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World Series

Autograph Collectors, Don’t Envy Reporters

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I was impressed seeing this
on www.sportscollectorsdaily.com.
Sports agent Walsh got Ruth
and others to sign in 1947. These days,
an autographed press pass
seen by team officials
would be grounds for eviction!
 

Frustrated TTM collectors might wish to trade places with the all-access journalists who are swarming about the World Series. Look at the players they have at their fingertips.

Not for autographs!

The press passes include the warning. Signs are posted, too.

The team prints their law on every press pass. Asking for autographs means you can ejected from the clubhouse or field quicker than a mouthy manager.

And, unlike the school principal who threatened to put this on your imaginary “permanent record,” I believe that an infraction might make it impossible to get a press pass in the future.

Think of The Coasters singing Poison Ivy:

“You can look but you better not touch!”

Hall of Fame Manager Dick Williams Shared A Laugh And Autograph With Me!

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BOO! Scary airbrushing!
The facsimile autograph
looks haunted:
DILLIAMS?

Happy Halloween!

Today is about how much you get, right? Or, how much you give? As in, so many kids trick-or-treated here, there’s no candy left for me!

Here’s another take on giving and getting.

I’ll never forget sitting on the couch with my dad, watching the Oakland-Cincinnati World Series. He fell off the couch laughing his a– off (yes, it’s hard to sit without one of those!) when Johnny Bench fell for the fake intentional walk.

I wrote to Dick Williams long before he was a Hall of Famer, long before he charged for autographs. I never asked for an autograph. I just wanted him to have another perspective on the classic moment.

I related my dad’s comments. I thanked him for making my dad laugh.

Dick sent back an Expos postcard of himself, thanking ME for a great story. He added a note that Rollie Fingers later told him he hadn’t seen that play work since Little League!

As I watched this World Series with my wife, she saw a close-up of Tim Lincecum.

“He looks like a sad Pee-wee Herman before he pitches.”

As oh-so-dramatic Joe Buck recounted upcoming Giants batters, my wife asked for a clarification.

“His name is Hunter Pence? I thought Joe Buck called him UNDERPANTS.”

Future letters? Hmmm…

All I know is that humor can make a difference!