Tony Oliva

Much like last year's TTM return from Larry Walker, I was shocked to get a return from another recently inducted Hall of Famer. This recent return is from long-time Minnesota Twin, Tony Oliva, who rather than signing my index card, included a baseball card. Some of our mail got damp along the way, so both the envelope and card are slightly water damaged, but it doesn't matter much for my collection since I have no plans to ever sell these items. 

Outfielder Tony Oliva was recently elected, and will be officially inducted at this summer's celebration in Cooperstown. Thanks Mr. Oliva!

 

Larry Walker

I recently got something that I haven't received in quite some time - a through the mail autograph return! This one was from Canadian ballplayer, and the first Hall of Famer to be enshrined as a member of the Colorado Rockies, Larry Walker. He is the fifth former Montreal Expo in my collection, of only 9 players who wore that particular uniform. 

This one took a year and a half to arrive, and rather than signing the index card I always send out, Mr. Walker sent a signed baseball card. I guess that's fine - even though I prefer the look of the signed index cards - it sure is nice to get a return in the mail!

Harold Baines

Recent 2019 inductee Harold Baines is the most recent addition to my collection of Hall of Fame autographs. Baines actually returned a through-the-mail (TTM) request - something that doesn't happen much with recent inductees - and signed without a fee! He chose to sign on the lined side of the index card that I sent, but that's alright with me... it's still a return. AND, he signed! I think most modern-era players often refuse to sign a blank index card, simply because they aren't sure what will be done with their signature.

Baines was elected by the somewhat-controversial Today's Game Committee, after failing to be inducted through the traditional Baseball Writers ballot process. He was an impressive DH for several American League teams, but his numbers are perhaps a bit more "on-the-fringe" than a few other recent inductees.

I'm really happy to add this one to my collection, and to my TTM stats!

Paul Molitor

Former Blue Jay (and Brewer and Twin) Paul Molitor became the latest addition to my collection! He finally answered a request after two past failed attempts (here and here).

I'm pretty excited about this one... not only was Molitor an incredible Hall of Famer who played for my hometown Jays, it also increases my success for TTM returns with Hall of Famers, and he signed on one of the remaining cards I need for my childhood McDonald's Jays set. Thanks Paul!

Joe Torre

As a Blue Jays fan I spent a good chunk my baseball fan experience watching the Yankees win the AL East year after year after year... many of those seasons with Joe Torre at the helm. So, it was bittersweet to get this autograph return - on the one hand, excitement at checking another name off, but a member of the team I love to hate. 

Nonetheless, Torre has an impressive career as a player and then manager, but it is one that is still going strong. He currently serves as MLB's Chief Baseball Officer.

Mr. Torre signed my index card (Nice! Not many HOFers are willing to do that!) with blue sharpie. 

John Schuerholz

I was excited to get back a through-the-mail autograph request this week - the first one since June of last year. Mr. Schuerholz included a signed business card and a short note explaining that he does not sign blank note cards (hence the business card).

From the Hall of Fame website, "Schuerholz, who becomes the sixth Hall of Fame electee whose primary job function was team building (among non-owners), laid the groundwork for the Royals 1985 World Series championship team as farm director and general manager, then moved to the Braves. As general manager, and later president and vice chairman in Atlanta, Schuerholz built a club that qualified for 14 consecutive postseasons, advanced to five World Series and won the crown in 1995. He was the first general manager to lead teams to World Series titles in both the American and National Leagues, and in 25 of his 26 seasons as a GM Schuerholz’s teams finished in third place or better."

Red Schoendienst (1923-2018)

If you've been following this blog from the beginning you may remember that I once attempted to get Mr. Schoendienst to sign through the mail, but my envelope was returned with a suspicious looking Return to Sender on the outside. I noticed that Schoendienst has still been signing through the mail - but he'll often return your letter if you have a return address listed. It also helps (apparently) to include a small donation and to write "Donation Enclosed" on your envelope.

Well, I tried those steps a few weeks ago, and got a successful return in the mail! I'm kicking myself for not trying those things sooner. It has been over two years since my last successful autograph through the mail - way back in February of 2014 I got a return from La Russa, another Cardinals manager.

Red Schoendienst was an incredible infielder and then manager for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is 93 and the second oldest living Hall of Famer. I'm really happy to get this signature for my collection. He chose to return my small donation and my personal letter to him, and he chose to sign in blue pen on the lined side of the index card rather than the blank side (but that's just fine in my opinion).

Update: Mr. Schoendienst passed away on June 8, 2018. 

Tony La Russa

I was a little surprised to find this TTM return from one of the next class of baseball Hall of Famers. 

Manager Tony La Russa is one of the most successful managers of the recent few decades of Major League Baseball. He has transitioned from a successful on-field career to an executive position with the MLB. 

He signed for me on a 3x5 note card, in blue sharpie, but unfortunately he signed on the lined side of the card.  I can't be too picky.  Thanks to Mr. La Russa for taking the time to sign!

Wade Boggs

I was really excited to get this one in the mail today!  I had tried getting Hall of Famer Wade Boggs to sign before on a blank 3x5 card with no success. Baseball cards apparently did the trick!

Boggs was a great player for three American League East teams - Yanks, Sox, and Rays. He was always known for his high average.  He was instrumental (or so the story goes...) in changing the way that teams are assigned to players when they are inducted.

Boggs signed BOTH cards I sent him, meaning I have an extra one to trade!  

Thanks Mr. Boggs!  This one ends up being number 20 in my collection.

Ryne Sandberg

Finally! Another "through-the-mail" success! It has been months -- quite literally, since Jim Bunning returned my request last July -- that I have had a successful autograph attempt through the mail.  I'm wondering if it helps that this particular player, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, is a coach for the local Phillies ball club.  It makes me wonder if I should try again for some other former Phillies/current Hall of Famers through the team.

"Ryno" played for many years as an All Star secondbaseman for the Chicago Cubs.  Like Nolan Ryan, another former player serving in another role, he sent a blue sharpie autographed photo of his current job, rather than when he played.  He also returned the baseball card I had included for him to sign.

Jim Bunning

It has been an awful long time since I've had a "through the mail" success - mostly due to the transition in my own life, and the lack of initiative.

I recently read that Hall of Famer and politician Jim Bunning had been signing through the mail since leaving office. I figured that was a good safe bet to get back in the game. Sure enough, Mr. Bunning was nice enough to sign and return my 3x5 note card! It feels good to be back in the game!

This was especially nice considering Mr. Bunning is a player I had been rejected by in the past.

Roberto Alomar

I was so happy to get this autograph today.  First, it has been almost five months since I last received an autograph request in the mail, and second this autograph is from a former Toronto Blue Jay and one of my favorite players while I was growing up.

Roberto Alomar was an All-Star second baseman and certainly a fan favorite in Toronto.  He is set to be inducted this summer along with Bert Blyleven and another member of the Blue Jays family, general manager Pat Gillick.  Alomar will be the first player inducted as a Toronto Blue Jay, and has recently signed on in the front office with his former team.

Alomar was nice enough to return a baseball card (which I did not send him) signed in black sharpie.  I originally thought it wasn't real, but on closer inspection it appears to be an actual signature.  I originally sent an autograph request to Alomar's home address, but never got anything back.  After the announcement that he was being inducted, I sent a request to the Baseball Hall of Fame address, and almost 100 days later, got the response I was hoping for.

Pat Gillick

In addition to Jim Rice, yesterday's mail brought me another autograph return from future Hall of Famer, Pat Gillick.  It was just a few weeks ago that I mentioned that Mr. Gillick had been elected.  While he hasn't actually had his induction ceremony - that will take place in the spring of 2011 - I'm going to count this one as a success!

Gillick signed in pen - seems fitting for a General Manager - and signed his induction year of 2011 as well.  A nice touch.  Gillick becomes the first signature I've received from a member of the Toronto Blue Jays (my favorite team) who has been inducted in the Hall.  Gillick was instrumental in constructing the back-to-back World Series Champion Blue Jays teams of the early 90s.


Merry Christmas!

Jim Rice

It's a Christmas miracle!!!


I got TWO autographs in the mail today - that hasn't happened since...  well, since this whole project began and I got three in one day from Snider, Ryan, and Doerr.  This is also the first through-the-mail success since September!!

I'll post about the second autograph tomorrow, but for now, I'm excited that Mr. Jim Rice has been added to the collection!  Rice was inducted just last year in 2009, so he is relatively new to the Hall of Fame.  He was inducted in his 15th and final year of eligibility, which is something pretty special.  Rice played his entire career with one team - the Boston Red Sox - which certainly doesn't happen often today.

Mr. Rice becomes the first Hall of Famer who signed (in black sharpie) on the lined side of the 3x5 card I sent him.  I've heard this lowers the value of an autograph, but since this collection isn't really for any financial gain, it doesn't really matter to me.  Rice returned my short note request too - which is good, because it would have taken me some time to decipher who it was who had returned the envelope.

This response took 92 days to get back to me - the longest wait for a success thus far - and gives me a bit of hope that I may get a few more from some of the players who have had months to get back to me.

Doug Harvey (1930-2018)

I was extremely happy to see a letter in my mailbox today from Doug Harvey.  Mr. Harvey is a former MLB umpire as well as a member of the most recent induction class as you can see from his signature.  He signed the 3x5 cardstock I sent him in standard blue pen.  He was nice enough to include his induction year as well.

Harvey apparently earned the nickname of "God" for his authoritative command of the baseball rulebook.  Not a bad moniker for an umpire!

Harvey is the first MLB umpire in my collection and is in fact the ONLY living Hall of Fame umpire.

Update: Mr. Harvey passed away on January 13, 2018

Joe Morgan (1943-2020)

Joe Morgan is a Hall of Fame baseball player, but he has also gained a reputation (some might say a poor one) as a broadcaster and commentator for ESPN's national baseball coverage.  So it was pretty exciting to discover that after several weeks of waiting, I had finally received a successful (and real, unlike the last) autograph return through the mail.  Lucky number thirteen, I guess.

Mr. Morgan made it interesting for me.  He signed in fairly standard black pen and did not include his Hall of Fame induction year.  He did not include a return address, and the postmark was pretty smudged.  As you all know, I have spent the past few months sending out multiple autograph requests.  Thus, when I opened the envelope it took me a little while to figure out whose signature I was looking at.  Was that first letter a J?  Could I see an M in the last name?  A quick google search confirmed exactly who it was.

Unfortunately, the glue on the envelop tore a small bit of paper off of the 3x5 card, but fortunately the autograph still looks great.  This autograph request took 58 days from the day I mailed it out until receiving it back!  That number gives me hope that some of my early requests are still potential returns despite the fact that it has been months since I sent them out.

Interesting fact: Joe Morgan and I apparently share a birthday! (at least according to Wikipedia)

Update: Mr. Morgan passed away in the fall of 2020

Roy Halladay (1977-2017)

Roy Halladay was easily my favorite Blue Jay during his tenure with the team.  While I was broken-hearted to see him go to the Phillies (and then pitch a perfect game this year), I still admire his ability from a distance.

I was in attendance at his second career start when he came within one out of throwing a no-hitter, and I watched him pitch incredible games on several occasions.  Through many up-and-down seasons of Blue Jay baseball, he was a constant bright spot.

I obtained this autograph through the mail.  I sent it to him care of the Jays, and included a return envelope, not knowing if I'd ever see it again.  It arrived autographed in thin sharpie (making it somewhat hard to read) several months later - much to my delight.

I really hope he enters the Hall of Fame one day, and if he does, I hope his plaque shows him with a Blue Jay cap on his head.


Edit (January 22, 2019) - Halladay was elected during his first year on the ballot, just two years after his tragic death. I'm considering attending the ceremony this summer.

Lee MacPhail (1917-2012)

On July 30th I received three return envelopes in the mail.  The first one I opened was the above package from Lee MacPhail.  Mr. MacPhail was a big league front office executive and is the oldest living inductee in the Hall of Fame. 

I was pleased to find that he had not only signed the card I sent, but also included a signed postcard showing his Hall of Fame plaque.  Both items were signed in blue sharpie, and his induction year was included on the card stock.

Update: Mr. MacPhail passed away on November 8, 2012.  

Sparky Anderson (1934-2010)

When I was young I remember owning this card and thinking - wow, that guy is really old to be wearing a baseball uniform.  Well, Sparky Anderson is now 76, and when I got his signature in the mail, I once again found myself thinking - wow, that guy is really old.  You can almost see his hands shaking as he signs his name (in black sharpie).  He did not include any additional personalization or inscription, just his written name.  I love the way the line goes up at the very end.

I am really glad "Sparky" was willing to sign for me.  I hope he enjoys signing his name for fans as much as we do getting those signatures from him.  I'm also really impressed with how fast he signs - granted, he only lives a few hours from Pasadena, but it only took 6 days from my mailbox to his, and back to my mailbox.

Update: Mr. Anderson passed away on November 4, 2010.  

Update 2: Here is a little twist on my Sparky Anderson autograph.

Monte Irvin (1919-2016)

The ninth autograph in my collection, and the fourth to respond by mail, was Monte Irvin.  This was a significant signature for a number of reasons.  Mr. Irvin is the oldest living Hall of Famer who played in the Negro Leagues, so there is a historic significance to this signature.  Second, he was kind enough to sign (in blue sharpie) with both his induction year and uniform number (a nice touch).  He also added a return address label, so if you want to get in touch with him, click on the photo above.

This request was mailed out in the first wave of mailings I did back on July 1st.  The response arrived just twelve days later.

Update: Mr. Irvin passed away on January 11, 2016.