I played baseball for a semi pro team in Yucca Valley, CA. We practiced two days a week and played double headers on Sundays throughout Southern California. Not bragging, but I was probably the only player on the team with college playing experience. It was a team full of fans and former little league players that just wanted to get their hands on a wood bat one last time before age made them hang their cleats up.
I remember the 5 or 6 kids that would show up to watch the games. With the exception of families, we never had too many people in the stands.
One game, I hit two homeruns. In this league, we had to fetch our own homeruns and foul balls and reuse them. After the game, one of the little boys that came to watch asked me for one of my balls. I tossed one to him and he held out a pen and asked me to sign it. This was the first and only time I have even been asked for my autograph. I got home that day and I realized two things; one, I was never going anywhere with the baseball thing and it was time to focus on my real job and two, I wanted to collect autographs as a hobby.
At the time, we lived in Phelan, CA. There was a Minor League team just up the road in Adelanto. The High Desert Mavericks were the Class A Advanced Minor League team for the Arizona Diamondbacks. I called the stadium to get ticket prices and found out that they were having a game with a local company against some former MLB players. I bought 3 tickets.
That Saturday I took my wife, Mindy and daughter, Rebecca to the game. The first autograph I got was from John "Blue Moon" Odom. I was hooked. I quickly went to the other players which included, Tommy Davis, Jay Johnstone, Kenny Landreaux, and a few others.
The internet was just getting big with the public at that time. I went home and jumped online. I started searching for autographed memorabilia. I found a site that was dedicated to people that would send their cards to players through the mail and the players would actually sign the items. My collector days took off.
Over the years I have sent to many stars with both good and bad results. I keep my cards protected, balls in their cubes, photos in glass etc etc. I sometimes go through my collection and think back to that little boy, did he ever put that ball in a cube; is it still in a cube; has he searched the internet to see if I ever made it to the pros? Sometimes it brings a smile to my face, sometimes my eyes water. Do I miss it, I honestly don't know. But I do know that I'm happy where I'm at.
My name is Steve and I'm your average Joe. I collect signed memorabilia from athletes and celebrities. This blog will be about my experiences collecting autographs. A few of my thoughts and rants and raves. Follow me if you'd like, both here and on Twitter @smraines12
Thanks for reading
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