotti, Steve Konroyd, and Phil Russel.  Jordan Hendry signed 2 cards for me.

Puck: Dave Bolland

Brandon Dubinsky

Mailed on 6/25/09 and received 1/1 back on 7/18/09.  A very nice return from a NY Ranger.  Its hard to get Rangers since they don't seem to forward their mail very much and a lot of their players don't seem to be to keen on signing.  But I got a home address for Brandon and it worked very well.  Brandon has a nice autograph and it looks great on this card.  It looks like he started signing this card in pen but then switched to sharpie.  Very happy he switched.  Its always nice to get a current NHL guy during the off-season, it keep me happy till I can start mailing cards out NHL teams again.  Very happy! Cards were mailed to a home address.

Vaclav Prospal

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/17/09.  This is the second success Ive had with Vaclav, I recently got some newer Prospal cards and sent them out to him.  He was nice enough to sign on both occasions for me.  His autograph is slightly different but not different enough to suggest someone else is signing.  Vaclav was an underrated player in his day and I appreciate him signing for me twice like this.  Cards were mailed to his home. 

Vitali Yachmenev

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 5/5 back on 7/17/09.  A very nice return, Vitali was nice enough to sign all 5 cards that I mailed him.  Its hard to see his dying black sharpie on a couple of the cards but thats ok.  He also personalized 3 of the 5 cards.  Not sure why 3 of the 5 haha but I always like it when players take the time to personalize that cards when I don't ask them to.  It shows they care which is nice.  Solid return.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Yachmenev's home.  

Mark Prior

Mailed on 6/27/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/16/09.  Great return from a player who should have had a much better career then he is currently having.  I grew up watching Mark Prior become a star for my hometown Cubs and its sad to see he was never able to fulfill his true potential.  He was absolutely dominate when he was healthy.  I truly hope he can get his injuries under control and have a few more solid seasons.  Im very happy to add these cards to my collection.  The blue sharpie looks great on these cards!! Cards were mailed to the Padres.  

Chan Ho Park

Mailed on 6/24/09 and received 1/2 back on 7/16/09.  Nice return from a long time major league pitcher.  Chan Ho has been with a few different teams in his day and is now with the Phillies.  Mr. Park appears to be the odd man out in the Phillies rotation this year.  Due to the addition of Pedro Martinez and possibly acquiring Roy Halladay I dont expect to see Mr. Park on the mound to much more this year.  J.A. Happ who replaced Chan Ho Park has done a great job also this year.  J.A. Happ is from from my area here he went to the rival high school from the school I went to (he's a few years older then me.)  Chan Ho has done a good job when he has gotten innings this year and I'm glad he's taking time for his fans.  Cards were mailed to the Phillies.

John-Michael Liles

Mailed on 7/1/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/15/09.  Sweet return from a great offensive defenseman.  John has put up consistent numbers since he has become a everyday player in the NHL.  The Avs have a long way to go before they become contenders put I think in a few years they can become a contender again and Mr. Liles will be a huge part of the future for the Avs.  All three of the cards are signed beautifully in blue sharpie and one is personalized very nicely to me.  Very happy with this success!  Cards were mailed to Mr. Liles home.

Eric Daze

Mailed on 6/26/09 and received 4/4 back on 7/14/09.  Great return from a lifetime Blackhawk and a great scorer.  These cards look great all four cards are nicely signed in thin blue sharpie.  One of the cards that is really cool is the card with Daze, Roenick, and Chelios on it.  Ive got a few cards like this but I like this one because its got three all-time great Hawks on it.  I plan on trying to get this card signed by all three.  I'm going to mail it to Roenick in the next few days.  Hopefully it works out because I'd be really happy with this card if it was signed by those three.  All of the cards look awesome I'm very happy with these.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Daze's home.

Matt Thornton

Mailed on 6/26/09 and received 2/2 on 7/14/09.  Matt is one of the best lefty set-up men in the league and I love to watch him pitch.  He throws upper 90's and can control it very well.  When he is rolling he is unstoppable.  But Matt did swap a card out on me.  I sent a 07-08 Upper Deck card and a 06-07 refractor card.  The refractor was really nice and it was going to look great with an autograph on it.  But Mr. Thornton needed it for his collection so he kept that one and gave me an 06-07 Topps card.  The thing is I already have a signed copy of this card that I sent him last season.  Oh well both cards still look nice.  This one came back in a USPS envelope thing because the original envelope was torn up.  Its kind of weird that it got torn up since the White Sox are a in state request for me.  Cards are in good shape still though so its fine.  Cards were mailed to the White Sox.

Pat Neshek

Mailed on 7/1/09 and received 6 card on 7/13/09.  I got these from Pats site that I talked about on a earlier post.  One of the features that he has on his site is his autograph trade.   You can either send him hockey or baseball autographed cards and he will send you signed cards of himself back.  I mailed him 4 cards... Alexei Yashin, Michel Petit, Craig Adams and Chris Chelios.  He mentioned on his site he didnt have a Chelios card so I mailed him one of the two I had.  I guess he liked the cards I sent him because he mailed me back 6 cards!  The cards are from various minor league teams he has been on and are all beautifully signed.  I think its so cool that a player who right now is busy coming back from a serious arm surgery takes time for his fans and does cool things like this.  Even if you aren't a baseball fan its still a cool site to check out and maybe mail him some of your extra signed copies of cards.  Very very happy!!!  Cards were mailed to the Twins extended spring training site.  The address can be found on his site.  www.eteamz.com/patneshek/

Max Scherzer

Mailed on 6/27/09 and received 1/2 back on 7/13/09.  Awesome return from a young stud in the MLB.  I remember last season when Max bursted into the MLB with the D'backs and dominated everyone in his way.  I also remember the ridiculous prices people were paying for Scherzer cards on ebay.  Glad I waited it out and got a cheap card and sent it out to him.  The card is signed in thin blue and is a little hard to see on the card.  I really like these cards though the baseball and hockey cards look great.  Max is going to be a top notch pitcher in the league for a very long time.  Cards were mailed to the D'Backs.

Jacques Cloutier

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 5/5 on 7/13/09.  Another former Blackhawk to add to my collection!  Jacques played a couple years with the Hawks and had a very long career in the NHL.  All five cards are beautifully signed in thin black sharpie.  Looks like he takes his time signing all five of the cards very happy.  Mondays are always the best mail days for me.  Five last week and four this week, I love Mondays haha.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Cloutier's home.

Sean Casey

Mailed out on 5/26/09 and received 3/3 on 7/13/09.  Great return from a long time veteran in the MLB.  Sean is one of the gentlemen of the game and had a great career.  Mr Casey is now working with the MLB network doing analysis and tv work.  Signed all 3 of my cards, one is badly smudged though.  The two cards had great signing surfaces and look great.  Awesome cards from a class act.  Cards were mailed to the MLB Network.  

Keith Tkachuk

Mailed on 6/8/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/11/09.  Keith is a great signer and a classy guy.  This is the second time that I've been able to get him through is home address.  While both times Ive sent c/o his home have worked I mailed a jersey card and another card to the Blues at the beginning of the year and I haven't gotten anything back.  I figured since he sign through is house he'd sign through the team but I guess not.  oh well.  Glad to get these back.  Keith has one of the weirdest looking autographs out there and I love it.   Cards were mailed to his home. 

Joel Otto

Mailed on 6/26/09 and received 6/5 back on 7/11/09.  Great return from a hard-nosed player.  Unlike most of the tough guys these days Joel could actually put up very good numbers.  Good looking autograph and it was very nice of him to sign one of the index cards I used to pad the envelope.  Great success from a former player!  Cards were mailed to his home. 

I've been meaning to put this link up... Pat Neshek is a major league pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.  He has a blog where he talks about his autograph collecting and other things of that nature.  Its cool to see a pro player who collects like many of us do.  Check it out!  www.eteamz.com/patneshek/

Roberto Alomar

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 1/2 back on 7/11/09.  Great return from one of the best 2B to play.  Roberto put up great offensive numbers and was one of the best with the glove.  Glad to see he is taking time for his fans now that his career is over.  Nice neat signature.  I really like these cards... I got a couple boxes of them when I was young and Ive always liked them.  The autographs stick great on the surface!  Very happy with this return.  Card was mailed to Mr Alomars home.

Joe Nathan

Mailed on 6/27/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/10/09.  Great return from one of the best closers in the game.  Joe has to be one of the most underrated closers in the game, if he played in NY or Boston he'd be in the Hall of Fame haha.  Mr Nathan is one of the most reliable signers in the game.  A class act and both cards are signed beautifully in blue sharpie.  Very happy with these cards thanks so much Joe!  Cards were mailed to the Twins.  

Fernando Vina

Mailed on 6/24/09 and received 4/4 back on 7/10/09.  Very nice success, Fernando is a classy guy who does a great job on ESPN as an analyst.  He had a great career in the MLB, I remember him getting a lot of big hits against my hometown Cubs.  Its hard to see the autograph on a couple of these cards, Fernando signed with a thin blue sharpie.  But they still look great and Im very happy with these.  Cards were mailed to Mr Vina's home. 

Jack Skille

Mailed on 3/18/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/7/09.  Little bit of a wait but a very nice return.  Jack is a promising young player who I think just needs consistent playing time in the NHL to be an effective NHL player.  Jack is stuck behind a lot of other talented young player but hopefully this upcoming season we will see more time and production for Mr. Skille.  All three cards are signed in thick black sharpie.  I was glad to get a success today because it seems after I have a day where I get a bunch of returns I don't get anything the next day so this one was nice to get.  Got it back with a .42c stamp on it.  I always wonder how many returns I've lost due to lack of postage due to the many rate increases over the last 2 years.  Oh well.... not much I can do about it.  If you haven't already switch to Forever stamps so you can always get your cards back!! And its not a bad idea to put a return address in the top corner of your SASE just in case.  Cards were mailed to either the Hawks or Icehogs but card postmarked from Madison, WI.

Sergei Brylin

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/6/09.  Sergei has been a solid player in the NHL for a long time.  Not dazzling numbers but he's a player who year after year gives you consistent number.  You know what you are going to get from Mr. Brylin.  I love the OPC cards the autographs just take to them so well.  Very happy with this speedy return!  This was the 5th envelope that I had opened up today, a new record for me.  I've been writing a ton the last two months so I'm glad to be getting consistent returns and its nice to have days like this.  Hopefully this pace keeps up.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Brylins home.  

Tim Kerr

Mailed on 6/26/09 and received 4/4 back on 7/6/09.  Mr Kerr was a great player for so long in the NHL.  Whenever Tim was healthy he put up huge numbers year after year.  4 years in a row he scored 50 or more goals!  Nice neat looking autograph.  It looks like he tried to sign one of the cards in ballpoint pen but it didn't work so he switched over to thin black sharpie.  Glad he did the cards look great with sharpie.  Cards were mailed to Mr. Kerr's home. 

Jeremy Guthrie

Mailed on 6/27/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/6/09.  Jeremy is one of the most underrated pitchers in the league.  He's got a lot of skill and a lot of things working against him.  1) He plays in Baltimore which gets him little attention and not the best talent around him 2) He pitches in the AL which is a much tougher league the the NL for pitchers. 3) He plays in the best division in the AL, the East.  Tampa Bay, Boston, and New Yorks lineups would make any pitcher shutter.  Jeremy does a great job with what he is given.  Baltimore seems to be a good team for TTM.  I've seen successes with the two guys ive gotten, Luke Scott, Adam Jones and others.  Cards were mailed to the Orioles.

George Sherrill

Mailed on 6/26/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/6/09.  A fast return for a MLB closer!  George has burst on to the scene and last few years while Baltimore and has been solid closing out game.  He's a great signer TTM so I bought a couple cards and mailed them to him.  Very happy with them couple cards.  This request was sent out with my first significant group of baseball requests.  Now that hockey is all wrapped up (but not for long, training camp will be here before we know it!!!) I imagine that I'll be getting more and more baseball returns back as my focus shifts to baseball.  Hopefully these start a trend.  Cards were mailed to the Orioles.

Wes Swackhamer

Mailed on 6/29/09 and received 5/5 back on 7/6/09.  I've been looking to get this autograph for a very long time.  Wes called it a career in baseball a couple years ago but I saw him play as a minor leaguer.  He had all sorts of different nice cards and I bought a whole bunch of them to get signed in person.  But he retired and I never had that opportunity.  So I was excited to find a business address for him and I got a very fast return.  Great signature great cards very happy.  Cards were mailed to his work address.

R.J. Umberger

Mailed on 6/24/09 and received 3/3 back on 7/3/09.  This is my second return from R.J. both times I got quick returns and nice signature.  All three cards are signed on bold blue sharpie.  The only problem is like most jersey cards I send out it got creased right around the spot where the jersey swatch is.  ughh this always happens I don't understand it either because I send the cards in a hard plastic case.  The postal service must do a great job beating the hell out of the mail.  Anyone have any tips for me?  Cards were mailed to Mr. Umbergers home.

Jared Burton

Mailed on 6/24/09 and received 2/2 back on 7/3/09.  Quick return from an MLB'er, Jared does a solid job in the Reds bullpen eating up innings.  I sent this one out mainly because I had the minor league card of Jared in a Kane County Cougars uniform.  Interesting signature for sure haha.  Cards were mailed to the Reds.

Chris Pronger

Mailed on 10/21/08 and received 2/2 back on 7/1/09.  Great way to start a new month after having a great June.  Chris Pronger has been one of the best d-men in the league for a very long time and I'm glad to see he's nice enough to sign TTM.  Both cards are personalized which is great with me.  I understand why athletes do this, to prevent the cards from being posted up on ebay the second someone gets them back.  I'm honestly surprised more players don't do this.  Very nice signature and great return.  Cards were mailed to the Ducks.