Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: July 2010

Milt Bolling Mystery? Address King Harvey Meiselman Rides To Rescue!

by

I rely on Harvey Meiselman’s superb Baseball Address List for my successes. I double-check his 2010 list with the recent successes listed on the invaluable http://www.sportscollectors.net/.
Recent successes from 1950s infielder Milt Bolling puzzled me. He moved in 2010, after Harvey went to press. I knew the quarterly address updates Harvey e-mails to customers would have the info. However, I didn’t want to wait too long to contact a man Bolling’s age.

The Sports Collectors website postings of responses through the mail threw me a curve. Collectors noted that recent replies came from apartment #203. The first successes came from apt. 302. I didn’t want to squander a stamp and get a “return to sender,” just because of accidentally-transposed numbers. Knowing that Harvey would share the updated address with the hobby world soon, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting thrown by a possible cut-and-paste typo.

His findings? Harvey wrote:

“I researched the Milt Bolling addresses and here’s what I found. His correct address is 4363 Old Shell Road Apt 302 – Mobile AL 36608 and he moved to that address in April 2010 right before the June 2010 update was sent out. It’s on the list for the September updates. The apartment number I listed is the correct one. I don’t know where the other was started but obviously he’s well known in the building and the mail gets to him anyway.”

This is more than peace-of-mind over a saved stamp. Seeing this address sleuth in action reinforces my belief in the hobby‘s best friend. All collectors need to own The Meiselman List.

Autograph Collectors: Postal Service Wants Your Two Cents’ Worth PLUS 44

by

The Postal Service issued a wake-up call to collectors this month. The move is afoot to raise first-class postage from 44 to 46 cents on Jan. 2, 2011.

If you send just one autograph letter per day (with SASE), you’ll be paying $14.60 more.

There’s still time to protest. There is a commission that’ll make the decision on increasing the prices. Contact them if you’d like to stamp out the price increase.

Meanwhile, load up on those FOREVER stamps for your self-addressed envelopes. That way, tardy signers won’t have their responses impounded.

Bless all the carriers who’ve been delivering SASEs sent before the barrage of postal increases — many before FOREVER stamps were options. I’ve read of long-awaited autographs appearing with a 37-cent stamp. I believe that the USPS delivery brigade is filled with good folks. They must have a hunch that something special awaits inside those envelopes.

Dodgers Blue Heaven Blog Unites Fans, Collectors of Baseball Letters

by

I’m impressed. Ernest Reyes is redefining what a baseball team blog is — or can be.

Once, I thought team blogs only analyzed past games or previewed upcoming match-ups. Ernest has expanded his Dodgers Blue Heaven readership to please Dodger fans and collectors.

Scouring the internet, he’s found sellers offering hand-written letters from former Dodgers. These gems don’t come up often. However, here’s a 2009 example Ernest excavated, the story of a “cup of coffee“ pitcher‘s 1951 debut at Ebbets Field against Stan Musial.

The letters have hooked another blogmaster! He wrote:

“At first, I didn’t specifically seek out those letters on eBay. I stumbled across them. As I read them I thought they would great to share. I found the first person perspective of their career fascinating, especially stories about facing a legendary soon to be Hall of Famer or their first major league hit, at-bat or pitch. Often, you could tell that their memories of that one moment was still vivid in their minds, even if their memories of nearly everything else had faded with time. Now, I regularly seek them out on eBay or other auction houses.”

Hurray for Ernest and all bloggers who preserve baseball’s hand-written memories.

Stan Williams Escapes Baseball Card Purgatory

by

Not once, but twice, Topps gave Stan Williams its symbolic kiss of death.

The pitcher known as “Big Daddy” was shunned from 1966 and 1967 sets. The cardboard clairvoyants deemed the hurler unworthy of any Major League team. Granted, Williams toiled in the minors again, clouding memories of his earlier Dodgers success. His career faced a crossroads.

Stunningly, Williams reinvented himself as a gritty reliever. How? He explained in a letter:

“Re-invented Self: I injured my arm on one freak pitch. Slipped on rubber. My arm got progressively worse each year for 6-1/2 years. Three of those years home or in the minors. One day, I lifted my arm. Something ‘popped’ (hurt like crazy) — but suddenly my arm was sound again. within a month, I was back in Majors and stayed another seven years.


During that time, I both started and relieved. I loved to pitch and compete.


I pitched some of my better games after returning. One game, for Cleveland, I pitched all 13 innings and won, 2-1. I had 15 K’s including (9 for 9) versus two Hall-O-Famers: Luis Aparicio (5/5); Frank Robinson (4/4) (FB, CV, Slider, Spitter).”


[Yes, readers, Mr. Williams wrote Spitter, even underlining it in his letter! He continues…]

“Another game against Baltimore, I won (1-0), 10 innings, 0 B.B., 12 K’s and drove in the only run, last of 10th.  After that game I was taken out of the rotation, as none of the other starters could pitch relief. (I still got in 194 innings, mostly as a reliever.)

Twice — Alvin Dark, mgr., brought me into games bases loaded, 3-0 on the hitters. I got out of it both times. No runs scored.

I am proud of never allowing a run in any post-season play, including one All-Star game; 2  World Series and my playoff games, both leagues.

SW”

When Slugging Stan Williams Outsmarted Sal “The Barber” Maglie

by

Pitchers don’t hit home runs every day. Stan Williams belted five as a Dodger. He savors one the most, writing:

“FAVORITE ‘HR’ (1st) — Off Sal Maglie (“The Barber”) — known for giving hitters close shaves. It was a night game in L.A. Very hot, due to the Santa Ana winds. I had a 3-run lead, top of 4th and got the first two men on base. I always worked slow, then, but was even slower and more deliberate. Must have taken 20-30 minutes to get the side out. Everyone was yelling ‘throw the ball’ (even my team). At least, they didn’t score. NOW — before I even get my jacket on — Maglie had two outs on 3 pitches. Now then had to wait on me again to take off the jacket and find my bat. Now at the plate, Maglie threw 2 curves, both strikes, then facing home plate, both hands in air, he called ‘time out.’

He then sat on the rubber (facing me), took off one shoe, dumped out the dirt, then repeated same with other shoe. (The crowd roared with laughter.) The next step was for him to threw me another CV for strike three.

When he was ready to pitch, I called time and got out of the box. Ready to pitch again, I stepped out again — now the smile had turned into a glaring snarl. I knew what was coming: the under-the-chin fastball. I opened up and blasted it about 450 feet. Had he thrown another CV, strike three.

Ironically, that made the score 4-0, but after running the bases full speed, I never got out of the fifth inning, so didn’t get the win.

(True story.)”


For fans who’ve never fathomed the demonic glee Maglie displayed on the mound, I’d suggest the book Sal Maglie: Baseball’s Demon Barber

Thanks to Mark Langill and the Los Angeles Dodgers for use of this rare 1960 portrait of Williams.

Tomorrow: Williams discusses his “reinvented self” and his arm’s mysterious recovery after a career-threatening injury.