Clearing The Bases - Issue 019

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Hello and welcome to Issue 019 of Clearing The Bases, an email newsletter in conjunction with the My Baseball History podcast hosted by Dan Wallach.

Okay, first things first: if you’re in Cleveland for The National Sports Collectors Convention this week, or if you live in Cleveland, TONIGHT is the big night! We’ve been talking about it and planning it for months, and our 1860s vintage base ball game at Cleveland’s historic League Park is finally here!

Gates will open for the event at 6:00 pm, with the first pitch set for 7:00 pm. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors (Pattakos Law Firm LLC, Love Of The Game Auctions, and Liquid Custom Apparel and Gifts) the event will be COMPLETELY FREE to attend! We are still going to suggest a $10 donation upon entry, because the purpose of this event is to raise money for the Baseball Heritage Museum, but you can give as much or as little as you want and we’re still going to let you in to enjoy the festivities. We just want as many people there as possible so everyone can see how fun 1860s style base ball is, and how great the Baseball Heritage Museum is.

The museum operates out of the still-standing original ticket office at League Park, and for tonight only, it will be open until 10:00 pm. The separate building which houses the visitor center will also stay open all night, where you can see the original steps which led players from the League Park clubhouse to the field.

We’re going to be giving away LOTS of great prizes, from books and shirts to artwork and memberships to the Baseball Heritage Museum. No purchase is necessary to be entered for a chance to win, as everyone who attends will be given a free raffle ticket upon entry, but the more you donate, the more raffle tickets you’ll receive to increase your chances of winning something cool.

If you don’t know what 1860s style vintage base ball is, this is going to be the perfect way to experience it for yourself! It’s going to be lots of fun, and very informative. If you’re in Cleveland tonight, we would love for you to come out and have a great time supporting such a great cause.

The reason we’re hosting this game in Cleveland this week is because everyone is here in town for The National, which is the biggest card and memorabilia convention of the year. It’s been a dream of mine to play on the field at League Park for years, so since I knew so many of us were going to be in town at the same time, I decided to rent the field and plan this game. I turned it into a fundraiser for the Baseball Heritage Museum, but don’t be fooled: this game is a purely selfish endeavor so I could play on the same field where Shoeless Joe Jackson once played. I’m just lucky that I have 19 friends who wanted to play, too.

I’m in Cleveland at The National with Love Of The Game Auctions. We’re set up in booth 109/208, so if you’re going to be at the convention today, tomorrow, or Sunday, we would love for you to come by and see our table. We’re showcasing cards, photos, and other items which will be available in our Fall Premier auction, which closes Saturday, September 28^th. If you’re not registered yet to bid with LOTG, you can fix that HERE.

Love Of The Game is also taking on new consignments for our next two auctions, so if you’re in Cleveland and have something you’ve been considering selling, bring it to our booth and let’s talk. We’ll walk you through the process of how everything works, and what you can expect when you sell an item in auctions like these. If you’re not in Cleveland this week, or if you can’t physically bring your item(s) with you to come see us at The National, you can always get in touch with Al Crisafulli HERE and Love Of The Game will work out the details of how to get your consignment to Kingston, New York, where they operate.

Love Of The Game has sold everything from common tobacco cards which have sold for less than fifty bucks, to game-used jerseys and vintage photos which have gone for six figures. There’s no piece that’s too big or too small for us to handle. Of the many incredible pieces we have with us at our booth this week, my favorite has to be an autographed copy of Mickey Mantle’s true rookie card, his 1951 Bowman. Many people mistakenly think his 1952 Topps card which sometimes sells for literally MILLIONS OF DOLLARS is his rookie, but his rookie season was 1951 and Bowman’s set that year featured Mickey’s true rookie card. It’s crazy enough to see one of those in person, but for it to be autographed, too? It’s really something special.

Last week I was in Cooperstown with my friend WILLIAM PEEBLES of Huntington Base Ball Co. for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction weekend. We had a table set up right on Main Street all weekend, and we must have talked with 10,000 people about the incredible work that William does. We had old baseball gloves dating all the way back to the 1920s for sale, as well as HBBC’s amazing hand-made baseballs, pennants, and wallets.

William made a couple dozen baseballs by hand over the course of the weekend, right there in the tent. It was always a fun moment to watch people realize what he was doing. At first, they would just be walking down Main Street and see our table set up outside, like the many others. There were baseballs on our table, but there were baseballs on lots of tables and gift shops in Cooperstown, so most people didn’t think twice about seeing them … at first. But then they would see William wearing his apron, holding two huge needles and working his hand feverishly to stitch a ball, and then you would see the person’s eyes light up.

Most people have never seen anything like that in person before. Frankly, most people have never even considered that baseballs might be made by hand. They assume it’s just an automated thing done by machines at some factory somewhere. So, to see a master craftsman like William actually assembling a ball right there in front of them by taking the center, placing the two perfectly-cut leather pieces against it, choosing the color stitching he wants to use for the ball, and then actually stitching the ball together in real time… it’s a very unique experience. His work is awesome, and you can see more of it and buy it HERE.

The four people inducted last weekend were Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and manager Jim Leyland. Minnesota fans were by far and away the biggest presence in Cooperstown of the different fan bases. They came out in huge numbers to support Joe Mauer, which was heartwarming to see. It’s crazy how passionate a fan base can be about a great player who spends his entire career with one team. What a concept, huh? There were also plenty of Rockies fans there to celebrate Todd Helton, who also spent his entire career with one team. Surprisingly, there was a significant number of Tennessee Volunteer fans, too. Each of them was decked out in Tennessee’s trademark orange in support of Todd, who, in addition to playing baseball there, also famously played quarterback on the football team ahead of his backup, Peyton Manning.

If you’ve never been to an induction weekend, it’s something you should try to experience at least once. Wait until a player from your favorite team gets inducted and make the trip. Cooperstown in the summer is a really special place, aside from everything baseball-related. If you’ve never been to the lake, it’s just a couple blocks away from the Hall of Fame, and those know about it and have spent time there rave about it. Grab some lunch at Stagecoach Coffee, buy a book from Willis Monie Books, and you’re on your way to a day that will be hard to beat. Oh, and, you know… you can go to the Hall of Fame and see the greatest collection of baseball artifacts under one roof on the entire planet, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Don’t forget, it’s a huge help when you Rate and Review the My Baseball History podcast on whatever platform you choose to listen. 5-star ratings help our podcast get shown on more people’s For You pages, which means more people will hear our show.

It just takes a couple of seconds of your time, but it really helps us a lot. And of course, liking us on social media, interacting with our posts, and sharing things with your friends is great, too. Feel free to forward this email to anyone in your life who loves baseball, and hopefully, they’ll enjoy the podcast and learn a thing or two. But no matter how you choose to support us, even if it’s just by listening, we appreciate you being here.

Until next time, I’m Dan Wallach, and this is My Baseball History.