Cancer claimed Grady Hatton Thursday at age 90.
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| A crisp sig, until the end! |
Hatton was a sure-thing signer. He added “1952 All-Star” on request.
Questions were questionable, however.
All I got was a crisp autograph when I wrote. The questions were ignored.
Reviewing the archives of www.sportscollectors.net, I saw that I wasn’t alone.
In 2004, Hatton wrote to one collector that he’d get in trouble with players if he answered questions.
I met Hank Bauer at a 1980s card show. A bubbly Boog Powell loved chatting with him at an after-hours reception for card dealers.
Powell would tell anyone anything. Bauer was more careful.
“We had a sign on the clubhouse wall,” Bauer said. ‘What happens here stays here.'”
Before the Las Vegas rules. You know, what happens in Vegas…
No more worries about keeping confidences, Grady. Thanks for the signature.
Sorry to hear about Grady. I had just sent him a letter on April 9 – seems like I have missed my chance.
I called Hatton a few years ago to ask him about what it was like playing in 1947 amidst Jackie Robinson’s debut and he gave me the same answer. He was very polite about it, but he said that he feared being misquoted and upsetting other players.
RIP Mr. Hatton. The beginning of his tenure in Cincinnati was somewhat auspicious. He led the league in errors at third base in 1947 but he obviously continued working at it and in 1952 received the ultimate honor of being named to the National League All-Star team. He was very good to his fans and I was fortunate enough to receive several signed items through the years that I purchased on EBay and other outlets