Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: April 2015

Giants broadcaster Lon Simmons gone at age 91

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From a 1971 magazine ad for Giants flagship station KSFO. Check out Lon's baseball memorabilia in the background! By KSFO [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
From a 1971 magazine ad for Giants flagship station KSFO. Check out Lon’s baseball memorabilia in the background! By KSFO [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I remember the kind, detailed reply from announcer Lon Simmons. 

Three blog posts were needed to share all of Lon’s memories.

Want to collect great stories? Find the broadcasters. 

Meanwhile, enjoy this great retrospective from fans who remember the voice of the Giants.

Advice to TTM autograph newcomers?

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That's Hank Aaron signing for fans at Tiger Stadium, July 4, 1975. By Xnatedawgx (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
That’s Hank Aaron signing for fans at Tiger Stadium, July 4, 1975. By Xnatedawgx (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

I have a new site, a site that’s just begun.

I have yet to fill in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

I need your help.

I have an idea of the most-often-asked questions I get from readers, including newcomers.

I deal with through the mail (TTM) interactions. Many of you seek autographs. Others (like me) are looking for more from baseball’s past and present: an answered question, note or memory shared.

What do you wish you knew when you first started? 

Readers, I’d be so grateful to see your top tips and suggestions. I want to offer an FAQ section to help keep our hobby thriving. Help me help them!

An open letter to Kurt Bevacqua

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Bevacqua2
Found at author Dan Epstein’s BIG HAIR AND PLASTIC GRASS site. He wrote the ultimate tribute to 1970s baseball. Check him out!

Dear Mr. B —

I just saw your latest TTM autograph price list form letter. (By the way, I  freelance edit. The letter is riddled with problems.)

Do you really have worries about “ensuring the authenticity” of your autograph? The price list says so. I guess last year’s rate of $7 per autograph didn’t provide enough security against autograph forgers? Does the autograph broker provide a certificate of authenticity with each signature?

Back to 1984: I wish you would include photos of what the $500 World Series baseball inscribed with “Padres MVP” looks like. This fee astounds me. I just saw on eBay a ball signed by the whole Padres team (from 1984, when you must have felt differently about autographs, for $395).

Once, I appreciated your championship bubble-blowing talents, sir. Now, I worry if you’ve simply blown it. 

Sincerely,

Tom O.

 

 

 

 

 

Negro Leaguer collects collector letters

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In words, in his own artwork, in two languages, Kohei Nirengi loves baseball!
In words, in his own artwork, in two languages, Kohei Nirengi loves baseball!

I am a Nick Diunte fan.

I read his great interviews and fantastic features at BaseballHappenings.net and examiner.com. Nick’s love for the game and his attention to detail set him apart from other writers.

His fact-finding talent resurfaced during a recent discovery he made online.

He found amazing footage in the documentary Extra Innings: Preserving the History of the Negro Leagues. (Please, take a look at the Youtube clip.) There’s former Kansas City Monarch Bill McCrary with a binder. He’s proud to show a letter he preserved from a fan in Japan.

That’s no ordinary fan. That’s blog reader and friend Kohei Nirengi.

Yes, so many retirees read our letters.

Many are thrilled more than you’ll ever know.

And this is the tricky part. I believe Mr. McCrary wasn’t stunned by a letter from another country. He was impressed seeing that someone made a special effort to learn his story and contact him with a personal letter.

Your postmark doesn’t matter. Your sincerity and dedication do.

Thank you, Nick. Thank you, Kohei!