Header - Baseball by the Letters

Pitcher Bob Sadowski Honors A Fan

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Bob Sadowski pitched for the Red Sox and Milwaukee Braves. His career statistics need to be rechecked. There’s one big win missing from his totals, the day he showed a father and son how much they mattered. I learned of this kindness from Douglas Gladstone, who wrote A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB and the Players Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve

Gladstone focuses on the “gap” players, those who retired without having logged the then-required four seasons of service to qualify for a pension. Despite a new contract in 1980 that makes players from that year forward “vested” (pension eligible) after just 43 days on a Major League roster, and just ONE DAY to qualify for medical insurance, the agreement was not retroactive. The original pre-1980 group of 874 still get no monthly payment. Sadowski is among the ignored, those who want the pension both for support, and for a validation from MLB that their efforts mattered.

Gladstone wrote me:

“There’s a delightful story, and one that’s very instructive, in the book told by Bob Sadowski, who now resides in Sharpsburg, Georgia. He  tells of the time that a fan from Evanston, Illinois wrote him requesting an autograph for his son, and even included a $10 check:”

‘I looked this fellow up in the phone book and called the guy and he couldn’t believe it,” he says, proudly. “He said, ‘Mister Sadowski, what an honor.’ And I said, ‘Mister, I’m the one who should be honored that you thought so much of me of to want your autograph for your boy. That’s payment enough for me.’ And he says, ‘But I already sent you a check.’ And I told him, I already sent it back.'”

Author Gladstone’s stories are both shocking yet uplifting. Shocking in that baseball has turned its back on too many players who gave their hearts to the game. Nonetheless, these former players still feel a grateful obligation to fans and collectors. They know that neither group was responsible for depriving them of a pension. That’s enough to make outraged fans stand up and cheer for these forgotten men.

Gladstone has done more than write a book. He’s trying to right a wrong while bettering lives. Check out his website for more examples of how his book could help restore the game’s conscience.

Tomorrow: learn of a former teammate’s letter to Brooks Robinson, a plea still awaiting a response.

Pitcher Gary Peters Strikes Me Out!

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Imagine going to bat against an all-star. Strike three! Wait…someone’s calling from the mound, apologizing and thanking the batter for the out.

That mannerly moundsman might be Gary Peters, a two-time All-Star who led the American League in wins in 1964.

“I don’t do questionnaires! Sorry.

Gary Peters, 1963 AL ROY”


For the record, I don’t send a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. My personalized letter includes three questions.

Nevertheless, Peters included an autographed card of his own to lessen the agony of defeat, along with his autographed note of regret.

All collectors have gotten rejection before. The common types are:

1. RTS. “Return to Sender.” The addressee wants no part of your envelope.
2. Blankedy-blank. Your letter and card come back in your SASE. No signature. No explanation.
The lack of ink makes you feel like saying the above — unbleeped version.

I’d choose Gary Peters every time.

Milt Bolling Mystery? Address King Harvey Meiselman Rides To Rescue!

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I rely on Harvey Meiselman’s superb Baseball Address List for my successes. I double-check his 2010 list with the recent successes listed on the invaluable http://www.sportscollectors.net/.
Recent successes from 1950s infielder Milt Bolling puzzled me. He moved in 2010, after Harvey went to press. I knew the quarterly address updates Harvey e-mails to customers would have the info. However, I didn’t want to wait too long to contact a man Bolling’s age.

The Sports Collectors website postings of responses through the mail threw me a curve. Collectors noted that recent replies came from apartment #203. The first successes came from apt. 302. I didn’t want to squander a stamp and get a “return to sender,” just because of accidentally-transposed numbers. Knowing that Harvey would share the updated address with the hobby world soon, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting thrown by a possible cut-and-paste typo.

His findings? Harvey wrote:

“I researched the Milt Bolling addresses and here’s what I found. His correct address is 4363 Old Shell Road Apt 302 – Mobile AL 36608 and he moved to that address in April 2010 right before the June 2010 update was sent out. It’s on the list for the September updates. The apartment number I listed is the correct one. I don’t know where the other was started but obviously he’s well known in the building and the mail gets to him anyway.”

This is more than peace-of-mind over a saved stamp. Seeing this address sleuth in action reinforces my belief in the hobby‘s best friend. All collectors need to own The Meiselman List.

Autograph Collectors: Postal Service Wants Your Two Cents’ Worth PLUS 44

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The Postal Service issued a wake-up call to collectors this month. The move is afoot to raise first-class postage from 44 to 46 cents on Jan. 2, 2011.

If you send just one autograph letter per day (with SASE), you’ll be paying $14.60 more.

There’s still time to protest. There is a commission that’ll make the decision on increasing the prices. Contact them if you’d like to stamp out the price increase.

Meanwhile, load up on those FOREVER stamps for your self-addressed envelopes. That way, tardy signers won’t have their responses impounded.

Bless all the carriers who’ve been delivering SASEs sent before the barrage of postal increases — many before FOREVER stamps were options. I’ve read of long-awaited autographs appearing with a 37-cent stamp. I believe that the USPS delivery brigade is filled with good folks. They must have a hunch that something special awaits inside those envelopes.

Dodgers Blue Heaven Blog Unites Fans, Collectors of Baseball Letters

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I’m impressed. Ernest Reyes is redefining what a baseball team blog is — or can be.

Once, I thought team blogs only analyzed past games or previewed upcoming match-ups. Ernest has expanded his Dodgers Blue Heaven readership to please Dodger fans and collectors.

Scouring the internet, he’s found sellers offering hand-written letters from former Dodgers. These gems don’t come up often. However, here’s a 2009 example Ernest excavated, the story of a “cup of coffee“ pitcher‘s 1951 debut at Ebbets Field against Stan Musial.

The letters have hooked another blogmaster! He wrote:

“At first, I didn’t specifically seek out those letters on eBay. I stumbled across them. As I read them I thought they would great to share. I found the first person perspective of their career fascinating, especially stories about facing a legendary soon to be Hall of Famer or their first major league hit, at-bat or pitch. Often, you could tell that their memories of that one moment was still vivid in their minds, even if their memories of nearly everything else had faded with time. Now, I regularly seek them out on eBay or other auction houses.”

Hurray for Ernest and all bloggers who preserve baseball’s hand-written memories.