Ned Garver remains a winner.

I wouldn’t have tried such a feat, but I’m glad they did.

A tip of the collector cap to authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary, the brave souls behind Gil Hodges: The Brooklyn Bums, The Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend (New American Library/Penguin Books, $26.95).

The authors interviewed 130 people to reconstruct the biography of Hodges, who wasn’t the most talkative man of his baseball generation. While Clavin and Peary quote from published work, they discovered quickly that reporters couldn’t count on Hodges for Casey Stengel-like quips or fiery criticisms of players.

Nevertheless, the book is a winner in showing Hodges as baseball’s heroic “Quiet Man.”

One fan, a 1950s teen, told the authors of the “John Wayne aura” that Hodges radiated, while saluting the Brooklyn first sacker for signing autographs and chatting with fans after games.

A seven-year-girl in the midst of a six-month stay in the hospital’s local polio ward remembered Hodges. When the kids sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame when the Dodgers came to visit, he scooped up the girl and danced with her when she shouted “Dodgers!” during the song. “Sixty years later, I remember that. I needed the hug Gil gave me when we danced.”

Teammate Carl Erskine talked about how Hodges would blow kisses to his wife after home runs. It seems she coached him out of a 1950 batting slump. Amazingly, Erskine mentions a few pages later that the first baseman’s savvy side — how he would rub up the game ball with a bit of pine tar during games to give his fellow Indiana native an advantage on the hill.

Credit Joan Hodges for sharing lots of personal memories of the spouse who died in 1972 on the golf course, just shy of his 48^th birthday. Die-hard fans may have inklings of all Hodges did as a Dodger, Senator and Met. However, knowing him as a husband and father help paint a complete picture of this admirable individual.

Meanwhile, authors Clavin and Peary are impressive in their sincere pitch to get Hodges another look with Hall of Fame voters. Give their book a look, and you may agree.

Coming Monday: The place-based advantage most TTM collectors overlook.

Are you overwhelmed by all the Valentine’s Day cards in stores?

How many cards (if any) will you send? Not give, but send! One for your parents?

Don’t worry, I’m not working for Hallmark. I just wanted the chance to illustrate how overwhelming fan mail might seem every week for the average retired baseball player.

I see the complaints yearly:

1. He switched (or kept) my good card for a poor condition common.
2. He used ballpoint when I wanted Sharpie (or vice versa).
3. He didn’t get my personalization right.
4. He didn’t add the inscription I asked for.

No, it’s not fair, nor fun, to get such a letdown in your envelope. I don’t think it’s on purpose much of the time. In the past year, I’ve posted comments from Bobby Doerr, Carl Erskine and Virgil Trucks telling about getting quantities of mail DAILY.

If you’re paying a fee for the autograph, then you’re purchasing a product. See that you’re getting your money’s worth. However, the service of a free response doesn’t come with a guarantee. Almost all the willing signers have great batting averages, giving collectors what they want. They get my admiration and thanks.

Where have all the Carl Erskines gone?

I don’t mean fellow Brooklyn Dodgers. I mean baseball AMBASSADORS. Retired? I don’t think so. Every day of the year, he’s honoring and thanking fans and collectors.

I asked “Oisk” about his feelings about autographs. Here’s his inspiring reply:

Who writes? What do they say in their letters?

How can we thank this Dodger hero?

Erskine closed with a message to other major leaguers, past and present:

Coming Monday: What did catcher Mike Piazza tell Turk Wendell when he went to the mound?

What’s right about the autograph hobby?

Yesterday, I indulged in a rubber-stamping rant. Today, equal time is required.

There are still kind, grateful men from baseball’s past. They aren’t all from the 1940s and ’50s. I discovered a heart-warming story about Giants pitcher Phil Nastu (1978-80) going above and beyond to fulfill a TTM autograph request. I’m hoping to salute him, getting details of why he’d be so dedicated to an unknown collector.

Other names on the latest batch of envelopes launched from BBTL-land:

Bobby Doerr
Boo Ferriss
Carl Erskine

I wanted to send a standing ovation to each of these three signers, too. Each of these men have decades of autograph heroics on Mr. Nastu. Along with saying thanks, I’ve just wanted to ask about their fan mail volume, why they keep delighting everyone who writes, and what we can do to thank them.

I saw on http://www.sportscollectors.net/ that Bob Wiesler and Fred Caligiuri had answered questions for other collectors.

I gasped at the lengthy post-baseball musical career of Dick Adams, a member of the 1947 Philadelphia Athletics. Likewise, I’m stunned at the many charity initiatives of Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel. I wanted to find out how baseball has inspired each.

I found a recent newspaper profile of pitcher Turk Wendell. I wanted to make sure he had a copy. Also, I’m hoping he’ll explain a couple of his mystical comments from that feature.

Lastly, I realized that former Angels and A’s manager Bobby Winkles may have grown up in the shadow of a Hall of Famer. I’m seeking details.

There’s the game plan behind my latest batch of fan mail. Stay tuned for updates. Meanwhile, I hope you find as many reasons to add names to your want list.

Thursday: Inspiration from Japan.

A new baseball blog is on my radar.

Andrew Martin is of the most helpful members of the http://www.sportscollectors.net/ community. When I saw him share news of letters and even phone calls from retired players, I knew we spoke the same language. He’s used his autograph collecting prowess to build relationships with former players. The result is “The Baseball Historian,” a blog sharing his well-researched, finely-written profiles of names from baseball past, along with the classic stories they’re still eager to share.

Andrew offered his take on baseball history from an autograph collector’s point of view.

Q: Once, you got only autographs. Now, you’re collecting memories, getting phone calls. How?

A: I always have my mailing address, email address, and phone number on all of my letters. Additionally, I just finished a graduate program in history and did my thesis on a baseball historical topic. As a result I started putting a postscript in my letters letting the people I wrote know of my interest in baseball history and asking them if they had any interest in chatting with me for 10-15 minutes about their experiences in baseball.

I have done about 65 phone calls and I would estimate that they average about 20 minutes each. In a couple of instances, the players have continued calling me back on a regular basis and we have developed personal friendships.

In other instances I have also had players call me just because they enjoyed my letter. I found that taking my time in researching a person’s career and writing a thoughtful and detailed letter got a lot of positive responses,  agreements to do interviews, and phone calls that way. A favorite example of one of my interviews was with Carl Erskine. We ended up chatting for almost an hour and was appreciative not only on my knowledge of his career, but of also knowing other things that were important to him such as the Special Olympics.

I have recorded as many of the telephone interviews as possible, with the player’s permission. I currently have the audio files on my computer, but am thinking up new ways to utilize them, such as writing/blogging and possibly putting up a website to share with others.

Andrew’s research adventures have included an encounter with ESPN Baseball Insider Buster Olney

Q: What address sources do you use?

A:  I mainly utilize the Harvey address lists and information found on http://www.sportscollectors.net/.  I also do some independent research when tracking down harder to find people.

Q: What are your baseball-related autograph goals?

A: I would love to get to 50,000 autographs one day. Not because of value or impressing others, but because that would mean that I had done a ton of research and had a lot of great experiences with my requests and fellow collectors. I see autograph collecting as a lot like fishing. I put out a lot of lines, do a lot of waiting, and love the surprise of seeing what I get.

Q: Advice to new collectors?

A: Don’t be afraid to do the work or take chances. Even though other people may not have success with a person doesn’t mean the same will happen to you. Just this past week I had a success from Jim Rice and at the same time I know of other people who were getting their cards back unsigned.

Q: Would you preview what your blog might offer in coming weeks?

A: I hope to post more summaries of my interviews, write up commentaries on baseball stories and personalities; and post articles I am researching on different aspects of baseball history. Currently I am working on a piece for a magazine about a “tryout” the inventor Thomas Edison had with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1926.

I’ll stay tuned to “The Baseball Historian.” I hope you do, too. These profiled men are more than mere autograph signers. They’re links to baseball history, wanting us to keep their connections to the past alive.

Tomorrow: Who is your hobby MVP?

Thank you, Bob Borkowski.

He played from 1950-55. But he’s still in the game, doing his best for fans. And it’s not getting any easier.
His reply came printed in all caps:

He signed his name on two lines, “Bob” on top, to make sure the signature didn’t get jumbled.

The former Cub and Red will get my thank-you postcard. The envelope didn’t get a “Refused.” My request didn’t wind up in his trash can. The letter didn’t come back blank.

He’s still doing his best for us. For fans who never bought a ticket to one of his games. For people who never cheered his 14 career homers (2 each off Preacher Roe and Carl Erskine).

I’m cheering now, Bob.

Tomorrow: Remembering a mother helped snag a Minnesota Twin autograph!

One of the greatest aspects of autograph collecting is how collectors help each other. As I re-entered the hobby, I’ve sought advice and inspiration from the hobby’s stalwarts.

I’ve long followed the progress of Andrew Martin on hobby websites. He’d post often when he had a success. I wanted to know more about his career as a collector. It seems I found a kindred spirit.

Andrew wrote:

“I have been doing TTM since 1990 and have shifted my primary goal from receiving and autograph to getting back a cool note, letter, or phone call.

I have two returns that stick out for me. The first was a letter I got from Carl McNabb back in 2006. Carl played in one game in 1945 with the Tigers, with one at bat, and that was the entirety of his major league career. I had asked him a few questions about his career and he responded with a two page letter just going off on how if his Tigers’ manager, Steve O’Neill hadn’t had so many favorites, he would have had more of an opportunity. He told me that even at his age (then about 90), if he was given another opportunity to play, he would do it again.

It had been 60 years since his debut and he still thought about the what-ifs on a daily basis. I was blown away to find out how much of an impact something like that could have on a person.

Another favorite is actually something that happened just last week. I had the privilege of having a 30-40 minute conversation with Carl Erskine on the phone and heard many wonderful stories about his playing career; in particular the first time he met Jackie Robinson.

My “thing” has become researching and corresponding with lesser known players. Though they may not have put up All-Star numbers, they often have the best stories and have a greater appreciation for what they were able to experience.”

I tip my collector cap to the hobby vets like Andrew.

Andrew is sharing with more than collectors. He’s begun collecting what he learns to create biographies of the former players he encounters. See what he discovered about 1970s White Sox hurler Steve Kealey.