WHAT'S IN YOUR JUNK DRAWER?

Back on July 15^th, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record made me smile.  He did a terrific piece about what every true baseball fan should be doing once in a while. Opening up the junk drawer just to see what types of collectibles, no matter how big or small or expensive or cheap they are. You know, the stuff you've accumulated over the years. Pete's idea for his piece came from the story about the guy in Ohio that found those baseball cards of Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner in his grandfather’s attic…read that story HERE.

Caldera described some of the stuff he found around his apartment, like a matchbook from Rusty Staub’s restaurant (Rusty Staub's on Fifth) that used to be opened back in the 1980’s, a 1980 Yankees Yearbook and an old Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First?” cassette, among other things. I had to laugh.  I own an autographed Rusty Staub menu from the old restaurant somewhere as well as that Abbott & Costello cassette.  But that’s not what I found in my basement.

I have weird stuff that I’ve collected over the years.  I figured I’d share them with you, after all, it’s the beginning of the week, you’re just waking up, you’re having your coffee before work, let's start off light. Check it out:

 

I'm a card collector, but this one seems to have snuck away from my collection and was sitting in a top drawer of my laundry room.  It's a 1956 Topps card of Eddie Robinson, he was with the Yankees from 1954 to 1956 until he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics.  He was a career .268 hitter with 172 homers in 13 seasons.  Anyway... I thought that was interesting. 

 

 This is a pen I bought from at a Newark Bears game a few years back.  I was never good at keeping score while at the ballpark but I gave it shot that day, I didn't have a pencil.  I bailed on it in the 4th, but I kept the pen.

Here's a signed picture of Bo Jackson, someone I really idolized for his talent on the baseball field as well as football field.  The "Bo Knows" days were a phenomenon.  I think I got this signed years later...he was already retired.

This is one of my favorites.  It's an older ceramic Roger Maris bobble head that I bought off a dealer on ebay in the 1990's.  I've always had a thing for Maris and reading the history of how things went down in 1961, and the stress of the Home Run race.  I've always had a soft spot for him. Luckily history happened the way it did for the Maris family.  Anyway, I love this piece.

Look OUT! A 1971 Ken Singleton Topps baseball card.  Love it.  I was born in 1971 and for a while there I was trying to collect every 1971 card so I could complete the set.  That hasn't happened yet, I still have a long way to go. But it's still fun.

Remember Chase Wright? He was going to be the next big thing for the Yankees...or at least the next big thing for the moment. I kept this I guess thinking it may be worth something.  It's from that 2007 season.  It's not worth a thing, but that's OK. I did alittle research and found out Chase still pitches. He's 29 years old these days and plays for the Somerset Patriots. Good for him!

I love this.  This is a 1946 Yankees program and scorecard and inside, the Yankees played the Red Sox.  I got this from a friend a few years ago.  The scorecard is filled in. If you click on the image below, you can just make out some of the players that day for the Yankees...Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Bill Dickey.  It's just a cool, yet frail and old collectible that I stare at from time to time.

So, what do you have in your junk drawer, or basement or closet? Tell us here at BYB, comment! I’d love to hear about it.  Better yet, take pictures of your items and send them to Bleednyankeeblu@gmail.com and we’ll do a piece about it.  Include your name and the city you're from with a picture of something you’ve come across.  I can’t wait to see what you guys have!

And thanks for the idea Pete Caldera, you da man! Enjoy this everyone!

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