Theme Balls
Collecting is not just about buying things at auction.
You have to put your own stamp on your collection: be
creative. So I started creating theme balls. For instance,
I always thought the name "Mickey" was the quintessential
baseball name. So, I had Mickey Mantle sign the sweetspot
of a baseball then had it signed by 21 other major leaguers
named Mickey. Thus, "The Mickey Ball" was born. (If
anyone knows Mickey Tettleton, have him contact me!)
It's fun thinking up themes: the "color" ball has players
with a color in their name, signed in that color. So,
Vida Blue signed in blue, Dick Green in green, etc. There's
the "Decade Home Run Ball". It's signed by the six players
who hit the most home runs in each decade from the 1940s
until now. These baseballs are extremely difficult to
put together but the satisfaction of completing a theme
ball is incredibly fulfilling. Every time I'm in the midst
of creating a new theme or event ball, I think how appreciated
they will be in a hundred years by whoever has them. 
Related links:
Read my baseball poem, Mulrooney On The Hill,
illustrated by former pitcher Bob Tewksbury.
Listen to my song There's Nothing Like The Game
of Baseball.
See my 3 books: Baseball Letters,
Every Pitcher Tells A Story, and Something
to Write Home About.
Hear my telephone conversation with Hall of Famer Ernie
Banks on how he came up with the famous phrase "Let's
Play Two!".
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