Who Needs More Paper?

In the summer of 1963, when my brother and I were just becoming baseball fans, my father took us to see a Mets-Dodgers game at Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

We arrived at the field early, which was a treat for us, and we got to see the players warm-up. Our box seat was rather back from the field, but with hardly anyone in the stands, we ran down to front the railing where John Roseboro, the Dodger's starting catcher, was standing. He spoke to us for a minute or so, and then my brother asked, "Can I touch your glove?" Roseboro said sure.

I can't remember whether or not we asked him for an autograph, but touching his glove, the one with which he caught the fastballs and curveballs of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale was a big enough reward. The strength of that memory surpasses any autograph we might have obtained.