2008 UD Goudey Bobby Doerr

Who is this? Red Sox Hall of Fame Second Baseman Bobby Doerr.
What is this? An autograph card from 2008 Upper Deck Goudey.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed through the mail from Mr. Doerr last week.
How much did it cost? I got this card when I bought a set of 2008 Upper Deck Goudey for cheap last spring.

Why is this so special? How many Hall of Famers sign through the mail for free and return signed cards in less than a week? My guess: just Bobby Doerr.

Bobby Doerr spent his entire career with the Red Sox, playing from 1937 to 1951, although he missed the 1945 season when serving in the Army during World War II. He made his Major League debut when he was only 19 years-old and played on Red Sox teams alongside Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Dom DiMaggio, Joe Cronin, and Johnny Pesky.

Ted Williams called Doerr, who was a nine-time All-Star, "the silent captain of the Red Sox" and he was regarded as one of the best defensive Second Basemen of his generation. In fact, in 1948, Doerr set an American League record by successfully fielding 414 balls without making an error.

Doerr was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and his number 1 was retired by the Boston Red Sox on May 21, 1988.

Below are four more cards that Mr. Doerr has signed for me through the mail over the last two years.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Justin Masterson

Who is this? Cleveland Indians starting Pitcher Justin Masterson.
What is this? An autograph card from 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed through the mail by Justin in August of 2009, right after he was traded from the Red Sox to the Indians.
How much did it cost? I paid 50 cents for the card, plus postage.

Why is this so special? This is the first card that I ever got signed through the mail and kicked-off my Justin Masterson super-collection. Justin is/was (I havn't sent him anything since Sping Training and he has had a monster year in 2011) a great signer through the mail and seems like a very decent and down-to-earth king of person.

The A&G cards look fantastic signed and this autograph helped start my hobby of getting cards signed through the mail.

john wooden - through the mail success

Who is this? the wizard of westwood, former ucla basketball coach john wooden

What is this? an autographed photo from coach wooden

Where'd I get it? through the mail

How much did it cost? 4 stamps

Why is this so special? my son's school is using coach wooden's book "inch and miles, the journey to success" as the basis for their character education theme this year. coach wooden developed a 'pyramid of success' that is built with 15 different character traits that the students will try to emulate.

i thought it would be cool if coach wooden were to send my son a photo for him to share with his class as they go through the school year. i procrastinated, waiting until february to send the letter requesting the photo. it took only one week for me to receive the personalized, signed photo which was accompanied by another signed item - a 'pyramid of success' graphic.

coach wooden, of course, won 10 national titles in 12 years while coaching the ucla bruins from 1948 to 1975. he also won a national title as a player at purdue in 1932. he is widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of sport, and he has continued to be a teacher into his 99th year.

my son and i both appreciate the photo and the chart, as well as the attention coach wooden has given to character development. thank you coach!

Jeremy Giambi, Topps Heritage 2003.

Who is this? Jeremy Giambi, younger brother of Jason.

What is this? A 2003 Topps Heritage card.

Where'd I get it? Through the mail.

How much did it cost? Postage plus a few cents for the card.

Why is this so special? It made us wonder why if you're going to bother signing a card you would kind of deface your own photograph. We suspect that we mailed this a long time ago, before knowing much, including that Mr. Giambi got in trouble a while ago for use of marijuana and also steroids. Still, he was nice enough to sign the card and bother returning it. Still again, he signed it across his own face, thus obscuring the smile that probably led us to mail it in the first place. Sometimes, life is complicated.

Joel Hanrahan Topps Heritage card TTM.

Who is this? Joel Hanrahan, right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals. He ended the 2008 season promoted to the position of closer; he had 93 strikeouts in 84.1 innings pitched.

What is this? A Topps Heritage (based on the 1952 design) rookie card.

Where'd I get it? First in a pack, then returned from Hanrahan through the mail.

How much did it cost? Fraction of pack cost plus two first-class stamps for TTM.

Why is this so special? Because our daughter Lucy's second favorite team after the Mets is the Washington Nationals. She just likes them. And the only baseball card collecting experience more enjoyable for us than finding a fun card in a pack--GU, auto, or whatever--is receiving an autograph through the mail. It lends at least the illusion of a personal connection to the player, especially when they add a note or personalize the signature. You can't imagine how much fun this is for a kid learning about baseball. As for Topps Heritage: they are built like cards of yore. Cardboard, no gloss, no refractometry. Just player picture and card design. And...they have never met a Sharpie they didn't like.