Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Send Hall of Famer Gary Carter Some Hope

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It’s time to root for a gamer.

Keep Smiling, Gary! Your
autograph got stronger
with time. Do the same!!!

Hall of Famer Gary Carter may be fighting for his life.

I called his Foundation, run out of his personal office. His assistant said that future announcements about Carter’s health would come through the Mets, or the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Most importantly, for all the fans and collectors who’ve wanted to send a note of thanks or hope to Carter should write:

Gary Carter Foundation
580 Village Blvd., Suite 315
West Palm Beach, FL 33409

I’m assured that any cards or letters will be delivered to Mr. Carter and his family.

Pirate Frank Thomas Ponders Messy Autographs

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Talking with Frank “The Original One, 1951-66” Thomas, I marveled at his passion as a fan and collector. Look at his website to see all the sets he appeared in.

I first wrote about Frank May 6, telling about the causes he supports through autograph signing. The two charities supporting young cancer patients are in Charleston, South Carolina, he spotted. E on the blogger, says the official scorer.

Frank’s biggest revelation escaped me in the original post. He mentioned the messy or abbreviated signatures of stars like Frank “Big Hurt” Thomas.

“I don’t know what it is with some guys and their autographs,” he speculated. “Are they afraid of identity theft or something?”

I loved this answer. This big-hearted Pirates star can’t fathom scribbling for collectors. Do players want to conceal and disguise their signed identities? I could hear in his voice that he believes hobbyists deserve signatures showing every letter, first and last name. A fear of crime was the only possible explanation Frank the First could muster to explain half-hearted autographs.

Coming Monday: The day Jim Bouton “went to bat” for Tom Shopay.

Tom Wright, Ken McBride Silent Signers

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Don’t bet on seeing
the tidy version of
McBride’s autograph again!

Good news, bad news…

It was good to hear from L.A. Angels pitcher Ken McBride and 1950s outfielder Tom Wright in just a week.

However, neither addressed any questions.

Wright has a postcard-sized photo of him in a Red Sox uniform with his complete stats (major AND minor) on back. Anyone writing for an autograph should request a photo. Say that you’d like to know more about his minor league days. Wright added a return address label on the SASE. He did pen a sparkling signature.

I did ask about his THREE missing seasons (1943-45), sacrificed on behalf of World War II. Time is running out to fill in the gaps for this epic era.

McBride autographed the letter I sent. At first, I was concerned his autograph was shaky. With a little investigation on http://www.sportscollectors.net/, I saw related scans of signatures dating back to 2006. He’s taken to an abbreviated autograph used by today’s players. Speed signing! Sloppy, more than shaky.

Want a card signed fast? These two are your men. They seem sworn to same-day replies. Hoping for a personalization or something specific, even a question about their career? Don’t bet on it.

Coming Friday: an update from Frank “The Original One” Thomas

Charlie Thompson, Brooklyn Dodger Mystery

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A Topps puzzler…

You know that guy, uh, what’s his name?

Don’t expect any help from a certain 1950s catcher by the full name of Charles Lemoine Thompson. The always-impressive Baseball Almanac website shows his autographed 1954 Topps card, signed “Charlie,” as indicated on the card. They file the catcher under “Tim Thompson,” his nickname.

On his 1957 card, Topps spells his first name “Charley.”

Thompson’s last card, in the 1958 Topps set, says he’s “Tim Thompson.”

I blame Topps for scattering the catcher throughout history. I asked if the card company mixed up his name.

“No.”

That’s all Mr. Thompson had to say.

Imagine all the 1950s kids lining up their differently-named cards. Compounding the confusion, starting in 1957, Topps shows the catcher wearing glasses. Shades of Clint Courtney! I asked if this was difficult or dangerous back then.

“Far-sighted.”

Hmmm…

The website Baseball Reference notes Thompson’s success as a scout for decades after his career ended. I asked if he had a couple of signings or discoveries he was proudest of.

“Brian Jordan, Tom Herr.”

Oh. About his proper, or even preferred first name?

I’ll never know. Mr. Thompson never bothered to sign the letter!

Coming Thursday: Two succinct signers.

Pitcher Don August Offers 2 Olympic Memories

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The face of a
future history teacher!

They may not have called him MISTER August when batting against him, but everyone addresses him with such respect now.

Former pitcher Don August has been teaching middle school history for six years in Wisconsin. I wrote to him in care of his school.

Before debuting with the 1988 Milwaukee Brewers, August helped the United States baseball team win silver. He shared TWO Olympic memories:

“Top Olympic memory, hard to say. The incredible travel schedule Team USA went on during our pre-Olympic tour. We played in about 12 Major League stadiums. Some of those parks don’t exist any more.

– OR –

I came in relief in the semi-final game in a 2-2 game. Two outs, runner on third with a 2 ball, 0 strike count. I finished the game with 0 runs and got the win to put us into the gold medal game.”

With Milwaukee, August had another notable victory. Flash back to June 17, 1991. August twirled a five-hit shutout. (Thanks to http://www.retrosheet.org/ for the sweet details!)

“I don’t remember any tense moments, maybe because in that game I rolled up five double play balls, which meant before they could do anything the double play probably stopped it. The Oakland A’s definitely had a tremendous lineup.

I had a good day.”

These days, August is living history for his classes. He explained:

“The kids I teach weren’t born when I pitched for the Brewers. They really don’t know the players of that era. They don’t know who George Brett was.

One kid may say, ‘Oh, is he that guy who went bananas with the pine tar bat incident?’,
 and that’s it about George Brett.

They all think that I am a millionaire. They know what the salaries are today, so they think that’s the money we made. They just think it’s cool that I played on TV, played in cool stadiums, etc.”

Coming Wednesday: Seven fascinating words from catcher “Tim” Thompson