From the French word of the same name, as odd as that
sounds, a souvenir is a physical keepsake or token of remembrance. They are typically associated with a vacation
or visit to a place that you’ve never been to. It’s also notable that though a
souvenir is to “remember” a place or thing, they are traditionally purchased
for someone who was not there or did not experience that thing. Sounds more
like a “Wish you were here” or more like a sentiment for feeling bad that your
relative or friend was unable to have that same great time you did.
In baseball, and other sports, a souvenir for yourself is
more closely referred to as memorabilia or a collectible. The act of collecting
it usually happens by chance when you are at the right place at the right time.
When you think about it, the whole concept of collecting memorabilia is a
little strange. One takes something home and hangs it on a wall, places it on a
mantle, puts it in a book or sometimes closes it in a drawer for the sole
purpose of looking at it once in a while.
We all know there is more to it than that. The purpose of
seeking out and obtaining a collectible is so that one someone else sees it and
comments positively about it so you can then recant the exciting tale of when
and how you made the acquisition. Perhaps the story starts to fray from realism
to a tall tale over time. What once was “I bought it in a store” turns into a
yarn about an intergalactic battle.
Either way, one of the novelties of owning a collectible is to talk
about it. Baseball collectibles likely have pretty good stories behind them,
regardless of how close they are to fact.
Mr. Clutch is not without a short to medium size list of
pretty good baseball collectibles. They range from cool to odd to something
that probably only a handful of existing humans would care about. Be that as it
may they are all special to the owner regardless of value, society’s care or
what Fonzie thinks about it.
Steve Henderson was a player for the Mets during the
not-so-hey days. He fit well into the
Clutch group of well-liked players because he was one of those “Pure” hitters.
Though Steve didn’t have a stellar career he did have a couple of pretty solid
seasons in the league. He will best be known for being part of one of the worst
trades in Met history (We all know about the others). Henderson came to the
Mets along with Zachary and Flynn for…Tom Terrific, Mr. Tom Seaver. I guess
there are worse things to be remembered by.
Through brother Clutch, who noted in a previous blog
worked the ins and outs of Shea Stadium, kid Clutch was one day presented with
an authentic game used Steve Henderson bat. It was Christmas and an anniversary of birth
all wrapped in one! What would or should one do with such a fantastic relic?
Hang it in the bedroom next to the ABBA poster? Place it in a safe deposit box?
Nah.The recently double-digit mind decided to play baseball with it on the busy
164th avenue. Hitting balls out to a friend and running the bases
seemed like the best idea until the Q-41 bus came barreling down the street.
Bus met bat and the bus won. Though Mr. Clutch still proudly displays the bat,
it is not without battle scars of chips and cracks from being used in an MLB
game mixed with a little bit of pure insanity.
With the same acquisition method came two sets of batting
gloves, again game used, from Lee Mazzilli and John Stearns. Two pretty decent
players in their own rights, who both got caught up with being on a lousy team.
First is Maz, who was the New York success story. Born and raised in Brooklyn,
Maz made it to the bigs playing just across town for the Mets, and was a first
round draft pick no less. Maz had a decent and pretty long career which
included some power, speed and occasionally hitting for average. Mr. Clutch’s
personal highlight was when Mazzilli hit a home-run in the 1979 All-Star game
where he was the only Met representative. Here’s a couple of factoids on Maz:
First, he was on the 1986 WS Champion Mets, though Mr. Clutch has no memory of
this. He also had three stints with New York clubs which were the Mets, 1976-81
and 86-89 and the Yankees in 1982. Lastly, and this is an insider fact, other
players on the team secretly nicknamed him “Chicken wing” due to his poor
throwing arm. It will be impossible for you to verify that, even with the
Internet.
Stearns was also a Clutch favorite, probably due to the
unique speed for a catcher. He had 25
steals back in 1978, which was unheard of for a battery player. He got caught
13 times that year, so in all he wasn’t that fast. One should feel bad for Stearns
as his entire baseball career, with the exception of literally two ABs with the
Phillies in 1974, was with the Mets during the worst of times. The Mets
basically finished in last place every season of John’s career.
What’s a kid to do with batting gloves from two then
legendary speedy Mets? What else – play the iconic game of “Running bases” with
them. For those not lucky enough to grow up near grass back yards, this was a
game that required three players. Two would man a base and toss a ball back and
forth. The third player had to run from one base to the other while the ball
was in motion. Make it and you got a point. Got caught and you got an out.
Three outs and then the next kid got in the middle. It involved a lot of
sliding which over time took its toll on the gloves. Unfortunately both sets
are no longer with us and this is just another example of how now to care for a
collectible!
No comments:
Post a Comment