Archives for July 2016

The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

By Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala

Peter E. Randall Publisher (2016)

$30.00

Whatever your connection to the National Pastime – autograph collector, statistics addict, historian, trivia buff , casual fan or fanatic – “The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs” should capture a spot on your book shelf (or coffee table).

                                                       Baseball Roundtable

While the central focus of The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs is identifying the most desirable and sought after baseball autographs of all time, this is not a book solely for autograph collectors. It is really a book for baseball fans – offering not just an evaluation of each autograph by PSA/DNA experts, but also telling the story of each featured player through statistics, trivia, comments from contemporaries and entertaining on-field and off-field stories.   As with previous baseball books from the Zappalas (The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories and The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players), The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs also is well laid out, with plenty of solid graphics and photographs.  Note:  For a review of The Cracker Jack Collection, click here.

Furrther, you don’t have to be a nostalgia buff or student of baseball history to relate to the players whose signatures are featured in this volume. The one hundred players on this list range from pioneers like Hall of Famer Albert Spalding (who played his last MLB game in 1877) to contemporary stars like Albert Pujols (1B/DH for the 2016 Angels). Along the way, the book takes a look at players (and their signatures) like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro Suzuki – and more. Authors Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala also did not limit the book’s scope to the U.S. major leagues.  You’ll also find Negro League stars like Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston; Cuban great Martin Dihigo; and Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh.  (Is that something for every fan picture starting to emerge?)

As you can tell, I liked the book – and, if you are reading this blog post, I’m pretty sure you’ll like it too.  But, to whet your appetite, let’s take a closer look at just a few examples what you can expect to find on the 200+ pages of The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs.

The Obligatory List

If you going to promise to identify the 100 greatest of anything, you better provide some kind of list.  Well, it’s right up front. In Chapter One, the authors identify the top twenty most desirable baseball autographs.  I don’t want to “give away the whole story,” so here are the top five:

The Top Five Most Desirable Baseball Autographs

                                 #1 Babe Ruth

                                  #2 Christy Mathewson

                                   #3 Josh Gibson

                                  #4 Shoeless Joe Jackson

                                  #5 Lou Gehrig

Evaluation from PSA/DNA Certification Experts

The book provides collectors an evaluation of each autograph by PSA/DNA experts, covering such areas as specific characteristics of each signature, changes over time, rarity and tips on determining authenticity.

Here are just a few tidbits from the evaluations:

• “Out of respect for Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig very rarely signed his autograph on the sweet spot of a baseball. Gehrig felt that it was Ruth’s place to be on the sweet spot … It was not until Ruth retired as a player that Gehrig’s signature began to appear more frequently on the sweet spot.”
• Christy Mathewson’s autograph is notable because of its “scarcity, beautiful appearance, and his legendary status.” (Mostly found on documents such as checks and contracts, Mathewson’s signature on a baseball has been known to command more than $100,000.)
• Jimmie Foxx changed his autograph over time, even altering the spelling of his first name (Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie).
• Ted Williams’ signature is one of the most forged in baseball – and a large volume of counterfeit Williams items were seized in a late-1990s FBI sting.,

Hall of Famer Pitcher John Clarkson – As Rare As It Gets

“Not only did he play in an era when autograph signing wasn’t commonplace, Clarkson spent the last several years of his life in various sanitariums and psychiatric hospitals, making his autograph almost impossible to obtain in that tragic time … As of this writing, PSA has not certified a Clarkson autograph.”

                                          The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

The Stories a Player’s Signature Can Tell

 You will also find comments on how a player’s performance and popularity can affect their signature – adding to or subtracting from its legibility or prompting the use of ghost signers (relatives, club employees, etc.)

Mickey Mantle – Growing Into Greatness

“If you were to compare a rookie autograph of Mickey Mantle to one penned later in his career and life, you can see the evolution not only of his signature style, but also of his personality. What was once a very simplistic signature early in his career developed into one of the most recognizable and stylish autographs in the entire hobby.  Mantle went from being a small-town phenomenon to the starting center fielder of the most popular team on the planet – the New York Yankees

“If you follow changes in his autograph, you can see Mantle’s rise to stardom. As he blossomed into a superstar on the field, more people asked for his autograph. As more people requested his autograph, Mantle had time to perfect it and his confidence grew as an athlete. You can sense that the confidence in his seasoned signature. It is bold and definitive like those of fellow baseball legends like Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth.”

                                The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

Ted Williams came in as the 20th most desirable autograph.

Statistics – Statistics – Statistics

We count everything in baseball, and The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs honors that tradition. Each player’s on-field performance is well documented – from Walter Johnson’s 12 strikeout titles, 417 wins and 2.17 career ERA to Albert Pujols’ 2001 rookie-season stat line of .329-37-130.  The authors give solid statistical evidence –  career accomplishments and best seasons – for why each of these player’s signatures are among the 100 greatest autographs in the game.

For the Trivia Buff

The Zappala’s also provide a look at some of the unique stats and occurrences that translate into grist for baseball trivia buffs. Here is just a sampling:

• Stan Musial collected 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road.
• When the Dodgers met the Twins in the 1965 World Series, the only Dodger boasting a .300 or better batting average was pitcher Don Drysdale. (That season, Drysdale hit .300 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 130 at bats and was occasionally used as a pinch hitter).
• Rickey Henderson stole 30 or more bases seven times – after age 35.
• Cy Young is credited with introducing the changeup to baseball

Chuck Klein – A Home Run Title that was a Walk in the Park

“In 1929, his first full season in the majors, the 24-year-old (Chuck) Klein batted .346 and smacked an amazing 43 homers to win the National League home run crown. Interestingly, Klein’s teammates helped guarantee that home run title. On the last day of the 1929 season, the Phillies played the New York Giants in a doubleheader.  Klein and Giants superstar Mel Ott were tied for the home run lead.  In the first game, Klein homered, which put him one ahead of Ott. In the second game, Ott was walked FIVE times by Phillies pitchers, and one of those walks came with the bases loaded.

                              The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs

Note: Most of the time Klein, who went on to win the HR crown in three of the next four seasons (including the Triple Crown in 1933), signed “Chuck” Klein (with quotes around his first name).

A Look into the Lives of Featured Players

The Zappalas also give readers a look into the lives of the featured players with background as diverse as:

• How Babe Ruth “dominated the Big Apple’s Roaring Twenties social scene as much as he did opposing pitchers.”
• The impact on Ty Cobb of his mother’s fatal shooting of his father.
• Rube Waddell’s zany antics, including wrestling alligators.
• Journeyman catcher Moe Berg’s ties to the OSS and CIA.

What Peers Had to Say

The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs is also sprinkled with quotes from peers about the players whose signatures are so popular. Just a few examples:

I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron.  They were tremendous players, but they were no josh Gibson.

Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer

————————

His fastball looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed.

Ty Cobb on Walter Johnson

————————

Does Pete Rose hustle? Before the All Star game, he came into the clubhouse and took off his shoes and they ran another mile without him.

Hank Aaron

————————————

(Harmon) Killebrew can knock the ball out any park including Yellowstone.

Paul Richards, Orioles Manager

————————————

When ol’ Diz was out there pitching it was more than just another ballgame. It was a regular three-ring circus and everybody was wide awake and enjoying being alive.

Pepper Martin, Dizzy Dean teammate

————————————–

So there you have it, a taste of what you can expect from The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs – again, a book that offers something for baseball autograph collectors, statistics addicts, historians, trivia buffs, casual fans and true fanatics. It’s entertaining, informative (and well-researched), easy-to-read, and beautifully laid out and illustrated. Baseball Roundtable recommends it as a worthy addition to any baseball library.

The authors:

Tom Zappala: A Boston area businessman and talk show host who is passionate about our national pastime and collects vintage baseball memorabilia.

Ellen Zappala: President of ATS Communications (a marketing and consulting company) and a former newspaper publisher, who enjoys bringing the stories of Deadball Era and Golden Age players to life.

Also contributing:

• Joe Orlando: President of Professional Sports Authenticators and PSA/DNA Authentication Services; Editor of Sports Market Report.
• John Molori: Columnist for Boston Baseball Magazine.
• Steve Grad: principal authenticator for PSA/DNA Authentication Services
• Arthur K. Miller: award-winning portrait artist specializing in historic sports figures and pop culture icons.
• Tony Dube: President of White Point Imaging.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One Game Wonder

by Steven K. Wagner

Breakaway Books, 2015

$12.95

Can you imagine a baseball book that examines an entire big league career – pitch by pitch?  Well, you don’t have to.  Steven K. Wagner has done just that in his book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder.

 Wagner’s book focuses on the one-game MLB career of John Paciorek (September 29, 1963 – the last day of the 1963 season).  In that contest, the 18-year-old Houston Colt .45’s outfielder was truly perfect: five trips to the plate – five times on base (three hits and two walks); four runs scored, three runs driven in; four errorless plays in the outfield.

A perfect start to what Paciorek – and many others – expected to be a long and successful major league career. Yet, as Wagner tells it, after his fifth trip to the plate in that day’s 13-4 Houston win over the Mets:  “Paciorek knew he would not bat again that day, or that season. He had no way of knowing, however, that he would never again swing at a major league pitch. He would never catch another ball, or have the opportunity to prevent a runner from scoring with a dazzling throw. Other than a few practice tosses he would receive from center fielder (Ivan) Murrell as the players warmed up for the last half inning of play, he would not touch a baseball again in the major leagues.”

 He had so much talent. It’s hard to believe he didn’t succeed in baseball. No one was a better athlete than he was.  He showed power … he was certainly a star in the making.

                                               Rusty Staub teammate of John Paciorek,

                                                22-year MLB career, six-time All Star

Paciorek also had no way of knowing that, more than 50 years later, he would still be recognized as having the greatest one-game career in MLB history (the only player with more than one MLB at bat and a 1.000 batting average).

John Paciorek’s is the finest example of a perfect one-game career, neatly packaged, the quotient of his own perfect afternoon of hitting,  fielding and base running that baseball has ever seen. Indeed, John’s perfect day is one for the ages … and a baseball story worth telling.

                           Albie Pearson, Major League outfielder (1958-66);                                            1958 AL Rookie of the Year

John Paciorek’s story is, indeed, a baseball tale worth telling and, in this case, the fact that it is being told by a true baseball fan also makes it one worth reading.

BBRT asked author Steven K. Wagner what motivated him to take on the project.

In the early 1980s, I picked up a copy of the Baseball Encyclopedia, which listed the stats for everyone who ever played major league baseball. I leafed through all 1,200 pages and quickly noticed there were many players who participated in only one game. Most went 0 for 1 or pitched an inning. Paciorek’s numbers were the best of anyone. I was intrigued and a decade later wrote a feature on him for the Los Angeles Times. I remained intrigued. Twenty years later I decided to write the book, however that was easier said than done. I wondered, how do you write a book about one game? I did some research and managed to track down the play-by-play of the game in the Library of Congress. Once I figured out how to couch the game around the play-by-play I got the project to work.

 In Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder, Wagner not only gives readers a look at how Paciorek made his way to the big league stage, but also why he was unable to stay there and where life took him after that one big game.   And, Wagner goes even further, putting it all in context with a look at other players who enjoyed one-game MLB careers; players who also played their final  big league games on September 29th 1963; and teammates, coaches, fans, relatives and even umpires who passed through or had an impact on Paciorek’s life and career.  The cast of characters includes (but, as they say, is not limited to) personalities ranging from Hall of Fame player and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Kiner … to Little League legend Pinky Deras … … to Rusty Staub and Joe Morgan (who took the field with Paciorek in that September 29 contest) … to Aubrey “Yo Yo” Epps (considered to have the greatest one-game MLB career until Paciorek came along).

It is those stories, woven around a detailed account of Paciorek’s big game, that make this book a deserving tribute to Paciorek and his love of the game, as well as a treat for baseball fans.

For example, Wagner gives the readers a look at the final game, careers and lives of a handful of players who also made their last MLB appearances on September 29 1963.

• Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who retired that day, after 22 years in the major leagues – with a .331 lifetime average and a mere 3,015 more games and 3,627 more hits than Paciorek.
• Cubs’ second baseman Ken Hubbs, 1962 NL Rookie of the Year – the first rookie to win a Gold Glove. Like Paciorek and Musial, Hubbs played his final game on September 29, 1963 – dying in a plane crash on February 15, 1964, at age 22.
• Jim Umbricht, one of the Houston Colt .45’s top relief pitchers in 1963. Umbricht, who got the victory in Paciorek’s one MLB game, succumbed to cancer (metastic melanoma) on April 8, 1964 (at age 33) and was the first Houston player to have their number retired.

Wagner’s well-researched book provides insight into Paciorek’s life before and after the big game.

• His natural talent (in high school he was all-state in football, basketball and baseball);
• His family heritage (Paciorek’s brothers Tom and Jim also played in the major leagues);
• His absolute dedication to excelling at his chosen sport, and how it may have contributed to the brevity of his career;
• The unique circumstances – surprising even to Paciorek himself – that pushed him onto the major league stage at age 18;
• The back injury that cut short his baseball career; and
• The satisfaction he found as a teacher and author after leaving professional baseball.

Books by John Paciorek

Plato and Socrates – Baseball’s Wisest Fans

The Principles of  Baseball And All There Is To Know About Hitting.

BBRT asked author Steven Wagner what most surprised or impressed him about about John Paciorek.

I was most surprised by John’s own lack of awe about his sterling performance. At least early on, he genuinely didn’t see what all the fuss has been about. After the book was published, I think he changed his tune a little. He now seems to regard it as a fairly significant accomplishment. I consider it a record that will never be broken. Nowadays, teams never call a player up for the final game of a season.  They usually promote them for September and give them as many at bats as they can. Someone would have to go 4 for 4 in his only big-league game, and that will simply never happen.

BBRT recommends Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Fame Wonder.  It’s more than the story of one-game – albeit an historic one. It’s the story of one man’s life and passion for the national pastime, with a host of relevant “side trips” that make the journey all the more enjoyable for the baseball fan.

Steven K. Wagner

Steven K. Wagner has worked as a freelance journalist since 1989. He began his career with the Monmouth Sun-Enterprise in Oregon and worked for the Oregon City Enterprise-Courier and Portland Daily Journal of Commerce before joining United Press International. He has also worked for the Portland Oregonian and has freelanced extensively for the Los Angeles Times, Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Seattle Times, Baseball America and numerous other newspaper and magazines. He is also a baseball fan.

“I have always loved baseball … In fact, my next book, due out this summer, is about a player from the 1960s Dodgers’ organization. It is titled: “Seinsoth: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Dodger.” Baseball was less of a business then, and I loved the fact that the players got their uniforms dirty, played with injuries and even had to take jobs in the off season in order to make ends meet. Their lives were very much like the lives of ordinary citizens, except for the high-profile nature of what they did.”

Note:  BBRT shares Wagner’s fascination with players who enjoyed short – but, in some way, significant – major league careers. In fact, three years ago BBRT launched an annual award recognizing such players  – appropriately titled “The John Paciorek Award.”  For a look at that recognition, click here.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member:  Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.