Patricia Maris autograph, anyone?

Their stories aren’t.

Their wives remain. The movie 42 will remind the world that many a star player might have been far less without a supportive spouse.

Rachel Robinson knows. For a $10 donation to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, she’ll sign.

Other wives could be moved to sign, too. I’ve seen some interviews from Patricia Maris, wishing aloud that Roger could get Hall of Fame consideration.

As a generation of stars disappear, I’m looking to write to their wives. Baseball history is still there. We just have to look harder.

Readers: would you collect autographs of baseball wives? Why, or why not?

Each baseball season begins and ends with cable channels having endless showings of Safe At Home.

No, this isn’t another snarky review of the movie. (Even though I thought Fred Mertz would have made a better coach than actor William Frawley was…)

Instead, I took to heart the message of stars Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

While they told the boy that lying is wrong, I’d add, in the case of letter-writing collectors:

You don’t have to.

I’m thinking of collectors who’ve been tempted to concoct a tale that would melt the heart of the toughest non-signer.

(I remember the tale of a reporter (no, not me) who wanted to test how celebrities responded to letters from kids. He considered publishing a book. The problem was that Senator Edward Kennedy was so moved by this “kid” correspondent that his staff invited the non-existent child to Washington, D.C.

Instead, I see a better, more honest way.

Look at the list of guys you’re writing to. How do they relate to your own locale?

1. Do they (or did they) play near where you live? What about their minor league time?

2. Did they grow up (or retire) near you? Did they attend a nearby college?

I get frequent questions in replies from retirees about my Iowa town. Don’t leave money (or opportunity) on the table. It’s not just a business saying. Take full advantage of every chance you see. Your collection will thank you.

Coming Wednesday: Tune in for a tale of Bobby Thomson, CSI style.

Even if you never rooted for the New York Yankees, you’ve got to cheer for Sal Durante.

In the 50th anniversary celebration of the Roger Maris home run in 2011, Durante participated in the team festivities. The man who caught historic homer #61 could be bitter he never had a memorabilia auction house make him rich. Instead, Durante took every opportunity to salute the man he never stopped admiring.

Durante wrote:

“I met Roger three times when he broke Babe Ruth’s record. He told me to keep the ball and make some money.


We met in Sacramento, Calif., in Sam Gordon’s Restaurant. I received $5,000 for the ball. Sam gave the ball to Roger as a gift.


When everything was completed, we were leaving the restaurant. Roger reached down, put his hand to mine. He said, ‘This is for you.’ It was his New York Yankees lighter.

My wife asked the Yankees if it was OK to come to the stadium to take a picture with our 3 yr. old son and my wife. Roger was it would be fine with him. He was a real Gentleman.”

Anyone who saw the HBO movie 61* about the historic season may have wondered what Durante thought of being a real character.

“It was exciting being played in the movie 61*. They did a great job.”

Lastly, how did Durante feel about the other fan’s fame when a certain Yankee captain made more history?

Coming Wednesday: My ’10 Most Wanted List,’ Baltimore Orioles edition

Pitcher Roland “Rollie” Sheldon debuted as a footnote to history. His rookie season with the 1961 Yankees featured an impressive 11-5 mark. He would have needed to be a league leader to rival the headlines grabbed by his history-making teammates.

Having the best seat in the house for a record-breaking home run battle between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Sheldon also witnessed the wrath of reporters unleashed upon Maris.

Sheldon remembered…

“Roger experienced pressure every day. We tried to help him through each and every day by joking with him. Tried to divert the press.”

That year, did the New York media machine put extra pressure on Sheldon in his premiere season?

“They treated me great!”

Sheldon didn’t let the Yankees forget him, even after the team swapped him to the Kansas City Athletics for the 1965 season. I imagined the joy he felt on Aug. 28, 1965, three-hitting his former employers. (Thanks to http://www.retrosheet.org/ for the juicy details!) Sheldon added:

“Nervous before the game, confident during the game and proud after. I just pitched my game.”

Coming Wednesday: Helping fabled pitching coach Herm Starrette.

Former Yankee Hector Lopez is a joy. He sounds more like a fan than a co-star in baseball history, someone grateful to have been part of it all.

How did it feel watching home run history being rewritten in 1961? He recalled:

“The Maris and Mantle home run derby in 1961: I thought both were going to do it, but Mantle got hurt.”

That same year, Lopez cemented his own bit of baseball history, becoming the first Panamanian-born player to win a World Series. One year earlier, Lopez became the first native to play in a Series. To this day, he shares the glory with other countrymen.

“About the attention I got in my hometown and the country was great. Panama is a small Central American county. It was always a baseball kind of country. They had some players, very good players, before me but never made it to the Big League.


By the way, Humberto Robinson was the first Panamanian to play in the ‘Big.’ He beat me by a couple of weeks in 1955.”

Reading the Wikipedia bio of Lopez, it’s important to note that he challenged one of baseball’s last color barriers. In 1969, six years before Frank Robinson landed his Cleveland Indians job, Lopez assumed the managerial helm of AAA Buffalo Bisons.

“Being named manager of the Buffalo Bisons, I had no idea I was making history.”

Tomorrow: What are the best bargains and worst deals for TTM signers? Veteran collector Rich Hanson makes his calls.

He wrote…

“Tiger Stadium was the perfect stadium. Fair to both pitcher and hitter. What made it perfect, however, was that it was perfect for the fan. Not a bad seat in the place and you felt you could reach out and touch the players.”

In 1958, one of Porter’s Cleveland teammates was a young Roger Maris.

Although Porter uncorked just eight homers in his major league career, two blasts seemed sweetest.

Porter is one of the dwindling group of St. Louis Browns survivors. Most of all, he seems one of baseball’s most grateful alums.

“Thanks for asking,” he signed.

My pleasure, J.W.