Rock icon Eddie Money explains his hobby succinctly: "I might be a rock 'n' roll celebrity, but I'm really just a sports groupie!" He came by it honestly -- when he was a little boy, his dad was an usher at Ebbets Field, the home of the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers. Thanks to that familial connection, the youngster was able to see many of the greats -- among them Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella -- play while they were still in their prime. In fact, until he was inspired by Elvis and the Beatles to go into music, his ambition was to be a professional ballplayer. Money's collection includes a number of autographed baseballs (figure A): a 1955 Dodgers, a 1988 Twins and a Reds from that same year (which he had to put in a case after finding resin oil on it from his sons' mitts!) and a Pete Rose, to name just a few. He recommends keeping collectible baseballs in inexpensive plastic display boxes (figure B) for safekeeping: "...[T]he boxes are about $6 apiece. And of course, the balls are priceless." Baseball isn't Money's only passion: there's also an impressive collection of autographed footballs, each of which he keeps in a velvet storage bag (figure C). And like any committed collector, he's learned a few things the hard way. His advice to other dads (and moms) who collect sports memorabilia: "Kids are like wrecking balls! You know, you've got to keep these items away from children because it looks like something that they want to play with!"
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