Header - Baseball by the Letters

Can FOREVER Stamps Work Anywhere?

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I had a great question from Kohei Nirengi, our great baseball booster from Japan.

He reminded me how much international readers of this blog love baseball letters. They cope with TWO different postal systems.

Kohei asked if FOREVER stamps could help him guard against possible price increases on his air mail returns. Currently, it’s $1.05 for one SASE.

I hope that USPS would extend the power of FOREVER price protection to overseas users, too. I think collectors like Kohei would invest in quantity. And why not?

To get an iron-clad answer, I e-mailed the USPS website.

Years ago (in a different town) I called my local post office to ask about a mailing question. Getting served at the counter, the clerk told me something different. I explained how I had called to ask about the policy before driving to the post office.

“Are you sure you hadn’t called UPS?” he asked in all seriousness. “They’re different than us.”

Ever since, I’ve always wanted to double-check any interpretation of postal policy.

Any suggestions for collectors for other countries? Stay tuned for my official USPS update.

Coming Wednesday: A Sharpie secret.

To Pat and Stephanee Neshek

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Dear Pat and Stephanee:

This letter is not about the Oakland A’s, the post-season or autographs. This is about both of you and Gehrig John.

Fans and autograph collectors have loved you both for years. You’ve given so much of yourselves, putting others first. The loss of your baby saddens us all. We grieve with you.

We’re grateful for both of you. Your courage in these difficult times makes us proud. I’m sure it would make that little boy proud, too.

In Remembrance,
Tom Owens

A St. Louis Brown Shines As Autograph All-Star

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This logo and
lots of other gems
are waiting at
www.thestlbrowns.blogspot.com.
 
Make it official: I’m a Nick Diunte fan.
 
Any article of his is a treat. Nick isn’t the pompous professor of baseball-ology type of journalist. His writing is smart, yet FUN.
 
That’s why I had to share this note:
 
“I figured that this article might be of interest to you and your readers. It was inspired by the great TTM return I had earlier this month from Frank Saucier, who after a few months, not only signed by items, but sent along a few articles about his career and his military service. The articles he sent fueled the article that I wrote. He’s the second old timer who has sent me a multiple page reply of articles and photos about his career after I talked a little baseball in the letter.”
 
 

Who’s A Collectible Baseball Autograph?

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An obituary got me thinking. I hope it does the same for you.

Bill Behm never wore the Tigers uniform. However, Detroit’s trainer contributed to two World Series winners, the championship teams of 1968 and 1984. How many men got to be a part of both celebrations?

Who is worthy, autograph collectors? Only players? Only those active-duty, cap-and-jersey roster members? Only the people who appear in a card set?

Think hard about your definition of collectible. Bill Behm’s obituary appeared everywhere. Pages and pages of search-engine listings. His passing reminds us that the window of opportunity for unconventional baseball autographs closes quickly.

Coming Wednesday: Hitting the jackpot with one of the last St. Louis Browns!

What’s The Best Baseball Book Of 2012?

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Help Mike Shannon Honor
The Best Baseball Books
Of 2012

This blog likes baseball letters. There’s a special power in letters.

Did you like a new baseball-related book this year? If so, you have two choices.

1. You could write a letter to the author. Tell the author why you liked the book.

2. You could SHOW the author how you liked the book by nominating the book for an award.

3. Why not do both?

To help make an author’s day is one Mike Shannon. (No, Cardinals fans. The OTHER Mike Shannon!)

Here’s the invite he’s shared:

Please consider this your invitation to nominate baseball books for the 2012 CASEY Awards, the 30th Anniversary of the Award!

You may nominate up to 10 books but only books which you have actually read; no hearsay please.
All books to be nominated must carry a 2012 copyright.

Only works published as real physical books are eligible; works published ONLY in an electronic format are NOT eligible.

You may send in nominations via email or via USPS to: Spitball, 5560 Fox Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239
Deadline for nominations: October 31, 2012

NB (for publishers)* Publishers do not have to formally Nominate their books. All baseball books received for review by Spitball are automatically considered for the CASEY Award. However, we must have a finished copy of the book in the Spitball office; galleys and proofs do not meet this requirement. If your title is listed on the “Current Baseball Books” page of our website, then we do have a copy of the book. If the title is NOT LISTED, then we DO NOT have a copy of it and we need one to be sent to the Spitball office, please, asap.

Thank you for your cooperation and important contribution to the CASEY Award process.

Mike Shannon, Editor
Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine
5560 Fox Road
Cincinnati, OH 45239
www.spitballmag.com

Check out his website. When it comes to baseball literature, Mike is the genre’s biggest booster!