My collection spans from the late 60's to present day. Thinking about it now, the bats that are special to me are the ones that I took to get autographed and got the player interested and chatting about bats. Brooks Robinson made an appearance at Milwaukee bar for the 2002 All Star game. The autos were free, and when I got to the front of the line there was a sign that said NO BATS. Brooks waived the attendant off, took the bat, slid back his chair, gave it a good grip rub and took a couple slow half swings. He smiled and gave me an "Oh Ya" before autographing it. Reggie Jackson was really interested and asked me about the bat and showed his handler the shaved handle and we had little chat about bat models. My all time favorite is Cecil Cooper. Since I was a kid I've had many encounters with him and he's always been great. I've had multiple items signed by him through the years, but when I bring him a bat, he always lights up, handles it and we discuss it. He usually has a little story to share about bats.( He once admitted he was a bat thief. He would go to the bat rack and check everybody's models, and would liberate one if he liked it, and put his number on it). Always remember those times
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