A Hall of Fame Week

Last week's success TTM  was a matter of quality over quantity!

Jim Rice was one of the most feared hitters in baseball in the second half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s. He took on the mantle that Ted Williams had passed on to Carl Yastrzemski as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. The three of them combined to hold down the territory in front of the Green Monster almost half a century from 1939-1987 (excepting the years that Williams served in the military). Rice manned the position well, putting together a career that earned him induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

I sent a request to Rice with both his regular 1987 Topps card and the All Star card in that set. Both came back to me unsigned in just over a week. I noticed online that he often signs for a $5 "donation," so I sent another request for the two cards, including $10. This time the cards came back quickly again, with the All Star card signed, but the other one not. Wish he had signed them both, but thankful to add another Hall of Famer to the collection. Not sure if I'm going to try him again though.

1/2 in 9 days

An even better experience was the one I had with NFL Hall of Famer, Raymond Berry. I saw that he often signed TTM, and also that he and I shared some of the same interests. I didn't have any cards or photos, so I just sent him a couple index cards, requesting autographs for my brother-in-law (who is from Baltimore) and myself.

Not only did he sign the index cards with nice personalized notes, he also sent small sheets of paper with his Christian testimony, personalized and signed on the back.

Best of all though, he so appreciated the fact that we share a passion for our faith and an interest in genealogy that he hand-wrote a page long letter to me further discussing them and asking me to send him more information about the history of my family name. He even included a self-addressed, stamped envelope!

During his Hall of Fame career, Berry was John Unitas's go-to receiver. What a joy to make the acquaintance of an all-time great, who seems to be an even better person than he was a football player.

3/1 in 12 days

We've Got a Hitter in the House

Pardon me while I brag on my son for a moment. Actually...it's not bragging if it's someone else saying it, right? Pretty fun, even if the announcer does mispronounce the last name. Way to go, Jack!


Earlier in the day, he pinch hit in a game where we only had one hit all day. He was robbed of extra bases, but showed off a flash of power that I didn't realize he had. Why do lefties have all the prettiest swings?

More from Project 87 and a Unique Item

Last week I got two more cards back from the 1987 Topps project. One of them was a testimony to my rookie status at collecting TTM. In my post a week ago, I mentioned that I had received a card back from Ray Soff. As I mentioned in that post though, I realized after I had sent the card to him that he appears on another card in the set (the Cardinals Leaders card). I subsequently sent that card to him thanking him for the first card and asking if he'd sign the second one as well. Not only did he comply promptly, he considerately signed in such as way as to leave lots of space for the other two players pictured (Mike LaValliere and Ozzie Smith) to sign as well.

1/1, 6 days





The other 1987 Topps card I got back this past week was from Dave Kingman. Nicknamed "Kong," this 6'6" giant was one of the pure power hitters of my youth. At one time he held the record for fewest base hits by a player with 400 home runs. He may still hold the record; I don't know. In either case, he was, in a sense, ahead of his time. Today's players rarely "shorten up their swing" with two strikes in an effort to make contact, preferring an all or nothing strategy. Kingman pioneered this approach, striking out over 1800 times in his career (nearly 1/4 of all his plate appearances). When he hit it though, it was gone. He contributed three home runs to one of my favorite games ever, and led the league in homers twice (including a career high 48 in 1979). He also held the odd distinction of having played for teams in all four divisions during the 1977 season, being traded twice and claimed off waivers once in a three month span!

1/1, 8 days

The last item I got back is one of my favorites and is sure to be for a long time. In 1992, my friend Eric Hendrickson and I went on a trip together going to games in six cities and visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame. I plan on giving a day-by-day recounting of the trip next month, in honor of its 25th anniversary.

While on our trip, one of the stops was Fenway Park, where we were on hand to witness Jeff Reardon setting the all-time MLB career saves record (since surpassed by nine others). Eric had a regular old "point and shoot" camera and he took a picture of Reardon's teammates carrying him off the field. I've held onto it all these years, and I blew up the photo, making three copies and sending them to Reardon with a brief explanation. I asked him to sign one for me, one for Eric, and he could keep the third if he wanted to. I was thrilled to receive them all back in the mail just 12 days later. He personalized the autographs nicely and I look forward to sending Eric his!

3/3, 12 days

First Taste of TTM Success

Last week I experienced my first success in terms of collecting autographs through the mail (TTM).

Ray Soff had a brief stint in MLB with the Cardinals in 1986-87, logging just over 50 IP over those two seasons. He returned to the minors where he pitched for four organizations from 1987-1992 before retiring. He now lives in Blissfield, Michigan, where he once led the local high school to a state title.

Though not greatly remembered by most, Soff will hold a special place in my heart, being the first TTM autograph I received. Unfortunately, I sent this card to him before I realized he also is on the "Cardinals Leaders" card, and I had to send him that one separately, so we may be seeing Mr. Soff again in the near future.

1/1, 4 days

My 2nd TTM success was my first Hall of Famer. Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog, a.k.a. "The White Rat" was the architect and field general of the great Cardinals teams of the 1980s. I was thrilled to receive this card back in the mail as Whitey will forever be a favorite of mine and all Cardinal fans of that era.

Herzog, who still lives in St. Louis, managed the Cardinals from 1980-1990, serving also as General Manager in the early '80s. He won three NL pennants ('82, '85 & '87) in addition to the three AL pennants ('76, '77 & '78) that he had won in Kansas City. His crowning achievement was leading the 1982 Cardinals (who hit only 67 home runs as a team that season) to 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in that year's World Series.

1/1, 8 days

A New (Old) Hobby

As I've mentioned before, as a teenager I was not only an avid baseball fan, but also an active autograph collector. I still have over 100 cards that players signed for me outside the stadium back in those years

Recently I decided to take the hobby back up, especially (though not exclusively) targeting the 1987 Topps set since I already have 26 of those cards signed. This time though, instead of being a kid waiting for players outside the stadium, I will be an adult doing much of my autograph hunting through the mail.

Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted!