Community

Fan letting go of a lifetime of baseball

He will part with six decades of memories.

By Mike Camunas, Times Staff Writer
Published March 9, 2008

John Kearney began collecting autographs and other memorabilia in 1948. He is losing his sight now and wants to sell the collection that fills his Spring Hill garage.
	[Mike Camunas | Times]

SPRING HILL - John Kearney can barely see his baseball memorabilia collection anymore.

"I'm 82. I'm losing my eyesight," the longtime Philadelphia Phillies fan said recently, standing in his garage, where one entire wall is lined with a lifetime of baseball memories.

"I can't see out of one eye - my left eye. ... I can't drive at night. My wife has to drive. In other words, when my eyesight started going, I started to slow down. I didn't go down to spring training this year (in Clearwater), and that hurt a little bit, you know? I missed it."

His deteriorating eyesight means Kearney no longer is gathering autographs at Grapefruit League games in St. Petersburg (Tampa Bay Rays), Tampa (New York Yankees), Dunedin (Toronto Blue Jays) and, of course, Clearwater (the Phillies).

With the light fading in his baby blue eyes, he has decided to let go and put his coveted collection up for sale. Every single piece - or sections thereof - is on the market.

"It is difficult to not see it as well," Kearney said. "I know if I can't see it, it'll just get packed away in boxes somewhere or maybe sold, if I'm lucky. ... I just hope it gets to the right place, that it goes to people who care about baseball and love baseball like me. That's really all I ask of it."

It all started in 1948 with Richie Ashburn. The late Hall of Famer spent 12 of his 15 Major League seasons with Philadelphia and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

"We took a bus up to the ballpark in Philadelphia (Shibe Park)," Kearney said. "That's where I met Richie Ashburn and got his autograph, and he just went up from there, playing well. ... After that I just decided to get more of them."

He certainly did.

In all, Kearney has uncounted numbers of autographs, some in duplicate. He has 130 signed baseballs, and he got them the hard way: going to games, including traveling to Florida for spring games, and nabbing the Hall of Famers at personal appearances.

And Kearney has a witness - his wife of 60 years, Josie.

"I was never dragged to these games and events," she said. "All those pictures? I took all those pictures of all those (players with John) up there (on the wall). I enjoyed seeing all these guys as well.

"It was what we did. We went to spring training, and we saw players and got autographs. It was our hobby, I guess, but we always enjoyed it when we did go."

Josie isn't happy it all has to be sold. The collection has been a part of their lives for so long.

"If anything happens to him, what am I going to do with it?" she said. "I mean, it would be just nerve-racking if we opened it like a museum for people to come see. We'd need to sell it."

Kearney did take joy in showing off his collection on March 1, when he opened his garage to his neighbors, hoping to sell a piece here and there. But there's a sadness in his voice when he talks about selling off his treasures.

"I have pieces of baseball here," he said. "Someone else has got to want them, too."

Rare memorabilia

John Kearney's baseball collection is extensive. It's easy to see that it has been accumulated over time and with a lot of effort. Each piece he has hanging on his garage wall was obtained by him with the help of his wife, Josie.

Here's a list of some of the more notable things in the collection.

Balls: Kearney has 130 autographed baseballs, including 20 signed by Hall of Famers. Some of the more prominent autographs: commissioner Bud Selig, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, all-time hits leader Pete Rose, longtime Yankees player/manager Yogi Berra, and former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.

Bats: Kearney owns numerous bats, many used in games and autographed by a player or players.

Photos: It's one thing to have a bunch of autographs, but Kearney has plenty of photos, most of him with the Hall of Famers he's met over the years. Those are scattered on the wall like a yearbook page.

Anyone interested in contacting Kearney about his collection may call (352) 796-4858.

[Last modified March 8, 2008, 19:55:31]