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| Imagine ol’ Case’ saying: “No autographs. But you can find me on Facebook!” |
Christmas is coming, not Halloween. Therefore, why are reply times for former players getting so scary?
I’m not giving up on old-fashioned U.S. Mail contacts with baseball’s past. I am simply pondering the non-replies and years-long delays from Rip Van Winkle-like retirees. We’re not talking Hall of Famers, but cup-of-coffee guys and those who left the diamond years ago.
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That’s why I’m trying an experiment. E-mail. Websites. Social media. Any way to take the pulse of a former player before sending out my envelope of hope.
I’ve never imagined being a collector who would print out an e-mail to save in a scrapbook. I want a handwritten reply, proof that a person gave special thought to my question.
Then again, are retirees becoming so cynical that they’d delight in the lack of resale value in an e-mail? They could still transmit their memory, cyber-sending their thoughts without the fear of my selling an unsigned printout on eBay?
Additionally, I think the rush of E-immediacy may prompt some non-mail signers to reply. Have you ever been at a shop checkout counter, money in hand, only to be brushed aside by the person supposedly waiting on you? Why? The unknown caller and the ringing telephone seemed more important.
Of course, I’ll share whatever responses I receive, both from tortoises and hares.
Coming Friday: Did Mark Cresse witness the wildest day ever in the L.A. Dodgers bullpen?