Posted By:
Bruce MacPhersonI apologize for the link as I didn't know that the Washington Post now makes you register to view their articles.
To Paraphrase; The tradition in Washington (when a baseball team was in existance) it was common for the current President to throw out the first pitch on opening day. Dring the early teens and twenties, obviously Walter Johnson was on the mound and he would keep the ball and have it autographed by the president. Signed opening day balls by Wilson, Hoover, Coolidge, Harding and Taft were donated to the Hall of fame by one of Water Johnson's sons. They were stolen from the Hall in 1972. Two were obtained by Alan Rosen. A few of the balls later showed up in a Ron Oser and a Mastronet auction. Obviously, none of the above knew the balls had been stolen from the Hall of Fame. In the end the signed balls made it back to the Hall (with the help of the FBI). But some collectors definately lost some serious money during this ordeal.