I have had some pretty good mail days but I think todays mail day is the best ever! I received items from three people and all are people I admire in baseball.
The first package was from Tom Kelly. My friend Mark B is the Tigers Ticket God. If he does not have a specific Detroit Tigers ticket he will track it down and that is exactly what he did for me. On May 26, 1975 TK hit his only MLB home run and Mark found me a pair of tickets to that game. TK signed one of them with “Only MLB HR”. I will donate the other ticket to the Twins as they have the home run baseball on display. I think a ticket would go great with it. The other item TK signed for me was a ticket for the 09.08.2012 Twins game when his #10 was retired. He inscribed that ticket with “#10 Retired”
The next package I opened was from Dennis Eckersley. I had mailed him a ticket from the 2004 Hall of Fame Induction which was postmarked from Cooperstown. He signed it beautifully. Now I need to send it to Paul Molitor to complete it.
I saved the best for last and I was blown away with how perfect everything was signed. Doug Keating (4192HITS on SCN) had a signing with Joe and I sent in a few items I had that I needed signed. The items I received are:
2015 Topps #700 SP Variation
2022 Allen & Ginter #163
2018 Topps Now Players Weekend Bonus PWB-66
2021 Topps Project 70 #629
10.06.2009 Ticket with “2009 AL MVP” and “Batting Champ .365”
09.29.2018 Ticket with “Last Run 1,018” and “Last RBI 923”
06.15.2019 Ticket with “#7 Retired”
Game used baseball from the game Joe’s #7 was retired with “#7 Retired 6/15/19”
Retail baseball from the game Joe’s #7 was retired with “#7 Retired 6/15/19”
The 2009 ticket is from Game #163 and has Joe pictured on it. It is signed in ultra fine silver deco and looks amazing. Actually, all of them look amazing. I am really excited to add these to my collection!
Category: HOF
Kitty
Mike McGuire is Jim ‘Kitty’ Kaat’s agent for autographs and he has a deal where you can send him cards and the fee and he will get them signed whenever he sees Jim. This is only for trading cards. Everything else has to go through a promotor at a show. I took advantage of the card deal and sent in three cards. They arrived signed beautifully today and are awesome additions to the collection. They are:
2022 Allen & Ginter #323
07.16.2022 Topps Now #36 Retired ( I was at this game!)
07.24.2022 Topps Now Hall of Fame Induction
Kubek
A couple weeks ago I received my April 1961 Baseball Digest signed by Al Spangler and immediately sent it to Tony Kubek to finish the cover. It shows a face shot of both men on the cover and I really do not like having items that I cannot complete or are not complete in my collection. I also sent a Ford Frick Hall of Fame postcard with the magazine. Tony was the Ford Frick recipient in 2009 being recognized for his broadcasting skills. His voice, along with Joe Garagiola, was the sound of my Saturday mornings as a kid watching the “Game of the Week”. Throw in Mel Allen on “This Week in Baseball” before the “Game of the Week” and it was a Ford Frick recipient trifecta!
Today I received both items signed in blue Sharpie for my collection.
A Retired Kitty Kaat
I was at the Twins game in 2022 when they retired #36 for Jim Kaat. The team was able to get special baseballs for that game and I was fortunate to purchase a game used one, as well as a couple unused ones, for my collection. Tom O (orr23mj on SCN) offered up a couple Christmas deals and one of them was one of those baseballs already signed and inscribed with “#36 Retired 7/16/22” and I bought it. It was cheaper than if I got one of my own signed with postage and the autograph fee, etc. I am waiting to get the game used one signed exactly the same way.