Header - Baseball by the Letters

Month: January 2011

When Norm Sherry Topped Warren Spahn

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Debuted at age 27

Although Norm Sherry owns just 18 career home runs, he nicked a future Hall of Famer for two of the dingers.

“Hitting homers off [Warren] Spahn was something for ME. [His upper-case emphasis!] The first one came late into a game at home in L.A. and tied the game up. We went on and played 11 innings before we won. Second came in New York as a Met. Both came off fastballs over the middle of the plate.”

Sherry’s comeback as a major leaguer came in 1976, when he became manager of the California Angels. Although his stint as skipper didn’t last two years, he found a lengthy assignment as a San Francisco Giants coach. His assessment of three big league bosses intrigued me.

“Gene Autry was a real baseball fan and was ever present. Always in the clubhouse before the game and after. A real super man.

The owners that I played for? Walter O’Malley was a very nice man. They just didn’t pay well in those days.

At S.F., Bob Lurie was the best. Very serious.”

Tomorrow: a letter from the heart and soul of the 1960s California Angels, Jim Fregosi

Dodgers Norm, Larry Sherry Shared A Dream

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Courtesy Mark Langill,
Los Angeles Dodgers

Catcher Norm Sherry dared to dream.

Making the majors? Playing (and winning) a World Series?

It’s enough to wish big for yourself. To be a kid who dreams that same dream for someone else — then sees it come true, times two? There’s no baseball statistic able to measure such a victory.

When I wrote to Norm Sherry, the ultimate prize I envisioned for him was sharing those dreams with a special teammate: brother Larry Sherry (Most Valuable Player of the 1959 World Series.)

Sherry confirmed that, writing:

“Being on the same team with my brother was a very big thrill. As kids, we played baseball all the time and always hoped we could some day play in the Big Leagues and be on the same team.”

The ultimate expression of that joy might have occurred on May 7, 1960. Sherry smacked a two-out walk-off homer to give his Dodgers an extra-inning win in front of a grateful home crowd at the Memorial Coliseum. This was Sherry’s first career four-bagger. If that wasn’t enough, the home run gave the victory to his batterymate: brother Larry! (Thanks for the memory, http://www.retrosheet.org/.)

Tomorrow: Sherry shares two good days against one Hall of Famer, then remembers three team owner bosses.

Cubs Glenn Beckert Responds…I Think

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Got a ‘graph,
hoped for more!

Two Cubs have been speed bumps in my TTM hobby this month.

Glenn Beckert was the first. I swung for the fences with “Beck.” After the death of Ron Santo, I wanted to see if his roommate and close friend had any memories to share. Specifically, I asked about his support after Santo’s parents died in a spring training car accident.

I’ve seen on http://www.sportscollectors.net/ that Beckert has taken up to two years for some responses. I heard from him in less than two weeks.

His huge, flowing signature on the letter read:

Glenn Beckert #18
4-Time All-Star
1968 Gold Glove

I’m sad to say, no mention was made of Ron Santo.

Secondly, I heard from Jim King, the outfielder who played 1955-67. He returned my letter, as well as the stationery I included for his reply. Both had his autograph. Nothing else.

For those of you just tuning in, here’s my game plan. I do NOT ask for an autograph. I do not enclose a photo, card or index card. I make it clear that I’ve studied up on a player’s career. Then, I ask three questions. That’s all.

Home run kings strike out. Sometimes, they struck out A LOT. I chose to swing for the fences with Beckert, instead of lobbing him a softball question like “What was your greatest thrill?” Other times, I’ll reach aging retirees not healthy enough to respond. Or, a person won’t want to relive their baseball memories.

I only count my hits, not my outs. That’s what a batting average is. Onward!

Minnesota Twins Fan Collects By (His) Heart

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The First TTM autograph
Daniel received after the
October birth of his child.
Double congrats!

There are hobby role models out there.

I just found a swell blog by Daniel Cote:

http://signeddc.blogspot.com/

I love the guy’s mission statement, telling how he started collecting as a kid in the 1980s. However, because the collection didn’t have a lot of sentiment attached to it, he sold much of it on ebay. Daniel adds:

“Now, I have decided to start again. This time around, no filler. I’m only sending requests to players who I want to add to my personal collection. That means there will be a big focus on Minnesota Twins and North Stars, as well as other Minnesota-born and affiliated athletes. This blog will chronicle my successes.”

Daniel has harnessed one of the most powerful words in the hobby.

WHY

Keeping this in mind, he’ll be sure to have lasting fun this time around. Most importantly, I think he’ll get more autographs by mail. I think all collectors should have at least one sentence in their autograph request letter. Something like:

I’m writing to you because ______________________.

Only you can fill in that blank. Daniel is finding Minnesota natives, Twins farmhands with obscure minor league cards — all the signers that would matter the most to HIM. He’s thrown in a few fun names from his youth, such as pitcher Brian Barnes. Someone stocked up on Barnes rookie cards once, thinking the Expo would be the next big thing. I think Barnes would have loved a letter knowing that someone believed so much in him!

I’ve seen that Daniel’s slipping a question into some letters. You never know until you try!

I wish Daniel Cote lots of fun in his second hobby go-round. Sharing his TTM exploits with others will be a good guarantee to make this collection one for the ages.

Phillies Del Unser Shares Pinch-Hit Wisdom

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“Then look for it!”

Was Del Unser a born pinch-hitter?

I love http://www.retrosheet.org/. Looking there at Unser’s top performances, I see that he spread his 87 career homers out evenly — 87 different games!

Phillies fans remember the key roles he played in the team’s 1980 World Series championship. However, Unser flashed the under-pressure tools in 1979, coming off the bench when it mattered most.

How did he manage three consecutive pinch-hit homers? Unser replied:

“All were at the end of games. You have to know what pitch a pitcher is willing to get beat with. Then look for it!”


A father who caught in the 1940s. A brother who played minor league ball. Unser lived the game.

“I grew up in baseball — it seemed natural to play; but we had very exciting moments and a lot of disappointments.

Family is my greatest achievement by far!”

Tomorrow: a Twins fan collects with his heart.