Thanks to Juan Rosales for sharing his recent successes at Baseball Interactions!

When I wrote to Chuck Essegian, he wasn’t exactly talkative. I shared my experiences in an earlier blog post.

As proof things change, check out his memories of ball in Japan, followed by his World Series experience. Juan collected both memories.

What does this all mean? Never say never.

It’s possible to do your homework and choose likely candidates to ask for autographs and/or questions.

However, every day is different. If you have stamps, you have hope!

I may call former Dodger Chuck Essegian my hobby “professor.”

Months ago, I wrote to him with my three questions relating specifically to HIS career. Each question was answered in “Password” fashion (remember that cool TV game show?), done in less than one sentence.

However, he sent me a passing grade! Yes, Prof. Essegian proved I’m on the right track:

I had concluded my letter with:

I DO NOT write to former players saying, “I’m a blogger who’ll publish your words. Want to be famous again? Send me your best quote!” I am sharing what one ordinary fan and collector can do with a heart-felt letter. No, you won’t connect every time. However, a batting average counts only successes. Focus on your hits, not your misses, for a great hobby career.

Readers: do you have examples of inscriptions or personalizations proving the autograph signer connected with your letter? Please, share!