Posted By:
Frank WakefieldSo true, Joseph.
I bought Pepper Martin's 1934 Cardinal contract. Couldn't wait for it to arrive. I was at my office when UPS appeared, I signed, and immediately opened the box. Wow, Pepper's Gashouse Gang contract... I immediately called the seller. He immediately thought something was wrong and I didn't like it. I assured him I was ecstatic, and felt bad having it. I thought I'd send it to the National Baseball Museum. He said, "Frank, please don't do that." And he paused. Then he explained that if it went to Cooperstown, it would be in a box in the basement and seldom seen. If I had it I could show it to folks. Cooperstown was a terrible place to send it.
I decided he was right. I loaned it, with some other Cardinal stuff, to the St. Louis Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. There it has been on display for quite some time, until recently. The Museum is packing up and relocating to a new facility adjacent to the new ball park. One thing I loaned was an Ernie Orsatti bat. Because the bat was there, it was in the photograph of 1930's stuff in Mike Eisenbath's The Cardinals Encyclopedia. He photographed some of my stuff, and there's an an acknowledgment on page 852, which I find kinda cool.
Please don't send baseball stuff to the National Baseball Museum. They have enough. Loan or give your stuff to someplace where it can be shared, instead of stored.