If there was an autograph Hall of Fame, Dave “Boo” Ferriss would be enshrined.
When he died on Thanksgiving at age 94, collectors lost a friend. The former Red Sox pitcher signed 227 out of 228 recorded requests, says www.sportscollectors.net. I’m astounded at how many hobbyists received notes, photos or other bonuses with their requests.
“Boo” shared this with me in 2010. Enjoy!
Gone at age 24.
What can collectors and researchers learn from such a shock as the accidental death of pitcher Jose Fernandez?
According to the ever-inspiring www.sportscollectors.net, Fernandez had responded to 17 of 67 TTM requests. The last success came in his 2013 rookie season, however.
This isn’t a post about stats, mind you. This is a message about the future.
Hurry up. Fate won’t wait.
Write to those baseball names NOW.
It’s the anniversary of ME!
I’m back for another year of membership in SCN. Since 2005, I’ve depended on the SportsCollectors.net community of members for news and advice.
For the $14.99 I spend yearly on membership, I think I save double that much on postage. Having other by-mail collectors confirm who’s signing (or answering a question or two with a return note or letter) is a huge bonus that saves time and money.
Besides, it’s fun. This is a hobby best shared with others.
If you’ve never joined, check out the website’s many services at www.sportscollectors.net.
Greg Corrales would be a great hobby coach.“I received the following from George Riley today, which I thought might be of interest to you. In response to my question about what advice he would give to high school pitchers, he had this to say:“I would tell all athletes to get school in first. You never know [if you’ll] get hurt. And also, you must maintain your concentration to the max, and success will come. Work very hard at what you decide on a position. Pitchers, do a lot of curls. I always had a twenty-pound dumbbell with me at all times. Good luck.”Then he went on to add the following:“In the year 2011, I got colon cancer. Then my friend of sixteen years had a spinal cord stroke. Living with her [illegible] paralyzed waist down. I had to give up my [illegible]. If possible if you could help a little, no job, no car. Thanks for the great gift.”
1. Never assuming. How many people look on a hobby forum, expecting someone else to be the first collector to report a successful breakthrough? Past stats aren’t always a guarantee of whether you’ll get a response or not.
Imagine piles of confetti everywhere in the White Sox clubhouse.
Wait. Those are tiny, slivered baseball cards. And bits of sliced-up envelopes.
First, the throwback jerseys came under attack.
What if a volatile hurler protests all the fan mail, too? It could happen, so hide the scissors!
At last count, the always-amazing www.sportscollectors.net success scoreboard showed 49 recorded by-mail successes from Chris Sale out of 163 tries. However, the last recorded response came in 2015.
If you hear from the pitcher this year, hope that your autograph comes back in one piece.