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Look for this RC on Youtube!

Don’t be afraid to wish.

After viewing another empty mailbox by my front door, I grumbled, “I hope other collectors are getting some responses today.” No, I didn’t run down the street, peeking in other mailboxes.

With Youtube, I didn’t have to!

I’m so happy to see collector videos on Youtube. When I saw a great story about pitcher Ryan Tatusko, posted by “Super RC,” I had to know how “Super” this collector was.

He didn’t disappoint. The “RC” wasn’t a Rookie Card abbreviation. This truly super collector is Roger Chen. I thank him for the e-interview, which I share with you:
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts about my ‘graphing experience: it’s always been a passion of mine and though my ultimate goal is to have a good collection, I want to be able to show others how to do it; to help them build the confidence that they TOO can have their favorite player’s autograph through the mail (or in person).

The love affair for TTM autos was Will Clark signing my 87 Topps rookie card about 20 years ago. It came full circle last week when I met Will at AT&T park and he signed my ball and I had a 45 second conversation with my boyhood hero.”

Q: How did Ryan Tatusko respond to your tribute, showing all the cards he signed?

A: He was VERY appreciative of the video. I did the video because I wanted to honor him the right way for making the time to sign. I hope I did just that.

Q: Do you have any of the cards left to give out? If so, please offer detailed instructions of how you’d like requests/contacts to be made?

A: I have a few left. Just reach out to me on youtube or this email address and provide a U.S. mail address (limit 1 per person).

Q: What kind of in-person ‘graphing do you do?

A: Primarily at the minor league ball parks: I enjoy the closer quarters and more personal interaction with the athletes because I can spend more time talking with them often times one on one. Most of the guys are generous to sign my entire stack of cards but I try to keep it to 2-3 cards per person per encounter.

I’ve also had success waiting outside the player’s parking lot. It provides a great opportunity for chatter and eye contact without the separation of a dugout, fence or a beam.

Q: You mentioned the response from JW Porter on another great video. Have you gotten by-mail answers to questions from other former players?

A: Though I haven’t gotten responses from former players, I did a personalized response from Leilani Munter: race car driver and environmental activist. As you can see in the video, her care package was really awesome.

Q: I’ve never tried Twitter. What type of responses have you gotten tweeting current and former players?

A: I’ve reached out to prospects during spring training and got more responses then as opposed to the regular season: simple ask to send stuff & get signed, wait for a response.

Q: I’m sure other collectors jumped at asking for a Ryan T card. You made a very generous offer. But what other kind of feedback have you gotten from other Youtube videos of yours? How has it helped connecting with other collectors?

A: Fellow ‘tubers have given me a lot of support and encouragement for the gesture, and my main goal was to share in Ryan’s generosity. A lot of people I’ve sent to are also TTM and IP auto collectors as well.

Q: What’s your current focus or specialty for baseball autograph collecting?

A: Right now I focus on the in-person autograph: I enjoy that instant gratification and personal interaction. I have also dabbled in the TTM auto of former players as well turning old baseball cards into signed beauties.

Q: Future goals?

A: I see myself doing more TTM’s and trading fellow graphers for their IP or TTM autos 50/50.

Q: Advice for other collectors thinking about posting their own Youtube hobby video?

A: Absolutely DO IT: you are on a platform to let the original signers know that the package was recieved, and you appreciate their time for signing your stuff… also, people who see how generous a signer is may follow suit and send stuff to that person as well.

Roger is an “old school” hobbyist. I’m grateful that he’s sharing all he knows. You’ll see in his Tatusko video a helpful aside about using Staedtler pens. Anyone with other questions, write him at superrc@gmail.com. His twitter handle is @roger_chen.

Coming Friday: A Review of Jim Abbott’s “Imperfect: An Improbable Life.”

Living in Japan, baseball fan Kohei Nirengi is anything but typical. Approximately, 95 percent of his collection consists of American major leaguers.

He had reached Masanori Murakami years ago, wanting an autograph because of the pitcher’s Jackie Robinson-like fame in being the first Japanese barrier breaker to reach the majors.
Kohei writes autograph requests by hand. Anyone who hears from this collector knows the purpose of the letter:

“Baseball is the most beautiful game.”

Helping add such touches in translating David Patton’s words, Masanori Murakami included an additional response to questions.

Here’s the translation of the response Kohei helped secure:

Q1: Are you a Giants fan?
Murakami: “Of course! I go to San Francisco almost every year. I saw Willie Mays in person last year.  I sent his 80th Birthday gift to him. Mays’ and my birthday is May 6, but he is older than me by 13 years.”

Q2: I would be interested in hearing of your favorite memory of your U.S. playing days.

M: “Willie Mays and Tom Haller invited me to each of their homes. I still treasure to keep a cuff links which was a gift by Mays. Also I got a chance to talk with Roberto Clemente at a locker room, especially I was impressed by his volunteer works. Lastly, I got a ‘save’ as Marichal hit Roseboro over the head with his bat  and then we had a brawl against the L.A. Dodgers at Candlestick Park.”
I asked the humble Kohei if he was prepared for other collectors clamoring for his skills.

His answer? Kohei has contacted Murakami again. Kohei’s charities of choice have been his local animal shelter and Japanese organizations aiding tsunami and earthquake survivors. He’s asking the fabled pitcher what charities he supports, in hopes of the two of them combining on a private signing to help causes they both favor.

Kohei assures me that BBTL readers will be among the first to learn of the details of how and when such an opportunity could happen. Please, add a comment below if you’d be interested in Murakami’s autograph while aiding Japanese charities.

Coming Monday: Do all TTM collectors include a SASE? What happens when someone doesn’t? Diamondbacks pitcher and collector Brad Ziegler explains.

The first volume in the series, now out of print, is being hawked at $137 by a dealer on Amazon.Com.

It would have been a shame to let the “Baseball Hall of Shame” authors sneak off without answering any questions. My thanks to author Allan Zullo, who provided the following e-interview…

Q: The “Baseball Hall of Shame” series debuted in 1985, gracing  four volumes. Now, “The Best of Blooperstown” is a fifth! What’s new here?

A: We have taken the best of the previous four books and added about 40 percent new material.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any examples of players sending us letters.  We interviewed many of them by phone or in person; the older stories were based on old newspaper accounts, chronicles and memoirs that we found at the library of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Q: Speaking of baseball “shame,” what’s your current assessment of autograph signing?

A: You’re the expert on autographs, Tom.  You already know what we’ve discovered: Too many of today’s players hate signing autographs because they don’t have the time or feel that fans are profiting off of them. If you’re not a grade schooler or a beautiful woman, chances are not very good that you will get an autograph in person at the ballpark.  You might have some luck by the players’ entrance hours before the game or in the front row during BP.  The best place is the signing booth where two or three players at a time are required by the club to sign autographs.  Obviously, your chances increase if you send a SASE to the player with a polite letter.  The better the player, the less likely you are to get an autograph.  To increase your chances, ask for autographs from players before they become superstars.

Q: If someone wants to get an autograph from two fun authors like yourselves, any tips?

A: Why anyone would want an autograph from us is beyond our understanding.   If so, they can write to Bruce at Nash Entertainment, Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N. Gower St.  Box 10, Hollywood,  CA 90028; for Allan, it’s c/o The Wordsellers, Inc., 9 Poplar Forest, Fairview, NC 28730. [Be sure to enclose a SASE, return postage…some appropriate way to get your book returned. Thanks!]

Q: Last question: you two want to create a “Blooperstown” exhibit, pursuing some of the memorabilia you’re writing about. How’s the hunt?

A: We’re not having much luck because the really good things we want are from an earlier era and are nowhere to be found. Families of deceased players got rid of their things.  However, we’re still trying.  We’re hoping to get the army helmet that Steve Dahl wore at Disco Demolition Night. We believe the hat Jose Canseco wore when a flyball bounced off  his head for a homer is too expensive for us.
**************

Allan, as one of those unlucky collectors who isn’t a grade schooler or a beautiful woman, I hope you’ll pen an “Adventures in Autographing” someday. The stories we could tell!

Coming Monday: Honoring “Baseball Passings,” one of Facebook’s greatest sites!

Q: When is a fee not a fee?

A: When it’s an admission ticket.

Huh?

My efforts to get Yoda to do a guest post were futile. However, I think I’m starting to speak his language and decode such riddles. It’s a variation on banks calling loans “products” and not “services.”

I hope I’m making sense of some retirees are charging a “fee,” but are wowing collectors with quality responses that might include a card, note or other bonus. Think Frank “The Original” Thomas.

(Wait…I just heard thunder from Pittsburgh. Frank wants me to stress he’s asking for DONATIONS to his charities, not fees.)

In his case, it’s still an admission ticket.

The potential signer sees the intent of the request that includes money. A dealer would hope to maximize profits, taking advantage of a FREE autograph. That’s the conventional thinking.

Once the fee/donation appears in the envelope, your letter gets treated like a message from an old friend.

Of course, there’s the other category who charge. You are buying a product from an autograph factory. A family member or paid mail handler processes your request. The item is presented for a signature. Joe Cool signs it, never knowing anything about the collector getting the ‘graph. Assembly line stuff.

Therefore, if you’re intent on getting a signer in the $5 to $10 range, take a chance. Include a question. You’ll still get your autograph, even if the request is ignored. Asking is free.

Join www.sportscollectors.net and study the “successes” forum. The posting collector usually tells how much the required fee was, and if any extra items came with the response. As you decide whether you want to pay for a signature, ask yourself two questions.

1. How much?
2. Why are they asking?

Coming Wednesday: A Review of Wherever I Wind Up, by Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey

How much did this uncut sheet sell for? The auctioneers at Robert Edwards Auctions hit a home run with this lot from the first-year KC Athletics!

Thanks to the eagle-eyed readers who saved me. As I sought former 1950 Kansas City A’s to write to, I overlooked one sad fact: Glenn Cox passed away in January.

However, he left a legacy. Cox wrote a 2009 book The Way The Game Was Played.

I found an able substitute, catcher Jim Robertson. He migrated from the 1954 Philadelphia Athletics to the 1955 club in Kansas City.

I’ve wanted to find out from any first-year players if they knew what a treasure the Rodeo Meats team set was.

Most of all, I wanted to point out the importance of hobby buddies. Sharing information is one of the secrets to prospering as a collector.