A great video of Roberto Clemente

[steelerdude15]

It's still sad to know how his life ended, here's a great video showing his career and family.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

The greatest RF since Honus Wagner (shortstop)... There hasn't been one since and everyone can agree on that..

[cakmakli]

[BPS3akaWirels3]

http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pitt...o/oakland.html

Good old days..

[steelerdude15]

Wagner was awesome. Clemente, Wagner, and pops. The three greatest Pirates IMO. One day... we'll have another legend.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

Don't forget Kiner who is still alive..

[Akagi]

[Honus Wagner video]The greatest RF since Honus Wagner (shortstop)... There hasn't been one since and everyone can agree on that..

My dad met Honus Wagner, in the '30s when my dad was about 10 and Wagner was a Pirates coach. It was at Forbes, before a game, and my dad was bugging Honus to sign his little league (whatever it was then) ball. Finally Honus came over and said to my dad, "Here, kid. Giff me der ball," (as my dad tells it). He took the ball into the dugout, and came back about 10 minutes later and gave my dad TWO NL balls, both signed by him, and his little league ball, signed by all the players in the game then (Bucs/Cubs); the Waners, Gabby Hartnett, Pie Traynor, a whole bunch of them.

In about 1999, we took the balls to Jimmy Spence, an autograph verifier in Gilbertsville PA, to have the sigs verified. We told him the story, and he looked at the balls, and when he got to the one with all the sigs on it, he looked at it closely for a few minutes and then he started laughing. "The Wagner balls, those are both OK, I'll verify them," he said. "But this one... these are all forged. But you might want to keep it. The signatures were all forged by Honus Wagner."

We sold the two signed balls for $3000 each, and put that in my daughter's college fund. I still have the forged one, I'll post a pic if I can find it (the pic).

[BPS3akaWirels3]

My dad met Honus Wagner, in the '30s when my dad was about 10 and Wagner was a Pirates coach. It was at Forbes, before a game, and my dad was bugging Honus to sign his little league (whatever it was then) ball. Finally Honus came over and said to my dad, "Here, kid. Giff me der ball," (as my dad tells it). He took the ball into the dugout, and came back about 10 minutes later and gave my dad TWO NL balls, both signed by him, and his little league ball, signed by all the players in the game then (Bucs/Cubs); the Waners, Gabby Hartnett, Pie Traynor, a whole bunch of them.

In about 1999, we took the balls to Jimmy Spence, an autograph verifier in Gilbertsville PA, to have the sigs verified. We told him the story, and he looked at the balls, and when he got to the one with all the sigs on it, he looked at it closely for a few minutes and then he started laughing. "The Wagner balls, those are both OK, I'll verify them," he said. "But this one... these are all forged. But you might want to keep it. The signatures were all forged by Honus Wagner."

We sold the two signed balls for $3000 each, and put that in my daughter's college fund. I still have the forged one, I'll post a pic if I can find it (the pic).

Did they ever have any of his baseball cards? Maybe the T206 one.. There is a great story behind why that card is the most expensive card in baseball history...

[Akagi]

Did they ever have any of his baseball cards? Maybe the T206 one.. There is a great story behind why that card is the most expensive card in baseball history...

LOL, no. I have a Clemente rookie card, though.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

LOL, no. I have a Clemente rookie card, though.

This one?



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=310232434773

[cakmakli]

My dad met Honus Wagner, in the '30s when my dad was about 10 and Wagner was a Pirates coach. It was at Forbes, before a game, and my dad was bugging Honus to sign his little league (whatever it was then) ball. Finally Honus came over and said to my dad, "Here, kid. Giff me der ball," (as my dad tells it). He took the ball into the dugout, and came back about 10 minutes later and gave my dad TWO NL balls, both signed by him, and his little league ball, signed by all the players in the game then (Bucs/Cubs); the Waners, Gabby Hartnett, Pie Traynor, a whole bunch of them.

In about 1999, we took the balls to Jimmy Spence, an autograph verifier in Gilbertsville PA, to have the sigs verified. We told him the story, and he looked at the balls, and when he got to the one with all the sigs on it, he looked at it closely for a few minutes and then he started laughing. "The Wagner balls, those are both OK, I'll verify them," he said. "But this one... these are all forged. But you might want to keep it. The signatures were all forged by Honus Wagner."

We sold the two signed balls for $3000 each, and put that in my daughter's college fund. I still have the forged one, I'll post a pic if I can find it (the pic).

That's an awesome story.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

That's an awesome story.

I'd like to know what he would take for the forged one. Even if he didn't sign it you did say he gave it to your grandpa right Akagi? $100-$50??

[Akagi]

'79 World Series highlights... check out Pops' bat speed, even at 39yo. And Teke, the closer... pitched 3 innings! It was a different game.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

'79 World Series highlights... check out Pops' bat speed, even at 39yo. And Teke, the closer... pitched 3 innings! It was a different game.

That's ok.. I have the whole series on DVD... lol

[Akagi]

I'd like to know what he would take for the forged one. Even if he didn't sign it you did say he gave it to your grandpa right Akagi? $100-$50??

It was 11 years ago, the gist of what he said was that it was worth more as a keepsake than as marketable memorabilia.

I thought I had a picture of the ball already on Photobucket, but I don't. I'll dig it out and snap it. I have it now, it's usually within arm's reach of where I sit at the computer, but it's not there now (wife straightened up, it's prolly in a drawer somewhere now. Edit: I just asked, she said it's in a box in the back room now, she'll get it later, she says.). I'll dig out the Clemente card.

Back in the '70s me and my brother saw hundreds of games, usually about 40 a year; we shared a season ticket package with seats in the first row behind the Bucs dugout. For other games, you could get into the outfield seats for $1 with a Student ID, so we'd sign up for a night class at Pitt, or CCAC, get the ID, then drop the class. Here's me and Jim, in the Pirates 100th anniversary yearbook, 1979 World Series. Jim is front and center, I'm right behind Willie's hand. We raised some serious hell at 3 Rivers, Jim used to love to razz Pete Rose. Never got him to look over, though. Jim died this past winter, heart attack at 53 years old. I miss the living hell out of him, I do.