CHISOXCOLLECTOR

Eddie Fisher pitched for the White Sox from 1962-66, and again in 1972-73. He had an incredible year in 1965, making the All-Star team and finishing 4th in AL MVP voting. He pitched 165 innings in relief, which absolutely boggles the mind. He went 15-7 with a 2.40 ERA.

Eddie has always been a great mail signer, so I picked up a rookie card to send him, along with the last couple of Sox cards (both 1973 Topps) I had left. Apparently Mr. Fisher doesn’t sign dupes, as he returned one of the 73’s unsigned. I’m still quite pleased to get two signed cards back, though. Thanks Mr. Fisher!

Send Date: 8/23/21
Receive Date: 8/31/21
Total Days: 8
Items Sent: 3 Cards
Items Received: 2 Cards (1 card returned unsigned)
Pen Used: Thin Blue Sharpie

     

Pete Ward played for the White Sox from 1963-69. He first came up with the Orioles, but was blocked at third base by Brooks Robinson. The Sox acquired him in a blockbuster trade. The Sox got Pete Ward, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Hansen, and Dave Nicholson in exchange for Luis Aparicio and Al Smith. Ward went on to finish second in the 1963 AL Rookie of the Year balloting behind teammate Gary Peters.

Pete has reliable signed his mail forever, so I knew he would be a safe guy to send to. He certainly didn’t disappoint. Thanks Mr. Ward!

Send Date: 8/18/21
Receive Date: 8/28/21
Total Days: 10
Items Sent: 4 cards
Items Received: 4 cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

       

Saturday’s mail brought a couple of returns. First one I opened was from J.C. Martin, who played for the Sox from 1959-67. Martin is most famous for his game winning bunt for the Mets in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series. It was a controversial play, as Martin was running inside of the baseline and was hit by the throw from the catcher.

J.C. is one of the most reliable mail signers there is, so I wasn’t surprised by this quick return. Thanks Mr. Martin!

Send Date: 8/18/21
Receive Date: 8/28/21
Total Days: 10
Items Sent: 4 cards
Items Received: 4 cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

   

   

Eric Soderholm was one of the best players on the wonderful “Southside Hitmen” Sox team in 1977, putting up a 129 OPS+ and 4.4 WAR. He has always been a great mail signer, so I decided to send all of his Sox Topps cards. Thanks Mr. Soderholm!

Send Date: 7/23/21
Receive Date: 8/20/21
Total Days: 28
Items Sent: 3 cards
Items Received: 3 cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

       

This is without a doubt my favorite return since I started doing the whole TTM thing again. Big Bad Bobby Jenks hasn’t reliably signed his mail since 2007. But he has started signing again during his coaching stint with the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. So I sent in a couple of Upper Deck cards. I should have sent more than 2, as I need Jenks on quite a few cards. But I didn’t want to risk pushing it and getting nothing back.

The cards have an abbreviated version of his already short signature, but I’ll take it. Thanks Bobby!

Send Date: 7/23/21
Receive Date: 8/9/21
Total Days: 17
Items Sent: 2 cards
Items Received: 2 cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

           

Danny Tartabull had a 10 year run as a very good hitter in the American League. From 1984 to 1994, had a 139 OPS+ on a 278/374/505 slash line. 1996 was his only season with the Sox, and it came after his peak, but he still put up a solid 111 OPS+. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the fact that he consistently signs his mail for a pretty reasonable price. Now that I’ve finally tested the waters and knocked out the Upper Deck card I needed, I’ll probably send a few more cool cards and a baseball. Thanks Mr. Tartabull!

Send Date: 7/23/21
Receive Date: 8/6/21
Total Days: 14
Items Sent: 2 cards
Items Received: 2 cards
Fee: $20 ($10 per card)
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie