Something Stupid, But Funny At The Same Time

[Dark Raver Camper]

About 4 years ago I thought I would pass some time sending baseball cards to retired players, like I did when I was 11-16. I think it was more an activity to gamble less.

 

Anyway I got a book of stamps, possibly two, at sent stuff out. It was to 80's players. I think some were Jimmy Key, Zane Smith, Jay Howell, Marty Barret, Todd Benzinger. People like this. I also sent to high profile players like Mariano Rivera, Andy Petite, Mark McGwire, and Wade Boggs. OUt of them, I only got Wade Boggs back. He signed 3 cards. They said in order for him to sign, you had to give a donation to charity, however I didn't. I mean I didn't do it to make money, as I did when I was a auto hound in my youth. I know I would have fought someone to get Boggs auto back in the day, so it was neat to get it.

 

Anyway, the basis of my story is funny. About 3 months ago I get an envelope back, which I knew was a self addressed stamped envelope. I open it and it is 7 cards autographed by Steve Farr. I'm not sure what is funnier? The fact that I sent him 7 cards to sign or it took about 4 years for him to sign and return.

[Dark Raver Camper]

Dirk Nowitski, Robert Parrish, and Joe Dumars were other good people I sent to, at that time, and got back.

[IAG]

Dirk Nowitski, Robert Parrish, and Joe Dumars were other good people I sent to, at that time, and got back.

Love Dirk and Chief!

 

 

Four years...wow. That's funny.

[Dark Raver Camper]

I can tell you, one of the best and carefree times of my life was coming home from school to check the mail box. One of the handful of great memories I have before I was corrupted. Well not really! I retain many childhood memories, but that was a great time.

[Dark Raver Camper]

Love Dirk and Chief!

 

 

Four years...wow. That's funny.

 

Yeah, I've been meaning to put this here cuz he was a former Yankee, and suspended for drugs, at one point. Even during my teen years, I never got one that long after I sent it.

[Sol Aristatel]

Sent cards to be signed when I was a kid.  They used to have the address for where to send them in the Beckett Magazine.  "Make sure to send a SASE".  Never knew what that was before then. 

 

Got plenty back.  Too many to list.  Its funny that a good 1/3 of them were ghost signed.  Never matched up to what I later saw online as the real sigs.  

[Dark Raver Camper]

I mean for the person who has a man cave, or anyone who has a spot, it would be cool to have like A sports ill, with Dirk on the cover signed, or an 8x10 of Boggs on the back of the horse, with the cop, after the Yanks won the World Series, just as a conversational piece. I don't have something like that, but if there are any of you out there, both will sign. Dirk for free, one item, and a small donation to Boggs.

[The Dark Man]

Joe Dumars is a good man.

[Dark Raver Camper]

Sent cards to be signed when I was a kid.  They used to have the address for where to send them in the Beckett Magazine.  "Make sure to send a SASE".  Never knew what that was before then. 

 

Got plenty back.  Too many to list.  Its funny that a good 1/3 of them were ghost signed.  Never matched up to what I later saw online as the real sigs.  

 

One of the coolest things I've found, not that it is worth anything, is a small cardboard box, like you could fit 200 cards in, that I would use as a self addressed stamped envelope, for when I sent out official rawlings MLB baseballs. So think of it as how we sent the large envelopes, with the smaller one in it. I sent a cardboard box, with a ball, and the smaller card box to be returned to me.

 

Anyway I was moving most of my cards, from my parents house, not that I have any clue what to do with them. My son has no interest in sports, like I did when I was young. He watches it with me, but has no clue who is who, or what is what.

 

So what I'm speaking of is the return cardboard box with my name, and address, written by Warren Spahn. He signed the ball, but that has long been sold to support gambling, when I was like 20.

 

I took this advanced step because when I was even younger, I got Warren Spahn's autograph on a official rawlings American league ball during an old timers game in philly. I was so excited because it was Warren Spahn, and he only signed a few. I told my dad, and he starts shaking his head. I said what's wrong? HE told me I messed up because I should have gotten it on a national league official MLB ball, which I had. Because I was 12, I associated Milwaukee with the American league, instead of Braves, being Braves national league.

 

I have so many autograph stories.

 

In regard to ghost signers, I'm trying to think of obvious ones. Sandy Alomar Jr. comes to mind. Like his rookie year.

[Sol Aristatel]

Joe Dumars is a good man.

 

Completely off the subject.  

 

But I remember my freshman year in college.  American History class.  20th century.  

 

Professor was going off on Jimmy Carter.  How horrible of a president he was.  

 

Lady raises her hand.  Gets called on.  And shouts, "Jimmy Carter was a good man!"

 

Professor didn't blink an eye.  Just responded with.  "That could very well be.  But he was a shitty president."

 

Then continued with his class.  I'll never forget that.  

[Sol Aristatel]

 My son has no interest in sports, like I did when I was young. He watches it with me, but has no clue who is who, or what is what.

 

My son is 2x the encyclopedia that I was.  And that's saying something.  Ask him sports trivia questions from the 80's and he nails them.  Its crazy what that kid seeks and keeps in his brain.  If he's not playing sports, he's either reading about them, or playing them on Xbox.  

[Sol Aristatel]

I have so many autograph stories.

 

As do I.  So many Spring Training stories in the 80's and early 90's.  

 

First in person autograph ever of a college player:  Odibe McDowell

First in person autograph ever of major league baseball player:  Reggie FUCKING Jackson

 

Nothing will beat the Reggie Jackson experience for me.  Ever. 

[Sol Aristatel]

In regard to ghost signers, I'm trying to think of obvious ones. Sandy Alomar Jr. comes to mind. Like his rookie year.

 

Fucking Mark McGwire (childhood idle) and Barry Bonds ghost signed me in 1989.  Fucking assholes. 

 

And did so with a ball point pen on the baseball card.  2 strikes. 

[The Dark Man]

When I was 8 I got an autographed ball from Frank Howard. Biggest man I had ever seen.

[Dark Raver Camper]

I had such a collection of autographs, and cracked bats, but I sold my soul.

 

Even through my firesale, due to needing a gambling fix, I saved some autographs that meant something to me. They were mostly cards, as I got rid of all my bats and balls.

 

Cracked bats were my gold.

 

I had two Sammy Sosa bats, one cracked, given to me by Derrick May, one stolen by a kid who walked straight down the ramp at the vet, pretended to work as a food worker, and pulled it from the Cubs visitors clubhouse. This was before Sosa was a star. I traded him a dave Hollins cracked bat for the Sosa bat. Later during batting practice, that is when I got the other Sosa bat. I was a huge cubs fan. The cool thing was Derrik May had two cracked bats. I grabbed one, and another kid grabbed the other. There was white tape on the barrel. I unwrapped it, and Sammy Sosa. It wasn't a Rawlings one, like the one the kid stole. I sold them both, and I didn't feel as bad when the steroids thing came out, even though it still would have been cool to have.

 

The best one I had, grading things in real time, was a Jim Thome cracked bat, given to me, by him, and I had it autographed in gold marker. Sold it. I even got a Lenny Dykstra cracked bat, from Gary Varsho. That was cool.

 

The first bat I got at a MLB game was from a backup catcher named Bill Hassleman. During BP, I was right at the edge of the mariners dugout, in Baltimore. We're talking there stacked team, Griffey Jr., Martinez, Johnson, Buhner. I knew his bat was cracked, and after his first round of swings he walks back to the dugout. I ask him if I could have his cracked bat, he said it isn't cracked, yet he starts to tape it. Second round is over, he starts to go back to the dugout, I ask him if I could have his cracked back. He tells me, with emphasis, the bat isn't cracked. He goes in for a third round, and on his way back I ask if I could have his cracked bat. He goes "Jesus Christ kid, just take the bat". He gave it to me.

 

So in the game, he started. His first at bat, he hit a HR off of Mussina. His second at bat, he got plunked. He charged the mound and all hell broke loose. I know I was a pest, but I got his bat. The bat did have a crack, which made me feel better that I was able to identify it from the start.

 

Just the sequence of events that day is a cool experience. I put the video below. It was hands down one of the biggest fights I've ever seen. It was cool because the relief pitchers were jumping the outfield wall to get in the mix.

 

It happened on a Saturday or Sunday. I can't remember which day.

 

[Dark Raver Camper]

Seriously, when as the last time you saw a MLB fight like this? I was lucky enough to have seen it live.

 

You had some big boys in there, like Charlton, Brad Pennington, and many other fuckers.

[Dark Raver Camper]

I see it happened in the top of the seventh, so my recollection is off. I know hassleman hit a hr in an earlier at bat, in the game. So he wasn't hit in his second at bat, I gather.

 

I've been meaning to show my dad this, since he took me.

[The Dark Man]

saw this one in 82

 

[Yanks]

[Dark Raver Camper]

Wow,I never saw this one! Chet F'in Lemon got drilled. Who is on the stretcher?

[Dark Raver Camper]

I vaguely remember this fight. Gramhe and Armando some big boys.

[Dark Raver Camper]

Ha watching the Yankees fight, and they made mention of the Mussina fight I saw.

[The Dark Man]

Wow,I never saw this one! Chet F'in Lemon got drilled. Who is on the stretcher?

 

Dave Rozema, tore his entire knee, pretty much ended his career.

 

Larry Herndon got some real good shots in

[Dark Raver Camper]

That fight was insane. That has to be the last huge MLB baseball brawl. I mean in severity/duration.

[Yanks]

I'm assuming the brawl with Hass is the reason why Moose was a bitch his whole career and never had his teammates backs and retaliated.