Most surprising TTM success?

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dp33

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After getting my Mark Buehrle return last week, I started wondering what other players people were most surprised to see show up in their mailbox. Now, seeing a couple of Andy Pettitte returns, I guess I will ask the question:

Who is the most surprising TTM success you have had, and why? Was it because they are a star player and you just didn't think they would? Because they're rumored not to sign free through the mail? Because it just took a long time? Some other reason?

I only have about a dozen or so, so I expect that my answer might change now that I have begun sending out requests daily. Certainly others will have better stories, but my most surprising was J.J. Hardy a few years ago. He was very popular here in Milwaukee, and was coming off his all-star season, so I figured I had that working against me. I sent out to Hardy and a few other less popular Brewers in April/May, and received all of them back within a month or so with the exception of Hardy.

Well, the season came and went, and we ended up going to the big Brewers winter event on a Sunday in January of the next year. We got there very early in the morning just to get in line for a Hardy autograph, and were successful in getting one. Also got a few others, so was a pretty good day and I was happy to finally get my Hardy autograph. Well, the next day, guess what showed up in the mailbox later that week? My J.J. Hardy TTM auto. I don't know if he signed a bunch that Sunday while he was waiting around to go to the autograph stage, or if he did it on the flight to Milwaukee (I think he lives in Phoenix), or maybe he had just left them in Milwaukee and picked them up after the event. At any rate, I finally got it about 9 months later.

Anyone else want to share?
 
I have two 'big' surprises and they are both football.

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This was a surprise because everything that I'd seen said he had stopped signing after he retired...Well, 101 days later, it showed up my mailbox, to my excitement.

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The other was this Mario Williams card. I had LONG written it off, but I ended up getting it back from Mario 361 DAYS after I had originally sent it to him. A nice surprise for sure. :)
 
My biggest surprise was Nomar Garciaparra c/o ESPN.....I had mailed to him twice in Boston and once each in Chicago, Los Angeles and c/o home address without even getting my card back.
 
For me, I'd probably have to say Wade Boggs. Took over a year and obviously he is a Hall of Famer.
 
There have been lots of nice surprises in the mail for me, whether it was a tough signer or the player included something extra for me. The toughest signer that I got back which surprised me was Willie Mays. I had just gotten into TTM and was sending to everyone and anyone. I had some reprint cards of Mays laying around and thought "why not?" A few months later the card came back signed in blue Sharpie. This was back in the mid to late 1980's. I still have the card in my collection to this day.
 
I have a 5 way tie.
Nomar Garciaparra, Ryne Sandberg, Andy Pettitte, Josh Hamilton, and Wade Boggs who signed 3 things TTM for me, including a commemorative baseball.
 
Most surprising for me is Reggie Miller, I thought he had stopped signing and it showed up in the mail.

You mean Dale Berra! Rumor is he signs just about all Yogi's stuff.

That could be but I think the free autos being returned are too shaky.
 
Here are a few for me...
Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion
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Nick Lidstrom
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Mario Lemieux
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Greg Maddux
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Pavel Datsyuk
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Mario Lemieux
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My biggest surprise was Yogi Berra, no fee.Other surprises are Robin Yount, Wade Boggs.
 
a few for me...

Rusty Staub just because I haven't seen many Staub successes
Staub_R.jpg
4of5.jpg


I was happy to get a "REAL" Don Zimmer, that was surprising
Zimmer_D.jpg

Since getting this TTM return, I've come across a photo of Zim in an Expos uniform so I'd love to get him to sign a new custom, but I doubt I'll get lucky twice and avoid a Mrs. Zimmer auto the 2nd time.
0Zim.jpg


The third surprise I'll say is Masato Yoshii, I say it was a surpise because I had never sent to Japan, and I wrote the address on the envelope in Japanese... and had no clue if I had it right.. lol... but it made it there, Yoshii signed and sent it back on his own dime.
Yoshii_with_note.jpg
 
a few for me...

Rusty Staub just because I haven't seen many Staub successes
Staub_R.jpg
4of5.jpg


I was happy to get a "REAL" Don Zimmer, that was surprising
Zimmer_D.jpg

Since getting this TTM return, I've come across a photo of Zim in an Expos uniform so I'd love to get him to sign a new custom, but I doubt I'll get lucky twice and avoid a Mrs. Zimmer auto the 2nd time.
0Zim.jpg


The third surprise I'll say is Masato Yoshii, I say it was a surpise because I had never sent to Japan, and I wrote the address on the envelope in Japanese... and had no clue if I had it right.. lol... but it made it there, Yoshii signed and sent it back on his own dime.
Yoshii_with_note.jpg

I foprgot to mention Yoshi as well.....with thanks to you of course for helping me with the address :D
 
I guess my biggest surprise was my first and only TTM success with former Orioles great Dave McNally, which arrived only a couple of days before he left us.
 
My TTM surprise was receiving Chris James back in March 2011 after sending it to him on July 12, 1992. Folks, that's almost 19 years ago.
 
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