Rest in Peace, Stan Musial

In what amounts to an incredibly sad week for baseball's elite, news just broke that Hall of Famer Stan Musial passed away today.  Aside from being one of the all-time greatest players, Musial was beloved across the country, as a player who excelled in an era when his St. Louis Cardinals were located further west than any other club.

There are now 62 living Hall of Famers.

Rest in Peace, Earl Weaver

Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver passed away suddenly this week at the age of 82.  My thoughts go out to his family as they mourn his passing.  At the time of his death I had  been unable to obtain his signature. His death means that there are now 63 living members of baseball's Hall of Fame. 

Failure #22: Steve Carlton

I recently discovered that Hall of Famer Steve Carlton has a company called Game Winner Sports handle his autograph requests.  I found contact info for autograph requests and received an email from gws@rmi.net informing me of the following price list:

Steve Carlton By Mail Signing Prices

1. Small Flat Item - baseball card or 8 x 10 - $32.00

2. Large Flat Item - larger than 8 x 10 - $39.00

3. Baseball - $42.00

4. Bat or Jersey - $65.00

One free inscription (HOF94, 329 Wins, 4136 K's) per item. Please specify which one. Additional inscriptions are $15.00. Maximum 3 per item.

We can provide a baseball or photo. Our Rawlings Official MLB ball with Carlton autograph, one inscription, ball cube and shipping is $65.00. Our Phillies home 8 x 10 with Carlton autograph, inscription, topload protector and shipping is $45.00

Please make the check payable to the Grace Fund. Please include return postage and a self-addressed envelope/package for all mailed items.

Mail items to;

Game Winner Sports
555 S. Camino Del Rio, B2
Durango, CO  81303

This just in...

The Baseball Writers have elected NO ONE to the Hall of Fame this year.  For only the 8th time ever, no one has been inducted using this tradition of writers voting.

Craig Biggio had the highest vote total, leading a list of names with plenty of question marks.  I'm sure the internet will be flooded with responses to this, so I will conclude by saying I'm a bit relieved that my quest doesn't get any bigger this year.

Frank Robinson (1935-2019)

I used a bit of Christmas money to add a signature to my collection. I haven't had any through-the-mail success with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, but I was able to find an authentic signature from an old Hillshire Farms giveaway card series at a very affordable price.

Robinson was an incredible player and managed in the game for many years as well.  He was actually the first African American manager in the major leagues.

Update: Mr. Robinson passed away in 2019

Non-HoF (for now?) Autographs: Roger Clemens

Pitcher Roger Clemens is one of the biggest question marks on this year's controversial Hall of Fame ballot. He is arguably one of the best pitchers of all time, and yet allegations of performance enhancing drugs have clouded what was once a sure-thing first-ballot induction.

I was pleased to get an autograph in the mail! It has been a while since a successful return (especially from this high profile of a player) and this was a fun thing to find.

It will be fun if he is inducted, becoming one of the few former Blue Jays in the Hall. It will be very interesting to see which team he is enshrined under - good arguments could be made for Boston, Toronto, New York, or even Houston.

Failure #21: Lee Smith

Lee Smith is not yet in the Hall, but he may get in some day. I decided to be proactive to pursue a few players with the hope that they would be more willing to sign before their induction...

Sadly this was not the case with this 7-time All Star pitcher.