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| How many pre-Sparky autographs did he sign? |
The autograph collecting hobby has lost a superstar.
The late “Sparky” Anderson was more than a Hall of Famer. Until this summer of faltering health, he remained among the most patient of signers. Even then, his photocopied note of apology still contained a real “Sparky” signature.
The ever-amazing website http://www.sportscollectors.net/ noted a 96 percent success rate among TTM collectors. More than 2,000 successes were logged. Special requested inscriptions? No problem. It was obvious Sparky read and appreciated what fans wrote.
We don’t have forever to reach our baseball heroes. Appreciate them while you can. All it takes is one letter.
Sparky was a great signer. I had received him on 4 different items over the last few years, but I always kept finding more cool things that I wanted signed, including his book. I wasn’t being greedy, it was just one of those people I really enjoyed getting an autograph from. And my father talks about Sparky from his days with the Toronto Maples Leafs (Int’l League AAA). I had a few photos to send out, but noticed the replies of “No longer able to sign” coming back, so I figured he was in poor health. A true friend to the hobby, he will be missed.