HR Balls

[byergo]

Re: HR Balls

I realize that an umpire has been busted for fraud in the past (not this one), but I conducted my research prior to pulling the trigger on the ball. Durwood Merrill was a man of great integrity who was highly respected and served the game for over two decades, and was never involved in anything untoward/illegal/unethical. And it's not like MLB was issuing hologram online certs in 1988! I really don't know how much better the provenance could be?!

I also couldn't find any other LOA's from Durwood (nothing for sale anywhere on ebay or that can be googled), so it's not like there is a ton of items with his letter floating around. As far as his access to obtain the ball, he was a famous umpire and would have tremendous access/connections to obtain the ball from baseball staff, players, etc... up to and including Bo Jackson himself, whom was a personal friend.

Thanks for sharing the info. I want to analyze every angle to make sure that I own the piece of history that I think I own. If it's real, as I believe it is, it's a truly special, historically significant item.

[allstarsplus]

Re: HR Balls

I also couldn't find any other LOA's from Durwood (nothing for sale anywhere on ebay or that can be googled), so it's not like there is a ton of items with his letter floating around.

Byergo - Merrill's LOA is his standard LOA with the "fill in the blanks". If he didn't do lots of LOA's then why use a form letter and drop in the one liner of what it is "BO JACKSON AUTOGRAPHED 1988 HOMERUN #12 BASEBALL". Luckily he put a pic of the ball in the bottom right which matches your ball.

You are correct that pre-MLB holograms you have to rely on alternative documentation.

Umpires do sometimes collect HR balls that come back in the field of play, but it would need some provenance to explain how Merrill collected a 500 foot blast that went out of the field of play.

I agree with you that the LOA helps. You paid a price which seems like a great price for a regular signed Bo Jackson so the HR provenance it a plus. Hopefully one day you can meet up with Bo at a show and see what he can tell you about the ball.

[byergo]

Re: HR Balls

In his autobiography, Merrill wrote about how Bo promised to hit a homerun for him prior to a game he was calling, he teased Bo late in the game about how he didn't hit a HR, then in Bo's last at bat he cranked one out of the park and gave him the autographed HR bat after the game. He tried to give him the bat immediately upon rounding the bases, but Durwood was worried that that might cause a problem with MLB admistration! I'm sure there is a neat story to go with this ball. Hope I get to hear it someday.

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

I found it was odd an ump would end up with a HR ball, afterall he is on the field working when the ball went over the fence.

What really makes this ball a stretch in my opinion is the fact that this ump was working the Twins v Orioles game in Baltimore at the time Bo hit is 12th homer of 1988.

[byergo]

Re: HR Balls

I'm being serious here, why would you find it odd that a prominant umpire would end up with an autographed home run baseball from a player he was friends with? Do you like controversy or to you really find it that odd? With so many of us "average Joe's" out there owning high quality game used items, why would it be strange for someone who spend their entire life in the game of baseball and knew everyone in the game would end up with a number of exceptional items for their personal collection? Or for that matter any player, team excecutive, agent, bat boy, etc...?

If the ball isn't legit (which I have no reason whatsover to believe) of course I'd want to be the first to know, not that it's for sale anyway; but I won't come to that conclusion on baseless speculation. I guess to sum up my opinion: I find it odd that you find it so odd!

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

Whether the ball is real or not doesn't affect me in anyway. For your sake I hope the ball is real and it would be a great find.

However saying the ball has great provenance is very far fetched. It has a letter from a guy that was hundreds of miles away when the event occurred. The ump didn't catch it, didn't see the person who caught it, didn't receive it from the person who caught it, nor was he even in the ballpark when it happened. Kind of hard to attest to it's authenticity when you were not even there.

You are basing the authenticity of the ball on the letter because in no way does this ball speak for it's self. The letter is generic. It is more a letter about the ump that explains him and his credibility. At the bottom the picture and ball description was inserted. It seems vague on purpose. What does "Bo Jackson autographed 1988 homerun #12" really mean? Was this ball hit by Bo? Was this ball used in a game in which Bo hit his 12th homerun? No where on this letter does it specifically state that this ball is Bo Jackson's homerun ball. The author of the letter gives you enough info to connect the dots and assume it is Bo's ball without stating it. Why is that? (Sort of like a Joe Dimaggio autograph with a J. Dimaggio LOA. You may think the J stands for Joe but it is Jim, and he has no idea what a real Joe Dimaggio autograph is.)

Can you even be sure that the letter is really from the ump. (I can duplicate that letter.) Do you know if that is really his signature on the letter? In addition, doctoring baseballs shouldn't be that hard. Not hard to get a signed game used ball and write some additional info on it.

Furthurmore, Merrill died at the age of 65 in 2003. Does the letter look like it is at least 4.5 years old or does it look fresh? Would Merrill have had the foresight (or the need) to be making LOAs for his items before his death? Digital photography and photoshop software wasn't as popular and user friendly at that time.

You are correct in that we all have obtained items which are many steps or owners removed from their game or event. However we are not all writing our own LOAs attesting to their authenticity.

Not trying to create controversy here. Just being consistent. Questioning suspect items doesn't stop at Lou Lampson. And I would most certainly hope others bring to light facts about items I own that may be suspect in their eyes.

Bryan

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

Whether the ball is real or not doesn't affect me in anyway. For your sake I hope the ball is real and it would be a great find.

However saying the ball has great provenance is very far fetched. It has a letter from a guy that was hundreds of miles away when the event occurred. The ump didn't catch it, didn't see the person who caught it, didn't receive it from the person who caught it, nor was he even in the ballpark when it happened. Kind of hard to attest to it's authenticity when you were not even there.

You are basing the authenticity of the ball on the letter because in no way does this ball speak for it's self. The letter is generic. It is more a letter about the ump that explains him and his credibility. At the bottom the picture and ball description was inserted. It seems vague on purpose. What does "Bo Jackson autographed 1988 homerun #12" really mean? Was this ball hit by Bo? Was this ball used in a game in which Bo hit his 12th homerun? No where on this letter does it specifically state that this ball is Bo Jackson's homerun ball. The author of the letter gives you enough info to connect the dots and assume it is Bo's ball without stating it. Why is that? (Sort of like a Joe Dimaggio autograph with a J. Dimaggio LOA. You may think the J stands for Joe but it is Jim, and he has no idea what a real Joe Dimaggio autograph is.)

Can you even be sure that the letter is really from the ump. (I can duplicate that letter.) Do you know if that is really his signature on the letter? In addition, doctoring baseballs shouldn't be that hard. Not hard to get a signed game used ball and write some additional info on it.

Furthurmore, Merrill died at the age of 65 in 2003. Does the letter look like it is at least 4.5 years old or does it look fresh? Would Merrill have had the foresight (or the need) to be making LOAs for his items before his death? Digital photography and photoshop software wasn't as popular and user friendly at that time.

You are correct in that we all have obtained items which are many steps or owners removed from their game or event. However we are not all writing our own LOAs attesting to their authenticity.

Not trying to create controversy here. Just being consistent. Questioning suspect items doesn't stop at Lou Lampson. And I would most certainly hope others bring to light facts about items I own that may be suspect in their eyes.

Bryan

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

Sorry for the double post. Would a mod please delete one?

Thanks.

[byergo]

Re: HR Balls

I wish I had those two minutes of my life back. Keep up the good work saving the world man! Some of you guys really crack me up!

[nycsports]

Re: HR Balls

Very good points sylbry. I think it is safe to say that there is no way to be 100% certain that the ball is the actual Home Run ball. The letter helps, but at the same time there is a lot that doesn't match up. Byergo, maybe if you were lucky enough to talk to Bo, he could help fill in some of the gaps. He may say that he remembers hitting the home run onto the street, but was never able to track down the ball. For your sake though, I do hope that the ball is the real HR ball. Good luck with your research.

[byergo]

Re: HR Balls

I never said anything about a street. I don't know the exact config of Fenway. I do know it has changed, as apparently the scoreboard Bo hit the HR over is no longer there.

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

If the ball isn't legit (which I have no reason whatsover to believe) of course I'd want to be the first to know, not that it's for sale anyway; but I won't come to that conclusion on baseless speculation. I guess to sum up my opinion: I find it odd that you find it so odd!

The above statement seems to contradict the below statement.

I wish I had those two minutes of my life back. Keep up the good work saving the world man! Some of you guys really crack me up!

Amazing how you couldn't comment on one issue I brought up. And here I thought I would get a thank you for digging up the fact that Merrill didn't work at that game in which the HR was hit and he passed away 4.5 years ago. j/k

Anyways, just chalk this discussion up to each individual's level of comfort. Not the first time we didn't see eye to eye on Bo stuff.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1556

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8966

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

I asked how do you even know if that is Durwood's signature. Here is one for comparison.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Umpire-Durwood-Merrill-SIGNED-Yer-Out-Yer-Ugly-Too_W0QQitemZ120145256787QQcmdZViewItem

The LOA

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=300110442461&rd=1&rd=1

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

And on a related note check out this Mark Grace ball.

http://www.gracecollector.com/theoddballs.html

An AL ump working in Texas has a HR ball from a NL game taking place in Pittsburg.

Other Merrill balls.

http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=8765

Again, AL ump NL ball. Merrill was in Detroit that day.

http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=8767

Game was played in Baltimore, Merrill was in Cleveland.

[sylbry]

Re: HR Balls

Last post.

Interesting note. Durwood's collection was sold in March 2003. He died in January 2003.

http://www.markgrace.com/memorabilia6.html

(Same Mark Grace ball, different website. This site has an LOA online.)

I would imagine this research is far more exhaustive that you performed. Certainly you can not say you wish you had your two minutes back.