I am a Nick Diunte fan.

I read his great interviews and fantastic features at BaseballHappenings.net and examiner.com. Nick’s love for the game and his attention to detail set him apart from other writers.

His fact-finding talent resurfaced during a recent discovery he made online.

He found amazing footage in the documentary Extra Innings: Preserving the History of the Negro Leagues. (Please, take a look at the Youtube clip.) There’s former Kansas City Monarch Bill McCrary with a binder. He’s proud to show a letter he preserved from a fan in Japan.

That’s no ordinary fan. That’s blog reader and friend Kohei Nirengi.

Yes, so many retirees read our letters.

Many are thrilled more than you’ll ever know.

And this is the tricky part. I believe Mr. McCrary wasn’t stunned by a letter from another country. He was impressed seeing that someone made a special effort to learn his story and contact him with a personal letter.

Your postmark doesn’t matter. Your sincerity and dedication do.

Thank you, Nick. Thank you, Kohei!

Why does it seem that the official approval for U.S. stamp increases always get announced on a weekend?

The commission ruling on Friday (after Happy Hour?) was shared by sources like MSN on Sunday.

So the skittish decision makers can get a running headstart from possible protesters who don’t hear until Monday morning?

A one-cent increase isn’t that shocking. Even better, the USPS is doing one great move. There will be a FOREVER global stamp. Any country $1.10. I’ve seen the anguished looks postal counter workers flash when looking up the assorted rates to different countries. Plus, collector friends like Kohei Nirengi in Japan won’t have to ponder what to do about the multi-year responses from America costing more on their SASEs.

Kohei mentioned that pitcher Larry Andersen got back to him this month after a mere seven years.

Getting back to the postal service: be proud and loud. I can’t afford UPS or FedEx-ing former players. I’m not planning expecting retirees in their 80s and 90s to start e-mailing me. You’re the only game in town, in my book.

Coming Wednesday: sometimes-signers TTM.

Thanks to all the blog faithful who responded about last week’s thoughts about “real” value in autographs.

It was not my intent to demonize this PBS staple. It’s great that people are interested in the backgrounds of their collectibles. I’ve hoped that more people would want to know who signed their baseballs, not just how many autographs are in the collection.

With that said, I wanted to add one comment and make one vow:

First, I’ve never disagreed with some collector who wants to keep quiet that he’s harboring a rare, exclusive autograph collection that could be worth zillions. I understand the fear that too much publicity could risk the security of valued memorabilia.

My problem? I’d be the person on Antiques Roadshow who hears the huge appraisal then poo-poos:

“That’s great. But I don’t care. I’d never sell it, no matter the price.”

I’ve imagined the director grimacing. “Get me more mercenary collectors!”

Meanwhile, I’ve hoped this blog would offer an alternative example for collectors. It’s my goal, even my hope, that you’ll see what I think real value is. I’d love to see all collectors bragging about the personal response they received from a retiree, how the reply exceeded all their expectations. Let the coin and stamp collectors brag about their net worth.

I take pride in finding former players who are fellow fans. Kohei Nirengi, my friend in Japan, notes in his letters that he believes that baseball is “the most beautiful game.” His sincere belief gets many letters of agreement and congratulations.

The best “autographs” in my collection today aren’t the rarest or signed by the most famous. The correspondence I’ve kept shows that my past memories of baseball are appreciated today. The response shows that I, as a fan, matter. No price guide can give me that.

Coming Friday: a Virgil Trucks update

Hobby tales always fascinate me. The best ones have morals. Here are three lessons I learned from the following story:

1. The power of the Internet.
2. The power of focus.
3. The power of ASKING.

I’ve always agreed with Albert Einstein, who felt that genius came not in knowing all the answers, but in knowing where and how to look for those answers.

I loved how hobbyist David Patton got a surprise Christmas bonus from Tony Oliva. Tony O appreciated David’s sincerity, and gave him a no-charge autograph with a greeting.

When David told me about his one big autograph project, I had a suggestion. He needed Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player to pitch in the majors. But how? Japanese postage? What language should a letter be in? Are there other customs the retired star would appreciate?

I suggested he seek the advice of Japan’s Kohei Nirengi, a talented collector who excels in TTM autographs. Kohei is a bilingual fan with a thorough knowledge of American and Japanese baseball.

David adds:

“I want to thank you for introducing me to Kohei.  He is truly a great supporter of the hobby.  He was so accommodating to me and offered a few ideas which probably improved my chances of success.  I hope to meet him some day. 

I collected cards as a kid but didn’t do any autographing.  After my retirement in 2007, I decided to finish off a raw 65 set from my childhood.  That took about a year and then I didn’t know what to do next.  I was looking for a challenge which wouldn’t break the bank.  Then I found out about www.sportscollectors.net from a post on the CU message boards and soon I was hooked.

 I decided to sacrifice the 65 set for autographs and sent out my first card on 4/17/09.  I was fortunate to select a set with so many great TTM signers.  So far I have 489 different autos with 349 of those coming through the mail.  That’s71 percent!  I’m now down to about 12 or so living players who are all toughies.  I know that I’ll never complete the set, but I hope to get as many as reasonably possible and hope to break 500 this summer.

My quest for Murakami began at the National two years ago.  I was at a booth which sold Japanese cards and asked if they had any information about him.  Luckily there was another customer there who had been to Japan and met Murakami.  He said that he had a 65 Giants team card signed by Murakami which he would sell to me.  After months of searching he was never able to locate the card, but the experience did give me the idea of finding a connection in Japan to help.   I sent my letter to Murakami through Kohei and he included an interpreted letter along with mine.  I also included a rookie card for both Kohei and Murakami as well as an SSPC card for Murakami.

Currently I’m working on some 1950 Bowman cards.  There are a surprising number of players who are great TTM signers still living.  Their cards can be found on Ebay for about $5 with a little patience.  I am exploring some ideas to persuade some of the remaining players from the 65 set to sign.  Just this week I got a signed card back from Pedro Gonzalez (only the third reported on SCN).  That success was a little lucky and one I never expected.  That is what keeps us going.”

Coming Friday: Kohei A bonus letter reply? Nirengi tells more of the stunning Murakami success!

Thanks to friend Kohei Nirengi, who shared this e-mail alert.

ON APRIL 26 VIRGIL TRUCKS, THE TIGERS OLDEST FORMER PLAYER WILL CELEBRATE HIS  95TH BIRTHDAY !!!
                                                      *************
A BIRTHDAY PARTY  WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE HOME OF HIS DAUGHTER.

SHE HAS REQUESTED THAT THOSE WHO WANT TO SEND VIRGIL A BIRTHDAY CARD PLEASE SEND IT TO HER HOME AND NOT TO VIRGIL’S ADDRESS. SHE IS PLANNING HIS BIRTHDAY AS A SURPRISE AND WILL ARRANGE ALL CARDS IN A SPECIAL HONOR TO HIM.  

HER ADDRESS IS:
                        MS. CAROLYN TRUCKS BECKWITH,
                        55  SALSER LANE
                        COLUMBIANA,  ALABAMA   35051

GO TIGERS,   bobby hoeft, founder & publisher of  WBWF

Past blog posts have saluted Bobby and his one-of-a-kind newsletter, When Baseball Was Fun. Bobby has an all-star plan here.

Please, do NOT send  to Virgil at HIS address. Help his daughter stage a special SURPRISE tribute to this super-signer and best friend to the hobby.

Coming Wednesday: Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry autographing details!

Pitcher George Riley is still in life’s game.

The world has batted him around since his last days in the majors (1986 Expos).

However, he sounds ready for a comeback. I’m grateful to collector Kohei Nirengi, who shared his note from the former Cub (who autographed the card Kohei enclosed):

“Thanks so much for asking for my autograph. It makes me feel special. I used to have a 97 mph fastball and a curve that would, what we say, drop off the table. I was pitching in the era that money was not what it is today.

As far as my health, last year I had major surgery to remove my entire colon from cancer. So my health is not too good.  I was an electrician which I lost. And my house, my dog of 7 yrs. I am living with a friend.

 It would be highly appreciated if you could help in any way. It’s difficult, very difficult for me and my life. Because I was always very strong. Thanks so much.

Deepest Thanks,

George Riley
451 Basket Rd. 
Oley, PA 19547-9245″

I contacted the Baseball Assistance Team on the hurler’s behalf.

I’m sharing the news with the belief that George Riley wants to sign. He wants to be remembered. He hasn’t demanded a specific fee per signature.

He appears in the 1981 Topps and Donruss sets. Please, send him a donation with your letter. Send him some hope.

Coming Friday: Author-illustrator Matt Tavares shares his Red Sox admiration with young readers.

Two years. Still in the game. Since Feb. 10, 2010, to be exact.

I couldn’t have done it without readers like you.

I’m thankful to you, as well as to Diana (my wife/best friend/muse).

Drinking and blogging isn’t allowed. However, I must ask for one sip of whine.

Year two hasn’t gotten easier. My response rate from retired players has dipped.

I’m not talking Hall of Famers, either.

Fine. Be that way! I’m digging in. I’m choking up on the bat. I’ll get my swings. To translate, I’ll make every opportunity count.

I saw Chef Thomas Keller interviewed once. The sign on his
restaurant kitchen wall read:

A Sense of Urgency

The Chef speaks my language. Baseball doesn’t have a time clock. Writing to former baseball players does.

Obituaries. New non-signers. Retirees hiring fan mail “services” to handle letters while charging for each signature.

The challenges are there, possibly growing by the day.

That’s no reason to give up. Part of my game plan for dealing with the new opposition will be in spotlighting the hopeful elements of the hobby. If I find a collector finding creative ways to reclaim the hobby, I’ll share that hope. Likewise, I’ll blow the whistle if I find any examples of fan mail misbehavior.

Meanwhile, thanks for sticking with Baseball By The Letters. Your posted blog comments and e-mails are appreciated. When I vowed two years ago to chase stories, not signatures, I meant OUR stories, too. My friend Kohei Nirengi calls it “the beautiful game.” Indeed! Good fans and sincere collectors are what keep it that way.

Coming Tuesday: An update on Negro Leaguer Louis “The Gray Cat” Clarizio.

This smile comes courtesy of reader Kohei Nirengi.

Kohei lives in Japan. His return address didn’t escape the notice of former Mariners pitcher Stan Thomas.

Thomas included a short note with his autograph:

Send sushi!

Kohei laughed, by the way.

Coming Tuesday: Worst inscription ever?

Let me say five words to anyone who believes that Japanese baseball has little connection to the Major Leagues:

Ichiro
Hideki Matsui
Yu Darvish

In November, I wrote about friend and collector Kohei Nirengi, collecting TTM autographs of past major leaguers while living in Japan.

Seeing the buzz that Darvish has generated in Texas, I wanted to know more about Japanese autographs. Kohei was kind to supply these insights…

Q: Some American MLB teams are encouraging all players not to sign fan mail. In some cases, like the RedSox, a form letter and pre-printed “autographed” photo will be all you get. For teams like the Pirates or Tigers, much of the roster will supply a price list. Send your item and a donation to the community charity.

You had mentioned that you received Bobby Scales by mail in care of his team in Japan (Ham Fighters?). Whether it is Americans playing in Japan, or current Japanese players, how well do most respond to fan mail? Or, in what ways might it be easier for a fan in Japan to collect current NPB players by mail?

A: Yeah, you’re right, I sent my request to Bobby Scales by mail in care of his 2011 team here in Japan ( the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ), then I got his signature. I’ve never recorded any dates of my requests via TTM, so, excuse me, I don’t know a successful percentage correctly, my guessing would be 70% or so. TTM is getting popular in Japan year by year, but our interest in it began in this 21st century, I thought, so that here are still fewer fans collect autographs by mail than Americans do there, like you guessed.

Q: There will be more star Japanese players coming to America in coming seasons. From other collectors or your own experiences, had such stars as Ichiro, “Dice K” or Hideki Matsui signed by mail in Japan?

A: Yes, all my requests to the active Japanese ballplayers were sent in care of their each team. I’ve never seen anyone succeeded in getting neither Ichiro’s autograph nor Matusi’s as both were in NPB. However I’ve seen few collecters, who have their own websites or blogs about TTM, could get Matsui’s autographed “baseball” by mail as he played for the Oakland A’s in 2011 season. I have never tried to get anyone’s signature on a baseball, though. As to Dice-K, I knew that Matsuzaka had responded his requests from the fans when he pitched for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

If you try to send the Japanese ballplayers, your handwritten letter is much better than typed one because of our Japan’s traditional custom.

Q: Lastly, what’s been examples of some of your fastest responses from America?

A: Took just 10 days, I remember my fastest response from your good old U.S. FYI, December is not good for TTM because it’s the busiest time of year for our post offices as well as the USPS from Thanksgiving to Christmas, my American friend taught me that.

Thank you, Kohei. I hope your mailbox bulges with responses from both leagues in 2012.

Coming Wednesday: An insight about typed letters, from Mr. Tiger — Bobby Hoeft!

Some baseball fans collect autographs. Kohei Nirengi collects friendships.

I met Kohei (pronounced CO-hey) after an August e-mail. As a pen pal with former Cub Bob Will, he learned of this blog.

Instantly, I was impressed by the knowledge and passion of this fan from Japan. He was focusing his collection on retired players. Except, he was corresponding with them! It seemed like baseball families were adopting him.

Small wonder. He wrote thorough, insightful letters. He asked great questions. Retirees knew who he was, why he loved baseball and why he wanted THEIR autograph. Then, he’d send thank-you notes, even portraits that this talented artist created out of gratitude.

Kohei is TRI-lingual. He speaks and writes his native Japanese, English and baseball.

Q:. When did you first start collecting Major League autographs by mail? Who was your first?

A: I started it in October, 2004. Bobby Valentine, since he managed the Chiba Lotte Marines at that time. I thought it would be easy for me to get his autograph by domestic mail than by air mail after he would come back to the US.

Q: How did you learn about finding retired player addresses, SASEs and U.S. stamps? How common is it in Japan to collect Japanese player autographs by mail?

A: It was easy to find some good TTM websites by Japanese serious collectors on-line when I decided to start. So I could realize that I would find former player addresses, if I could purchase Harvey Meiselman’s baseball address lists. Much of Japanese collectors wrote about SASE on their websites, too, so that it was easily understand that I should enclose such a thing with my fan letter. U.S. stamps were very difficult to get early in my challenging, so I had to buy many expensive U.S. commemorative stamps via our Yahoo! auction. Then I found a Japanese trader who lives in the West Coast on-line, and I could buy many U.S. stamps from him, but, of course, I had to pay allowance to him. Nowadays I buy them as I have a chance to visit the U.S. This is the best way!

Well, needless to say, you must enclose SASEs with your letters to Japanese players by mail. Also I’m sure the most important thing is to send your passion for baseball and each players with your requests.

Q: Who offered the first response of something more than signing your card? Can you share an example or two of people responding with a letter or extra autographed items, wanting to befriend a fan from another country?

A: Phil Niekro offered his autographed HOF card of himself. Gary Kroll, former pitcher with the Mets, was very kind to offer very nice photos in baseball to me, and told me about a slugfest between the Cubs and Phils at the Wrigley Field. Dwight ” Red” Adams and George Elder responded with my questions by mail. George Green, former outfielder in the Negro Leagues had befriended me, I really appreciated his help to better understand their history.

Q: What percentage retirees (versus current players) do you write to? Why do you have a special interest in FORMER players, being such a young fan?

A: The percentage of retirees to current players on my requests is 90 to 10. Because I just respect the history of this greatest game of baseball, so I want to send my gratitude for each former player. Also I would love to investigate each story in baseball by themselves, all of them would be worth sharing.

Q: What is a typical letter like that you write? How often do you ask questions? What items do you ask to have signed — if any?

A: ” I believe that baseball is the most beautiful game all around the world.” This is my typical note to write on each of my requests, I really mean it. To be honest, I rarely asked questions on my letters until I found your awesome blog about not only collections but also such questions by letters. Then I try to ask a few questions to them often. In my case, I’ve enclosed each baseball card or original Index card which I made by myself to get their autographs by mail.

Q: Do any autograph signers note that they’re surprised that a fan from another country could know so much about American baseball? And how do you keep so well informed about baseball, past and present?

A: Yeah, in fact, few former players from the 1940’s, like Red Borom and Cy Buker, noted they pretty impressed on my knowledge of American baseball. Needless to say, I’m very honored. Well, it was very difficult to keep up with the updated news about MLB here in Japan before Hideo Nomo broke into the Big Leagues with the Dodgers in 1995, and then a couple of monthly MLB magazines in Japanese have published, although, one of them had to stop the publication four years ago. Anyhow, I can get much information about American baseball, past and present, by them. Also I could find many old baseball books in an used-book store in Tokyo. Nowadays I’m blessed to have the Internet to get many updates across the Pacific Ocean. Amazing!

Q: How difficult is it to get American baseball cards — past and present — to get signed?

A: I think it is easy for any Japanese MLB fans to get current American baseball cards on-line. We have some sports’ cards shops over here, they handle not only Japanese sports’ cards, but MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL. Also if you can get into an auction site like Yahoo!, probably you could get past American baseball cards, but it would be expensive often. Our shops or such auction website also handle so many signed baseball cards, so you can get them here in my country.

Q: You mentioned that your parents are fans of Hideki Matsui. Have you had success writing to Japanese major leaguers here in America? Have you written to them in Japanese? I think every collector would love an Ichiro autograph.

A: Yes, fortunately, I could succeed in getting Hiroki Kuroda, Masumi Kuwata, and Koji Uehara, not many, but I love these autographs ! Yes, of course, I’ve written to them in Japanese. I’ve tried to get Ichiro’s autograph in the mail, but failed, however I’ve seen that one of major Japanese collector got one from this future HOFer by mail ! Many collector would envy his success-haha.

Q. You are a special fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. Why? How are the Phils a specialty in your collection? Who are some of your favorite signatures?

A: Since I did enjoy the 1993 World Series between the Phillies and Blue Jays, this series were my 1st televised MLB games in my life. As far as my collection, the Phils are not special, I’ve treated all responses alike.

Q: Phillies or not, who are some favorite autographs of yours?

A: I venture to pick some of my favorite signatures: Virgil “Fire” Trucks, Curt Simmons, Roy Sievers, Greg Luzinski, and Harmon Killebrew.

Q: What hobby goals do you have?

A: I just want to keep sending my requests to the U.S. along with my appreciation for this greatest game as long as I am able.

Q:. What advice do you have for other collectors?

A: Well, I would make conventional remarks, ” patience” is the most important thing to keep doing this hobby, for instance, I had had to await for getting a response by Vin Scully for 6 years! By the way, Japanese baseball fans enjoy collecting autographs via TTM. That’s good for baseball, also hope that more baseball fans in our both countries just enjoy this wonderful hobby in the future.

Thank you, Kohei. And, thanks for reminding us that, no matter who we are, or where we are, baseball is a universal language.