The Steiner Sports Memorabilia Blog

By Alex Cohen-Smith

After an extended hiatus searching foreign countries for different types of sports memorabilia, I am back and ready to dive in to the 2009 World Series.

The World Series is an amazing thing. It has the ability to do more than just make an entire bad season go away, it can make an entire career of futility vanish in the blink of an eye. It can make a light hitting second baseman from Pittsburgh a legend. It can forever link a New York Mets outfielder and a Boston Red Sox first baseman. It can make a pitcher who went 81-91 for his career more recognizable than most Hall-of-Famers.

Red Sox fans will never forget that Dave Roberts steal in 2004. I don’t even need to say what steal, because every Red Sox fan (and unfortunately every Yankee fan) already knows what I mean. I know as a Yankee fan, I won’t forget Johnny Damon’s 9-pitch at-bat and subsequent “double-steal” of 2nd and 3rd base.  

Damon’s regular season career has been largely above the norm. But his postseason career has taken on a life of its own. His 7 RBI versus the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, his home run to lead off Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, his 2-run double on Saturday during Game 3 to give the Yankees the lead and now his “double-steal”. Fans never forget a player that made a postseason impact, no matter how small. That’s why Yankee fans cheer loud when Homer Bush comes out on Old Timers Day.

It’s not surprising the World Series has such a large effect on a player in the eyes of baseball fans. You might be surprised however, to see how much one moment affects how much fans value their memorabilia.

Bill Mazerowski’s 1960 World Series ending homerun. Mookie Wilson’s dribbler through the wickets of Bill Buckner. Don Larsen’s perfect game. All these plays have placed these players in baseball history and memorabilia history for eternity. Everything the players touched from their respective World Series’ becomes gold. Every photo they sign is given a lifetime worth of value that can never be taken away.

Remember Doug Mientkiewicz, the first baseman with below average power and an above average glove who had one at-bat during the 2004 World Series? Would you believe his World Series memorabilia is a top-seller? The picture of Mientkiewicz catching the final out of the World Series is a product Steiner Sports has had to restock on multiple occasions since 2004. And what did Mientkiewicz do to earn this stature? Simply catch the ball that was lightly tossed to him by closer Keith Foulke.

Memorabilia is funny like that. It immortalizes the great moments created by guys like Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk and Joe Carter, but also those moments involving Mientkiewicz, Cleon Jones (catching the last out of the Mets’ 1969 World Series clincher) and Charlie Hayes (grabbing the final out in Game 6 of the Yankees’ Series win against Atlanta in 1996).

Ask yourself who will cement their place in baseball history this year.  Then ask who will cement their place in baseball memorabilia history this year? The answer may go on to surprise you. If I was a gambling man I’d put my money on Eric Hinske (you’ll get great odds).