Phase 3- Collecting the History and Traditions of Baseball

As time went by I continued to develop as a collector of baseball memorabilia and as a result I began to value the history and traditions of baseball more and more.  Accordingly, I wanted to institute a personal relationship with the traditions of the game of baseball and therefore concentrated on collecting items which were immediately associated with the history of baseball. Thereby, I focused on gathering objects which were linked to former major league players, especially those legends inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Through my focus on gathering items which were linked to former baseball greats, I successfully established a bond with the history of baseball, and as a result I am forever tied to the plentiful traditions of the game.

The items which I have included in this third and final phase of my exhibit are significant because they establish a connection between the owners of these items and the legendary Hall of Fame players who autographed these objects. Each of these items was touched by a celebrated Hall of Fame baseball player, each of whom signed either a baseball or photograph. The fact that these players actually came in contact with these artifacts develops a personal connection which the proprietor of these objects feels with the players who touched these artifacts.

Contextual Object/Photographs

Picture of me standing in the Plaque Gallery at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which features traditional plaques dedicated to the all-time greatest and legendary baseball players, coaches, and executives enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Photograph of me posing with an exhibit on Denton True "Cy" Young, who is considered by most baseball scholars as one of the best pitchers to ever play Major League Baseball. Young holds the all-time record for most career wins, acquiring a staggering 511. Young is best known for the award named after him, the "Cy Young Award," an honor which is awarded every season to the best pitchers in both the American and National League.

Top: Photograph of me situated in front of a massive picture of George Herman "Babe" Ruth at the Hall of Fame. Bottom: Photograph of Babe Ruth's uniform with the words "Bustin Babe" stitched across the chest located in an exhibit dedicated to Ruth at the Hall of Fame.

Ruth remains today the most celebrated player in the history of baseball, as he is known everywhere baseball is played for his towering home runs and comical personality. Ruth is viewed by many as the best power hitter to ever play baseball as he revolutionized the game with his soaring home runs and often hit more in a season than most teams did. Also, Ruth once held the record for most home runs in a season (60) and most career home runs (714). Ruth played most of his career for the Yankees, and hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium, which from that point on was deemed the "House that Ruth Built."

Photograph of me posing with an exhibit on Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ryan is regarded as the most intimidating pitcher to ever step on the pitcher's mound, with his blazing 100+ miles per hour pitches.

As a result, Ryan was able to garner many strikeouts and finished with 5,714 in his career along with 7 no-hitters (a no-hitter is a game in which a pitcher fails to give up a hit for 9 innings of play), both of which are Major League records. In the above picture, I am standing with the hats which Ryan wore in each of his historic no-hitters.

The Phase 3 Exhibit Objects

Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball
Major League Baseball
New York, NY, USA
Early 1950s to late 1960s
Rubber cork-shaped center, wool and polyester/cotton yarn, white cowhide, red thread (Ponce).
Purchased from Steve Mandy of Attack of the Baseball Cards, 2000: 1.11

This is a regulation sized baseball which holds the signature of Mickey Mantle which is located at the center in blue ink. Furthermore, I chose to incorporate this particular object because Mickey Mantle is most likely my favorite Yankee and overall baseball player of all time. In watching footage of his playing days, I loved how Mantle would use his power to hit towering home runs, but would also utilize his lightning speed on the base paths, a combination which was very rare when Mantle played in the 1950s and 1960s.

Moreover, I enjoyed Mantle’s personality, as he would use humor with the media as well as with his teammates. Moreover, now that Mantle is deceased, the value of his signature has increased rapidly, as no more Mantle autographs are being produced for obvious reasons. That fact that I am in possession of an autographed Mickey Mantle baseball makes me feel very fortunate and proud.

Mickey Mantle was a Major League Baseball player and a member of the New York Yankees from 1951 until 1968. Mantle is regarded as one of the most talented players to ever play the game of baseball. Throughout the 50s and 60s, Mantle was an iconic figure in New York and all over the nation, as many people especially young boys looked to him as their hero. Mantle’s good lucks and “country boy charm,” his towering home runs and astonishing running speed endeared him to many.

Mantle’s achievements live up to his legend. He won the Most Valuable Player award three times, was selected to the All-Star Game 16 times, won 7 World Championships, and hit over 500 home runs during his career.  He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and was chosen to the All-Century Team in 1999 (Baseball-Reference.com/Wikipedia).