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Hold Your Own Press Conference

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Sure, you might not get the same
coverage Prince Fielder did. You never
know if you don’t try!

Don’t be a hobby victim.

If some bratty player sends you a rude response to your autograph request, go public.

The sports media is giving current and former players a free pass. “Journalists” have little idea about the autograph hobby. Many overwhelmed reporters will take a player’s claims about being exploited on eBay seriously.

Tell your side of the story. Offer scans of the evidence.
Watch how fast a team rep responds to put out your bad news fires.

Take to the Internet. Somebody will listen.

Somebody like me!

Coming Friday: You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want popcorn. Hear from player-turned-screenwriter Billy Sample.

Alex Trebek Helps Me With My Collection

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Why would I seek this sig?
Tune in tomorrow!

“Who should I write to next?”

Suddenly, I imagine Alex Trebek buzzing me out. “I’m sorry. The answer we were looking for was: Who are..”

I’ve taken to asking myself questions (in true JEOPARDY fashion!), trying to group former players into subsets. If all seven names have a common thread, writing the letters will be more fun. There will be unifying elements in all the letters.

Here’s the seven names I contacted in the last week. See if you detect a theme in the bunch:

Chris Bando
Tom Bradley
Ray Herbert
Doug DeCinces
Alan Benes
David Nied
Ken Frailing

Ideas? I’ll reveal the link I found in the collection tomorrow.

Free Tools For Autograph Collectors?

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Here come the Valentine’s Day cards!

Huh?

The news should be music to an autograph collector’s ears. Pay attention to the store selling (and restocking!) greeting cards. I won’t name the good people at the nearby drugstore, because they might get scolded by management or the card distributors.

My wife and I saw a stack of empty envelopes on the counter. The checker smiled.

“Help yourself. Take all you want.”

Big, red envelopes. Greeting card sized envelopes! I assume these were headed for a recycling bin.

Yes, envelopes aren’t expensive. The point is finding an expressive envelope. If a retiree is sorting mail, your odd-sized letter will need to go in a festive pile of its own.

Plus, using unwanted greeting card envelopes is cheaper than sending chocolates!

Tomorrow: Tony Oliva’s Christmas gift to a collector!

Hobby Alert: Five Signs Of A Great Signer

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Who do you write to?

The list of retired players is shrinking. I confess: I’ve waited too long for several deceased signers.

Then, how do you keep the mail flowing and the successes returning? I don’t base my future mailings simply on the age of the people I’m contacting. As I look at reports from other collectors, these are signals to move a former player from a possibility to a “must contact.”

1. He signs fast. I’m impatient, so I cheer for anyone who returns fan mail in two weeks or less. Plus, I think fast signers are the most generous. Everybody gets something.

2. Personalization. That means the signer truly reads each letter. Therefore, my questions will get read.

3. Multiple items. I’m asking about three subjects. If someone doesn’t mind signing six cards at once, he won’t mind answering more than one question.

4. Adds an item. Older players are grateful to the true fans. When they enclose a photocopied article or even a photo for some fans, chances are greater I’ll get a thoughtful reply to my questions.

5. A new address. I believe some retirees who move might be sad over a drop in fan mail. If I can reach them during that lull, I might get a better response from the increased free time.

Readers: what clues do you seek about someone’s signing habits before writing?

Scrapbooks Hide Baseball Letter Treasures

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What is my holy grail?

I believe that some great baseball content is out there somewhere in a great-grandparent’s scrapbook. Past generations saved letters, pasting them (or hopefully, using photo corners) into scrapbooks. Not three-ring binders and plastic pages.

I love the vintage team logo stationery, too.

Keep watch. You may even be able to make a deal for a photocopy from a seller, or a collector who is wanting to slice up the scrapbook contents for the autographed cards and photos.

Spread the word. Keep hope. Your letter is out there!