A Few Memories of Mine of Dutch

[Dark Raver Camper]

As many of you possibly read, ex mlb player, Darren Dalton has passed away from brain cancer.

 

My first personal interaction with him was in 1987, possibly 88, lean 87. I recall him and Kevin Gross and maybe an announcer, not kalas, but the other came to a grand opening of an Orloskis Quick Mart, near me. My mom took me and I brought some baseball cards and a glove, that was a Sunday give away, at a Phillies game. The players were nice. Possibly some of you dinosaurs remember Kevin gross got ejected in a game for having sandpaper in his glove. That was possibly in 88, after the signing. Oddly enough, I was at that game, at the vet.

 

Around 88 I turned into an autograph hound. My parents, mostly my dad, would take me to about 6 phillies games a year. Now I lived about 2 1/2 hours away, it wasn't a quick trip. He found a solid scalper (white fella) who ran a parking lot, not an official vet on premises lot, but more towards the spectrum. Lower level, about 16th row. My old man would take me so we'd arrive at about 2 ish, for a 7 or 7:30 game. This fucking guy would just sit there and read the newspaper, while I'd wait by the press entrance for the visiting players to come mostly by cab, sometimes by train, or lastly the team bus. I'm rambling here, and getting off topic, but I have no idea how this man did this for me. He allowed me to stay after the games were over, to catch players leaving, then drive home. At that time I wore chuck Taylors, without socks, and he would gag when I took my shoes off. He's still alive and lucid. Writing this makes me realize that what he did for me is 1,000% better than what I do for my kid. I need to let him know how much I appreciate what he did.

 

Ok, back to dd. I don't recall one time where I engaged Darren for an autograph, where he didn't sign. I rarely waited by the phillies gated parking lot however local sharply autograph hounds sometimes would recognize players cars pulling in, and you'd sprint to that section or during getaway day, phils would drop off their luggage near the press entrance. He always signed. I'm getting old but I recall he had a black Porsche. Now I don't know if this is the same car he crashed into tree with dykstra but I remember a black Porsche, and both of them had a black Porsche.

 

The phillies moved their aaa team to Scranton/Wilkes barre and I turned into a mega auto hound. Before I could drive, my mom would drop me off around 2, and I'd go into the stadium, get graphs, and cracked bats. This went on from 89 to 93.

 

At some point Dutch and Kruk were on a rehab assignment around the sametime. Dutch broke his bat, and I got it. He signed it. I had a few more interactions with him later, at the Vet. He always signed. In my estimation, I probably got him to sign 20-30 cards, the glove and bat.

 

This is where the story sours. As of now, I probably have 5% of the autographs I got. I have no cracked bats, and I probably got between 50-75. Most notably Jim thome/ autographed, sold for about $50, two, yes two Sammy Sosa bats, one cracked, the other stolen, from the clubhouse, not cracked, no auto, probably sold both for $50 each. Now this was before him turning into a beast. Dykstra cracked bat, sold for maybe 30. They were the best, but I got another mlb's like Wilfredo Cordero, bill hassleman, Devon white, Travis Fryman, Glenn Allan hill, and a bunch of nobodies who never progressed.

 

All of them and the autos, accept for a few I kept because they were cool to me, or fucking died (Tim crews, Steve Olin) are gone, just to fund my gambling habit.

 

It pains me to say this but luckily my boy had no interest in most sports. Fuck, when I was his age, that is just when my old man took me to games, I knew the players, watched games, and collected cards.

 

I know the Dutch autographed cracked bat I had wouldn't put me on easy street now, if I retained it. I just wanted to say a deserved kind word for someone who I will remember until I can't remember anymore.

 

RIP Dutch!

[Dark Raver Camper]

I'm not spellchecking this bible verse either.