The Times They Are A-Changin’

It should be fairly obvious that I am a compulsive sports zealot. I’ve had this affliction since 1962. As the years have passed my passion for anything sports related has grown in magnitude. To be sure there have been peaks and valleys, but there has always been a steady increase in my obsession. The main sports that I have fixated on are football, baseball, hockey and basketball. My infatuation for these four sports has been a huge part of my life. But, as Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a-changin’.

I have always had an abnormal interest in hockey. This is evidenced by the hundreds and hundreds of hockey cards stored in boxes in my closet…and the thousands and thousands on the shelves in the basement. My collection of 500 Jaromir Jagr alone stands at over five hundred. But alas, my enthusiasm for hockey has inexplicably waned considerably over the past few years.

My interest in basketball has diminished on a larger scale. Although I have never purchased a basketball card, I once was a big fan of the NBA and the Milwaukee Bucks. Today. I couldn’t care less about either. I still enjoy college hoops, but the NBA is irrelevant to me.

That leaves my two favorites, football and baseball. Being a man of size, I have always been partial to football, with baseball a close second. The first sport cards I bought were football. It was much later before I became a baseball card fanatic. Now I collect neither and baseball has passed football as my sport of choice.

Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s that I perceive that the NFL has changed, but I now prefer the game played with the ball made of horsehide over the one played with the ball made of the skin of the pig.

This became blatantly obvious to me on Sunday when the 2009 Major League Baseball regular season came to an end. No more Brewers, no more fantasy baseball lineups to ponder over. Normally I would be fired up for the Pack and NFL, but that wasn’t the case.

I know, I know, you are thinking that the reason I don’t enjoy football as much anymore is because of the Packers recent struggles. That’s not why. Last night I watched the game, cheering for the Green and Gold to triumph over #4 and his Viking cohorts. But when they lost, it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it would of in the past. It honestly upsets me more when the Brewers lose to the Cubs or the Cardinals.

The last piece of evidence illustrating how my passion for sports has changed is what I still collect. As I stated previously, I no longer collect sports cards. In fact, last month I sold the two #4 Rookie Cards that I owned. I would love to get rid most of the rest that I have accumulated over the decades. The only ones I intend on hanging on to are a handful of Prince Fielder cards and my Packer Rookie Cards from the Lombardi era.

Speaking of the Lombardi era Packers, they are the focal point of what sports memorabilia I do continue to collect. The crown jewel is my collection of 22 autographed Green Bay Packer mini helmets.

Players included in the collection are the following: Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Don Chandler, Zeke Bratkowski, Jerry Kramer, Forrest Gregg, Fuzzy Thurston, Bob Skoronski, Ken Bowman, Gale Gillingham, Boyd Dowler, Ron Kramer, Carroll Dale, Marv Fleming, Willie Davis, Dave Robinson, Willie Wood, Herb Adderley, Bob Jeter, Doug Hart, Tom Moore and my pride and joy, Paul Horning and the late Max McGee on the same helmet.

Packer Mini Helmets and Brewer Baseballs

A baseball autographed by James “Tony Soprano” Gandolfini and a Pittsburgh Steeler mini helmet autographed by the “Mean” Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes of the famed Steel Curtain are other notables that I have displayed in my bedroom that doubles as a museum.

Another highlight are the five Brewer mini-batting helmets autographed by Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner, Cecil Cooper and Ted Simmons. I plan on adding more players from the ’82 World Series team.

The only pieces that I treasure from athletes that are still active are three baseballs that are autographed by Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo. This collection also has the potential to expand. I guess that alone is indication enough, that indeed, the times they are a-changin’. Until next time…from the booth.