Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Duane Pillette Leaves the Field At Age 88

by
Reason to Smile!

Ask a good question, get a GREAT answer.

Duane Pillette proved that possibility with a jaw-dropping 2010 response.

The fiery pitcher and son of a Major Leaguer (pitcher Herman Pillette) died last week at age 88. Duane signed until then end. One collector posted on http://www.sportscollectors.net/ that he received his autograph after reading the obituary.

I wrote about Pillette twice, first sharing my letter, then showing how he tried to restore a bit of civility to autographing.

The clock is ticking. Write to these witnesses to baseball history. They may want to pass the torch to YOU.

Pitcher Don Carman Signs, Slow But Sure

by
Not a pretty signature,
but a generous signer —
when he rememebers his mail!

Pitcher Don Carman enjoys a special kind of fame.

In 2006, Slate documented how Carman employed the “better late than never” approach. He found misplaced fan mail and answered autograph requests that were about 15 years old. The article seemed quite touching, an instance of a retired player wanting to do the right thing. He talked about buying extra postage for more than 200 tardy replies.

Even though the feature is a few years old, there’s a contemporary moral for the hobby. I see by monitoring http://www.sportscollectors.net/ that a few other retired players are taking YEARS to answer. Therefore, there’s plenty of reasons why your self-addressed, stamped envelope should have a FOREVER stamp.

Regarding Carman:

1. How many times can he “write” his D—- C—- version of an autograph in one minute?
2. Slate said Carman worked with agent Scott Boras. Did the agent encourage Carman to abbreviate his signature? I’ve seen on ebay an index card autograph, supposedly from Carman, with every letter in his name quite legible. That signature would take forever!
3. On the SCN website, I see that Carman’s recent by-mail replies have run anywhere from seven to 282 days. In the last two years, he’s been getting to everyone in MONTHS, not years.

I’m going to write Carman this month. Stay tuned…

Tomorrow: Saying farewell to Duane Pillette, one of baseball’s best signers.

Frank ‘The Original’ Thomas (1951-66) Slugging For 4 Charities Via TTM Autograph Donations

by

Pittsburgh-born Frank Thomas, an underrated slugger from 1951-66, is quick to say that he’s been out of the game 46 years.

Don’t tell his mailbox.

He still gets 4-5 letters a day from autograph seekers. He asks for a $5 donation per autograph, giving all proceeds to four charities. Through his own humorously-named personal website, Thomas outlines his signing policy and his goodwill endeavors.

“My Dad told me to remember to be nice to people on the way up, because you’ll need them on the way back down.”

While attending a baseball-sponsored charity golf tournament in North Carolina, Thomas was forever changed. This led to his sponsorship of Courageous Kidz and Camp Happy Days.

“We were asked if any of us would go visit kids in the hospital battling cancer. Rick Dempsey and I said we’d be happy to.

We met a 17-year-old boy. He had just gotten back from Disney World. We asked him what he liked there. He said ‘GIRLS!’ He’s facing death, but he still can’t stop thinking about girls! He asked us to go see a little girl a few doors down. She was cutting out paper dolls. I asked if she’d like showing her Mommy all she had done.

The girl said, ‘My Mommy can’t come. She has to stay home with the other kids.’ That’s when my eyes filled with tears. I vowed I’d do all I could for kids like this.”

The father of four boys and four girls, Thomas is the father of a Father. One son has been a Priest for 14 years.

Thomas is a man of service. He remains active in the Catholic service organization Knights of Columbus, sharing some of the autograph donation proceeds with them. His fourth cause is Meals on Wheels.

Yes, Pittsburgh-area seniors get a meal each day delivered by a former All-Star. Thomas is a driver who’s been involved with Meals on Wheels for 30 years.

“Sometimes, the Meals on Wheels driver is the only person a senior sees all day,” Thomas noted.

Just as Thomas invests in these charities, he puts the same dedication into each collector donor.

“I know how much an autograph means to someone,” Thomas said.

The former Pirate has been including an extra autographed card whenever someone makes a donation. Additionally, he reads each letter himself, answering with additional notes when possible.

When someone mistakenly sends cards of the Frank “Big Hurt” Thomas (1990-2008), Thomas sends the cards back unsigned with a note suggesting they contact the contemporary F.T. in care of the White Sox or Athletics. “He has a foundation,” Thomas said. “I’ve suggested that people send a donation to him, too.”

Yes, the two same-named sluggers have met.

“I was at the 1994 All-Star game and got my picture taken with him,” Thomas said. “He signed for me, but you can’t read his signature.”
The mention of the second Frank Thomas stirred another memory, this tale spotlighting Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. “I gave him his first glove,” Thomas recalled. “When I saw his signature, I asked him if he was proud of his family name. He said, ‘Sure.’ Then I said, ‘Well, sign it so I can read it then!’ He reminds me of that every time I see him.”

Thomas feels a special kinship with collectors. When a house fire destroyed his extensive baseball card collection, a story in Sports Collectors Digest inspired hobbyists to help Thomas rebuild his sets.

“I have replaced everything, down to 10 high-numbers from the 1952 Topps set,” he said. Thomas said he expected to finish his 2011 Topps Heritage set this week.

After years of lobbying the company, Thomas got included in this year’s set. “But only in the hobby edition!”

Despite loving the sets, and the idea of connecting the past with the present, Thomas still has worries for Topps.

“With the price of cards today,” he said, “I worry that kids are getting priced out of the hobby.”

Cards. Autographs. Steroids. Thomas isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. Only once, Thomas said, has a letter-writer criticized his signing methods. “The letter said I was just like current players,” Thomas fumed. A fiery reply explaining the charities noted that “if $5 will break you” that Thomas would make the donation for him.

“I wish I had done this a long time ago,” Thomas said. “I wish I had done this while I was playing. I could have helped so many people.”

Thomas welcomes autograph requests with donations of $5 per signature. Be prepared: he reads every line of every letter. His address:

Frank Thomas
118 Doray Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Coming Monday: A follow-up on the TTM autograph that took “only” 15 years.

Braves Pitcher (And U.S. Navy Veteran) Charlie Gorin Recounts Life Before, After Milwaukee

by

Becoming part of a budding World Championship club. Being teammates with Hall of Famers Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron.

Nevertheless, pitcher Charlie Gorin counts his time with the Milwaukee Braves as forgotten.

In a fascinating reply, Gorin started from the beginning of an eventful career and life:

“Tom,

Your questions take me back a number of years. After getting out of the Navy, Aug. 8, 1946, I attended the Univ. of Texas. There I tried out for baseball and made the team. So baseball lasted for me from 1947-61. That’s a long time to remember in detail a lot of my experiences — for me, anyway.

I played four years in college — signed with the Braves in 1950. Played two years before being called back into the Navy. I served this time in the Naval School of Pre-Flight in Pensacola, Fla. Then went back to baseball again in 1954 with Braves (Mil.)

I did play baseball this tour of duty as well as instructing classes in swimming, water survival, pistol range and conditioning work.

My playing time was so limited with the Braves I actually have forgotten about it. Most of my playing was in the Minor Leagues during which I had some good years. Five pennant-winning teams and eight All-Star teams.

I really can’t say which players went into education back then. At that time, baseball leagues went from Major Leagues, AAA, AA, A, B, C and D. I never heard of any instructional league at that time. If you were playing well, no manager wanted to mess you up.

I enjoyed my years in baseball and look back to some good times and friends. In high school here in Austin, I coached baseball and football for 20 years then went into administration — ass’t principal.

That’s about it for now. Your letter did take me back and think of some good times and good friends.

Charlie”

Tomorrow: The ORIGINAL Frank Thomas, home-grown 1950s Pirates slugger, talks of raising money for his favorite charities through autograph signing.

Defending World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers? Not Against Chicago Cubs Pitcher Don Kaiser

by
Same easy-going signature!

A lad from Oklahoma had a job to do. He didn’t care who had won last year’s World Series.

On June 2, 1956, Don Kaiser faced the Brooklyn Dodgers. He seems pleased with the results almost 55 years later.

“I guess the biggest thrill in my first start was after the game, knowing I pitched a two-hitter against the World Champions.”

(Thanks to http://www.retrosheet.org/, here’s the results of that amazing day, produced in front of an amazed Wrigley Field crowd.)

Less than one month later, a home crowd saw Kaiser shut out the Milwaukee Braves.

“That day in Wrigley Field was one of those days when everything went right. I mean, I had good stuff and good control and they weren’t hitting that day.”

Before adding his thanks, Kaiser summed up his career:

“Well, I can tell you that life in the Majors is the Best. I just wished I could have stayed up there a lot longer than I did.

I still follow the game pretty close, even though I have been out of the game since 1962. But I can always say that I got to play with and against some of the greatest players in the game.

After I got out of the game I got into law enforcement and spent 30 years in it. Thanks for asking all these questions. I hope I have helped you some.

Sincerely,
Don Kaiser”