Tony La Russa -- Hall of Fame 2014

Acquired: TTM via Foundation
Sent: 1/10/14
Received: 1/31/14
Turnaround: 21 days
Submittal: $50 check, ROMLB, LOR, return envelope. I was instructed not to include postage on my return envelope.
My request: Blue pen, sweet spot, HOF inscription
Charity: ARF -- Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation
Commentary: I obtained this successful outcome through Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, or ARF. Shortly after Tony La Russa had been elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans' Committee, I contacted Kathleen at ARF through its website. A formal process had not been put in place yet for submissions, so I e-mailed an inquiry. Kathleen quoted a price of $50 which includes an autograph and the HOF inscription. On one hand, this is the second highest I have ever paid for a Hall of Fame autograph through the mail. On the other hand, the price is reasonable and even understandable in light of La Russa's recent induction and the subsequent media exposure. Overall, the ball looks great, especially with the double inscriptions.

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. 

Book Review -- The Card by Michael O'Keefe and Teri Thompson

“The Card” is a deep dive into the history of the world’s most valuable baseball card -- a T206 Honus Wagner produced from 1909 to 1911. New York Daily News staffers Michael O’Keefe and Teri Thompson coauthored “The Card” in 2007, the same year that the finest example of the Wagner card sold for $2.8 million.

The authors do a fine job at producing a very readable book that can appeal to a broad audience. At first blush, people who are interested in reading books about baseball cards may seem like a niche audience. But this particular baseball card has received enormous publicity for decades, making it culturally and historically relevant. A T206 Wagner is not only held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, but also at the New York Public Library. Less surprisingly, another version of the card has been on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

A bit of background is in order. Honus Wagner -- alongside Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb -- was one of only five former players inducted into baseball’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1936. The T206 Honus Wagner has been the most valuable baseball card on the planet since 1933, when it was first listed in price guides at $50.

The high value stems largely from a limited print run. Production estimates range from 60 to 200. The reason for the limited circulation has never been entirely agreed upon. Most likely, Wagner objected to the compensation offered by American Tobacco Company or he objected to his affiliation with the sale of cigarettes.

In the mid-1980s -- 50 years after the initial $50 estimated price guide value -- one specific version of the T206 Wagner emerged mysteriously into the hobby at a Long Island memorabilia shop. This discovery became the finest and most valuable Wagner in existence and would later sell at auction for the aforementioned $2.8 million.

The coming out party for this version -- essentially the Mona Lisa of baseball cards -- was a 1991 auction. At that time, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky and Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall bought the card for $451,000. Because of the jaw-dropping purchase price and the high profile of the buyers, the popular press ran wild with the story. Media coverage amplified the card’s mystique, credibility and value. Ever since, it has commonly been referred to as the Gretzky T206 Wagner.

The two key questions that the book seeks to answer is whether the Gretzky T206 Wagner was altered, and if so, by whom? It’s not a spoiler to mention here that the book’s authors surmise that the Gretzky T206 Wagner was modified into its pristine condition, an act which is strictly forbidden in the hobby. The number one suspect is Bill Mastro, who not surprisingly has had the most financial incentive to do so. Mastro has owned or auctioned the card many times.

Suspicions about the Gretzky T206 Wagner card include:

• Its progeny. Why is the lineage of something so valuable so unclear prior to 1985?
• Its condition. How are the edges and corners of a 100-year-old tobacco card so crisp?
• Its rating (8 out of 10) from a widely respected authenticator. Does a conflict of interests exist between professional authenticators and sellers?

With this many red flags, why have people been content to look away?

The book explores this, but here’s my take: A rising tide lifts all boats. When the Gretzky T206 Wagner sets a record at auction, the rest of the hobby goes along for the ride. Everyone’s assets increase in value. There’s a “Party on!” mentality.

Another problem is that markets of all kinds are difficult to regulate. Just as corporate bonds are graded by S&P’s and Moody’s, the condition of baseball cards are graded by PSA and Beckett. In both examples, the seller pays the rating agency. Conflicts of interest abound when the seller pays for a rating.

What I like most about “The Card” is that it forces the reader to think critically while covering a topic I found to be pretty fascinating. Even if you don’t think a book about a baseball card sounds very appealing, you still might like a book about the hobby’s darker underbelly. This is a nice piece of investigative work.

Favorite Line:

Beckett doesn't take any ----. Jim Beckett has been honest his entire life. He could have manipulated the market with his price guides and made a fortune, but he never did. He's one of the few honest guys in this business.