Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2014

Recalling Two Talks With Twins Second Baseman Bobby Randall

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Check out Randall’s
stats and philosophy at
www.baseball-almanac.com!
That piercing stare. Those eyebrows. That dramatic grin.
There was nothing minor league about Bobby Randall.
 I encountered him as a 1976 Minnesota Twin. I was in a Kansas City hotel lobby. I had my Twins collection in a small shoebox, alphabetized.
Guess what infielder stood nearby, poking a teammate, pointing at me?
“What are you going to do with all that?” he challenged. 
“Take it home and put it with the rest of my collection,” I answered as sincerely as possible. 
I produced his Topps card and asked for his autograph (please).
Pause. Smile. Signature.
Flash forward. I’m a journalism student at Iowa State University. I pitch a feature idea on the baseball team’s coach, former major leaguer Bobby Randall.
He’s polite during the interview, listening intently and acting like I’m The Sporting News editor. Every answer is sincere and detailed. His sole home run (off Chris Knapp) wasn’t a tape measure blast, so he made it sound like anyone could have cleared the fence. He became embarrassed when I asked about signing autographs and getting fan mail. 
At the end of our talk, I confide that I got his autograph those years ago in Kansas City. I tell him the story, thanking him again for signing. “You should have told me!” 
I was surprised, covering Cyclone baseball games for the Des Moines Register, that fans weren’t getting his autograph. Didn’t they know who he really was?
He volunteered to speak to my wife’s day camp group. A devout Christian, the coach taught by action and example. 
I like to think that I might have encouraged a Twins rookie to keep an open mind about autograph collectors. He expressed other thoughts that day at Iowa State — a great warning to in-person collectors. Nevertheless, I never saw him turn his back on a fan. Plus, I know that Bobby Randall remains a TTM all-star signer today. He’s a prize in my collection of stories behind the signatures.

Baseball-Crazy Cartoonist Scott Hilburn Shares ‘Argyle Sweater’ History

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From Feb. 11, 2011. Did the Flyin’ Hawaiian
ever know he was a comics all-star, too? Visit
www.theargylesweater.com to keep daily tabs
on this funny fellow fan!
Last week, I wrote about seeing Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt appear in the “funny papers.” 

I pondered whether cartoonists were well-connected folk who knew anyone and everyone. Would it matter saying to a major leaguer that you saw them honored in the comics?

Here’s the kind reply from creator Scott Hilburn himself:

“Hi Tom,

I’m not specifically a Dodgers fan – but a huge baseball fan in general.  

I’ve never been to a Dodgers game (I live in Dallas) but only because I haven’t had the opportunity yet.

I try to catch the closest ballgame when I travel and I hope to, one day, visit every stadium.

I’ve included a few players in my comic before. Shane Victorino immediately comes to mind.

No feedback from any of the players though.”

Thanks to Scott for his time, and for funny stuff worth sharing with any real-life counterpart.

  

Creativity Pays When Writing For Autographs: Grab Some Scissors & Think Comical!

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Players, past and present, are human. If you
see them mentioned in an offbeat way, share it.
Good luck finding more offbeat fun than what’s
offered by “The Argyle Sweater.”

Many new collectors ask the best way to write a letter to a former major leaguer.

The late Virgil Trucks told me once that fan mail writers tried to tell him things about his career. Rarely could someone surprise him with a factoid or stats.
I’m talking about SHOWING someone when you write.
How many people saw this 6/23 comic panel. It’s called Argyle Sweater, by Scott Hilburn. Funny stuff. Rarely does a cartoonist reference a specific person.
In case you can’t read the pitching coach’s number, Hilburn even has Honeycutt’s correct #40. Any Los Angeles Dodgers fan would love seeing broadcaster Vin Scully co-starring in the gag.
Cut out the comic (or print it out). Say you thought his family might like an extra. Send one to the coach.
Players and retirees think that collectors are all about taking. Give a little.

One Heckle ‘Dear Drunk Guy’ Should Have Shouted At Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips

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How does the 2nd baseman feel about his
most surprising autograph ever? The photo
was posted on Phillips’ official site,
www.datdudebp.com

Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips can play, on field and off.

If baseball had an All-Twitter team, he’d be a captain.
Posing for fan photos. Sharing those photos. He does it all.
Almost all.
The always-amazing website www.sportscollectors.net provided two stunning stats on Phillips. He’s still at a 70 percent success rate for fan mail. However, members on the website haven’t recorded a TTM success from him since October, 2011.
Everyone’s grooving on the story about Phillips responding with kindness to a drunken Pirates fan last week, providing a humorous but pointed “personalized” autograph.
Will BP apply half the effort on his fan mail that he showed toward a soused heckler? Many sober collectors are waiting. And waiting. And waiting…

Why Would Mariners Manager Lloyd McClendon Charge For Autographs?

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Back in spring training, the M’s Community Relations
Dept. showed ML Blogs that the entire roster
was signing items that could be auctioned
by charities — even McClendon. The skipper hasn’t mentioned
charities in his latest autograph change, though.

Address king Harvey Meiselman does a good job updating his customers about new addresses or signing changes.

Here’s one that gave me a shock.
A Michigan-based fan mail handler has made a deal with M’s manager Lloyd McClendon. The signing fee is $15 per card or baseball, $20 for bulky items.
This isn’t a former player now dealing with wages of real-world jobs (like us).
He’s remained employed as a manager or coach for years. I’d guess the autograph broker made the deal with McClendon after meeting the latter back as a hitting coach for Detroit.
According to the website “Baseball Reference,” McClendon made more than $2 million in his seven-year playing career. Although MLB teams are trying to keep managerial salaries secret, numerous sources estimate that the low end of the 2014 pay scale for skippers is at the $500,000 mark.
There’s no details from the McClendon go-between that part of the fee goes to charity.
I’d think the Seattle front office might want to have a fast talk with their field boss. As of right now, McClendon gives the impression that he’s had to pick up a second job to make ends meet.