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Jul. 17—MITCHELL — Dave Huber looks over his prize baseball with pride.
It has quite a unique story, even beyond its signatures from baseball immortality Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. And Huber loves sharing the ball's tale.
For the past 40 years, the ball has been under lock and key at a safety deposit box in a Mitchell bank. But it's finally been taken out and had its authenticity proven earlier this year and will soon be displayed for baseball enthusiasts to enjoy. It really was signed by two of the most famous New York Yankees of all time, which Huber says makes the ball worth thousands of dollars.
"There was never a doubt in my mind it wasn't true," said Huber, 72.
The story begins with Huber talking about the U.S.S. Idaho, a Navy ship commissioned in 1919, and its head gunner, Frank Whiskers, who was on rest and recuperation in New York. There, Whiskers went to a ballgame at Yankee Stadium.
"Supposedly Lou Gehrig hit this ball out during batting practice for a home run," Huber says. "Frank goes and gets it and brings it back to Lou and asks him to sign it for his daughter. Babe supposedly, standing over there, says, 'I want to hit the SOB out, too.' Supposedly he did, they retrieved it and Babe signed it."
Gehrig and Ruth played together for 12 seasons, from 1923 to 1934, though Huber is unsure what year the ball originated.
Whiskers, who was out of the Navy by 1928, later passed the ball down to his only child, a daughter, Betty Whiskers, and the family settled in Turlock, California. Betty Whiskers in 1959 married Huber's grandfather's first cousin, Harlan Hackett, and the couple would often visit South Dakota in the summer. Hackett was a Hurley, S.D., native.
When Huber was about 12 years old one day after playing in a baseball game, he and his family, who lived near Fulton, were sitting at the table eating and Betty Whiskers told them about the ball. Huber couldn't believe it.
Fast forward more than two decades to 1986 when Huber was 33 years old. He traveled to California and visited Betty Whiskers, who still lived in Turlock.
"She threw this sack at me," Huber said. "I open it up and there's this thing and I'm drooling all over it. She wasn't telling a story. It was true.
"This wasn't even a blood relative. It just floored me that after 20 years she remembered that."
What makes the story even more unique, Huber says, is how the ball is signed. Ruth and Gehrig's names are stacked on top of each other. It's rare to find a ball signed by the duo with their names close in proximity, Huber said.
"Now, if you know the Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth story, they weren't the chummy-iest of friends," Huber said. "If you research that, you can read a lot about that. Lou stole a lot of Babe's fame. He was rising the ranks and there was a rub between the two."
In April, Huber decided it was time to pull the ball from the darkness of the safe and get it certified. He's not getting any younger, he said, and it was important to plan how the family heirloom would be passed down.
Huber sent the ball highly insured via United States Postal Service to Professional Sports Authenticator, a company that grades and reviews autographs.
It was sent to Newport Beach, California. Huber paid an extra fee to have a fast turnaround, but he didn't hear anything after five days. So he called the company and told a representative of the package he sent.
"I told them mine is marked 'very special' and inside it is a baseball signed by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, and the gal said, 'What did you say? Oh my god.'"
Within three hours, Huber received a phone call back and the company authenticated it. The ball was graded a 7 out of 10 on its signatures, meaning the ink still is high quality. The ball's overall condition was graded a 3 due to its longevity and the fact it was a highly used batting practice ball.
"I wanted to make sure while I'm alive that we have it organized," Huber said. "We talked about it for years. But we didn't know how to do it."
Huber plans to display the ball at the South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament, which begins Aug. 5 and runs 12 days at Cadwell Park in Mitchell. Specific information about games and times Huber plans to bring the ball to the tournament will be shared at a later date.
What's the value in the ball? There's no way to determine exactly, but Huber has found similar autographed Ruth-Gehrig balls for sale ranging between $50,000 and $60,000. The authenticating company has the ability to sell it, he said, but Huber's three children agree it should stay in the family.
"I don't care if a guy offered me a million dollars," Huber said. "It's just a treasure."
Continue reading...
It has quite a unique story, even beyond its signatures from baseball immortality Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. And Huber loves sharing the ball's tale.
For the past 40 years, the ball has been under lock and key at a safety deposit box in a Mitchell bank. But it's finally been taken out and had its authenticity proven earlier this year and will soon be displayed for baseball enthusiasts to enjoy. It really was signed by two of the most famous New York Yankees of all time, which Huber says makes the ball worth thousands of dollars.
"There was never a doubt in my mind it wasn't true," said Huber, 72.
The story begins with Huber talking about the U.S.S. Idaho, a Navy ship commissioned in 1919, and its head gunner, Frank Whiskers, who was on rest and recuperation in New York. There, Whiskers went to a ballgame at Yankee Stadium.
"Supposedly Lou Gehrig hit this ball out during batting practice for a home run," Huber says. "Frank goes and gets it and brings it back to Lou and asks him to sign it for his daughter. Babe supposedly, standing over there, says, 'I want to hit the SOB out, too.' Supposedly he did, they retrieved it and Babe signed it."
Gehrig and Ruth played together for 12 seasons, from 1923 to 1934, though Huber is unsure what year the ball originated.
Whiskers, who was out of the Navy by 1928, later passed the ball down to his only child, a daughter, Betty Whiskers, and the family settled in Turlock, California. Betty Whiskers in 1959 married Huber's grandfather's first cousin, Harlan Hackett, and the couple would often visit South Dakota in the summer. Hackett was a Hurley, S.D., native.
When Huber was about 12 years old one day after playing in a baseball game, he and his family, who lived near Fulton, were sitting at the table eating and Betty Whiskers told them about the ball. Huber couldn't believe it.
Fast forward more than two decades to 1986 when Huber was 33 years old. He traveled to California and visited Betty Whiskers, who still lived in Turlock.
"She threw this sack at me," Huber said. "I open it up and there's this thing and I'm drooling all over it. She wasn't telling a story. It was true.
"This wasn't even a blood relative. It just floored me that after 20 years she remembered that."
What makes the story even more unique, Huber says, is how the ball is signed. Ruth and Gehrig's names are stacked on top of each other. It's rare to find a ball signed by the duo with their names close in proximity, Huber said.
"Now, if you know the Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth story, they weren't the chummy-iest of friends," Huber said. "If you research that, you can read a lot about that. Lou stole a lot of Babe's fame. He was rising the ranks and there was a rub between the two."
In April, Huber decided it was time to pull the ball from the darkness of the safe and get it certified. He's not getting any younger, he said, and it was important to plan how the family heirloom would be passed down.
Huber sent the ball highly insured via United States Postal Service to Professional Sports Authenticator, a company that grades and reviews autographs.
It was sent to Newport Beach, California. Huber paid an extra fee to have a fast turnaround, but he didn't hear anything after five days. So he called the company and told a representative of the package he sent.
"I told them mine is marked 'very special' and inside it is a baseball signed by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, and the gal said, 'What did you say? Oh my god.'"
Within three hours, Huber received a phone call back and the company authenticated it. The ball was graded a 7 out of 10 on its signatures, meaning the ink still is high quality. The ball's overall condition was graded a 3 due to its longevity and the fact it was a highly used batting practice ball.
"I wanted to make sure while I'm alive that we have it organized," Huber said. "We talked about it for years. But we didn't know how to do it."
Huber plans to display the ball at the South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament, which begins Aug. 5 and runs 12 days at Cadwell Park in Mitchell. Specific information about games and times Huber plans to bring the ball to the tournament will be shared at a later date.
What's the value in the ball? There's no way to determine exactly, but Huber has found similar autographed Ruth-Gehrig balls for sale ranging between $50,000 and $60,000. The authenticating company has the ability to sell it, he said, but Huber's three children agree it should stay in the family.
"I don't care if a guy offered me a million dollars," Huber said. "It's just a treasure."
Continue reading...
