TTM #90- Former Negro League Great!

Hey guys, Drew back here. It's time to get back in the swing of things, as all of the events have concluded and I'm just about ready for my junior year of high school. I'm not looking forward to taking 4 college courses as well as a few other tricky classes, but if I succeed this year it will really propel me in the right direction for my future. It's a little bit of pressure, but I've managed to tackle it in my past 11 years of school experience pretty well. I'm not promising how much I'll be around on the blogs during that time, due to an excessive amount of work and all of that good stuff, but for now, I might as well take a crack at clearing up some space on my desk! Here is my 90th TTM success, which I got back a few weeks ago:

Former Negro League player Herbert "Briefcase" Simpson signed not only the front, but also the back of my 2009 Allen & Ginter card! I really enjoy sending to players from the Negro League, because I'm a history geek, and many people will say that the Negro League contained more talent than the big leagues at that time. Fortunately, Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson transcended the game, and we now see talent from all over the world playing in Major League Baseball.

Simpson, like many other Negro League players during the 1940's, was enlisted into World War II right during the prime of his career, but an interesting note was that he was the only black player on a white team that played in England in the Battle League. Also, when he first arrived with the Army in Scotland, he was the first soldier off the ship, so he had to kneel down and kiss the ground. After his discharge in 1946, he signed with the Negro League Birmingham Black Barons, and eventually went on to play with the Homestead Grays. He was solid first baseman who hit from the left side, and he had a few very good Negro League seasons, although he retired before having an opportunity to play in the bigs. 

So, as I noted, not only did he sign the front, but he signed the back as well, saying "May God Bless You Drew, Herbert Simpson". I've never seen a person do that before, so that was pretty nice of him. I also included a few questions on an index card, and he did indeed answer the questions for me:

1) What is your favorite memory from your baseball career?

Playing against Mr. Paige, Doby, Josh Gibson

2) Who was the most talented player you've ever watched play?

Cool Papa Bell

On the opposite side of the index card, he wrote some sort of note about him playing for the Harlem Globe Trotters. I can't really tell what it says, so if any of you could help me decifer it I would really appreciate it. 

If you guys haven't ever sent anything to Mr. Simpson, I highly suggest you do. He seems like a class act guy, and I'm glad I finally got around to sending to him. Now if only I knew what the index card said...

See Ya!

TTM #80- One of the Most Unique Ones Yet!

Hey guys, Drew back here. A couple of weeks ago, I was pretty bored, so I decided to give some TTM's a try. I did two requests that night and they both happened to come back within a week-ten day range! The first one I'll share has been by far one of the coolest experiences I've had the opportunity to receive since I started my blog back in late 2008. It may not be of a household name, but without a doubt he is a legend of the game in my eyes.

The success was from former Negro League player John "Mule" Miles! I wrote Miles an entire page (front and back) letter, explaining how much appreciation I have for him and for the game of baseball in general, and judging by the overall response, he really must've appreciated it. The first card he signed was courtesy of William, who sent it over to me a couple months ago for me to get signed. It's out of 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter, which besides one Negro League product released in 1992, is the only set that has ever released a card of him. Do you want to know more about him? Well, be my guest to read through this awesome biography he sent me, which was also signed!

A couple of things that stand out to me are first; that he hit 11 home runs in 11 straight games, which is pretty unreal if you ask me. Also, I find it really neat that Miles was also a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, which as most of you history buffs know, was the group of African American pilots who served our country in World War II. Not only was Miles a very good baseball player, but he was an American hero as well, although he couldn't have been appreciated all that much due to the prejudice he must have experienced in his lifetime. 

One of Miles' TTM trademarks has been his inclusion of inspirational quotes, and he certainly did not disappoint in my case! Something about these index cards are just absolutely awesome. I recently wrote my entry essay for the National Honor Society, and I dedicated most of it to my love of baseball. I explained that it isn't just any game, but instead a way of life, and I think Miles is great at relating to what I said. 

This was my favorite of the three he sent my way, without question. This quote, or quotes similar to this, is pretty common, but it really feels special to own something as powerful as this is from someone who probably used this as motivation to get through every day. I'm sure I could spend hours and hours talking to Mr. Miles, because I'm sure he has many very interesting stories to tell. 

While all of the stuff I've shown off thus far has been pretty awesome, nothing in the envelope topped this.

I decided to try something new with this request, by asking Mr. Miles four questions and wondering if he would answer them. Sure enough, he answered all four, not like it was really all that much of a surprise. Here is the short interview, in case you couldn't read my girly handwriting:

DM: If you were a current MLB player, which pitcher would you be the most intimidated to face?

JM: A.J. Burnett- New York Yankees

I was very surprised by this answer, without a doubt. I expected to see a Tim Lincecum; CC Sabathia; or Cliff Lee for example, but Burnett? There's no question that Burnett's stuff is nasty when he's on, but if Miles is intimidated of last year's Burnett, he might need to spend a little extra time at the batting cages! I understand his answer though, because he was certainly one of the better pitchers in the league in the past decade, and that curveball is near-filthy. 

DM: What is your favorite memory from your baseball career?

JM: Hitting "11" Home Runs in "11" Straight Games

As I mentioned, I find that to be really impressive. 

DM: Who was your best friend you got a chance to play with?

JM: Clyde McNeal- SS with Chicago American Giants

McNeal

DM: Who was the most talented player you've ever watched?

JM: LeRoy "Satchel" Paige- Kansas City Monarchs

Paige

No surprise here. Paige was perhaps the greatest pitcher in the history of the game. You can't go wrong with a pitcher who threw a blazing fastball, even into his late 50's.

All in all, I can't begin to tell you guys how happy this success made me! If any of you are into this sort of thing and haven't sent Mr. Miles a letter, I really suggest you do. He's in that elite TTM league with Bobby Doerr, the late Bob Feller, and Virgil Trucks! Thank you so very much "Mule", it means an awful lot.

See Ya!