A Long Time Coming

The card you see is not real.

While it might look, feel, smell, and taste like a true, blue (and pink) 1976 Topps single, it is nothing but a construct.  This pasteboard is nothing but a digital image, a .jpeg file that is posing as an authentic, means of bubblegum conveyance.  Wayne Tyrone, briefly a Cubs outfielder, does not appear on the checklist and, in fact, never shows up on a baseball card whatsoever.  I created this impostor to fill a gap in hobby history that Topps so irresponsibly created 40+ years ago.

Until recently, that is.

Although, while not an MLB-approved bit of memorabilia, this trading card has come to exist in the same physical realm that we currently occupy.  By that, I mean that I printed it out on cheap cardstock and printed with my workplace's HP Laserjet photo printer.  Shhhhhh.... that's our little secret.  Even better still, this Wayne Tyrone card can now be considered a true collectible, rather than a cheaply made ACEO wannabe.  You might be asking yourself, "how can this be, Mr. Burbs?"  You see, after this card was spat out onto the tray, I stuffed it in an envelope, mailed it to the far-off land of Texas, and waited patiently for it to boomerang back to me with a signature.

Yesterday, was the day that "Lassie" came home.

And, as you can see, I delivered my card was delivered back to me with love.

The whole TTM process is common here on the blogosphere, so I feel safe in assuming I needn't explain the procedure.  Suffice it to say, if you are new to the process, one obtains the address at which a celebrity can be reached, sends an object that the sender wishes to have signed through the mail (along with a return envelope and paid postage), and then eagerly anticipates said celebrities return.  Some famous folks charge for this privilege, others don't, and still others have more hoops inquiring minds must jump through before a signature will be provided.  All in all, it's a fairly common hobby, especially among our lot.

This isn't my first rodeo either and I'm not just saying that because this return comes from Texas.  While I'm not a chronic TTM chaser, I have sent a dozen or so over the years with varying degrees of success.  Seeing as my collecting goal is to obtain at least one card of every man to have suited up for the Chicago Cubs and, like Wayne Tyrone, not every such athlete has had the privilege of appearing on a wallet-sized rectangle.

With this in mind, I've had to try any means necessary to plug these otherwise un-fillable gaps in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  For more recent ballplayers, I've used the TTM process to create cards and obtain such players' John Hancock.  For some reason, a "stamp of approval" makes the customs feel like true collectibles rather than some fantasy piece.  Over the years, I've had luck with reaching and hearing back from several obscure Cubs, including Tony Balsamo, Footer Johnson, John Pyecha, Gene Krug and now, Mr. Tyrone.

Of course, for each of these four (now five) successes there's been dozens of failures.  In fact, I was just discussing one of these missteps on Wrigley Roster Jenga last week, when I went ranting about how someone had pilfered one of my custom creations.  Not only did my TTM request to Bob Raudman not make it back to me, but a dastardly devil had taken the .jpeg that I'd shared on this blog and used it to hawk cheap prints on Ebay.

In that same post, I indirectly alluded to yet another TTM failure.  As a matter of fact, in another post just days earlier, I maligned the fact that this request went to a player that I was surprised had never appeared on so much as a regional or minor league oddball, considering his active career brushed up against a baseball card explosion.  One that I had sent out long ago and never heard back from.  One that I had given up hope on many moons ago, causing me to stop entertaining the dream of filling the player's slot in my CATRC tome.

That player?  Why, it was Wayne Tyrone!

I waited patiently for this one to come back to me alright, so long that I don't even really remember when I sent it out.  A quick scan of my blog archive seems to indicated that this custom hit the post office some time in late 2017.  So, all in all, it's taken nearly three years for this bird to come home to roost!

Did Wayne see my belly-aching online and get tired of the whining.  I suppose it's possible, I did include a link to my blog in my letter.  Awkward...

Anyway, way back when, I was searching various databases for former Cubs who were still living and didn't feature much of a cardboard footprint.  I found a listing for Tyrone on a website called ContactAnyCelebrity.com and figured it was worth a shot.  Lo and behold, I sank that shot; however, the ball bounced around the rim for a few years.  Better late than never though, right?

Perhaps we should take a moment to actually examine the career of the man that I so rudely bothered by mail.

Wayne Tyrone played professionally for nine years, from 1972-81, up and down the ladder from Quebec to Monterrey.  Before signing his first contract, Tyrone also starred for the University of Texas Pan American, which got him drafted by the Cubs in the 20th round of the 1972 draft.  Similarly, his older brother Jim also spent him amateur days at UTPA and was selected by the Northsiders just a year prior, though the elder brother went to Chicago in the fifth round.

All told, Wayne Tyrone manage to climb from the 20th round to the Majors in about four years, getting that call in the summer of 1976.  Tyrone then spent the rest of the season on the Cubs bench, filling in both the outfield, third base, and first base.  From July through September, Wayne batted .228/.262/.298 across 62 PA's in 30 games - obviously, not the strongest slash line.  Accordingly, the Cubs let him go after the National League's centennial campaign, where he would then go from the North Side to north of the border, inking a minor league contract with Montreal.  After a few more years in the Expos and then the Orioles chain, the now-journeyman wrapped up his pro career with a pair of seasons in the Mexican League, hanging up his spikes after the 1981 campaign.

In the end, Tyrone's 30 game cuppacoffee in 1976 ended up being the only Major League action on his ledger.

Wayne's older brother, Jim, was also Cub, spending three years with the team in the 70's

Interestingly, despite the fact that their time in the Cubs organization overlapped and both ultimately spent time on the Big League roster, neither player was on the 25-man at the same time.  Jim was a Cub intermittently from 1972-75; however, the year that his kid brother made the club just so happened to be a year which he spent the entire schedule in AAA.  While the brothers worked together in Wichita with the Aeros, Jim was left behind after Wayne made his debut.  Also, both Tyrone brothers were out of the Cubs org by the middle of 1977.

Fun factoid, the Tyrone's are one of 11 sets of brothers who both suited up in Cubbie Blue pinstripes.  You might remember the Patterson's, the Reuschel's, or even the Hairston brothers, but don't forget the Tyrone's!

Further fun fact - my custom card has also been sourced for Wayne Tyrone's Google search.

Since calling it quits as an active player, Wayne Tyrone has returned to his Texas roots.  It appears as though he's spent a lot of time coaching youth baseball.  It's always nice to see an old pro give back to the game - heck, lord knows MLB isn't actually vested in growing the sport, so it's critically important to see yesterday's stars do the heavy lifting.

Furthermore, in doing research for this post, I think I came across the reason why my card took so long to get signed, at least partially.  Unfortunately, it looks like Mr. Tyrone was suffering from some serious health problems, as of the early portion of 2020.  While trying to dig up some info on his post-playing career, I came across a Go Fund Me that had been set up to pay his medical bills.  Thankfully, the crowd-sourcing was immensely successful and collected more than double it's stated goal.  Hopefully, Wayne is doing better a few months later.  I don't mean to get up on my soapbox, but isn't it disgusting that in this "first world nation" we have to turn to the kindness of strangers on the internet to raise money for medical care?

I hope your on the up-and-up, Mr. Tyrone!

Wayne (standing, right) with his 9U champion Dallas Tigers ballclub.  Image courtesy of Dallas Tigers Baseball.

Has anyone else reading this had any experience with TTM requests?  Am I the only one who whips up their own customs to fulfill such inquiries?  If so, what's the longest that you've waited on a return envelope?  Can anyone beat me nearly three-year holding period?  Please feel free to share your stories in the comment section below; I'd love to hear from you!

Before I go, I should also remind all you readers that my Digital Dash contest is still open.  A couple of bloggers have taken me up on my offer, but I'd love to see a few more.  My wife and I are hosting a charity 5k run/1k walk to raise money for St. Coletta's of Illinois, a nonprofit that does a lot of critical work with adults who have special needs.  It's only ten dollars to enter the run or walk and everyone who signs up will be entered into a drawing for a prize package which will include an authentic 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premium.  The race is open until Sunday, so all you have to is complete your distance by then and submit your time.  I know there are some runners out there on the blogosphere - let this virtual event fill the Covid-shaped gap on your fitness calendar.

Finally, just in case you are reading this, Wayne Tyrone, thank you for generously answering my letter and signing my fantasy card without asking anything in return.  I appreciate it more than you will ever know - I never thought I'd be able to fill this nagging gap in my collection.  I hope you're doing better and feeling stronger every day!

In the meantime, I'm left to wonder, do I have any other TTM requests floating around in limbo?  I guess I'll just have to wait and see.