Another edition of 'how the TTM thing is going'

The last time I did this, I was waiting on an autographed card from Fernando Valenzuela. He came through for me, big-time.

It's been more than two months since my first update, so I figured I'd find out where I'm at, TTM-wise. I have a general idea in my brain, but I can get flighty. And if it's not written down (my pockets are full of lists), or on the record somehow, I'm going to forget.

So far, I'm 4-for-5 with through-the-mail autograph tries. Ron Cey and Duke Snider, two of my all-time favorites, both came through. Since my last update, Fernando Valenzuela and Jerry Reuss -- two other favorites -- also delivered.

Hideo Nomo, sadly, did not. I received my card returned, with a "return to sender/unable to forward" sticker.

Two cards are still floating out there. Both former players are currently working and away from home. The Orel Hershiser card, up top, is waiting for him when he gets back from his ESPN announcing gig.

This Chris Speier card is also waiting for its subject to come home. Speier currently works as the bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds.

Speier, of course, ain't no Dodger, but as you may recall I decided to send it because receiving a signature on a card this tattered would be too cool.

That means I'm ready to send out a couple more TTM tries to my favorites. This week, I will send out cards to former pitcher Bob Welch.

Welch was the first Dodger pitching phenom that I knew of growing up. His strikeout of Reggie Jackson in the 1978 World Series is one of my favorite Series moments. He was an instant favorite of mine.

Also, as a young teenager, I read Welch's book "Five O'Clock Comes Early," which was about his battle with alcoholism. It was one of the first times that I realized that ballplayers were human, too. "Ball Four" came too early for me. So the "Bronx Zoo," and "Five O'Clock ..." were my "Ball Four."

I'm going to send the 1984 Topps card and this 1983 Fleer card, partly because you can see Ron Cey in the background.

Kris of Cards in the Attic graciously sent me a contact address for Welch. He also sent one for another player, who I had never considered before.

It is Phil Regan, "The Vulture." Regan played for the Dodgers in the 1960s, which means I wasn't around to watch him play. But when Kris found out I had duplicates of this 1967 card, he immediately sent the address to me. What a great idea! So off in the mail it goes.

I would have sent this card already, had I remembered what I had done with Carl Erskine's contact address. Back on the earlier post, I said I'd drop this in the mail before any of the other cards. But I couldn't find the address, and I still can't. I don't even remember who emailed it to me.

If you did email it, whoever you are, could you send it again? Because like I said before, I can get flighty.

Some of you may be asking, where are the autographs of current players? My short answer is this: I don't care enough about the current players to seek out their autograph. It's cool if I pull one in a pack, but really this isn't what this project is about. I'm looking to add more meaning to cards of the players that I am really interested in, those players from when I was a kid, and players from history. To me, the current players are a work in progress. I haven't decided whether they're worthy of my request yet.

Thanks to all who have helped in my small TTM project.