SDre31's TTM Success Thread

[cfagent0]

That's a great story. What a class act. That is awesome.

[forgerelli]

Very, very cool.

Scott F

[SDre31]

I was happy to share. Lenny DiNardo is definitely one of the good guys.

[SDre31]

Here's a June return from Mike Stanley, a former Yankees catcher. Known more for his hitting, Mike was an All-Star in 1995 and helped return the Yankees to the postseason that year. I was pretty bummed when they chose not to resign him after the season and replaced him with Joe Girardi, but it worked out in the end.

Mike Stanley
Address: See TTM Database
Sent: 5/7/13
Received: 6/6/13

[SDre31]

In honor of his last start at Yankee Stadium, here is a return that I received from Andy Pettitte that I never got around to posting. This was my second attempt to get his autograph, so I was thrilled to receive a return from the five-time World Series champion. I'll always associate Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter with my childhood since they were all rookies in 1995, the year that I started watching baseball. It's hard to believe that it's been eighteen years since his debut, but it's been a pleasure to watch him pitch throughout that time.

Andy Pettitte
c/o New York Yankees
Sent: 5/4/13
Received: 6/22/13

[SDre31]

I've fallen behind on posting my returns from the last four months of 2013. I plan on catching up before I send off some TTM requests to Spring Training.

This return is from Doug Sisk. He was a reliever on the 1986 Mets World Championship team. An amusing aside is that he included my request letter in the envelope with the signed card.

Doug Sisk
Address: See TTM Database
Sent: 2/23/13
Received: 9/6/13

[SDre31]

The next of my catch-up returns is from Lance "1 Dog" Johnson. Although his only full season as a Met was 1996, a year when the team finished 71-91, he had a season for the ages. He set the Mets records for at-bats (682), runs (117), hits (227), triples (21!), and total bases (327), while batting .333 and stealing 50 bases. The hits and triples are still team records today. 1996 was the first year that I watched the Mets full-time, so I remember Lance very fondly.

Lance Johnson
Address: See TTM Database
Sent: 5/7/13
Received: 9/13/13

[awz50]

In honor of his last start at Yankee Stadium, here is a return that I received from Andy Pettitte that I never got around to posting. This was my second attempt to get his autograph, so I was thrilled to receive a return from the five-time World Series champion. I'll always associate Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter with my childhood since they were all rookies in 1995, the year that I started watching baseball. It's hard to believe that it's been eighteen years since his debut, but it's been a pleasure to watch him pitch throughout that time.

Andy Pettitte
c/o New York Yankees
Sent: 5/4/13
Received: 6/22/13

That card looks awesome!

[SDre31]

That card looks awesome!

Thanks! I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

[SDre31]

My next return is the most fascinating and obscure one that I've received as part of my Brooklyn Cyclones project. It's from Joe Hietpas. For anyone who has seen the movie Field of Dreams, you'll recognize the name Moonlight Graham. Graham played in exactly one major league game, playing in the field but never having a plate appearance. Well, Joe Hietpas has the same story. As a catcher in the Mets farm system, he was known as an outstanding defensive catcher, but struggled offensively. In September 2004, he joined the Mets as a September call up. On the final day of the season, with the Mets winning 8-1 against the Montreal Expos (in the Expos' final game), Joe made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning. The Expos did not score, ending the game, the 2004 season, and Joe's MLB career. He remained in the minor leagues from 2005-2008, and actually converted to pitching in 2007 and 2008 before retiring. His final MLB line was one game, one inning in the field, and zero plate appearances.

When I started my Cyclones project in early 2012, I could not find information about Joe's whereabouts. I had a hard enough time finding a card of his. At the start of the 2013 season, I looked him up again. That's when I found this interesting article on MLB.com about modern day Moonlight Grahams. Joe's story was told. It mentioned that after retiring, he earned a law degree and was now working at a law firm in Missouri. After looking up the address, I sent him my request. I wondered if he would be amused by someone sending him a card from his past life, as I was pretty sure that my request was not common. I imagined him showing the card to his co-workers. I also considered that he would be annoyed that someone sent an autograph request to his place of employment.

After almost nine months, I figured that he put his career behind him and did not care to sign, or that my letter just never made it to his desk from the mailroom. Then, out of the blue, I received a return from the former Brooklyn Cyclone who played all of one inning in major league baseball aka one more inning than most of us have played. It's a proud addition to my collection.

Joe Hietpas
Address: See TTM Database
Sent: 2/23/13
Received: 9/21/13



Cyclones Career
Year: 2002
Games: 32
Batting Line (AVG, HR, RBI): .256, 1, 13