RealBrianD

For my first post, I thought I would introduce myself, and also ask a few questions. I am a 30 year old man, living in St. Louis, by way of Indianapolis, Indiana. I was born in Toledo Ohio, and moved to Indy in September of 2011. I just moved to St. Louis in August of this year. I have read about ttm successes for awhile now, but never sent anything. Im a die hard red sox fan, so for my very first ttm attempt, I decided to try for an autographed baseball from Bobby Doerr. Everything Ive read has lead me to believe that he is as reliable as they come, so I wanted to start my ttm collection off right. I put my ROMLB in an 8 1/2x11" bubble mailer, and inside I had the ball, a pen, the letter of request, and an index card with 3 questions on them. Ive seen the returns come with an average of a week or so. I put 6 forever stamps on the envelope to him, and 5 forever stamps on the sase (a 6x9 inch bubble mailer)....my first question is, Is that enough stamps? I read something on hiptolito that said to use 6 and 5, so thats what I done. I sent it out on August 24th, and today is September 5th, and I still havent received the ball back. I was very courteous of Mr. Doerr, in fact I thanked him several times for all hes done in his career, and what he means to Red Sox Nation. Am I just worrying to much, and should I be more patient? I guess my biggest concern is that I didnt include enough postage, and I'll never know. I want this ball soooo bad its unreal. I have a huge collection of Sox items, but Ive bought the majority throught reputable dealers in both Ohio and Indy. Like i said, this is my first ever ttm attempt, and I'm starting to get slightly discouraged. I know that Mr. Doerr signs faithfully and with regularity, so maybe its me that done something wrong with the shipping. How would you guys have handled this? Should I stop freaking out? or should I maybe just go buy another ball, and this time take it to the post office, and have them weigh everything so there is no doubt it got there? ANY help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated guys!!! Ive also sent a few cards out to various people, and havent gotten any of them back either. I know those will take quite awhile, so Im not worrying about those. But I am concerned about the Doerr ball, based on others quick response. I just put my hopes and excitement into getting the Doerr ball bakc. I want to get it back so bad, that I literally cant wait to check the mail every day. Let me know if Im just worrying way to much, or if I have reason to be concerned. like i said, any advice will greatly help me out. I will be posting quite often, as Im a stay at home father, so I have PLENTY of time on my hands. Looking forward to being a regular!!! Also, if anyone has any autographed Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, 49ers, or Ohio State items for sale, Im interested. Money isnt really a concern, so dont shy away from something if you want top dollar. I make on average 7-8 significant memorabilia purchases a year, so about once every month/2 months. I have Ted Williams, Curt Schilling, Jackie Bradley Jr, Bench, Pedroia, Francisco Liriano, Kris Johnson and plenty more, and ALWAYS looking....Thank you for the help guys! Please send me some advice!!!!