Treasure The Memory

As we are look back at this year, and look ahead to next, we thought
a great deal about our collection. And so we asked what is the one item in the collection that we associate with an important moment or memory in our life.

For us, it was a full ticket to 1958 World Series. It was October 1958 when my dad took me to my first baseball game. It was at Yankee Stadium and we watched in awe as Don Larsen shout out the World Champion Milwaukee Braves4-0. While our hero, Mickey Mantle, did not have a good day at the plate the late Hank Bauer was the day's hitting star.

When we began collecting some 17 years later, we continually searched for a full ticket to that game. In early 2009,at the White Plains show, we were disappointed that there was "nothing to buy" . Magically, on the way out of
show, we saw a table with a large group of Yankee WS tickets. Th 1958 ticket jumped from the table and into our collection.

And suddenly it was that cold October 1958 date all over again.

What is your "special memory?"


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bsorskind@dorkindgroup.com

[Preece1]

When I was 10, I was given a tour of Frank Nagy's collection (he lived about a mile from me and was friends with my uncle). He had in an area of prominence a group of 1948 Leaf Joe Dimaggio cards with different knack colors (yellow, green and blue). I always loved those cards and bought them when they became available.

[Mikehealer]

That's a cool story, thanks for sharing.

[Steve D]

For me, it would be my ticket to Nolan Ryan's seventh no-hitter on May 1st 1991.

Unfortunately, my original post I typed got killed by a sytem glitch, and I can't retype it. When I clicked on Submit Reply, I got a message that I couldn't post a reply since I wasn't logged in, which was BS, as I was logged in. When I tried to go back to what I had typed, the system had deleted it.

All I can say is that if you type a long post (one you don't want to have to retype), you should probably highlight and copy it before hitting reply. That way if the system goes wonky on you, all you have to do is go back to the reply screen and paste it back in.

Steve

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by Steve D

For me, it would be my ticket to Nolan Ryan's seventh no-hitter on May 1st 1991.

Unfortunately, my original post I typed got killed by a sytem glitch, and I can't retype it. When I clicked on Submit Reply, I got a message that I couldn't post a reply since I wasn't logged in, which was BS, as I was logged in. When I tried to go back to what I had typed, the system had deleted it.

All I can say is that if you type a long post (one you don't want to have to retype), you should probably highlight and copy it before hitting reply. That way if the system goes wonky on you, all you have to do is go back to the reply screen and paste it back in.

Steve

I've gotten into the habit of typing longer posts on notepad, then copying and pasting. I've experienced what you describe too many times, Steve.

[BBSD]

Tearing up a piece of red grass from the 49er emblem at Candlestick Park after the epic 1981 NFC Championship against Dallas. A true piece of NFL history. Priceless!

[joeadcock]

Going to Miami Baseball Stadium in the late 1970's and seeing the Pitt Pirates play the Baltimore Orioles, spring training.
No major league team in Florida at that time, and no money to go anywhere else.
Went with my late Grandfather Florentino and my father and brother.
I treasure this because it was with those I can never forget.

Frank

[John V]

Visiting Forbes Field late one night during demolition and removing several bricks from the left field wall.

[David W]

In the 1972-73 NCAA basketball season, my neighbor gave my father and I his Bradley basketball season tickets, and we went to the game.

I remember the old Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse, and the opponent was Memphis State, who of course would go on to lose to UCLA in the championship game that year.

I kept the ticket stub and a program for years but they are now lost. I remember being in awe of how tall Larry Kenon was, and then following his NBA career with the Spurs as I could pick up late at night an AM station out of Texas that carried Spurs games.

I was probably the only Spurs fan in Central Illinois.

[Luke]

When I was 14 or so, my friend's dad took us down to Spring Training in Arizona. One night, in the 5th inning of a Giants game in Scottsdale, we saw a group of people crowding around someone. We went in for a closer look, and it was Willie Mays! He was signing baseballs and scraps of paper, but only for the really little kids. I guess we were too old. So, he gets in the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car and the driver pulls away. We were disappointed he didn't sign our baseballs, but we both just kind of looked at each other and took off running. The streets were deserted, but the lights took forever. We caught up to his car at the first light and then again at the next light. At the third light, he rolls down his window and says, "Alright, get over here." When he was signing my ball, he grumbled that I was blocking the streetlight and he couldn't see the ball. When I looked at it, I saw that he had started again after saying that he couldn't see the ball. I may have the only Willie Willie Mays autographed ball in existence. Definitely my favorite memory from collecting autographs. It still makes me smile that here he was, being really nice and having his driver stop even when the light turned red, but he was still his curmudgeonly self.

[Mark]

When I was ten, my family took me to Forbes Field pretty often. One night, during a pregame round of pepper, Jerry May popped a ball into the stands down the rightfield line. I got the ball and started getting some Pirates autographs. I talked to the bullpen guys, who signed it. One of them took it into the clubhouse and brought it back with a few more. After the game, I waited outside the clubhouse and picked up Willie Stargell's, Bob Veale's, Gene Alley's, Maury Wills' signitures, along with a few others. They all left the top panel empty, so when Roberto came out, he placed a magnificent signiture there in dark black ink. The autographs are still in great shape, and the ball reminds me of a wonderful night in that immense, historical ball park with my dad and mom. There were many other great days at Forbes, and I have autographed programs and baseballs that remind me of them. But that first autographed ball was the most exciting, and I still think it's great.

[tbob]

In 1961 our local Little league in Hamilton, Ohio, right before the State tournament, took us in uniform to a Reds game at Crosley Field. We were paraded on to the field before the game and all of us were being Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson, making imaginary catches up against the fence in the outfield. I wish I could tell you we won the State tournament and went on to the Little League World Series like this year's edition of Hamilton, Ohio did, but after tripling in 3 runs with the bases loaded to win the first game 4-3, I popped up with 2 outs in the bottom of the last inning with the tying and winning runs on base and we lost 7-6. It was the only time in my life I cried after a game. 12 years old and I thought the world had ended. Still, going to the Reds game that day is a memory I will never forget...

[M's_Fan]

It was October 1958 when my dad took me to my first baseball game.

A heck of a first game! And for at least one sentence there, you actually made grammatical sense, and avoided sounding like the type of guy that others have accused you of being. Keep up the progress!

[bbcard1]

A small piece of the goal post from Marshall's first Division IAA National Championship. I lived in the Huntington area and was a 10 year old when the plane crash commemorate by the movie We Are....Marshall happened. I was at my D-team football banquet about 5 miles from the crash. The first national championship was a very significant milestone in the healing of the community.

[ramram]

In the winter of 1975, I had the joy of playing a basketball game just before one of the Kansas City King's late season games. We got to mingle with the likes of Nate Archibald, Sam Lacey and Scott Wedman. We also watched them take a team picture which was odd for that late in the season.

About a month later, when we were attending the Kings playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, we picked up a Playoff program and found out what the picture was for - the playoff program's front cover. We then noticed sitting in the background, upper right, is my grandmother (red coat), my grandfather (dark suit & tie) my mother (cream coat) and my sister (grey jacket) and her then boyfriend (tan coat - both of them sitting two rows away from the rest of the family of course).

Jumping forward to the following winter - I happened to be opening a pack of Topps basketball cards. And, there it was, the Wonka Ticket of all sports card (to me anyway), the KC Kings team card featuring my family - immortalized forever!

Rob M.

KC Kings Program 2.jpg

KC Kings Topps.jpg

[barrysloate]

Rob- that's a great story.

[margoaepi]

I have a ton of autographs from hall of famers new and old, but one thing I always wanted was a ball signed by Mike Mordecai with a "Happy Purim" inscription (all of you Jews will understand). Near the tail end of his career I was at Marlins spring training and caught him walking to his car. I described my request and he, somewhat confused, consented. By far, my favorite piece in my collection.

[bh3443]

Rob, Bruce and the rest..... thanks for sharing these tremendous stories! I promoted shows for 30+years and had a few stores so I had players sign autographs frequently. I was at a Bruins game and invited into the Alumni room by score-keeper, Arthur Katz. It was a few days before Christmas and I had a great time with Ken Hodge, Terry O'Rielly and Ace Bailey. It was the last time I saw Ace before the 9/11 tragedy the next year. Ace gave me his business card as a scout for the Kings and an old one from Edmonton. We had a blast and although I still see Hodge, O'Rielly and others, damn, I really miss Ace........ I have another tale to tell later about how I got Pete Rose's Wampum Card for Foxwoods Casino!

[Oldtix]

Back in the summer of '67, my dad took me to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play a night game against the Giants and Juan Marichal. I was unaware that Dad and my Uncle Jack (a long-time Nebraska sportscaster) had arranged a little surprise for me.

We got to our seats during batting practice. Following prearranged instructions, Dad took me down to the railing near the Cardinal dugout and told an usher my name and that I had been sent here by Jack. The usher relayed the message to someone in the dugout. To my utter amazement, Bob Gibson popped out of the dugout and walked right over to me. He shook my hand and introduced himself (like I didn't know who HE was!). Gibson was very friendly and told me he'd heard I was a good third baseman. I have absolutely no idea what...if anything...I said to him. He said he had a present for me, and handed me a Tim McCarver bat and an autographed team ball.

As if that wasn't enough...I caught an Orlando Cepeda foul ball that night. It seems my Uncle Jack did a daily radio show with Gibson in Omaha (Gibson's hometown) during the offseason. What a day!

[chris6net]

My Grandparents always rented a place on the Jersey Shore in the 60,s and 70,s in Spring Lake NJ and my grandfather became friends with Gil MgDougal. One Year I think it was 71 or 72 during the AS Break I got to meet Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle and a few other retired Yankees during a block party. I remember a few players talking about how ownership did not care about the team(CBS). I look back and will always remember that party. CN

[peterose4hof]

Thanks to all for sharing their stories. I’ve really enjoyed reading them.

Living my whole life in Florida, I spent every March/early-April at the ballpark for Spring Training games. I have so many wonderful memories. Here are a couple.

At a Red Sox home game in Winter Haven in the early 1980s my dad boosted me over the bullpen fence and instructed me to get an autograph from the elderly man sitting in the golf cart. He looked cockeyed at this 7 year old boy (me) and before he could ask where I came from I politely said “May I have your autograph please sir?” He smiled, signed an autograph for me and then told me to go back to where I came from as quickly as possible. I ran back to the fence and had my dad pull me back into my seat. I said, “Dad, who was that nice old man?” He said, “Son, that’s one of the best players of all time, Ted Williams” Of course I still have that autograph in my collection.

In Kissimmee, where the Astros play, my brother and I used to hop the fences (sneak into) the minor league facilities adjacent to the major league stadium. All the players would walk through there after they were done for the day and head to the showers. This was a great place to get autographs. One day I was waiting outside the clubhouse when Nolan Ryan came walking by. As I approached him to ask for his autograph he pulled off his game-worn hat and said “Here, you want this?” I was so dumbfounded as he handed it to me that I didn’t even think to get him to sign it.