Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: October 2011

Pitcher Johnny “Bear Tracks” Schmitz Dies

by
Never a flashy autograph, always a legible one!
My signed letter was a close match to this
card from a half-century prior.

Pitcher Johnny “Bear Tracks” Schmitz has left life’s game at age 90.

I appreciated the obituary from his hometown paper in Wausua, Wisconsin. People there noticed him not just as a former major leaguer. They paid attention to him being a barber shop regular. He remained a part of the community after his baseball days ended.

He had signed 182 out of 190 requests, according to http://www.sportscollectors.net/. Collectors state that he’d send extra cards or photos in his own envelope, with his own postage, to reward the best letter writers.

Schmitz wrote me a great reply, which I shared in this 2010 feature.

If there are any 80-somethings on your hobby radar, take aim now. So many from that generation still have an unimaginable appreciation for today’s fans. Write to them while you can.

Coming Tuesday: Yankees teammate Roland Sheldon remembers Roger Maris.

Collecting Major League Autographs In Japan

by

How much do you love collecting autographs by mail?

Nod. Shrug. Grunt.

Ah, but what if it wasn’t so easy? What if the responses came in weeks, not days?

What if getting U.S. postage was a costly chore (or a challenge)?

Kohei’s vast knowledge of MLB
history has inspired me to learn
more of Japanese baseball,
starting with Americans playing there.
Bob Bavasi’s site is a great starting point!

What if you had to write your letters not in your native language?

I’m seeing some raised eyebrows out there.

It’s true. There are collectors who love the sport and the hobby every bit as much as we do. And they prove it by the efforts they go to in collecting major league autographs.

This blog has allowed me to discover such “above and beyond” hobbyists. This summer, I’ve been inspired by collector Kohei Nirengi in Japan. He, too, uses Harvey Meiselman’s incredible baseball address list. However, all the other hobby conveniences I take for granted aren’t as easy for Kohei. Nevertheless, he’s building a collection worth admiring by focusing on possibilities, not limitations.

Thank you, Kohei, for the example you’re setting.

Coming Friday: ‘Graphin’ the SAL…Tales from a Class A autograph collector!

Writing to Dodger Pitcher Carl Erskine: Time To Thank This Tireless Autograph All-Star

by
Often willing to provide answers to
anything fans ask, Erskine even
adds a signed gift to most replies!

What’s right about the autograph hobby?

Yesterday, I indulged in a rubber-stamping rant. Today, equal time is required.

There are still kind, grateful men from baseball’s past. They aren’t all from the 1940s and ’50s. I discovered a heart-warming story about Giants pitcher Phil Nastu (1978-80) going above and beyond to fulfill a TTM autograph request. I’m hoping to salute him, getting details of why he’d be so dedicated to an unknown collector.

Other names on the latest batch of envelopes launched from BBTL-land:

Bobby Doerr
Boo Ferriss
Carl Erskine

I wanted to send a standing ovation to each of these three signers, too. Each of these men have decades of autograph heroics on Mr. Nastu. Along with saying thanks, I’ve just wanted to ask about their fan mail volume, why they keep delighting everyone who writes, and what we can do to thank them.

I saw on http://www.sportscollectors.net/ that Bob Wiesler and Fred Caligiuri had answered questions for other collectors.

I gasped at the lengthy post-baseball musical career of Dick Adams, a member of the 1947 Philadelphia Athletics. Likewise, I’m stunned at the many charity initiatives of Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel. I wanted to find out how baseball has inspired each.

I found a recent newspaper profile of pitcher Turk Wendell. I wanted to make sure he had a copy. Also, I’m hoping he’ll explain a couple of his mystical comments from that feature.

Lastly, I realized that former Angels and A’s manager Bobby Winkles may have grown up in the shadow of a Hall of Famer. I’m seeking details.

There’s the game plan behind my latest batch of fan mail. Stay tuned for updates. Meanwhile, I hope you find as many reasons to add names to your want list.

Thursday: Inspiration from Japan.

Rubber-stamped Autographs Aren’t Autographs, Mark Mulder (Even When Parents Are Stamping)!

by
Never a pretty autograph…

Dear ESPN:

Mark Mulder, one of your baseball analysts, needs a little help analyzing collectors.

For years, someone has been defacing Mark Mulder cards, cards many collectors cherish. Vandals? Nope. The culprits may be Mark’s ma and pa.

A rubber-stamped reply is NOT an autograph. One collector tweeted Mr. Mulder, who replied:

ha sorry. Think my parents do that”

This doesn’t make the non-reply have any special value. I don’t care if the family pet has been trained to hold the rubber-stamp in its teeth! The result isn’t REAL! Some collectors have noticed a slight variation in the rubber-stamp, as if the parents each have a slightly different version. Or, one has a worse aim? Either way, still a disappointment.

Collectors have more respect for someone who sends cards back blank, or someone who just brands RTS (Return to Sender) on the envelope. This way, no cards are harmed in this abbreviated interaction.

Meanwhile, I’d rather listen to the analysis of another Mulder, Agent Mulder from X-Files.  I hope the former player will, too. That character’s motto:

“The Truth Is Out There.”

New York Yankees History Encounter Takes Mike ‘Tiger Nut’ Micho By Surprise

by
Ruppert’s plaque resides in Monument Park in
Yankee Stadium. I found this at Bleacher Report.
The site makes a great case for the owner being
included in the Hall of Fame. Lots of great
Yankee insights here!

Here’s a great P.S. to the Mike Micho story. He likes the Tigers, but he LOVES baseball.

As Mike tells it:

“I also wanted to tell you about the surprise I got 3 days ago. I`m a Physical Therapist and work in an acute care hospital. I treat people with many different problems and ailments,which leads me to meeting many different people. During that time,you get to know & learn a little bit about each one.

Well,while working with a 94 yr. old gentleman,he noticed me wearing a pair of Detroit Tigers scrubs and asked me if I was a big baseball fan. Well,with me that`s like opening Pandora`s box! He and I sat and talked baseball for quite a while. Then he proceeds to tell me out of nowhere his uncle used to own the New York Yankees! At first I was sort of taken aback by this, then is daughter, who was present in the room, told me that, yes, his uncle did own the Yankees.

It was Jacob Ruppert, the man who bought Babe Ruth from the Red Sox! Instantly, I asked him “Will you adopt me!” He laughed and said ‘God no, I`ve got enough kids to worry about.’

He then started to tell me all about how when he was a little kid, his uncle would let him hang out in the clubhouse, occasionally be the batboy for a few games a year, and how he would play catch on the field with the Babe, Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Tony Lazzeri and others. I could have sat and talked with him all day, but of course there was work to do.

The next day I thought if he didn`t mind,I was going to have him autograph a Yankees logo card just for myself to keep with my other Yankees signed items. However, he was discharged home the night before. Another missed opportunity! Maybe I should keep Signature Cards or logo cards and Sharpie on hand with me at all times.”

Like any fisherman, hobbyists all have stories about “the one that got away.” Mike reminds us: baseball history can find you at any time. Are you ready?

Coming Tuesday: The Mystery of Mark Mulder.