TTM Success - Shawn Armstrong

Shawn Armstrong has the kind of last name you'd want for a pitcher.  Up there with Josh Outman and way better than Bob Walk.  I was able to get a couple cards signed TTM by Armstrong, and both turned out great.

Armstrong (b. 1990) is from New Bern, NC and was a graduate of ECU.  He has played in the majors since 2015 for the Indians, Mariners and Orioles.  He has a career record of 4-2 with 130 strike outs and a 4.05 ERA.  Armstrong appears to be set in the Orioles bullpen for the 2021 season, after a strong effort in 2020 (2-0 with a 1.80 EA).

I mailed to Armstrong on October 30 and got the cards back on November 5, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jake Agnos

I missed him when he played at ECU, and again when I saw the Pulaski Yankees in Burlington last season, but I finally was able to get my cards signed by Jake Agnos.

I had the Stars and Stripes cards since early last season, then Agnos was drafted by the Yankees in June.  He showed up in the 2019 Bowman Draft set, and I saw that he had been signing TTM.

Agnos (b. 1998) was drafted by the Yankees in the 4th round of the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of ECU.  He had been listed on Pulaski's roster at the end of the season last year, but didn't play for them.  I had been told then that he was placed on that roster as a procedural move.  He pitched at 2 levels in the Yankees system last year, the Gulf Coast Yankees, and Low A Staten Island.  In all, he pitched in 5 games in the minors last year and went 1-2 with 15 strike outs and a 6.75 ERA.

I mailed to Agnos on January 3 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jack Reinheimer

Stepping away from vintage cards for a bit, here is a nice 2015 Bowman Refractor that I got signed TTM by Jack Reinheimer.  It turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

Reinheimer (b. 1992) played in the majors for 2 games in 2017 with the Diamondbacks.  He's currently with the Reno Aces, the AAA affiliate of the Diamondbacks.  What I didn't realize was that he was from Charlotte, and he played at ECU.  He's only batting .236 so far this season, so hopefully he will heat up and see his way back to the majors, where he hopefully will collect his first hit.

I mailed to Reinheimer via Diamondbacks spring training on February 15 and got the card back on March 26, for a 39-day TAT.

Ebay Pickup - 2014 Leaf Trinity Jeff Hoffman Auto

I picked up this really cool auto of former ECU pitcher, Jeff Hoffman, off of Ebay recently for a steal.  I paid $6.01 shipped for this card for the sole reason that he was wearing his ECU jersey in the photo.

I live about 5 minutes or so from ECU and while I didn't attend the school, I do follow them now that I live in the area.  I haven't been able to make it to many of the games, especially since Chris's baseball has started up, but I have been to a couple since I moved here in 2009.

Anyway, I was really happy to get this card and will hold onto it as we all watch to see if Hoffman can develop into a major league pitcher.

Things I Can Do Now That The Orioles Have Thrown In The Towel

Yeah, I'm not happy.  I have every right not to be.  I have sat here and watched the Orioles for 20+ years, only to be rewarded for 3 of those seasons.  Last year felt so good to see the team come together, fight and never give up.  They played with pure heart.  This season's team?  Not so much.  Jim Johnson has been wildly inconsistent.  Nick Markakis can't buy an extra base hit, let alone in the clutch.  Adam Jones is no leader.  Yeah, I said it.  He can be a leader when he stops swinging at low and away pitches 2 feet out of the strike zone with no outs and a runner on third.

Yeah, this season has had enjoyable parts.  Watching Orange Crush chase the HR record (of 61 homers) has been fun, but he likely will come up short, but 50+ will still be nice.  Manny Machado has cemented himself as a future star among the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.

The Orioles pitching has been crap this year, save for Chris Tillman.  Dylan Bundy had Tommy John surgery and is likely out til at least July, if not August next year.  Brian Matusz is so soft between the ears, he has no hope of being a legitimate top of the rotation start like he was billed when he was drafted with the 4th overall pick in 2010.  Kevin Gausman has been a disappointment.  At least to me.  He hasn't shown me anything special.

So, it is time for me to divest myself from this season and to stop living and dying with every game.  I'll check the box score from time to time, but I can't take much more of this joke of a 'team' playing well below what they are capable.

That being said, here are some things I can do instead of wasting my time watching MASN for the rest of the season:

• I can finally sew Chris's patches on his Cub Scout uniform, hopefully in time for the first meet.
• I can work on catching up on some mail to fellow bloggers.
• I can organize my cards.
• I can send a batch of cards to COMC.
• I can begin researching and sending out more TTMs.
• I can wear the ECU hat that my brother got me, but I haven't worn due to some suspicion that I have to wear an O's hat every day during the season.
• I can get to bed early every night.
• I can let my wife watch what she wants on the living room TV.
• I can let Chris check out the Giants scores on my MLB App.
• I can organize my card room.

Yeah, it'll feel good to step away, which I definitely will be doing.  For all of you whose teams haven't locked their heart in the cabinet under the sink, I say good luck to you in the playoffs.  I'll probably be pulling for the Cardinals and Pirates.

Our First ECU Game

 I moved to Greenville, NC from Charlotte in 2009 and finally made it to my first ECU game this weekend.  My friend's wife works for ECU and was able to score us some tickets for yesterday's game against UCF.  ECU is always pretty good when it comes to college football, plus this was my first game since my brother graduated from Wofford (the 2004-2005 season).  It turns out, the wide receiver for ECU went to my former high school and his older brother played with my brother, so there was a little bit of a connection there.

So, here are some pictures from the game.  We even tailgated before the game, which was awesome.  My friend made some grilled sausage and peppers (marinated in beer).

The Pirates of ECU came out onto the field to the tune of Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, which was really awesome.

In a nail-biting, back and forth game, ECU pulled it out with a 38-31 final score.  We left just before the end because Chris needed to get to bed.  We had a blast and I definitely want to go to more.