Honoring Boston’s Bill Monbouquette

A half-century later, a huge heart exists behind that
intense glare. Learn how “Monbo” took a gift
from the hobby and paid it forward!

One of the joys of being a part of the http://www.sportscollectors.net/ community is witnessing the random acts of kindness from hobbyists.
Michael Einarsson leads that parade. First, he surprised Virgil Trucks. Bill Monbouquette came next. All with lots of help from like-minded collectors. Here’s Michael’s story:

Q: How long have you been collecting autographs? Do you have a specialty (teams, era, etc.)? How much of your collecting is TTM, versus in person?

A: I have been collecting autographs for about 20 years (since I was 10 yrs old). I believe that Mickey Morandini was my first TTM success right after he turned his unassisted triple play in 1992 vs the Pirates.

My only real specialty at this point is I am trying to complete an autographed set of 2008 UD Masterpieces. Not too bad so far, as I have 84 out of a possible 115 autographs in the set (5 deceased players were included in the set).

I do almost all of my collecting via TTM as I do not live near a MLB city. I do however live close to Cooperstown and only last year did I get involved in HOF weekend. Maybe this year I will get more involved in it-we’ll see. I get a lot of my Masterpieces set needs done through consignments with guys on the SCN boards or through private signings.

Q: Was the collection for Virgil Trucks the first you did? What kind of responses did
you get from collectors, and Virgil?

A: Yes, the collection for Virgil Trucks was the first one I did. I got the idea from reading about how some guys on SportsGraphing had done a collection for Bobby Doerr and I said to myself “Why can’t we on SCN do this?” Thus, it was born.

I got a lot of positive feedback from collectors who donated anything from just a few dollars to one donation of over $150! I told potential donors that I will even take the change they have leftover in their Paypal account that they might never use and take that as a donation-it all adds up. All together I had 24 people donate to Virgil as a ‘Thank You’ for all he has done as a TTM HOF’er and a Veteran who fought for our country.

Virgil was VERY gracious as he gave me a phone call (I include my phone number and email in my donation letters) when he got the check to tell me how thankful he was for it. We spoke for about 10 minutes about playing in his era and how he knew some of the towns around where I live. He used to do some barnstorming because they made so little money back then, that he had to do barnstorming to make ends meet at home.

He sent me a very nice ‘Thank You’ card and 20+ signed cards for me to give out to those who donated to him. I contacted everyone who donated and asked them if they wanted the signed card from him. I’d say about half of them accepted it. The rest were just happy to donate to Virgil and didn’t need anything in return.

Q: What kind of replies TTM had you received from Bill before you honored him?

A:  I honestly have never written to Bill before we honored him. I certainly should have as I could use him on a Fenway Park photo I have, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

Q: What do you say to a collector who says, “I’d rather send a thank you note, instead of bringing money into the equation?”

A: I would be more than happy to honor someone’s wishes anyway they want. If they want to send a thank you note, that is fine by me. All I am trying to convey to guys like Trucks or Monbouquette is a ‘Thank You’ and I have decided to do it via a monetary donation. These players never ask for anything in return so in my opinion, if we can collect a sum of money to give back to them for their decades of answering their fanmail, I think it’s a good way to show our appreciation.

Q: When’s the next campaign start? What critierion are you using to choose another retiree? Who are some of the names in consideration?

A: I think I am going to get the next campaign started in Spring 2012. I am careful that I don’t want to go back to the proverbial “well” too often with the collectors I am in contact with on SCN. We did the Virgil Trucks one around July 4th 2011, and then Bill Monbouquette just before Christmas so I think I will put the call out around April 2012 for the next recipient to anticipate sending him a check around June 2012. I know collector’s money is tight so I don’t want to constantly be out there asking for donations from my fellow collectors.

The criterion I look for is someone who is a TTM Hall of Famer and who doesn’t seem to do paid appearances too often. Basically I’m looking for a player who responds to nearly all of his fan mail in a timely manner and asks for nothing in return. Trucks and Monbouquette are all prime examples of who I like to organize donations for.

Some names that have been kicked around for the next donation campaign have been Bobby Doerr, Carl Erskine, Dick Groat or George Altman. Nothing has been decided though yet.”

Anyone wanting to assist Michael in his next hobby thank-you campaign for a signer (or to thank HIM for being such a great hobby ambassador), write him at einars90@hotmail.com.

************************

Bill Monbouquette keeps dazzling collectors. When presented with an $80 check from Michael and his cohorts, Bill added $20 and donated it all to Toys for Tots. He told of honoring his U.S. Marine son with the gift. Once a team player, always a team player!

 

Seeking Baseball’s Might-Have-Beens

Love the pic!
Love his hustle.
After 1999, I saw
stardom for Warren. Hmmm…

Getting autographs of superstars by mail is tough.

I believe that another tough category exists: the might-have-been.

Injury is often the explanation for a shortened career. Managerial conflict is another. If the boss doesn’t believe in you, who do you get in the lineup? Or, these men simply became overshadowed in a rich farm system serving a perennial winner in the majors.

You can look these guys up. They had brief glories in the bigs, never getting the chance to extend one or two good seasons into a great career. Getting fan mail must be a bittersweet experience — glad to be remembered, but sad to be reminded of what could have been. Are the memories too painful to reply to a letter? (Some names got disqualified immediately, due to their HORRIBLE unwillingness to sign for members of http://www.sportscollectors.net/, as indicated by attempts posted and monitored by SCN members.

I’ve found two “shooting stars,” the first with one season of wonder, the second with just a game of glory.

Warren Morris

John Paciorek

Readers — who else would you put on this list? Thanks for your help.

Coming Friday: Honoring Bill Monbouqette

Another vote for hand-written letters?

In the heat of presidential primary season, a vote may have been cast for tradition.

I’ve enjoyed the epic story of Tigers minor leaguer Bobby Hoeft. His book and his Detroit Tigers quarterly newsletter would delight any fan.

One off-hand comment of his caught my eye. Bobby keeps creating “hard” copies of his newsletter, not just posting news online. I realize that he has dozens of former Tigers as subscribers. He mentioned that most aren’t computer users.

“Oh yes — regarding seniors with no computers…I speak for myself when I say it took me up to 2007 before I took them on…To some extent, just give a retired baseball star another pain in the ass…I admit it was only because of my intense typing etc that I was talked into it…but guys like Virgil Trucks, J.W. Porter, Frank Tanana and on and on view it with, “At my age why take on this new technology…I’m happy with my life just the way it is.”

Bobby’s comment sent me thinking. Kohei Nirengi mentioned about Japanese tradition favoring hand-written letters. I maintain that forcing any age person to study my handwriting is cruel and unusual punishment.

Nonetheless, are some elderly ex-players frowning at our computer printout letters, skeptical at how little personal effort went into the correspondence? Do these cyber-shy folk think our magic boxes have cranked out well-disguised, robotic form letters?

When possible, I add a hand-written P.S. That way, the potential signer knows I’ve tried…and that I’ve spared him the pain of a whole page of my scribbles!

Coming Thursday: Tom’s “10 Most Wanted List” — a Hot Stove League edition!

Writing to Japan’s Baseball Stars

The famed logo for Japanese baseball!

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!

Beyond Steve Sax: Paying For Autographs



Chris Potter (left) and Steve Sax
(Photo courtesy of Chris Potter Sports)

 Thanks to Nick Diunte for sharing a recent fine feature on his “happening” blog, http://www.baseballhappenings.net/. Nick is an all-star journalist, someone with a deep appreciation of baseball and all things collectible. A kindred spirit!

Nick wrote about Chris Potter, the new intermediary handling fan mail for Steve Sax. Potter’s business has a website. Most encouraging is his motto: “The Collector’s Friend.”

In my original feature about Sax choosing to stop signing autographs by mail for free, I mentioned Potter’s role only in passing. Potter is seeing that unsigned cards get returned with a price list. When some ex-players stop signing, they may trash all their mail.

As Nick points out, Potter’s involvement can benefit needy retirees, such as 95-year-old Danny Litwhiler. This man, unlike Sax, never raked in millions during his career.

Last week, I mentioned that former Negro Leaguer Louis Clarizio Jr. would sign for pay. Using an autograph as a way to help someone in need can make sense, especially for someone with a one-year career who played mainly for the love of the game.

However, I can’t help missing the GIFT aspect of the autograph, the service of signing. Add money, and the personal interaction disappears. It’s like purchasing a loaf of bread at the supermarket. The humanity, the idea of one baker making a treat just for you, is replaced. The autograph is now an assembly-line product, something that anyone can own, not a reward for your captivating letter.

In fact, I can’t help but feel sad for the letter writers who try to send memories to a former player like Sax. These days, your cash matters more than your words to many retirees.

Coming Tuesday: Collecting Japanese baseball autographs