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Baron Drexel and Harris - My Mentors, Teachers and Coaches
My life was always about playing ball, mostly baseball as I grew up. Therefore, I was always at the playground on Chancellor Avenue. This was a hotbed for sports activity in the Weequahic section of Newark. From Monday through Saturday there were...
Baseball Bats for the Professional and Amateur
From the time small children are old enough to hold a baseball bat many have longed to be part of the great American pastime. Baseball bats have been around ever since the game was created and there are baseball museums that have collections of...
Clemens Strikes Out 20, Again; Rocket Repeats Magic 10 Years After
DETROIT--In 1986, Roger Clemens was a young fireballer amidst his first Cy Young season when he struck out 20 Seattle Mariners and established a Major League Baseball record. That same year, Clemens won All-Star Game MVP honors as well as the...
Golf Swing Instruction - The Athletic Motion
There is one basic athletic motion which is used in all of athletics. The golf swing is golf's version of this athletic motion. It is the same basic motion that is used to hit a tennis ball, throw a football, kick a soccer ball, or break a rack in...
How to Break in a Baseball Glove
Baseball gloves are available in almost every size, color and material known to man. Traditional gloves are made from leather or faux-leather and more recently from buffalo and kangaroo hides. No matter what the material, baseball gloves need to be...
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My Prize Piece of Baseball Memorabilia
My Prize Piece of Baseball Memorabilia
Back in the day ...
I used to deal in baseball cards, and some memorabilia in the mid to late 1980's. Through an old client I had the opportunity to sell a very rare piece of baseball lore. The piece that I was fondest of was a rare document signed by Harry Wright. A founding father of the game. The document was a contract of some player that was signed by Harry Wright, the manager, circa 1870. It was written on Cincinnati Red Stocking’s letterhead.
I was impressed. I was so excited to be entrusted with this rare artifact. I remember saying to myself.
“Oh my god. You have got to be kidding.”
I was astonished. I was in awe. I felt like I was let into a special group.
I sold the piece in the range of $10,000 - $12,000 if memory serves me. But selling the piece did not compare to the dreams I had about the contract.
Imagine, what it must have been like 130 years ago on the ball field. The baggy uniforms, and the teeny gloves for the players. The pitchers, hurling
both games of a double header was common practice and a home run was a rarity. Boy has the game changed.
Handling that document made the early times of baseball real for me. I visualized those men playing in those old ballparks. I felt like I was part of that time. I was having a dream. I was there, back in the late 1800's sitting in the stands. Smiling and watching baseball - Back in the day.
Handling this artifact was like punching a time clock and never punching out. I was in baseball memorabiliaville.
I can see why some people are so zealous about baseball memorabilia. Their baseball fantasy made a lot more sense to me after I sold this Harry Wright piece.
About the Author
Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading , evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Check out his baseball ezine. For inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all heartwarming stories go here.
http://www.baseballsprideandjoy.com/index.php?tag=goart
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