The art of clubhouse signatures on team balls has changed very little as
the national pastime prepares to cross that bridge into the 21st Century.
Most of a team's players will dutifully stop at a table with a few dozen
baseballs and sign; many superstars simply are too preoccupied with the
demands that fame brings to sign more than a few balls per box. In many
cases, the gaps in the lineup are filled by newly charged ghost signers.
You think things were better in the old days? Think again. Babe Ruth was
hit or miss on some of those team balls from the '20s. His reputation for
showing up in time for batting practice or 20 minutes before game time was
real. He had no time to sign so many team balls. Mickey Mantle left team
ball autographs to a clubhouse attendants, who were looking for things to
do. For a few bucks from the Mick, the signer would vicariously share fame
with the Mick. Fast forwarding to the '50s, the Dodgers employed a fellow
named Charlie "The Brow" DiGiovanna, who was the sultan of the clubhouse
signers. Experts say he signed entire 1955 Dodger team balls that are
"fantastic." He could do Campanella, Hodges, Reese, and Jackie Robinson
perfectly.
These days, demand is high for '77 and '78 Yankee team balls, with Jackson,
Munson and Billy Martin. Many of the Munsons are unauthentic, as are
almost all of the Jackson signatures, many of which were signed by a ghost
signer, who today is a sports agent.
The art of clubhouse signatures on team balls has changed very little as
the national pastime prepares to cross that bridge into the 21st Century.
Most of a team's players will dutifully stop at a table with a few dozen
baseballs and sign; many superstars simply are too preoccupied with the
demands that fame brings to sign more than a few balls per box. In many
cases, the gaps in the lineup are filled by newly charged ghost signers.
You think things were better in the old days? Think again. Babe Ruth was
hit or miss on some of those team balls from the '20s. His reputation for
showing up in time for batting practice or 20 minutes before game time was
real. He had no time to sign so many team balls. Mickey Mantle left team
ball autographs to a clubhouse attendants, who were looking for things to
do. For a few bucks from the Mick, the signer would vicariously share fame
with the Mick. Fast forwarding to the '50s, the Dodgers employed a fellow
named Charlie "The Brow" DiGiovanna, who was the sultan of the clubhouse
signers. Experts say he signed entire 1955 Dodger team balls that are
"fantastic." He could do Campanella, Hodges, Reese, and Jackie Robinson
perfectly.