Oh No! Not Another...

Last week, I told you about how it always seems that I come up with a new project.  So just a few days later, I am glad to tell you that I am back with another new one.  Someone once told me that if you're going to collect autographs through the mail, make sure that you pick a theme/project that you'll enjoy and have some success because sometimes the TTM failures can bring your morale down.

Being a part-time journalist and avid sports fan, I thought of a neat little theme.  My first success for this project came back last Friday from Los Angeles Dodgers radio play-by-play voice, Charley Steiner.  My newest project is to get an 8x10 image of an iconic moment of sports history and have it signed by an announcer that made an iconic sports call of that moment.

For those of you that didn't know, Charley Steiner was doing play-by-play for the Yankees Radio network in 2003 when the Yankees played the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.  After a big comeback against Pedro Martinez, the Yankees forced extra innings in the decisive game that would decide the American League Pennant.  Aaron Boone was as cold as an Alaskan igloo in the dead of winter.  He entered the game as a pinch runner in the 8th and found himself facing Tim Wakefield to lead off the Bottom of the 11th inning.

That's when Charley Steiner takes over: "There's a fly ball deep to left!  It's on it's way, there it goes.. and the Yankees are going to the World Series!" 

It still gives me goose bumps when I hear a replay of that call and you can listen to it in a video I made a couple of years before the playoffs began.

I sent the 8x10 of Aaron Boone to Dodger stadium (above) and asked Charley Steiner if he would inscribe that call and sign the photo for my project.  It's a little tough to read because of the dark sharpie on a dark picture, but to a big Yankee fan like myself, this is an AWESOME success!  So a big thank you Mr. Steiner!

I hope to have a couple more returns this week for this project and will share if/when I do.

Always a New Project!

I love everything about autogrpah collecting-- buying, selling, trading, searching, finding, researching, and definitely writing about them!I can't get enough of this hobby!

For some reason, it seems I always end up finding a new project to work on. One of my favorite ones right now is my Yankees retired #'s project. My wrinkle is I am trying to get every player, save Ruth and Gehrig, that has had his number retired by the Yankees on a 3x5 in blue sharpie/marker.

I am also planning for the future by getting players such as Paul O'Neill in blue sharpie on a 3x5 because I feel like his number will be retired by the organization someday soon.

That project, and being from Ohio, got me thinking about Reds retired #'s. To my surprise, only three of the Reds that have had their number retired have passed on-- Fred Hutchinson, Ted Kluszewski, and Sparky Anderson. I have Kluszewski in black sharpie and thought I had Sparky Anderson as well. So I started writing some of the other names, Morgan and Bench with a 3x5, black sharpie theme in mind (and no I haven't heard from either yet).  I had met Byron Larkin last year at a Xavier-Dayton basketball game and am hopeful he can help me acquire the signature of his older brother, Barry, who just had his number retired by the Reds recently.

Anyways, when I pulled out my Sparky Anderson, I was shocked to see it was in blue ballpoint. It was Ernie Harwell that I had got from the Tigers in black sharpie.

I began searching for a black sharpie Sparky when I came across this great blog from Ben Wideman. He received a successful return from Sparky Anderson a few months prior to Sparky leaving us, and in black sharpie! I immediately e-mailed Ben and asked him if he'd be interested in trading? The next morning, he wrote me back and said he knows it's one-for-one, but would like to keep the one he got. Knowing he was a Hall-of-Fame signature collector, I knew I had to sweeten the pot. Since I had bought a blue sharpie Bill Dickey a few months prior, I had a blue ballpoint one still in my collection that I could use as a bargaining chip. 24 hours later, he agreed, and I had Dickey and Sparky in the mail to him with a return envelope so I could get Sparky Anderson for this project.

I was happy and so was Ben! And I am also happy I found a new friend that enjoys writing players through the mail! So add Reds retired #'s to the list of my open projects! :)

TTM: Kid in a Candy Store!

I have many projects in my autograph collecting and one of them is collecting autographs of players that have had their number retired, or I think they will eventual retire by the New York Yankees.  As it stands, the Yankees have retired #1 (Billy Martin), #3 (Babe Ruth), #4 (Lou Gehrig), #5 (Joe DiMaggio), #7 (Mickey Mantle), #8 (Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra), #9 (Roger Maris), #10 (Phil Rizzuto), #15 (Thurman Munson), #16 (Whitey Ford), #23 (Don Mattingly), #32 (Elston Howard), #37 (Casey Stengel), #44 (Reggie Jackson), #49 (Ron Guidry).

I have a conspiracy theory that one day after all the current guys are retired, they are going to have "Dynasty Day" at Yankee Stadium where they will retired #2 (Derek Jeter), #6 (Joe Torre), #20 (Jorge Posada), #21 (Paul O'Neill), #42 (Mariano Rivera), #51 (Bernie Williams).  Guys that I think may get retired that weren't apart of the dynasty of the late 90's are #13 (Alex Rodriguez) and #24 (Robinson Cano).

Believe it or not, I have all of the guys that have had their number retired already, except Ruth, Gehrig, Howard, Mantle, and Mattingly, signed in blue sharpie.  I also have Jeter and Torre in blue sharpie as well, so I am trying to keep that theme.

The Yankees recently had a road trip and knowing that Paul O'Neill generally doesn't work games for YES unless they are at Yankee Stadium, I tried him Through The Mail (TTM).  I explained to him my project and how I felt very strongly that one day he was going to have his number retired at Yankee Stadium as well.  Last Friday, I checked the mail and saw I had a return and that was the only mail we had received.  When I turned the envelope over and saw the return address was from Paul O'Neill, I got very excited! I started talking to myself, "Please let this be his signature! Please let this be his signature!"  Sometimes players will want money or a donation for their autograph and will send back your items plus a price list.

I ran inside, got out the letter opener and BOOM (picture is what I saw)!  I'm instantly a kid in a candy store!  My favorite TTM success I have had since I started writing players again. 

EDIT:   What makes this success even better is Mr. O'Neill understood my project and added 21 on it without me asking.  And he normally doesn't add his # to his autograph!

Paul O'Neill was one of the greatest hitters of all-time in my mind.  Joe Buck/Tim McCarver team once referred to him as one of the only players in baseball that could think curveball and hit a fastball.  One of my favorite moments that happened at Yankee Stadium was Game 5 of the 2001 World Series when the entire stadium was chanting "Paul O-Neill! Paul O-Neill!".  It would be his last game in pinstripes as a player for the Yankees.  It gives me goose bumps thinking about it!  Thank You Mr. O'Neill for terrific surprise in the mail and I truly hope that my hunch is right and one day all your numbers will be retired by the most prestigious organization in all of sports!