Fan mail still piling up for retired stars

OAKLAND, Calif. Ray Fosse refuses to oblige a fan requesting his autograph next to Pete Rose’s signature on a photo of their 1970 All-Star Game collision. Dave Roberts leans on his mother-in-law to handle the influx of fan mail he still receives daily from appreciative folks in Boston, an effort to speed responses almost as swiftly as his famous swipe of second. Oakland outfielder Rajai Davis doesn’t touch the growing pile in his clubhouse cubby, insisting his job is just to play baseball and he will sign for anyone who asks in person.

From retired stars to current favourites, major leaguers deal with the sometimes daunting influx of fan mail in many different ways.

Even the busiest of ballplayers who might prefer to leave the letters to stack up over a six-month season seem to have a soft spot for the little ones — and, yes, they can clearly tell kid-written notes by their far-fromperfect penmanship.

Catcher Stephen Vogt recently got caught up on two years’ worth of fan mail . He remembers being that child collecting autographs at every chance, so he knows just how much it can mean.

“That was one thing my dad always taught us was when we go to a baseball game you ask politely for an autograph. If they don’t give it to you, that’s fine, they were busy,” Vogt said last month before he went from Oakland to playing for Milwaukee. “Understanding that they have a job to do and their job isn’t to sign autographs, their job is to play baseball. But some guys will sign them and it’s cool if you can get them. I appreciate especially when people take time to put a handwritten letter in there, ‘Hey, we’re a big fan of you, this is why.’ We really appreciate those things. We never get a chance to thank the fans for doing that.”

There are some courtesies those signing appreciate: pre-paid postage.

Fosse notes it was far more affordable back then. These days, there’s a fairly standard rule.

“SASE, self-addressed stamped envelope,” otherwise no deal, said Fosse, who receives 200-300 pieces per year.