TTM Return # 31 - Former Phillies' Outfielder & Coach, Milt Thompson || Fan Pack Return #19 Da Bears

Player: Milt Thompson
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 9/21/19 (77 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Cincinnati Reds' Stadium listed on SCF.


Team: Chicago Bears
Sent: 9/13/19
Return: 9/21/19 (8 days)
Items: 2 stickers, 2 2019 pocket schedules
Address Source: email from SCF.
See all Fan Pack Returns Here

Nice way to end the week, getting two returns in a day.  That's pretty uncommon here, considering the low volume of requests I actually send out.  But it was nice to get Milt Thompson back after almost two months (77 days).  And an 8 day turn around to get a couple of Chicago Bears schedules is really good, too.

Fan Pack #18 - Pittsburgh Steelers (First NFL Fan Pack Return, First Fan Pack Since July!)

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Sent: 9/13/19
Return: 9/18/19 (5 days) [TTM HOF Entry]
Items: sunglasses, lanyard, can coozie, 2 stickers, 2019 pocket schedules
Address Source: email from SCF.
See all Fan Pack Returns Here

I've only been a football fan for about a decade, going back to a run working for a semi-pro team in South Jersey in the old NAFL.  One of our boys from that team went on to play a couple years indoor and had a cup of coffee with the BC Lions.  From there, I spent some time trying to build my own semi-pro team, and finally settled in doing some work with Globe Games.  Those experiences lead me to being a fan of the indoor and Canadian game, but I never had much time for the NFL.

TTM Success #30: Fourth Phillies' Manager Return - Pat Corrales

Player: Pat Corrales 
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 9/7/19 (63 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Atlanta, GA address listed on SCF.

Most of us have probably moved into fantasy football mode (I'm currently up 92-74 with an 83% win probability).  So I'll keep this short.

TTM Success #29: 1963 Gold Glove Winner Bobby Wine

Player: Bobby Wine
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 8/2/19 (44 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Norristown, PA address listed on SCF.

This is the longest I've waited for a return at 111 days. But for an 80 year old, Bobby Wine is still returning autographs for fans and still has a great, fluid, sharp signature.

TTM Success #28: Dale Sveum & New SCF.com Site Seems to Be Rolling Out

Player: Dale Sveum
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 8/2/19 (44 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Scottsdale, AZ address listed on SCF.

Dale Sveum is definitely a first ballot Baseball Name Hall of Fame entry.  Sveum played for the Phillies in 1992.  Philly was the first stop on a seven team tour that started after he spent the first six years of his career in Milwaukee (way back when that meant playing in the American League.

Mail Day And Also The Time I Did Play By Play for Shonie Carter's Pro Wrestling Debut (With a Tony Atlas Cameo)

I've been on a team set splurge lately.  I'm working on collecting all the Phillies AAA team sets.  It started when I refound my '88 Maine Phillies team set and saw a good deal on the '87 Maine Guides set.  Then I got a really good deal on this lot of 7 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons sets from 1990 thru '94.  There are 3 ProCards sets, and a SkyBox set as well as 3 team issued sets.

I was really excited to get the 1990 ProCards set.  That packaging and design is one of the most iconic minor league set designs ever.  The '92 SkyBox design was also very good.

Unfortunately, the eBay seller decided to dry load the '92, '93 & '94 team issued sets just wrapped in some news paper and put in the box.  Total clown show move.

Since this is an incredibly dry and boring post, I'll tell you the story about the time I did play by play for "Mr International" Shonie Carter's pro wrestling debut.

Set Review: 1987 TCMA Maine Guides Set Review (Update)

Grades
Quality: B-
Design: B
Star Power: C
Collectiblity: C
Intangibles: B
Overall: B-
Value: $7

At some point this week I decided that I was going to take a run at collecting a full set of Phillies' Triple-A team sets.  I've been sitting on the '88 Maine Phillies team set since 1988, and found this '87 Maine Guides set on eBay for about $10 shipped.  So, good news, I already have a complete Maine Guides/Phillies set.  I also have 2 Lehigh Valley Ironpigs sets, which just leaves every Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the Ottawa Rapidz and the rest of Ironpigs sets for the complete set.

So, this is the 1987 TCMA Maine Guides team set.

TTM Success #27: Gary Varsho

Player: Gary Varsho
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 8/2/19 (27 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Chilli, WI address listed on SCF.

Gary Varsho had a short Major League career, spending his 8 years as corners outfielder playing mostly off the bench, and only twice playing in more than half a season's games twice.  He finished out his career with the Phillies in '95, he retired after the season.

TTM Success #26: Ron Roenicke

Player: Ron Roenicke
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 8/1/19 (26 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Fenway Park, listed on SCF.

Ron Roenicke made an impression on me as a member of the first Phillies team I was functionally aware of as a utility piece of the '86 & '87 teams.  I was eight and nine for those teams and that was when I was truly becoming aware as a sentient  person.  It was not a great time to be "coming of age" as a baseball fan in Philadelphia. 

The '86 Phils finished 2nd in the East a mere 21 some games out of the pennant, and the '87 team finished 2 games under .500 before the bottom fell out of the whole operation in '88.  But I can still name some of those cardboard legends that patrolled the thinly covered concrete of The Vet.  That era of the Phillies is a real "Who's Who?"

TTM Success #25: Philadelphia Athletics' Art Ditmar

Player: Art Ditmar
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/27/19 (21 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Myrtle Beach, SC address listed on SCF.

Between Art Ditmar and Bobby Shantz, I've managed to get two of the few remaining men who played for the Philadelphia Athletics.  I think it's vitally important to keep the memory of that team alive.  With the history the behind the team since the club moved to Oakland, it's easy to forget that the team not only had a stop over in Kansas City, but was there right at the beginning, in 1901 when the Western League moved east and decided to go toe-to-toe with the National League.  Connie Mack and Ben Shibe launched the Athletics to compete with the Phillies.  That team went on to stomp all over the newly minted American League, winning six pennants and three World Series titles in 15 years. 

TTM Success #24: Denny Doyle

Player: Denny Doyle
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/26/19 (20 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Oakland, FL address listed on SCF.

Denny Doyle came from the generation of Phillies that immediately preceded me.  He is also one of a dwindling number of players who spent part of their career at Connie Mack Stadium.  I feel drawn to that era and that stadium.  I've probably mentioned it before, but I'm obsessed with the idea of the Philadelphia Athletics.  What would the city's sports culture, and what would my sports fandom be like if the Athletics had never left for Kansas City?  How would my appreciation of baseball been different had the A's stayed in town and played in Connie Mack through the 80's and 90's?  It's likely that as a natural contrarist, and a traveler of the road not taken, that I would have been an A's fan.  Mostly because my grandfather was a Phillies' guy through and through, and being an A's fan probably would have gone right up his ass.

TTM Success #23: Former Phillies Pitcher and Current Color Commentary Guy Larry Anderson

Player: Larry Anderson
Sent: 4/19/19
Return: 7/27/19 (97 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Citizens Bank Park listed on SCF.

Larry Anderson was a mediocre relief pitcher with one of the legendary senses of humor in the history of the game.  If there is a Mount Rushmore of utility player/middle relievers with hall of fame senses of humor, I believe that Larry Anderson and former Phillies' coconspirator Jay Johnstone occupy two of those giant, bouldery heads. 

Big Box of Citizens Bank Ballpark Pocket Schedules

The last of my recent eBay wins arrived today.  It was a Phillies pocket schedule lot that included at least 1 pocket schedule from every season the Phillies have been at Citizens Bank Park, as well as the 2003 schedule, which was Veterans Stadium's swan song.

TTM Successes #21 & 22: Utility Player Extraordinaire Greg Gross and Manager With a Mouth Lee Elia

Player: Greg Gross
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/20/19 (14 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Reno Aces stadium listed on SCF.

Player: Lee Elia
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/20/19 (14 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Odessa, FL address listed on SCF.

TTM Success #20: Ron Gant Via Fox 5 Atlanta

Player: Ron Gant
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/19/19 (13 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Fox 4 Atlanta Studio listed on SCF.

Biggest Mail Day Yet With TTM Success #19 Tom Qualters Plus Pocket Schedules and Adds to Mike Schmidt PC

Player: Tom Qualters
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/18/19 (12 days)
Ratio: 4/2
Address Source: Somerset, PA address listed on SCF.

Let's start at the top. Three packages in on mail day.  (Well, 4, the Kindle HD 10 that I picked up on Amazon Crash Prime Day came in as well.)  Two of my recent eBay wins cams in as well as a return from Tom Qualters towards my Phillies TTM Frankenset.  Mr. Qualters, who is 84 years old, signed two custom cards beautifully with a black pen and included 2 copies of his '54 Topps (which I guess is a '94 Archives set?). 

TTM Success #18: 1988 US Olympic Team Member Mickey Morandini

Player: Mickey Morandini
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/17/19 (11 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Citizens Bank Park listed on SCF.

Mickey Morandini holds a special place in my Phillies' fandom.  He was a solid hand in the middle of the infield.  But Mickey was a talented glove at second base with a great bottom of the order bat.  But, if you remember Mickey playing for the Phillies, you remember the epic, drawn out, goosebump inducing fashion in which Harry Kalas would announce "Mick-key Moh-ran-dee-nee".  I've never seen (or heard) any announcer make such a delicious meal so regularly out of any player's name.

Mail Day: Providence Bruins Cards, Pocket Schedules & Pins

Won a couple eBay auctions on Sunday, in between doing laundry and watching the new Spiderman movie.  The first to arrive is this package, with a smattering of smalls from the Providence Bruins.  Going into my 3rd hockey season (which - as much as I do love baseball - I can't wait for), and I think I've officially transitioned from being a Philadelphia Phantoms (RIP) fan to a Providence Bruins fan.  It's easier to make the change, considering the Phantoms have moved twice since the last time I saw them as the "home team".

TTM Success #16 & 17: Phillies' Pitchers Grant Jackson & Dan Plesac (with a cameo by the Phanatic)

Player: Grant Jackson
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/15/19 (9 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: Upper Saint Clair, PA address listed on SCF.

Player: Dan Plesac
Sent: 7/6/19
Return: 7/15/19 (9 days)
Ratio: 2/2
Address Source: MLB Network office listed on SCF.

Fan Pack #17: Lake Elsinore Storm with a Killer Return and a Ben Franklin Story

Team: Lake Elsinore Storm
Sent: 3/11/19
Return: 7/9/19 (120 days)
Items: 2015 Scout Night patch, 2016 All-Star Game ticket & "Playball" program, 2018 schedule magnet, 2018 pocket schedule, 2019 pocket schedule, 2 logo stickers, postcard, "Ace" mascot autographed card and a toothbrush.
Address Source: email from SCF.
See all Fan Pack Returns Here.

This is my favorite fan pack return I've gotten.  There's a lot of cool stuff to unpack here.