A Cool Cal Ripken Jr. Autograph Tale: Iron Man Inspires Iron Baby!

The first Iron Baby?

I delight in the comments section. However, I worry that readers might miss some of the all-star anecdotes arriving later.

As they say on TV, this just in…

A standing O goes to my friends at Carl Crawford Cards, who responded to my earlier assessment of the MLB Player Poll of “strangest item ever autographed.” Check this out:

“Straight up: at spring training this year Cal Ripken signed a baby onesie for my wife and I. We’d brought it as a lark for players to sign, looking to frame it later, but decided that with Cal it was quits after that.

Then my daughter was born 6 weeks early and spent 3 weeks in intensive care. Today she’s home and doing great at just under 4 months. She’s now unofficially the “Iron Baby,” and has an “Iron Man” signed-onesie to prove it.”

The moral? Find meaning in every autograph. Make the hobby your own.

Memorabilia is nothing without the MEMORY. I love this tale. Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving to the three of you.

Mrs. Ripken Kidnapping Questions

From 1987. Today’s question:
will the brothers ever sign
autographs again?

My sadness turned to alarm when reading last week’s headline about Cal Ripken Jr.’s mother being kidnapped at gunpoint from her home.

After fearing for Mrs. Ripken’s safety, I faced another looming worry.

Will this crime give unwilling autograph signers the iron-clad excuse they’ve sought to shun all fan mail? Will autograph collectors be seen as a future danger, the crazed fanatics who ferret out supposedly-secret home addresses?

Be on your best by-mail behavior, collectors. The world is watching us.

Coming Wednesday: A prayer for Virgil Trucks.