SportsNation on their favorite souvenirs
Every sports buff has that one piece of paraphernalia that they'd never part with -- a morsel of magic, Orlando or otherwise, that takes them back to the people and places that made being a fan fun. ESPN's Cindy Brunson cherishes a baseball caught by husband and fellow ESPN anchor Steve Berthiaume on their first date. ("Not only did Steve catch the ball with his right hand, he held onto his beer with his left. I think he may have snagged my heart that day too."). Hannah Storm treasures an old ABA basketball with her father's signature on it, a reminder of a man who always "figured out a way to make his dreams come true." (Click here to read about other ESPN on-air personalities' favorite sports souvenirs.)
But if SportsNation has taught us anything, it's that you don't have to be a famous sportscaster to have cool collectibles. Just ask RJ BRACKETT, who has a football signed by all seven Heisman Trophy winners who played for Notre Dame. Or RickOB57, who sent a letter of encouragement to Jim Valvano and received an autographed postcard in return.
We rounded up more of our favorite sports-item stories below. Be sure to share yours in the comments section at the bottom of the page!
One great Olympian
"I was at the '76 Olympics when Bruce Jenner won the Decathlon. The seat I was in was pretty high up in Olympic Stadium, but I remember looking down and seeing Jenner 'go crazy' after winning … I was 13 years old during the summer of 1976."
-- wafflehousesteve
Bald bonus
"I was working in a restaurant and had really long hair. One day my boss walks in with an autographed John Elway poster; authentic, nice and framed. It was from his last game against the Falcons, and he offered it to me if I agreed to shave my head! I'm bald now!"
-- ed0811
The Great One
"I used to live in Burlington, Vermont where the NY Rangers have their training camp. A couple of friends of mine and I went to a sports bar to watch a Monday Night Football game. Sitting at a table with about ten other people that I didn't recognize was none other than Wayne Gretzky. Apparently he was taking all of the rookies out for a night on the town. My girlfriend went up to him and asked him to autograph a bar coaster. He gladly obliged. It is the only piece of sports memorabilia I own."
-- VIGMAN30
Bet you can't top this
"I own Pete Rose's 'Apology Ball.' It's an official Major League Baseball, autographed with him writing 'I'm sorry I bet on baseball' above his signature. It was a Christmas gift from my father. I have a picture of it hanging in my cubical."
-- broadcrashter
Pin pusher
"I have many Penn State buttons that the Central Counties Bank started producing in 1972 for PSU home games. After the buttons were such a great success in '72, the bank started producing them for all PSU games with their name on them for advertising. There are 5 very rare pins that were made for away games, and since not many people were in Happy Valley for away games they were not handed out as much (hence their rareness). I own two rare pins: '73 'Flatten the Falcons' and '73 'Tear the Terrapins.'"
-- justinobleman
Helping Huskies
"My son and I have an autographed 2004 UConn Huskies basketball signed by all the players and Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. We were working at a volunteer food donation program and the UConn basketball players participated as well. We spent two hours working side by side with all the players. When the event was drawing to a conclusion, we got the ball signed by the players, including NBA draft picks Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Rudy Gay, Charlie Villanueva, and Marcus Williams. My son's favorite player was Justin Evanovich, who was sporting a black eye courtesy of an Emeka Okafor left elbow from practice the day before."
-- enythingoes
Star struck
"Matt Ryan signed my 12-year-old son's jersey. He asked my son how he was doing and my son just froze up; he didn't respond. Matt said, 'Are you okay kid?' Finally my boy goes, 'Uhhh, yeah!' Matt and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Thanks Matt, stay real!"
-- mikkel009
Worth every quarter
"When I was 11, my father took me to Game 6 of the '96 World Series. After the last pitch was thrown, and the Yankees secured their first World Series of the '90s dynasty, this random guy came up to me with a quarter and said, 'Keep this forever to remember this night by.' The quarter is dated '1996' and needless to say I still have it sitting in my room."
-- peteypop32
Wall-to-wall coverage
"My son Chris and I have acquired several 'personalized' (to Chris) autographed pictures that we proudly display on a wall in my home office: Archie Manning as the Saints quarterback; Don Shula as the Miami Dolphins coach; Rod Smith as the Denver Broncos wide receiver; and Cullen Bryant as the L.A. Rams running back. We also display a Texas Longhorns mini-helmet signed by Ricky Williams, an autographed Raptors basketball signed by Isiah Thomas, and an autographed cap from the Sprint International Golf Tournament signed by Phil Mickelson. We are pleasantly reminded of how excited we were each time we had the pleasure of meeting one of these great sports figures, every time we look at our 'Wall of Fame.'"
-- kkheldt
There's no place like home
"My favorite sports item is a ticket from the last game ever played at Veterans Stadium signed by the Phillies starting pitcher, Randy Wolf. I was 14 and had season tickets to both the Phillies and the Eagles from the time I was four months old. That was literally my second home."
-- TheRealRyan1
Thanks Mom
"In the mid-1970s, my Mom went to a book signing and surprised me on my birthday with an autographed copy of the Bernie Parent (Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup winning goalie) autobiography called 'Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.' Inside was a personal message to me from Bernie Parent and his autograph. I cherish those memories of my Mom, the glory days of the Flyers, and my youth in Philadelphia, Pa. Every time I open the book I am taken back there."
-- Skubishack
Get with this program
"My pride and joy is a 1978 All-Star program signed by Pete Rose, Steve Garvey, Joe Morgan, Reggie Smith, Larry Bowa, Ron Cey, Dave Concepcion, Vida Blue, George Foster, Davey Lopes, Rick Monday, Greg Luzinski, Jack Clark, Ted Simmons, Dave Winfield, Rollie Fingers, Ross Grimsley and Tom Seaver."
-- carmenpell@aol.com
Bowl of pro
"I have fifteen Benihana napkins signed by twenty Pro Bowlers from 1985. My favorite is the crazy cool #99 Mark Gastineau (former DE for the Jets). We walked in, sat down, and there they were across the room. I was like 13 and my Dad had to practically tie me down until they finished eating. These guys were very good to me and showed class today's athletes never will know. Especially Mr. Gastineau!"
-- CHAZZISZ1
Kaitlin Daley is an editor for ESPN.com.
