Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2013

Why Won’t Teams Call Up Announcers In September?

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Randy Wehofer,
underrated voice
of the AAA Iowa Cubs.
Pat and Keith,
share the mike!

There’s nothing worse than a good team announcer gone bad.

I’m not advocating for firing/replacing noted baseball voices.

I’m just saying that it gets difficult watching smart men delude themselves (and us) that also-ran teams are interesting in the final weeks of the season.

Watching Friday’s televised game of the Tigers mauling the White Sox got painful. Ken Harrelson and Steve Stone tried to remain disappointed parents. They had nothing new to say about a lackluster roster. Hopeful but honest? These guys needed some mikeside inspiration.

Here’s the simple fix, one we could help with.

Redirect your letter-writing talents for a moment. Switch from autograph-seeking mode to advocacy. Broadcasters ask for e-mail comments during the game. Here’s one to share…

I’ve written about AAA broadcasters Jason Benetti and Randy Wehofer before. The last week of the season, get them in a major league booth. Instead of tired voices rehashing the could-have-been nature of the season, talk about the hopes awaiting the Nationals or Cubs in the minors for 2014.

Give them an inning!

Of course, a team battling for a pennant the last week of the season is going to have lots to discuss. Viewers and listeners will be content with the still-enthused broadcasters telling the still-suspenseful tale of a contending club.

That’s not the majority of MLB teams, however. Get these deserving minor league announcers a “cup of coffee” now. The exposure could be career-changing.

Don’t “Dupe” Players With Duplicates

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The new fall TV season isn’t in full swing yet. Therefore, if this seems like a rerun to some, I’m sorry.

I feel the need to recap an important message, however.

I still see notations on hobby forums, to the tune of: “Signed 9 of 9. Said he could keep extras…”

There’s an urge to hope that a vague offer will be missed in the letter. Then, the willing signer will autograph everything in sight. That gives the iffy giver trading stock.

That’s not fair, in my eyes.

Mark any extras with a post-it note. “Extra, for you.”

Then, add a SPECIFIC explanation. “Even if you don’t collect cards for your friends and family, here’s some extras marked. Please, keep them and share them with other fans who haven’t been as lucky.”

Or, as Christmas nears, ask the player to reward someone with the extras.

Retirees who go to the copy shop and make homemade cards for fan mail responses melt my heart. Help them help others.

A New Chase Utley Form Letter?

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This 2001 Bowman
facsimile autograph
may have been a
foreshadowing that
Utley would never
embrace signing.

Chase Utley made the Huffington Post.

Without being charged with a crime or indulging in a scandal?

The second baseman’s interaction with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia evokes special irony for collectors. Since 2006, Utley fan mail in care of the Phillies brings a form letter. Amazingly, the stock reply to fans reflects his TV version! He tells of how he’s too busy playing baseball to sign an autograph.

Although a postcard-sized photo gets included, collectors have sighed for years that the “autograph” is a likely preprint.

I guess the hobby can take small comfort in Utley having similar reactions to real-life collectors and fictional TV characters.

66 Baseball Deaths in 2013

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Found at www.bglewandowski.com
the comedian asked why the Grim Reaper
got a seat behind home plate at
the 2009 All-Star game. B.G.and
photog Brian Gerard got me looking,
laughing and THINKING. Bravo!
 

Anyone who depends on Harvey Meiselman’s 2013 Baseball Address List appreciates his attention to detail. In his just-e-mailed September update, he has a ton of updated addresses.

In other news, he’s updating the list to reflect deceased names. So far, we’ve lost 65 names. Add in all the alums from the WWII-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and the task becomes even more clear.

The window of opportunity is closing.

Don’t vow to send a ton of letters later. Send ONE tomorrow. Small daily or weekly goals usually outdistance a marathon mailing.

As I worked on this post, I saw on the great Baseball Player Passings Facebook group list that Larry Doby Johnson’s May death wasn’t made public by his family until now. Johnson played in only a handful of games from 1972-78.

It’s not just 1940s veterans. Former players of all ages are on the list.

Try the names on your want list now. How many extra innings will they have?

Virgil Trucks, Award-Winning Autograph Signer? Autograph U, Matt Raymond Make It Happen!

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With great in-person advice, too,
www.autographu.com never fails
to please this reader!

A standing O goes to Matt Raymond, super blogger and collector supreme at his site Autograph University.

Check out his six recent honorary degrees awarded to noted signers, as chosen by his readers.

Virgil Trucks received a posthumous degree. His daughter Carolyn Beckwith wrote me, telling how proud her dad would be.

Matt’s awards are a great message for all of us. A thank-you note can be just as moving for some retiree who’s been spending hours each month trying to please strangers. In fact, it’s a way to convince a signer’s FAMILY that the effort is important.

If you love an autograph you’ve gotten, don’t just tell other collectors. Write the signer. Tell them why they matter.

If we keep doing that, we, as collectors, will keep mattering, too.