Originally Posted by Scott Garner (Post 1408902)

One sub theme in my advanced Nolan Ryan collection is to find the game used bat of every catcher that was involved in a significant career pitching milestone(s).
Once I find the bat I have had the catcher sign and inscribe their game used bat- ex. Jeff Torborg 1000th strikeout and 1st no-hitter catcher, etc.
Since most of his catchers are fairly obscure, finding a game used bat for these guys has proven to be very challenging...

Some of you that know me may have noticed that I have occasionally posted on the BST looking for a Mark Bailey bat.

This is a collecting theme that I have chased since I first got the idea in the early 1990's. I have been successful at finding a game used bat for each of these milestone catchers. The last game used bat that I needed to get signed was catcher Mark Bailey of the Houston Astros. Bailey is not a common signer, so I sent him a letter letting him know what I was working on and asked if he would sign & inscribe his game used bat. He immediately responded and said he would be glad to do it for me.

This is where things got interesting...
In 2006 I sent Bailey a really nice example of his H & B game used bat along with return postage and a very nice thank you letter.
The interesting thing is that the bat was cleverly corked (ala Slammin' Sammy Sosa).
I noted that the end had been drilled out, substance inserted (cork or ?) and the end was patched up, repainted (in black) and his uni # 6 was written over the end. Of course I made no mention of this when I sent him the bat.
Long story short, he never returned the bat even after I sent him two additional letters, one containing $$. No bat.

It's taken me 9 years to find another one, but mission accomplished.
Needless to say, I will not be sending him this one. It's a nice bat with excellent use. No cork this time though. :p ;)

Originally Posted by pencil1974 (Post 1414194)

Sold my Ruth ball after I got nervous about displaying and thinking the ball was starting to change color (which it probably wasn't was just paranoid). Anyway I found something else instead that went more in line with my collection. Here is my newest Ruth auto.

Originally Posted by Scott Garner (Post 1415029)

May continues to be a great month for world class pickups.
Here is my latest, a game used baseball from Nolan Ryan's 2nd career no-hitter on 7/15/73 at DET.

Ryan fanned 17 in this game and, according to Nolan himself, this was his best pitched game in the big leagues.
Tigers Norm Cash pranked the futility of trying to hit off of Nolan by arriving to the plate with a table leg instead of a bat with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Home plate umpire Ron Luciano had him get rid of the table leg and replace it with a real bat, but it got a laugh out of everyone that was in on the gag. It didn't matter because Cash immediately grounded out to end the game. The Detroit Free Press interviewed several of the hometown Tigers after the game. The consensus was that Ryan had "everything" that night, and Nolan's 2nd no-hitter in as many months in 1973 ranks right up there as arguably one of the most dominating game's ever pitched.

This ball came from the private collection of one of the most advanced Ryan collectors, and close personal friend, and hasn't entered the hobby in perhaps 15+ years. It originated directly from one of the camera men that worked Ryan's 2nd no-hitter game and saved a ball that was fouled off a Ryan pitch that ended up in the camera well. He was fortunate enough to get Nolan to sign the ball after the game.

Originally Posted by 39special (Post 1415035)

Another great pickup Scott! How many game used Ryan balls do you have?

Originally Posted by kjjavic (Post 1408922)

Thanks Clint. The white - green wing helmet is on one of my mannequins. That mannequin is wearing a 1969 Gary Ballman game used jersey, and a pair of 1969 to 1971 Eagles game worn pants.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...pspppbavhd.jpg