Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Smile With Pitcher Al “Stretch” Grunwald

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Still Looking Up!



 Al Grunwald led two baseball lives.

First, anyone spotting his nickname should be clued in that this was no ordinary pitcher. Grunwald was one of baseball’s good sports. Imagine being in an organization seven years, suddenly being told that you might be of more service at another position.

That’s how a first baseman gets relocated.

Upon reading that, I expected Marlon Brando’s “I Coulda Been a Contendah!” Nope. No moaning about finding work in Japan as a first baseman after the majors gave up on the converted hurler.

Instead, Al Grunwald’s still filled with wonder!

He debuted with the 1955 Pirates. Grunwald recalled one talented young teammate:

“What I recall about Roberto Clemente, he was the greatest ballplayer I ever saw! I never talked to Roberto, but watching him play was remarkable!!!”

A 1955 highlight had to be his 5.1 scoreless innings against St. Louis May 1. Grunwald shared:

“Tom, there is always tense moments in baseball. Pitching against Stan Musial was a great thrill! He hit a line drive single over my head.”

Grunwald’s only career save came as a Kansas City Athletic. He shut down the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park on Sept. 11, 1959. How did that feel?

“Looking at the left field wall, it felt like you could reach out and touch it. Ha! Ha!”

Grunwald opened and closed his letter thanking me. He wished my family ‘Happy New Year’ and prefaced his autograph with “As Ever.”

I hope more former players like Al Grunwald remain “as ever.” That would make a new year happier for all fans and collectors.

Smile With Pitcher Al "Stretch" Grunwald

by
Still Looking Up!



 Al Grunwald led two baseball lives.

First, anyone spotting his nickname should be clued in that this was no ordinary pitcher. Grunwald was one of baseball’s good sports. Imagine being in an organization seven years, suddenly being told that you might be of more service at another position.

That’s how a first baseman gets relocated.

Upon reading that, I expected Marlon Brando’s “I Coulda Been a Contendah!” Nope. No moaning about finding work in Japan as a first baseman after the majors gave up on the converted hurler.

Instead, Al Grunwald’s still filled with wonder!

He debuted with the 1955 Pirates. Grunwald recalled one talented young teammate:

“What I recall about Roberto Clemente, he was the greatest ballplayer I ever saw! I never talked to Roberto, but watching him play was remarkable!!!”

A 1955 highlight had to be his 5.1 scoreless innings against St. Louis May 1. Grunwald shared:

“Tom, there is always tense moments in baseball. Pitching against Stan Musial was a great thrill! He hit a line drive single over my head.”

Grunwald’s only career save came as a Kansas City Athletic. He shut down the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park on Sept. 11, 1959. How did that feel?

“Looking at the left field wall, it felt like you could reach out and touch it. Ha! Ha!”

Grunwald opened and closed his letter thanking me. He wished my family ‘Happy New Year’ and prefaced his autograph with “As Ever.”

I hope more former players like Al Grunwald remain “as ever.” That would make a new year happier for all fans and collectors.

Pitcher Duane Pillette Asks The Hobby

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Luckily, Mr. Pillette keeps smiling and signing.

“Hey ____________,

Enclosed is a card and index card, pick up a sharpie and sign them”

Would anyone really send a note like that to a former player? Pitcher Duane Pillette, first profiled on the blog back April 15 and April 16, shared this with a collector.

The hobbyist posted his stunning exchange with Pillette on the ever-amazing http://www.sportscollectors.net/ forum.

Pillette returned the collector’s 1952 Topps card signed. However, unsure whether the hand-written demand came from the real collector and SCN subscriber, Pillette added:

” I’m not really sure who sent me this card. I’m a little surprised that in high school you couldn’t find a better piece of paper and maybe next time you send a card to anyone make it sound like a pleasure and not like a job!”

In the past week, SCN subscribers have been rallying to send apology letters to Pillette, who has 142 recorded TTM responses on the website.

The hobby needs our help. The quality of letters you send matter. A thank-you note could convince a willing signer not to stop answering fan mail. Other retirees may start charging, not out of financial need, but from the urge to deter requests by way of a cash penalty. If the ex-player believes that letter writers aren’t sincere, why not scare them away with a fee?

A standing ovation goes to collector Richard Jones. After sharing the letter, he wrote me:

“I was just so upset about this incident. I love collecting autographs. Its a great and fun hobby but people like the author of that horrible letter is what is causing “our” hobby to be more challenging.”

I see a couple of messages in this shocking episode. First, don’t just say “too bad,” shrug and go on collecting. Speak up. Silence and inaction only make a problem grow.

Most of all, Duane Pillette’s challenge tells us to make every letter count. It’s not just for yourself, but for tomorrow’s collectors, too.


Were Santa Claus & Tony Oliva Teammates?

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Why am I such a raving fanboy about http://www.sportscollectors.net/?

One of many reasons is being able to get good news fast. SCN is my “go to” source for hobby updates.

We all groan over retired players wanting to be paid for autographs by mail. Other collectors sending valuable cards might add a payment, even cash, if concerned about not getting a valuable card back.

Enter collector Dave Patton, who’s working on collecting an entire 1965 Topps set. He enclosed a $10 bill in hopes of guaranteeing a return from Oliva.

The card came back autographed. With one huge surprise:

Dave shared a pic of his money memorabilia with SCN subscribers.

I contacted Dave, asking for an update about what he wanted to do with the tenspot. Buy a book of stamps? Say it ain’t so, Joe! No worries, Dave replied:

“I am still amazed myself. Just to get the card back would have been exciting, but the $10 return is really special. All of the responses that I have received are on the SCN post. After some thought, I am going to try to get all of the living members of the Twins 65 World Series team to sign it. I remember that series well as it was well played by both teams, going seven games and I am working on a 65 autographed set. Hopefully Harmon Killebrew will recover from his recent cancer diagnosis and I can get him to sign.”

I thank Dave for letting us know that autograph collecting isn’t all gloom and doom. I wish him luck with his autographed currency. While the autograph might bring $10 at the bank, the memory is priceless.

Were Santa Claus & Tony Oliva Teammates?

by

Why am I such a raving fanboy about http://www.sportscollectors.net/?

One of many reasons is being able to get good news fast. SCN is my “go to” source for hobby updates.

We all groan over retired players wanting to be paid for autographs by mail. Other collectors sending valuable cards might add a payment, even cash, if concerned about not getting a valuable card back.

Enter collector Dave Patton, who’s working on collecting an entire 1965 Topps set. He enclosed a $10 bill in hopes of guaranteeing a return from Oliva.

The card came back autographed. With one huge surprise:

Dave shared a pic of his money memorabilia with SCN subscribers.

I contacted Dave, asking for an update about what he wanted to do with the tenspot. Buy a book of stamps? Say it ain’t so, Joe! No worries, Dave replied:

“I am still amazed myself. Just to get the card back would have been exciting, but the $10 return is really special. All of the responses that I have received are on the SCN post. After some thought, I am going to try to get all of the living members of the Twins 65 World Series team to sign it. I remember that series well as it was well played by both teams, going seven games and I am working on a 65 autographed set. Hopefully Harmon Killebrew will recover from his recent cancer diagnosis and I can get him to sign.”

I thank Dave for letting us know that autograph collecting isn’t all gloom and doom. I wish him luck with his autographed currency. While the autograph might bring $10 at the bank, the memory is priceless.