Just curious to here some stories out there. Do you have a guy in your PC that is a little out of place? Maybe someone who never really made it out of the minors other than a cup of coffee with the big team or one of those role players who was just wildly popular with that fan base?
I have one of these collections with Nick Gorneault. I had the opportunity to work with him at an indoor baseball facility in Springfield Mass in 2005. He was working there in the off season giving lessons and I was working there for an internship. He was a really good guy, worked real well with all the people he taught and was, in my mind a great embassador to professional sports.
Hes only got around 70 cards or so, only had something like 15 at bats in the bigs and the better part of a decade in the minors.
I would personally love to here some of these stories of people who you collect not for the value but because they resonate with you.
First guy in my Sig, Reno Bertoia. He was born in Italy, but moved to my hometown of Windsor, Ontario, when a baby. He was one of the original "bonus baby" players along with Al Kaline, and played the beginning and end of his career with the hometown Tigers (Windsor is right across the river from Detroit). When I was a kid my first job when I was like 10 or 12 was as a caddy at Essex Golf and Country Club in LaSalle, Ontario, just outside of Windsor and like a 5 minute bike ride from my house. Here I caddied for him a number of times, and although it was cool to know that I was caddying for a former major leaguer, at the time I really had no clue who he was, but all my memories of him are very good. After he retired from baseball he became a high school teacher and, although at a different high school than me, was a teacher of a number of my friends. When I started collecting again I happened upon a card of his in a Vintage pile at a show. Decided to try and PC all his cards, which as you can imagine is difficult as a number of them are local cards or food package related and from the 50s and 60s, or Heritage Buybacks.
As a side note I have also added to my want list any player from Windsor, including a guy I played Little League against Stubby Clapp. Don't chase them as much, but if a star appears in a trade I request it.
I collect Turk Wendell and Todd Pratt, both under appreciated, kinda quirky, but had their moments...
When I was into Basketball, I collected Harold Miner, who never really made it.
Wily mo pena, darnell mcdonald
(11-25-2014, 06:16 AM)jacobystealshome Wrote: [ -> ]Wily mo pena, darnell mcdonald
Wily Mo might be making an MLB comeback. If you're to believe one of the Twins beat writers (although I'm not sure you can), there's mutual interest between him and the Twins.
(11-25-2014, 05:18 PM)jaredhuizenga Wrote: [ -> ]Wily Mo might be making an MLB comeback. If you're to believe one of the Twins beat writers (although I'm not sure you can), there's mutual interest between him and the Twins.
that would make me unreasonably happy. seriously
Nick Adenhart for the LA Angels. He was killed in an auto accident same night he made his debut! I watched it on TV, and was really impressed with how he looked that night. Woke up the next day, and the news was out about the accident. Well, the driver was drunk.. so I use the words accident loosely. I have a few of his auto cards, and a signed ball.
(11-25-2014, 08:01 PM)SF_Giants_2014 Wrote: [ -> ]Nick Adenhart for the LA Angels. He was killed in an auto accident same night he made his debut! I watched it on TV, and was really impressed with how he looked that night. Woke up the next day, and the news was out about the accident. Well, the driver was drunk.. so I use the words accident loosely. I have a few of his auto cards, and a signed ball.
I have a small PC of him too. I live out of state but happened to be in the LA area when that occurred. I was extra sad to see the headlines right there in person.