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Hardball Passport Collects Ballpark Memories

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Players get box scores. Why not fans, too?


Scorecards. Scorebook magazines. How do you keep track of all the memories of the games you’ve attended?

Peter Robert Casey has a winning game plan in Hardball Passport. He’s developed web applications for baseball and basketball fans to track their game-going adventures. 

Peter has one cool past as a sports fan. Peter held community management and strategy roles with Team Epiphany [on the Nike Basketball account], Five-Star Basketball, and the New York Knicks, and spent five years on the brick-and-mortar side of community building at Columbia University’s Teachers College. 

In 2009, he became the first media-credentialed microblogger in college basketball history when I received a press pass to cover St. John’s University men’s basketball team exclusively via my personal Twitter account. 

I asked him for more details on the inspiration that’s driven him to create such insightful, fun apps. He replied:

“Below are the answers to your great Qs and attached is a copy of a photo of me at the United Center. This past fall, I saw all 30 NBA teams play a home game in 30 straight nights. Story here: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/hoops-junkie-30-day-nba-arena-journey-hits-final-stop-article-1.1539956

30 baseball games in 30 days next?!?
I need to go back into the archives and find one of me at the ballpark.

Q: What memories do you savor most over the first-ever baseball game you attended?

While I can’t definitively say this was the first game I’ve ever attended, one of the earliest games I remember going to was a Yankees-Royals tilt in ‘88 or ‘89 at the old Yankees Stadium with my travel baseball team.

We sat in the cheap bleacher seats while Bo Jackson (K.C.) and Rickey Henderson (N.Y.) were playing left field, and we were yelling for their attention. It was a personal highlight when they turned around and acknowledged us.

The Yankees lost, but it was amazing to get to see one of my childhood heroes, Don Mattingly, play in person for the first time. And you can’t forget hearing Bob Sheppard’s iconic voice announcing his name when he came up to bat. I’ll never forget that.

Q: In your baseball fan career, what experience do you have with in-person or through-the-mail autographs?

A: One of my fondest memories as a kid was getting Lenny Dykstra’s autograph during a scheduled signing session at the local video rental store. Remember those?

I also met Rich “Goose” Gossage and James “Catfish” Hunter at the same baseball card show and got their signatures. Talk about a great pair of baseball nicknames. Unfortunately, I was never successful with yielding through-the-mail autographs, though I definitely purchased a player address book when I was eight or nine in the Kings Plaza Mall (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

Q: As you’ve perfected Hardball Passport, what kind of input or feedback have you gotten from current or former baseball players/staff?

A: Hardball Passport Travelers love to log their old games and get their personal stats: Total number of games attended, ballparks seen, best performances witnessed and teams’ records for games they were at. Also, the box scores are instrumental in enabling fans to relive their own memories of going to the ballpark with their friends or family. That kind of feedback makes me smile.

The iterative requests have also been consistent: Fans want to log Spring Training games, the World Baseball Classic and have even more personal stats: Total ERA when they’re at the ballpark, who’s hit the most home runs or had the most strikeouts. The feedback has been terrific and very helpful.

Q: How can this blog’s readers learn more and stay informed about Hardball Passport?

A: Readers can learn more about Hardball Passport’s benefits and features here: http://hardballpassport.com/aboutus, and can stay informed about updates by following us on Twitter: @hbpassport. But the best way to get addicted to Passport’s nostalgia is to create an account. It takes less than a minute. I hope they love it.”

I do. And I hope that readers take Peter’s cue to look deeper at the history they witness every time they head to the ballpark. It’s not just “my team lost.” There before you are 50 uniformed men living their dreams. Someday, some of them might be delighted to know you witnessed one of the best days of their lives.

That’s Baseball By The Letters!

Man Versus Ball: Author Jon Hart Scores

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George Plimpton lives!

Well, let’s say the spirit of this Paper Tiger does. Plimpton believed in the “you are there” participatory journalism that’s hard to find these days.
That’s why Man Versus Ball: One Ordinary Guy and His Extraordinary Sports Adventures fills a void.
Author Jon Hart shatters a fantasy too many baseball fans might have harbored. Wouldn’t it be sweet to be a ballpark vendor — free games and leftovers?
Hart worked at Yankee Stadium, Shea and CitiField, even the Boston Red Sox spring training.
He didn’t glean lots of baseball tidbits in his service. However, Hart found a vendor during the 1996 World Series who was buddies with the older brother of outfielder Paul O’Neill. 
Early on, we find out that vendors have little time for on-field action. Hart observed Jerry Seinfeld outside a suite before several Mets games. That’s it. 
The people who choose vending, the drunken fans, the commission-only pay…Hart spells it all out. Willie and Waylon should sing, “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be vendors.”
While attending mascot school, the instructor led Hart on with tales of the Mr. Met job becoming open. He wound up with a brief gig at the elementary school, wearing the costume of the Newark Bears independent league baseball team.
My favorite words from Hart came on page 162. From his “annoying things that customers do” list came this warning:
“Someone always asks for ingredients. Who really knows what’s in the pretzels–or the dogs, for that matter. Here are the ingredients, in short: IT’S CRAP!”
Hart chose a tough road to travel with this title. Fans of just one sport will be peeved that he writes about the other sports. Worst of all, he isn’t a celebrity name-dropper. Instead, he’s telling the stories of the unknown sports lovers, those people who’ll take any job to be near professional competition. 
Based on Hart’s showing here, I’d be first in line for his next baseball-only memoir.

New York Yankees Call Up Brother Beans!

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Rescued from the reach of Hurricane Sandy,
this labor of love is going to THE SHOW!

“Start Spreading the News!!! The Yankees called and asked Brother Beans to bring his stadium to Yankee Stadium. We did it!!! We want to thank everyone for all of your help and support. We will be at Yankee Stadium on May 14th. If you want to come with us please let us know. We are renting a bus and having tee shirts made. thank you for writing the great article to help get us on our way.”

For those of you who just tuned in…

In December, this blog reported on 86-year-old Bill Becker, wanting to share his matchstick-made model of Yankee Stadium with fellow Yankees fans.

What does this have to do with writing letters and collecting autographs?

Plenty! Dreams still come true.

 Don’t ask WHY.

Try “Why not?”

Trying is the secret.

Brother Beans 1, Hurricane Sandy 0; A Yankee Stadium Matchstick Masterpiece Endures!

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Saving Yankee Stadium from Hurricane Sandy
 

“One game. One day. One dream.”

On 12/12/12, we think of the concert to raise money for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Right now, let’s raise some hope.

Dear Baseball World,

Sometimes, we write letters to current or former players. We ask for an autograph or for a memory. A question answered.

Today, this letter is written for one of us, 86-year-old Bill Becker.

For years, he covered for his lack of remembering names by calling everyone “Brother Beans.” In turn, everyone decided Bill should have that name, too.

Well, our Brother Beans hasn’t asked for much. This eternal Yankees fan was widowed 11 years ago. He filled his void by remembering his other love. From matchsticks and Elmer’s glue, he constructed his own ballpark. The House That Ruth Build, meet The House That Beans Built.

Hurricane Sandy came calling for Brother. It got his house. But his masterpiece, and his spirit, remained, said granddaughter Kelly Herrington.

Brother Beans one wish is listed above. He wants his Yankee Stadium in the new Yankee Stadium. For one game, he wants to share with other fans.

He’s not asking for a zillion dollars. (Some artists won’t sell, for any price.) He doesn’t want his matchstick creation installed in Monument Park forevermore. Brother Beans is a Who down in Whoville. Despite death, despite Hurricane Sandy’s destruction, he’s shouting to the baseball world that he’s still here.

Baseball World, this letter his microphone. Hear him. Help him. December is the time of miracles. Let’s add Brother Beans to that list.

Start with a visit to his official Facebook page. CNN has noticed, too. A newsletter was one of the first online allies.

Now, it’s our turn. Know any Yankee front office folk? Any minor league employees? Cooperstown? Spread the word. This dream can come true. We all belong to Brother’s band of brothers. Baseball unites.

Coming Friday: What’s RIGHT about baseball autograph collecting?

Pinstripe Empire Author Knows The Hobby

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Marty Appel is more than an author. He’s part of New York Yankees history.

Therefore, his masterful history of the team is a fascinating story within the story. As I devoured his new Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees From Before The Base to After the Boss (Bloomsbury, $28), I began to discover Appel’s deep roots in the Yankee mythology.

He’s restrained in not writing a “Me and Other Yankees” type book. Remember, coach Yogi Berra depended on Appel, a boy wonder team executive, for daily gossip about the team’s inner workings before each game.

Readers learn that Appel’s long career as the team’s public relations director meant more than paychecks. He tells of a young fan in 1965 who got a letter to the editor published in The Sporting News. “Why is everyone giving up on the Yankees? They always come through in the end. They will be fine.” Appel was that fan.

Appel salutes everyone in Yankees history. He unearthed a 1969 letter from a 1912 batboy (whose mother washed the team‘s uniforms). He writes admiringly of the unknown janitor who salvaged team files when new owners took over in the 1940s, done initially to save the autographs of famous names on endorsed checks.

Although Appel doesn’t write about collecting team memorabilia, he has lots of hobby-related tidbits in his text. He writes of the Yankee Stadium box seat design, noting that curved-back seats bought by collectors after the 1973 renovation dated back to 1946.

Think that’s great? Look for a two-paragraph tribute to Manny’s Baseball Land. If you bought a souvenir outside the ballpark into the 1970s, chances are it originated through Manny’s. On page 394, Appel notes just how cheap Yankee Stadium relics went for in the park’s renovation. Got five empty Winston packs and $5.75? A box seat is yours!

Collectors will love the author’s willingness to capture hobby lore. The reason Yankees fans know the faces of clubhouse man Pete Sheehy (who could forge autographs of Yankee stars when needed) and PA announcer Bob Sheppard was because Appel made sure the men were included in team photos and the yearbook.

He isn’t above raising an eyebrow about team icons. When Mickey Mantle couldn’t find his famed #7 jersey for Old-Timers Day, team exec Appel used some tape to alter Gene Michael’s #17. Appel recounts seeing coach Frank Crosetti climb into the Yankee Stadium stands before games, seeing that concessionaires return foul balls. And, on page 382, Appel tells which Yankees player on a winter caravan tour asks him where to buy good marijuana!

No detail is too small for Appel’s historic eye. He weaves decades together with invisible thread. Do you remember Seinfeld character George Costanza’s front office job with the Yankees? The job wasn’t as made-up as it sounded.Check out page 203. Appel knows who really held the low-level post from generations past.

Along with the yearly summaries of each season, the book tells of the demise of announcer Mel Allen. Appel shares that the announcer answered ALL of his fan mail.

When Babe Ruth visited Cooperstown for his 1939 Hall of Fame enshrinement, Appel resurrected the ideal quote from the legend besieged by signature seekers.

“I didn’t know there were so many people who didn’t have my autograph!”

Appel needed more than 600 pages to document all the wonders he was part of with the Yankees. This book is a noble start. He’s been a student of team history all his life. Read this finely-sculpted love letter to his Bronx Bombers, and you’ll be sure that all-star storyteller Appel is still a fan.

Coming Monday: Thanking a former Yankee on the comeback trail!