My Own Through the Mail Success

Since I've gotten on to the topic of writing letters to ballplayers I though I would share one of my own experiences. It was the mid-80's and I was already a very active Baseball card collector in my early teens.

One afternoon I read an article in Beckett magazine about sending letters and receiving autographs back from current and former ballplayers. A smile immediately came across my face as I decided that this was something I needed to try. So, I begged my Dad to buy me a bunch of stamps and I went to work as I wrote letter after letter to some current and former ballplayers.

For several months I continued on this quest, but soon stopped. I don't recall the exact reason, but I'm sure it had something to due with general laziness. Anyway, of all the responses I did get back, and I did receive plenty, one stands alone as unforgettable.

A year after I had already stopped sending letters, I received a white envelope with a strange address emblazoned on it from Pennsylvania. I opened it up and found the following card- a 1986 Topps mini of Mike Schmidt signed by the soon-to-be Hall of Famer.
Wow! I thought. I had forgotten all about writing to him. Considering that my letter was probably one of tens of thousands I was grateful to get any response back.

The most memorable thing about Schmidt's envelope, though, was the type written letter he included. Check it out below. Click the pic to enlarge it. No one else had taken the time to actually write back. Of course, I didn't often ask any questions. I just requested their signature. Nevertheless, the thoughtfulness and time he took to do this still strikes me as remarkable. From that day on Mike Schmidt became one of my favorites.