R. Lee Ermey TTM Success

                       I recently sent out some photos, a SASE, and a fan letter to Acting Legend and American Hero/Bad Ass R. Lee Ermey. I AM A HUGE FAN OF HIS! I was really hoping he would sign the pictures and send them back to me in the SASE I sent. I was so jacked up when I looked inside my mail box and saw an envelope from Ermey of CA in it. The envelope itself look like it had been through some wars, so I was a little worried that the photos inside would be damaged. Luckily everything was in pristine condition and "Gunny" ( R. Lee Ermey ) had included some choice pictures as well. He is a real class act! 

             My favorite R. Lee Ermey performance would have to be in "Full Metal Jacket". Gunnery Sergeant Hartman stole the whole movie and could be argued as one of the most gripping performances of all time. 

"I bet you're the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddamn common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I'll be watching you." - Gunnery Sergeant Hartman

"Five-foot-nine, I didn't know they stacked shit that high!" - Gunnery Sergeant Hartman

               In the two Micheal Bay "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films R. Lee Ermey played the crazy patriarch of Leatherface's family. It's an amazing performance that was truly creepy and horrifying, and yet another movie he stole the show.

    In the comedy "Saving Silverman" R. Lee Ermey showed he could make you laugh just as easily as he could make your shit you pants. Though he is barley in the movie, once again he steal every scene he is in. I could be wrong, haven't seen the movie in a while, but I pretty sure the movie ends with R. Lee Ermey marrying Jack Black. Totally unexpected!

              Some of my other favorite R. Lee Ermey movies are "Seven", "The Frighteners", and "The Watch".

          R. Lee Ermey also hosted 2 excellent TV programs on the History Channel, "Mail Call" and "Locked N' Loaded". Both shows are amazing and really informative. Gunny also appeared on FOX's "House M.D." as House's Dad. 

         I really appreciate R. Lee Ermey as an Actor and a Person. Thank you Gunny!

Card Searching Retail

          What is "CARD SEARCHING"? Card Searching is the hobby/art/sport of searching through packs of cards at a retail location and being able to decipher which packs have what cards in them without opening them. There are very many techniques and strategies to doing this and it is an ever changing process. Every Card Manufacturer and every card set do things a little differently. I still consider myself a beginner at this and I am always trying to hone my craft.
          The first and easiest method I learned to card search is the "FLEX" test. This is a very easy way to find memorabilia cards. Just gently grab the pack from both ends and give the middle of the pack a soft flex. Packs containing a memorabilia card will not flex at all. It's just that easy! Some card manufactures do put in "DUMMY CARDS" to make the pack stiff; so you do have to make yourself aware of that. Panini usually uses a lot of dummy cards and even Topps uses some ordinary foam-core cards to throw you off. Always expect the unexpected.
         So just using the Flex test alone isn't the optimal idea. Once the packs pass the Flex test and are stiff as a brick. You could use the "FAN" method and fan the cards out in the packs and try to get a glimpse of any marking on the thicker card. Dummy cards are usually completely white. So if you see any graphics are lettering at all; there is a very good chance you have a pack containing a memorabilia card of some type. Unlike the Flex test, Fanning requires a little skill and can be used to uncover all types of parallel bordered cards not just memorabilia cards. It is still fairly simple, you just want to spread out the cards in the pack in a manner in which you can see a little bit of the edge of each card. Usually you want to fan them out in a spot of the packaging that is see through.
               Taking things a step further, once you have a card singled out in the Fan, you can use the "SLIDE" maneuver to see more of the card in question. This requires a lot of practice and is a lot easier in loose packaging. Basically you separate the card in question by holding it in place and slide the obstructing cards as far down the package as possible. Leaving as much of the card visible as allowed. A good card searcher usually knows what card they have hit.  
            Another method commonly used is the "SWIPE". This is a great technique for finding autographs. I personally have never found a card this way. You must have very sensitive fingers. You place the pack on a firm surface and run your fingers across the top of the pack. You should feel a bump of the sticker that the autograph is on if there is one in the pack. 
            The best trick of them all is bringing a small pocket scale and weighing everything you can get your hands on. If something weighs too much or too little, it could be a sign of something good. Almost anything weighing an obscene amount more is going to be something significant! It is a trial and error process and can be as rewarding as it is regretful. But just like anything in life, the more you do it the better you will become. 

A Great Website Forum for Card Searching is PackSearchers.com 

And I use SportsCardRadio.com for Card Set Release Dates 

Here are some of my Greatest Hits from my first year of Card Searching. 

I will be posting my current Hits and how I found them as the sets are released. 

Through the Mail Autographs (TTM)

            

      When I first read about through the mail autographs (TTM), I could not believe I had never thought of doing this myself. I am such a huge sports fan and have been my whole life. I find the stories and career arcs of players to be totally enthralling. Having a card signed by a favorite player of mine makes me feel closer to the game. I am also a huge player of fantasy sports, so i have a broad horizon of players i am a fan of.
      When writing an athlete for TTM, I typically send a fan letter, a card to be signed, and a self addressed stamped envelope. I want the process for the athlete to be as seamless as possible and non-intrusive upon their time. Sometimes I go all out and decorate the letter in all kinds of graphics and logos and other times I keep it simple. If I hear a player curse a lot on the field; I might curse a lot in their fan letter. I tend to use the SHOTGUN method when sending  the letters out. I will ship out 5 or 6 at a time. On average I get about 30% percent back signed and about 10% returned unsigned. It is not a terribly good success rate, but every time get an autograph in the mail it only fuels me to send more out. It is almost better to forget you sent them out entirely and be totally surprised when one comes in the mail. NEVER ASSUME YOU WILL GET AN AUTOGRAPH BACK!

Here are some of my successes from April 2013 to April 2014  

     Billy Beane - Oakland A General Manager 

       Andy Pettitte - New York Yankees Starting Pitcher

                                          Andrelton Simmons - Atlanta Braves Short Stop

                                           Addison Reed - Chicago White Sox Closer

                                         Didi Gregorius - Cincinnati Reds Short Stop

                                    Eric Decker - Denver Broncos Wide Receiver

                                  A.J. Burnett - Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher

                            Chien-Ming Wang - Washington Nationals Starting Pitcher

                                 Jarrod Parker - Oakland Athletics Starting Pitcher

                                 Juan Francisco - Atlanta Braves Third Baseman

                                  Peyton Manning - Denver Broncos Quarterback

                           Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals Starting Pitcher

                               Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers Starting Pitcher

                                  Andre Reed - Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame Wide Receiver 

                                       Evan Gattis "El Oso Blanco" - Atlanta Braves Catcher

                                 Mike Schmidt - Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer

                                      Nick Anderson - Orlando Magic Guard

                                      Fred Jackson - Buffalo Bills Running Back

                                        Buck Showalter - Baltimore Orioles Manager

                                    Justin Masterson - Cleveland Indians Starting Pitcher

                                          Steve Cishek - Miami Marlins Closer

                                        Jose Molina - Tampa Bay Rays Catcher

                                    Ben Zobrist - Tampa Bay Rays Second Baseman

                                                   Joe Nathan - Texas Rangers Closers

                                      Jordan Schafer - Atlanta Braves Outfielder

                                      David Robertson - New York Yankees Closer

                                                  Rony Seikaly - Orlando Magic Center

                                         Jason Grilli - Pittsburgh Pirates Closer

                                     Starling Marte - Pittsburgh Pirates Outfielder

                               Brandon McCarthy - Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitcher

                                 Brandon Beachy - Atlanta Braves Starting Pitcher

                                Chris Capuano - Los Angeles Dodgers Relief Pitcher

                                  Jose Altuve - Houston Astors Second Baseman

                                       Justin Ruggiano - Miami Marlins Outfielder

                                     Marquise Goodwin - Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver 

                                                   Chris Gragg - Buffalo Bills Tight End

                                 Casey Kotchman - Cleveland Indians First Baseman

                                 Sean Doolittle - Oakland Athletics Relief Pitcher

                                    Scott Downs - Anaheim Angels Relief Pitcher

                                    Elliot Johnson - Tampa Bay Rays Infielder

                                      Rob Scahill - Colorado Rockies Relief Pitcher
         I will be posting my current TTM successes as they appear in my mail box. I do get my fair share of failures and "return to senders". However I will not be posting anything about my failures, as I do not want to single anyone out.

   
FanMail.biz is a great resource for mail addresses