r-stuff ~ a baseball signed by?
Welcome to the r-stuff blog. We will be working on several of these in the next few months so check back with us often!
For every collection and collectable, there is a story. That is what really interests us - the stories behind the stuff. Mine starts with the greatest team in professional sports history – the New York Yankees.
I love the Yankees. It’s part of who I am. My dad loves the Yankees and his dad loved the Yankees and his dad’s dad loved the New York Highlanders… until the powers that be realized that the Highlanders was a terrible name for a team and changed it to the Yankees… then he too loved the Yankees.
I have loved the Yankees since I could read box scores. Loved them when Reggie Jackson hit three homeruns on three straight pitches in the 1977 World Series. Also when the Yankee universe came to grips with Thurman Munson’s tragic plane crash… and even through the 80’s with Donnie baseball and not a whole lot else. I bleed pinstripes. It brightens my day when they win… and when they lose, I usually need a moment or two. I try to tell myself it’s just a game. That in the broad scheme of things my team winning a game isn’t that important. I try to tell myself that…. But I rarely listen to that voice.
That’s why I wanted to share the story of a family treasure – my family’s Babe Ruth autographed baseball. When the Babe’s Barnstorming All-Star team came to historic Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, NY back in the 1920’s, my grandfather was one of the first through the gates. He brought his ball right up to the Babe himself. After getting the Babe’s signature, he also got many others that were on the team. Many of the names are now forgotten and a lot are hard to read, but the history lives on. Like many stories that I have heard, I am sure that Grandpa Cadin had to keep a close eye on this ball. He made sure it wasn’t laying around for others to ‘have a catch’ with- or for his mom to throw out. The ball made it to my dad and has been passed on to me. I am sure there are many balls out there with the Babe’s signature, but this one is ours. It is a Cadin treasure that will someday be passed on to my son – unless he becomes a Red Sox fan (sacrilege!!!).
From the hand of the Babe!
Wanna have a catch? Not if you want to live!
Let us know about your treasures and the stories that surround them. What makes your stuff great? We’d love to hear about it! Thank you for visiting r-stuff!
-Sean Cadin
