I watch the All-Star Game yearly.

The first Mid-Season Classic I remember was from 1970.

That’s why I was delighted that Jim Hickman and Claude Osteen each shared their moments with me.

These two letters are worth an encore.

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.

Here’s a tip I hope that’ll help you in the future…

In the mail, I thought the worst. Had my envelope gotten mauled? All that was left was the return address label?

Nope. This was much better.

An elderly retired player had saved my return address label along with my letter. Weeks later, after his first response, he chose to send me some added comments.

To save time and energy (at his age), he taped the return address label to a new envelope.

Some other collectors have told me that they’ve gotten responses this way. They believed that their SASEs got lost by the signer.

A good return address label greets the potential autographer. The label convinces the person to open your envelope. Your APPEAL. Most of all, you’re leaving a lifeline, a way that signer can get in touch with you quickly in the future. Don’t overlook this tiny but important detail.

Coming Friday: Reviewing a new Gil Hodges biography!

Leading the 1969 New York “Miracle” Mets to a World Series crown wasn’t the first time manager Gil Hodges made dreams come true. With the Senators, Bob Saverine was one of those players he believed in.

What did Saverine remember about the man who gave him the chance to post career numbers?

Osteen’s classic pose, year after year!

 Who would have won this footrace: Willie Stargell or Claude Osteen?

Pitcher. Pinch-runner. They sound a bit related. And Claude did have two stolen bases in his previous 12 seasons.

Such mystery and spectacle surrounded the 1970 All-Star Game. Osteen remembered:

Bashful Osteen never mentioned that his scoreless work in the 10th through 12th innings paved the way for the senior circuit’s 5-4 win, crediting the Tennessee native with the victory.

Tomorrow: From moundsman to batsman — Claude Osteen challenges the DH rule.

A few feathers in his baseball cap, worn 1956 and 1960-71…

* NL record for consecutive errorless games by a third baseman (157, in 1962)
* NL record for fewest errors (11) and highest fielding percentage (.973, also in 1964)
* Houston franchise record for career grand slams (6, later matched by Jeff Bagwell)

Interestingly, “Aspro” didn’t quote statistics when asked about some of his memorable career moments. For instance, regarding his debut with the 1956 Dodgers, this Brooklyn native and resident recalled:

Aspromonte’s devotion to a young fan in need inspired the 2008 docu-movie “Blind Faith: Bob Aspromonte,” one installment of “Amazing Sports Stories,” seen on FSN.

Bob promised a boy who had been struck by lightning on a Little League field that he’d hit a home run for him. Not once, not twice, but three times. The happy ending is recounted in this fine Memphis newspaper article. The legend remained largely untold for more than 30 years. I wanted to know if Bob’s Houston teammates had any idea of what happened.

“Gene Elston our announcer made the players aware of the Divine Intervention story.”

The Astros wound up on the other side of a headline in 1968. June 9 was declared a National Day of Mourning after the assassination of presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. Team owners insisted on playing. Aspromonte, Rusty Staub and Dave Giusti sat out the game in protest. While Houston played, no Astros challenged their absent teammates.

All three players were dumped from the Houston roster at season’s end.

Bob and his brother Ken Aspromonte found fulfilling careers beyond baseball. Both are retired and live in Houston.

Ken Retzer caught John F. Kennedy at a ballpark in 1963.

Retzer, starting catcher for the Washington Senators, received the 1963 season’s ceremonial first pitch from JFK.

The Illinois-born receiver enjoyed another milestone that year. Behind the plate for baseball’s 100,000th-ever game, Retzer handled the historic ball that would be displayed in Cooperstown’s Hall of Fame.

I was fascinated to see Retzer’s success in hitting knuckleballers like Hall of Famer Early Wynn. He wrote me:

He seemed to wear a different uniform number yearly. Why?

“Any time I veteran player would join the team, I gave up my uniform. The last was #14 for Gil Hodges the manager.”

Twins fans should know that Retzer played a role in the team’s 1965 American League championship. When catchers Earl Battey and Jerry Zimmerman held out, owner Calvin Griffith called Retzer as a bargaining chip. Signing Retzer, who performed admirably throughout spring training, convinced the other two catchers to ink new contracts. Unfortunately, Retzer was cut a day before the season began.

Retzer deserved a World Series. He’s a World Champion autograph signer, giving all-star treatment to every fan who writes. Ask any Senators fan.