Custom TTM Success: Kelsie Whitmore and Stacy Piagno

Earlier this summer, Kelsie Whitmore and Stacy Piagno made history by becoming the first female teammates on an otherwise all-male professional baseball team. I thought that was cool, and made a couple customs for them as my own little tribute.

I sent separate through-the-mail requests to them via their team the Sonoma Stompers. Ms. Whitmore kindly sent back my request with just 8 days turnaround, tying the record for quickest TTM return I've gotten.

Looks great!

The back includes a nice little bio that was mostly copy & pasted from the Stompers' site. Cool that Kelsie is from the San Diego area, like myself.

I sent 3 copies of this custom along with a short fan note. I asked her to please sign and return one for me, and accept the extra 2 as my gift if she'd like (which she did).

Kelsie even took the time to write me a little thank you note. So awesome! Not that I ever expect it, but it's very appreciated those rare instances that the person I'm asking for an autograph goes the extra mile by taking a moment to write back.

So yeah, that one arrived Saturday, then Stacy Piagno's return showed up Monday...

Nice! As you can see, I've again paid tribute to the classic 1983 Topps design. And again, I made 3 copies, and Stacy accepted the other 2 offered her.

Bio on the back.

Another sweet thank-you note! Getting this return was the highlight of my Monday by far.

There's a relevant article at USA Today about women in baseball gaining acceptance that you might want to give a read.

I would love to see a woman baseball player make the major leagues one day. Women in independent ball is definitely a step in the right direction and I hope the sport continues to expand, welcoming anyone who can play, regardless of society's perceived limitations. That's one thing that makes baseball so great: anybody can potentially excel at it. All races and backgrounds, fat/skinny, young/old, tall/short, men/women, straight/gay (You might remember last year, my first-ever custom TTM success was Sean Conroy, the first openly gay player in pro ball, also with the Stompers). Heck, you could have been born with only one hand and still throw a no-hitter if you work hard enough. Don't tell me what I can't do. Ok, I'm rambling now.

Again, huge thanks to Kelsie Whitmore and Stacy Piagno for the autographs and thoughtful notes! They'll be cherished parts of my collection for always. Best of luck with your baseball careers!