Rollie Fingers -- Hall of Fame 1992

Acquired: TTM
Sent: 12/13/13
Received: 1/2/14
Turnaround: 20 days
Submittal: $15, ROMLB, LOR, SASE
My request: Blue pen, sweet spot, HOF inscription
Commentary: The background behind my Rollie Fingers ball is similar to that of my Fergie Jenkins ball. The story is that I met both Hall of Famers last year at Hohokam Park during Cactus League. Proceeds from their March 9th autograph session went to the late Ron Santo's favorite charity -- JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Overall, I was surprised and touched to see both Jenkins and Fingers devoting a Saturday to raise money for the key charity that Santo supported. I donated to both of the former pitchers, but since the autograph session took me by surprise, I was unprepared. As a result, I was unable to land their autographs on official baseballs. Months passed. Nine months later, I decided to circle back with Fingers through the mail to obtain his autograph and a HOF inscription on an official ball. The outcome of my latest success is pictured above. Note that Rollie signs through the mail for $10 less than Fergie. 

Ryne Sandberg -- Hall of Fame 2005

Acquired: TTM
Sent: 12/2/13
Received: 1/9/14
Turnaround: 38 days
Submittal: $25, ROMLB, LOR, SASE
My request: Blue pen, sweet spot, HOF inscription
Commentary: The off-season appears to be the best time of year to catch Ryne Sandberg for an autograph request through the mail. The timing makes perfect sense as Sandberg has worked various managerial gigs for years. As for which address to target, the success rate to his home address in Arizona seems to yield the best results. Please note that there are accounts of fans achieving this outcome from Ryno for much less than $25 -- some have even reported including only a handful of dollars. Nevertheless, I aimed high and included $25 for two reasons. First, I wanted to ensure any kind of success. Second, I requested a HOF 2005 inscription. In the end, I achieved the former, but not the latter. It will be interesting to see if Sandberg continues to sign with alacrity, now that his interim status as manager of the Philadephia Phillies has sequenced into a full-time role. Proceeds go to Sandberg's charity.

Whitey Herzog -- Hall of Fame 2010

Acquired: TTM
Sent: 12/13/13
Received: 12/24/13
Turnaround: 11 days
Submittal: $15, ROMLB, LOR, SASE
My request: Blue pen, sweet spot, HOF inscription
Commentary: There are accounts of people achieving this outcome from Whitey for only $10. But there are also accounts of Whitey leaving off the HOF inscription with $10 donations. I didn't want to risk not getting exactly what I wanted, so I included $15. Setting aside the inscription aspect, submitting to Whitey Herzog was about as straightforward as it gets. I wish they were all this easy. Proceeds go to his charity. 

Book Review -- Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?

Bill James is overflowing with genius in this great analysis of Cooperstown inductees. So much so that it’s not clear to me why Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame? never seems to appear on lists of the best baseball books of all time. Perhaps renaming it “Everything You Wanted to Know about Phil Rizzuto (But Were Afraid to Ask)” would help it gain more notoriety among fans?

If you boil it down, James finds two key problems with the Hall: (i) there are players inside Cooperstown who should not have cleared the hurdle; and (ii) there are players outside Cooperstown who continue to wait for the call.

The biggest let down of the book was that James dwelled on the first category of players.

In fact, finding serious flaws with honorees is not that difficult, especially among Veterans Committee selections. Bill James, however, stands out among his peers because he is skillful not only with words, but also with numbers. 

Published in 1994, when he was at his peak as an author, James provides readers with a culmination of his methodologies:

• Similarity Scores
• The Hall of Fame Standards List
• The Black Ink Test
• The Hall of Fame Career Monitor
• Fibonacci Win Scores

Despite its age, Whatever Happened to the Hall? holds up well for two reasons: First, the “mistake” inductions will always be mistakes and they are just as relevant to read about today as they were in 1994. Second, James's persuasive arguments in this book have clearly nudged voters in the right direction since its publication.

Perhaps this book -- which has already been published under two different titles -- receives less adulation because it’s overshadowed by the ongoing Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James’s life work. Twenty years have passed since Whatever Happened to the Hall? was released. I believe the timing is right for a major update.

Favorite Line

If I were in control of the Hall of Fame’s selections, the first player I would choose would be Ron Santo.

Fergie Jenkins -- Hall of Fame 1991

Acquired: TTM
Sent: 12/13/13
Received: 1/2/14
Turnaround: 20 days
Submittal: $25, ROMLB, LOR, SASE
My request: Blue pen, sweet spot, HOF inscription
Commentary: Last year during Spring Training, I had the opportunity to meet Fergie Jenkins at Hohokam Park, the former Cactus League home of the Chicago Cubs. On March 9th -- a Saturday afternoon -- Jenkins made an appearance to sign autographs on behalf of the late Ron Santo's favorite charity, JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Santo, Jenkins's former teammate on the Cubs, passed away in 2010 after battling diabetes throughout his life. In 2012, Santo was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee. At any rate, I was both surprised and touched to see a Hall of Famer like Jenkins set up like this -- seated at essentially a card table behind the concession stands -- to honor his former teammate and raise money for Santo's charity. In March, Jenkins signed a cheap ball for me rather than a ROMLB. At the time, and in my mind, the autograph was merely an impulse buy and a donation than anything else. Last month, however, I decided to circle back with Jenkins through the mail to obtain an autograph on a legit ball. The result is the autographed ball pictured above. The accompanying photo is from March when Jenkins graciously offered to pose for pictures as well as sign.