Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: November 2010

Nolan Ryan’s 3rd No-Hitter No Surprise for Angels Catcher Tom Egan

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Same Swell Sig!

Teen Tom Egan began his catching career with the 1965 Angels at age 18. I wrote to Egan, asking if he ever felt uncomfortable around his older teammates.

“Yes, they treated me more like their little brother and I didn’t go out after the game.”

Egan blossomed as a power hitter, belting a career-best 10 home runs for the 1971 White Sox, matching his combined total from six prior years of part-time work. His breakout season wasn’t due to any adjustments at the plate.

“Always had the power, just got more at-bats.”

On Sept. 28, 1974, the unflappable receiver may have been the first to predict Nolan Ryan’s third career no-hitter. When did Egan’s mind switch from “good game” to “making history?” Egan replied:

“I knew he had great stuff after the first inning. When Nolan got his change and breaking ball over, the opponents had very little chance.”

 

Hauls of Shame Saving Baseball Letters

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Baseball history is only one letter away. That’s what keeps me writing.

The Baseball Hall of Fame library has housed countless historic documents, including letters. Letters from owners, players, all kinds of fabled baseball names — Cooperstown has collected them.

Sadly, some of the finest letters showcasing baseball’s history disappeared. Apparent thefts from years ago have only come to light as auction houses are seeing some of the mystery documents reappear.

A standing O goes to expert Peter J. Nash and the web team behind Hauls of Shame. Instead of simply sensationalizing tragic crimes of the past, the site is working with law enforcement and authentication talents to return these documents back to where they belong. I’m eager to see Nash’s 2011 book on the same subject.

Lucky Beavers: Finding Team Letterhead Gems

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Wear a Baseball Letter!
(Courtesy http://www.ebbets.com/)

How many autograph collectors have missed out?
Occasionally, team form letters are sent, the “too busy to sign” varieties. Or, a superstar generated a pre-print or autopenned generic response.

Those embossed letterheads are cool! Sure, “but I wanted…” is why everything hits the recycling bin. Years later, a logo catches your eye. You remember. Too late.

That’s where the cool fans at Ebbets Field Flannels come in. I love their letterhead collection. I was transfixed by Portland’s uniforms when they visited Tacoma for 1980s Pacific Coast League battles.

I’ve been a customer before. I will be again. Quality creations and great service. Ebbets Field
Flannels are all-stars.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to save the envelopes and letterheads from teams, even when the players disappoint. Someday, someone might make a T-shirt out of your consolation prize!

Once, Owners Wrote Back to Fans

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I troll the Internet monthly, looking to see who else has valued baseball letters. Not in a price guide sense, but in the historic treasures the notes uncover.

I found one — a baseball correspondence gem first shared in San Francisco, reflecting on the team’s World Series glory. An East Coast girl named Mary Jean Guidette told of trying to write to then-owner Horace Stoneham, hoping for an explanation, or even a reversal, of the team’s exodus from New York to San Francisco. Thirteen years after writing, Stoneham tried to make amends for his decision with a second reply to the fan. She shared her memory 56 years later.

Are the owners still paying attention today?

Tormenting Senators Manager Ted Williams

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(Courtesy Dave Baldwin, http://www.snakejazz.com/)

Dave Baldwin only looked like a typical baseball player.

In his delightful memoir Snake Jazz, he includes the confessional chapter “Tormenting Ted.” When Ted Williams took over the Senators in 1969, he claimed that his clueless pitchers couldn’t even explain why a curveball curves.

The hurler from the University of Arizona responded with a short speech on the science behind an off-speed pitch. Upon realizing that this wasn’t a classroom discussion but a rhetorical challenge, Baldwin braced himself for Williams to come unglued. Instead, he won the skipper’s grudging admiration.

Knowing this, I asked Baldwin how he felt about the diverse education of his teammates.Baldwin’s first full year in Washington was highlighted by 58 appearances. He geared up  for a 162-game schedule, however.

“About the 1967 Washington bullpen, we had five “go to” guys — Darold Knowles, Casey Cox, Dick Lines, Bob Humphreys and me (a photo of us is in the Photo Gallery at www.snakejazz.com). I was up and throwing nearly every game whether I appeared or not. But then, living in Tucson, I had thrown nearly every day since I was a kid.”

“Regarding teammates with an academic background, I found other college-educated players on all of the teams I played on. Relating to teammates, educated or not was never a problem for me — we all had one interest in common — baseball — and that was enough.”