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| Dan Cote dazzles again. I’m a weekly follower of “Signed DC.” Dan collected Kepshire in 2010. The Portland picture is priceless. Smile, Kurt! |
I took a chance writing to pitcher Kurt Kepshire.
This guy is a speed signer. I saw samples of his abbreviated autograph, combined with his speedy response time. He’s the kind of guy who might sign the cards before the postman gets the mailbox lid opened.
I worried that he might not take the time to respond to, or even read, a question in a letter. You know the type? The person who gets your e-mail and writes back HA HA before seeing the second sentence.
Impressively, Kepshire fielded all three of my three questions. When I asked about memories of batterymate Darrell Porter, Kepshire wrote:
“Him helping me with back-to-back shutouts. Great guy. Sad loss.”
The beginning and the end are the keys to Kepshire’s delight over beating San Francisco in his debut July 4, 1984. (Thanks, http://www.retrosheet.org/!) He replied:
“Taking the mound for the first time and getting a standing ovation at the end. Great memory.”
Lastly, the grateful hurler avoided any chest-thumping bragging when I asked about his back-to-back shutouts in September, 1984. Not only did he beat the Cubs (at home!) and Expos, he faced other call-ups, foes he couldn’t have extensive scouting reports on. How does he recall those wins?
“Pitching against some great players and achieving that goal with the help of my teammates.”