What piece of Baltimore sports memorabilia would you want?
So Wednesday will never be confused with the busiest day in bar history.
We opened in a pseudo-new location and some of you may have gotten lost in the Transformers aisle of the Toy Department on your way to Connolly’s.
But I can say Wednesday was one of the more entertaining days in a while. The topic was goofiest Baltimore sports memorabilia. And boy did the customers come up big.
Please check it out if you haven’t already. Some cool stories and items, including a hot dog wrapper and beer-vendor apron from the last game at Memorial, a Ripken-signed Sunday school paper and a steroids jersey. Free drink chips for Randall, Bruce, Josh and Ron.
But JD gets an open tab all week for his Reggie Jackson barf bag story. You ask for entertainment, people, and we provide it here.
Let’s stick with the memorabilia line for another day. If you could have any piece of Baltimore sports history, what would it be?
I am not a collector, wasn’t one before I became a sportswriter. I have saved some things for my children from my career – my scorecard from Hideo Nomo’s no-hitter, my press pass from Ripken’s final game, etc. – but I don’t seek out anything. Not only does it cross an important line for a sportswriter, but it places people on a higher pedestal simply because of their profession. And I’m not a huge fan of that.
That said, there are some things that are just cool, and remind us of simpler times. I once interviewed Billy Bob Thornton, an Arkansas native and baseball fan, at Camden Yards. He told me he has a Brooks Robinson glove with a personal inscription sitting on a shelf next to his Academy Award for Slingblade. It’s that important to him, because Brooks was that important to him as a child.
So, in that spirit, I’d love to have a Johnny Unitas signed Colts helmet or a pair of his high-top shoes. Not to re-sell, just to have. And the funny thing is I never saw Unitas play. But he was a hero to my dad and my brothers who, in turn, were my heroes. And so that’s the sentimentality behind that.
Daily Think Special: What piece of Baltimore sports memorabilia would you love to have? Not for resale, but for sentimental purposes.
in Today's Special
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Comments
I'd like a replica 2010 Orioles World Series ring.
Posted by: Jim Zuna | June 24, 2009 7:25 PM
i'll take the ball frank robinson hit out of memorial stadium
Posted by: mitch | June 24, 2009 10:24 PM
I saw Brady Anderson sign a pair of ladys undergarments after a ball game at Camden Yards one night and she didn't exactly bring them to the stadium in her purse if you know what I mean! I really don't want that pair of panties, I want the chick who got them signed! Talk about memorabilia!!
Posted by: larry | June 25, 2009 2:52 AM
I would love to have one of the box seats from Memorial Stadium. I've got a Unitas Helmet, A Brooks signed bat and glove. I wish I had aquired one of the seats out of the old lady. If anyone has one and wants to give it away, let me know!!!
Posted by: John | June 25, 2009 6:05 AM
As an avid sports memorabilia collector for years. I must say I have many pieces of Baltimore fan memorabilia already, including, Signed Johnny Unitas picture from the "greatest game ever played", with Johnny's noted left arm in the air like an aimer while that right arm is cocked back ready to fire. I also have an Ed Reed signed helmet, and as a Raven season ticket holder since the beginning, I kicked out my seat at Memorial Stadium on the last game played there. A complete no-no, but you can't tell me no if 5000 others do the same.
All that being said, I believe what I would want most is a Cal Ripken Jr. baseball bat, when he was using the black bat. Cal was my hero growing up and I will never forget where I was Sept 5th and 6th, 1995.
Posted by: RJ | June 25, 2009 7:52 AM
I would love to have a brass aisle marker from Memorial Stadium, and to make the collection complete (I already have a restored original box seat), part of the railing and the little aluminum signs identifying the boxes.
Posted by: David | June 25, 2009 7:57 AM
I wanted Eddie's jersey from those "Shirt off our backs" nights as they were closing out Memorial Stadium. Or maybe it was that godawful 1988 season, I forget. I was there for one of them but did not get selected, for Eddie or anyone else.
Posted by: CSB Jack | June 25, 2009 9:22 AM
I would like to have the tainted vitamin B-12 shot that Tejada gave to Palmeiro.
Posted by: Kevin Bass | June 25, 2009 10:04 AM
My wife just bought me one of the old box seats from Memorial Stadium to go along with the rest of my collection of Baltimore sports memorabilia. She was even able to choose the seat number (8 for Cal).
In the past, she's also gotten me a signed Johnny U helmet (right before he died - the price has skyrocketed since), and a Cal Ripken signed baseball.
One of my favorite pieces, is a t-shirt that I recently took out of my dad's closet (shhh...) When the O's were up 3 games to 1 against the Pirates in the 1979, he bought a 1979 World Series Champs shirt, assuming that with a 3-1 lead, the series was in the bag. Needless to say....it didn't quite happen that way, but I've still got the shirt that says otherwise.
Posted by: MattyD | June 25, 2009 10:53 AM
I'd love to see Johhny Unitas's smile once again. Makes me smile just thinking about it.
Posted by: rblatch | June 25, 2009 10:56 AM
The sentimental item would be a team picture of the 1958 Colts Champs signed by every member of the team. When my dad was a kid, he lived in a neighborhood that a lot of the Colts players lived in. One of the players got to know him and one day brought him home a team picture signed by the whole Colts team. My dad hung it in his basement and sometime after that, it mysteriously disappeared (he's pretty sure it was stolen). Whenever he tells that story, you can just see in his face how much that picture meant to him as a kid, so I'd love to have another one of those to give to him.
As for what I'd like for me? A baseball signed by the whole team for each of the Orioles' World Series championships. That would be a prized possession that I would hold on to for the rest of my life.
Posted by: Bruce | June 25, 2009 12:44 PM
I'm a huge fan of Brooks Robinson, so needless to say I would enjoy any memorabilia signed by The Human Vacuum Cleaner. I have one of his used gloves autographed, and it is my prize possession. I heard that Brooks will be signing more items for some of his fans in the Bahamas soon. I would love to meet the legend in person.
Posted by: Tim Jenkins | June 25, 2009 5:49 PM
I would like to have a piece of the airplane that crashed into the upper deck at the conclusion of the 1976 Steelers - Colts Playoff Game. One time when a loss was a good thing or it could have been a real tragedy. Just another of example of the Pitt - Balto/Wash curse. We just can't get past those guys when the all the chips are on the line.
Posted by: Denny | June 25, 2009 5:54 PM
I would want a B Robinson signed glove too...I hear he might be signing things at the sports challenge..so hopefully I will get something signed there.
Posted by: Gary | June 25, 2009 7:21 PM
I would want a super bowl ring from that damned Super Bowl III game I STILL cant believe we lost
Posted by: Lucky Horseshoe | June 25, 2009 10:12 PM
I'd be happy just to get back the things I've lost: in addition to the poprcorn megaphone from the 1970 WS and the Hendricks/Leonhard autographed program I mentioned the other day, I lalso lost my uncle's 1966 WS ticket stub, and a dollar bill signed by Yogi Berra.
Posted by: The Big E- | June 25, 2009 10:17 PM
growing up in baltimorein the 60's
we took brooks and johnny a little
for granted.
as the years have passed, you realized they were the best two
at their positions and even better
people..
i concur with the individual who
said johnny unitas's smile..
i know he loved the people of maryland
and our sense of humor, he
had a good laugh himself.......
there will never be two at the same
time in baltimore sports history
who acted so gmraciously and
brought home championships.......
Posted by: bob m | June 25, 2009 10:56 PM
I agree with mitch and would want a one-of-a-kind item - but for me, it would be the "HERE" flag that marked the spot where Frank hit that home run. That's truly a unique item, and one that's unique to Baltimore as well (the concept goes back over 100 years to the old NL Orioles).
And they did give it away to one lucky guy - I actually saw him pick it up. That last weekend at Memorial, they gave away a lot of memorabilia based on seat numbers - I won a game-used bat from Randy Milligan - and when I went to the offices the following week to pick it up, I was in line right behind the guy who had won the HERE flag. I'm glad to have Randy's bat, but I sure wished I could trade places with that guy!
Posted by: JeffS | June 26, 2009 7:55 AM
Anything from the Seabiscuit-War Admiral match race.
Posted by: JTK | June 26, 2009 8:25 AM
Around the time that Memorial Stadium we being torn down I was at an auction and two box seats were being auctioned that were to be signed by Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson. I was outbidded by a dealer and now wish that I should have kept on bidding. 15 years later and I still kick myself.
Posted by: StanW | June 26, 2009 9:59 AM
Back when Memorial Stadium was closed, they gave away the item I wanted. The banner that said "HERE" to mark Frank Robinson's home rum hit off Luis Tiant all the way out of the stadium. Apparently, this was first used in an identical circumstance by the National League Orioles in the 1890s.
Posted by: Bruce | July 8, 2009 6:49 PM