Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2010

Gift Ideas for the TTM Autograph Collector

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Memo to holiday-celebrating, gift-giving folks baffled by autograph collecting:

(Quick! Forward to friends, relatives and anyone who’ll take pity on a hobbyist in December)

GIFT IDEAS:

1. www.SportsCollectors.net. Invest in a collector. For $14.99 a year, here are daily updates on the world of autographs. It’s the chance to share what you’ve learned and benefit from the wisdom of the best hobbyists out there. A great community.

2. www.SportsAddressLists.com. Harvey Meiselman charges $35 for the ultimate baseball address list. He finds the unfindable, sharing ways to reach everyone in baseball’s past and present. This is a valuable tool no collector should be without.

3. Postage stamps: Ask your mail carrier for a “stamps by mail” order form. Get the stamps sent to the collector you want to treat. We don’t need a lottery ticket for a $1. For two “Forever” stamps, we get more excitement and better odds. By the way, “Forever” stamps are best. The self-addressed, stamped envelope might not get returned before the next postal increase. That autograph return could be kept in postal detention for the sake of an extra few cents owed.

4. Office supply gift card: Collectors have endless appetites for envelopes, computer printer ink and paper. Keep us well fed, and we’ll be happy through the winter.

5. Time: This one is the easiest and hardest. Ask, “What’s new with your collection” Then, truly listen. Your collector loves baseball and the hobby. Getting to tell someone why both are special is a joy. That might be the best gift of all.

Merv Rettenmund Ponders Pinch-hitting

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“Hitting? Glad you asked!”

Merv Rettenmund always hustled. He’s still hustling today at http://www.mervrettenmund.com/.

Most remember him as the scrappy Baltimore outfielder, someone who might hit .300 in his sleep.

He credits Orioles coaches Jim Frey and Billy DeMars with hitting wisdom that inspired him to become a coach, too.

Collectors know “The Hit Man” as a willing signer, although someone who tired of squeezing every letter into each autograph.

By the way, I smiled at the compact facsimile autograph on the 1971 Topps.  For years, I’ve seen Rettenmund take two lines to sign cards, stacking his first name atop his long last name.

I asked him about the twilight of his career, when he led the National League with 21 pinch-hits in 1977.

How did he do it? Rettenmund replied with a surprising breakdown of the art:

“Pinch-hitting is simple:

1. A lot of at-bats in spring (training)
2. Hit breaking ball and fastball until All-Star break
3. After All-Star break, only swing at fastballs

Also play on a really bad team, where you lost every night, so you get one at-bat a night. It helps maintain your timing. I actually enjoyed pinch-hitting.”

HOFer Waite Hoyt Celebrates Thanksgiving

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I think the Hall of Famer never stopped being grateful. Cincinnati Reds fans loved radio broadcasts. A rain delay turned into a celebration, with Hoyt sharing memories of his days as a pitcher.

I’m grateful for Kyle and Tyler Smego, the father-son team behind The Autograph Addict. They show that baseball, and autograph collecting, is best when shared. I first mentioned the pair in an April post.

Kyle uncovered a letter from Hoyt, and a note from Claude Berry, catcher to the stars at the turn of the century. Hoyt died in 1984, Berry in 1974.

These artifacts may be slow to appear. I’ve feared that some collectors never saved notes and letters from former players. One-of-a-kind items aren’t found in set checklists or price guides. How could they be displayed?

My applause to Kyle and Tyler for seeing the historic value in such correspondence. Who couldn’t feel what Hoyt felt when he learned of his Hall of Fame induction? In just a few words, Hoyt set the scene well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim “Long Ball” Lonborg No DH Fan

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Authentic Facsimile!

Pitcher Jim Lonborg was no slouch at bat.

He connected for105 hits and three home runs in his career. A 1974 bases-clearing blast versus the Expos at Parc Jarry highlighted his slugging potential. Lonborg wrote:

“Montreal Grand Slam was most memorable. Off Ron Taylor, almost ran by man on first.

Not a big fan of DH.

Love the challenge of substitution necessary with pitchers hitting.

Have a great day,
Jim Lonborg”

Thanks for all the great days, and great memories, “Lonnie.”

Jim "Long Ball" Lonborg No DH Fan

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Authentic Facsimile!

Pitcher Jim Lonborg was no slouch at bat.

He connected for105 hits and three home runs in his career. A 1974 bases-clearing blast versus the Expos at Parc Jarry highlighted his slugging potential. Lonborg wrote:

“Montreal Grand Slam was most memorable. Off Ron Taylor, almost ran by man on first.

Not a big fan of DH.

Love the challenge of substitution necessary with pitchers hitting.

Have a great day,
Jim Lonborg”

Thanks for all the great days, and great memories, “Lonnie.”