My weekend with the Big Red Machine
mcholke
Posts: 1,000 ✭✭
Pardon the length of this post but it was hard to summarize the experience.
I just got back from Cincinnati as a guest of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. As mentioned on a prior post
Reds HOF Items on Loan
I was asked to put on loan a large number of items from my Tony Perez collection. The payoff for that loan came this weekend as the Reds celebrated Tony Perez weekend. On Friday night the Reds had a dinner in Tony’s honor. It was about 250 people and at the ballpark. Everywhere you turned there were former big leaguers. In attendance were: Andre Dawson, Dave Parker, Jim O’Toole, Tommy Helms, Doug Flynn, Jack Billingham, Pat Darcy, Don Gullett, Cesar Geronimo, Ken Griffey, George Foster, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, Pete Rose and Tony Perez. We tried not to be too camera happy but did take a photo with Tony before the evening started.
The highlight of the dinner was a panel of the Big Red Machine up on stage telling stories about their playing days. Johnny Bench and Pete Rose were very talkative but everyone on the stage seemed to be enjoying themselves. Pete did make a comment about how long he has had to wait to get into the Hall of Fame. Here are photos from the panel (borrowed from the Reds site as they had better photos than I did)
I brought to the dinner the contract Tony entered into with Topps in 1960 which his father had to countersign due to Tony only being 17 when he came to the U.S. from Cuba.
After dinner, Tony’s son Victor and I had a chance to visit and I showed him the contract. He was very excited to see it and immediately brought over Eduardo (Tony’s other son and ESPN analyst). They seemed to enjoy seeing it and Eduardo told me everyone’s first contact with Topps is $5 and then when he played he got $500 a year (Tony’s 1965 contract that I have paid him $75). The sons then took me over to Tony’s sister who was here from Cuba and she really spent a lot of time looking at the document. She does not speak English but she told Eduardo it was indeed her dad’s signature. Then Eduardo brought Tony over and he spent time going though it as well and asking how I got it. Here is the photo of the meeting
One of the surreal moments of the dinner was waiting in line to use the men’s room with Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. They were bantering back and forth even in line.
The next day was the statue unveiling ceremony. The new statue is on the concourse of Great American Ballpark. They had a nice ceremony with many of the same people that were at the dinner in attendance surrounded by several fans that came to see the Big Red Machine assembled. Here are a few photos from the event
After the unveiling, we had tickets to the game to watch the on field ceremony where they presented Tony with a replica statue accompanied by the Big Red Machine and his family on the field.
As it turned out our hotel is the same hotel all the Reds players, including Tony where staying. I was able to visit with various of the players in our lobby, had some elevator rides with former players, etc. Jack Billingham had me take some pictures of him and his grandson, etc. One cool part was getting to talk to Tony’s wife. She was aware that it was my collection in the Hall of Fame and was very appreciative of the donation. I was able to also talk to one of Tony’s good friends that took a tour of the Hall of Fame with him during the weekend (they opened it up for him to view Saturday before the public). She told me Tony spent more than the allotted time going through the items on display and really enjoyed seeing some of the items.
All and all the Hall of Fame staff could not have been nicer and my exposure to Tony and his family during the weekend validated everything you hear about Tony. In fact what Johnny Bench said to me (in line in the men’s room) “this is supposed to be a roast of Tony but he is my guy and I have no bad things to say about him” summed up my experience.
I just got back from Cincinnati as a guest of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. As mentioned on a prior post
Reds HOF Items on Loan
I was asked to put on loan a large number of items from my Tony Perez collection. The payoff for that loan came this weekend as the Reds celebrated Tony Perez weekend. On Friday night the Reds had a dinner in Tony’s honor. It was about 250 people and at the ballpark. Everywhere you turned there were former big leaguers. In attendance were: Andre Dawson, Dave Parker, Jim O’Toole, Tommy Helms, Doug Flynn, Jack Billingham, Pat Darcy, Don Gullett, Cesar Geronimo, Ken Griffey, George Foster, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, Pete Rose and Tony Perez. We tried not to be too camera happy but did take a photo with Tony before the evening started.
The highlight of the dinner was a panel of the Big Red Machine up on stage telling stories about their playing days. Johnny Bench and Pete Rose were very talkative but everyone on the stage seemed to be enjoying themselves. Pete did make a comment about how long he has had to wait to get into the Hall of Fame. Here are photos from the panel (borrowed from the Reds site as they had better photos than I did)
I brought to the dinner the contract Tony entered into with Topps in 1960 which his father had to countersign due to Tony only being 17 when he came to the U.S. from Cuba.
After dinner, Tony’s son Victor and I had a chance to visit and I showed him the contract. He was very excited to see it and immediately brought over Eduardo (Tony’s other son and ESPN analyst). They seemed to enjoy seeing it and Eduardo told me everyone’s first contact with Topps is $5 and then when he played he got $500 a year (Tony’s 1965 contract that I have paid him $75). The sons then took me over to Tony’s sister who was here from Cuba and she really spent a lot of time looking at the document. She does not speak English but she told Eduardo it was indeed her dad’s signature. Then Eduardo brought Tony over and he spent time going though it as well and asking how I got it. Here is the photo of the meeting
One of the surreal moments of the dinner was waiting in line to use the men’s room with Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. They were bantering back and forth even in line.
The next day was the statue unveiling ceremony. The new statue is on the concourse of Great American Ballpark. They had a nice ceremony with many of the same people that were at the dinner in attendance surrounded by several fans that came to see the Big Red Machine assembled. Here are a few photos from the event
After the unveiling, we had tickets to the game to watch the on field ceremony where they presented Tony with a replica statue accompanied by the Big Red Machine and his family on the field.
As it turned out our hotel is the same hotel all the Reds players, including Tony where staying. I was able to visit with various of the players in our lobby, had some elevator rides with former players, etc. Jack Billingham had me take some pictures of him and his grandson, etc. One cool part was getting to talk to Tony’s wife. She was aware that it was my collection in the Hall of Fame and was very appreciative of the donation. I was able to also talk to one of Tony’s good friends that took a tour of the Hall of Fame with him during the weekend (they opened it up for him to view Saturday before the public). She told me Tony spent more than the allotted time going through the items on display and really enjoyed seeing some of the items.
All and all the Hall of Fame staff could not have been nicer and my exposure to Tony and his family during the weekend validated everything you hear about Tony. In fact what Johnny Bench said to me (in line in the men’s room) “this is supposed to be a roast of Tony but he is my guy and I have no bad things to say about him” summed up my experience.
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
0
Comments
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
<< <i>That is a once in a lifetime experience. Happy for you. I have noticed the last few times I have seen joe Morgan that he has looked very frail. Does anyone know if he is ill? I hope nothing is wrong. >>
Thanks. Joe was asked to give the audience an update on his health during the dinner. He had knee surgery and he said he takes two steps forward and one back and that recently he had taken one back. He got pretty worn out at the end of the dinner and had some help leaving. The way the other guys were joking with him about his health led me to believe it was not overly serious but just takes more time to heal as he gets older.
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
Mark
T206 Set - 300/524
BTW, I really enjoyed the Perez exhibit on my visit to the museum
This summer. It is very well done.
Jmaciu's Collection
I'm glad this all went so well and that you shared it all with us.
I'm glad the experience seemed to surpass even your highest expectations.
And what an honor for you to have part of your collection on display there.
Snorto~
Thanks
Craig
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
<< <i> What would you do if Tony said about an item in your collection that you really like, "I'd really love to have that item back"? This is another thing I've often wondered about. >>
When I was reading the story, I thought this is where the Topps contract bit was going. I'm curious what you would say too. And I'll echo everyone else--really great story, thanks for sharing it.
<< <i>Awesome story. Two questions for you: (1) Does Tony know much about your collection and, if so, what does he think of it? I sometimes ponder whether athletes find memorabilia collectors like you and me strange/stalker-like/etc. (2) What would you do if Tony said about an item in your collection that you really like, "I'd really love to have that item back"? This is another thing I've often wondered about. I have several items teed up for the Padres next year, if they get their display built in time for the All Star Game. >>
Thanks for all the compliments from the board. As it relates to your specific questions. Couple of things. One, the Reds introduced me at the dinner with the Big Red Machine. They had me stand up and acknowledge the contribution that made the exhibit possible. So during the rest of the weekend, former players and people in Perez's group recognized me as the guy with the collection. During the dinner, Tony's wife grabbed me and said thank you for providing all the items. I was told by the Reds Hall of Fame that Perez did not save many items from his career and they really needed the help of collectors to make the exhibit work. Saturday morning the HOF gave Tony and his inner circle a private tour of the exhibit. I spoke to someone on the tour after he took the tour and they told me he really enjoyed seeing all the things and spent a good deal of time looking at what was there. They told me he went over the allotted time looking at the exhibit. After the statue ceremony, I was standing next to Eduardo and he asked me what I was going to do with the things I had. As I was about to answer, he got pulled away for something else. I kind of got the idea that he would be interested in some of the things but never directly asked. I would be open to the discussion if the family was interested and at least one of his friends now has my contact information.
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
I can not express to you how much I enjoyed this posting. I, like you am a life long Reds fan especially the Big Red Machine. You and I share many of the same sets but I am lagging behind you in most all of them. You have a wonderful collection from what I have seen online and would love to see in it's entirety. I am a Cincinnatti boy who hasn't lived there in many, many years but one day will make it back there to see GABP and the Reds Museum. Please continue your posts of your awesome collection so I can see all the treasures of my youth. Thanks again
Rick
Looking for 81-84 Topps Stickers in PSA 9 or better, 81 Topps Scratch offs, 83 Topps Fold outs in PSA 8 or better, 83 Fleer Stamps and 81/86 Fleer Star Stickers in PSA 9 or better.
>
<< <i>Kevin,
I can not express to you how much I enjoyed this posting. I, like you am a life long Reds fan especially the Big Red Machine. You and I share many of the same sets but I am lagging behind you in most all of them. You have a wonderful collection from what I have seen online and would love to see in it's entirety. I am a Cincinnatti boy who hasn't lived there in many, many years but one day will make it back there to see GABP and the Reds Museum. Please continue your posts of your awesome collection so I can see all the treasures of my youth. Thanks again
Rick >>
Rick - thanks for the kind words. The Reds have done a nice job with their HOF and I would certainly recommend a visit. Here are a couple more posts taken at the exhibit itself
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
http://www.greatest21days.com/2013/05/victor-perez-example-3236.html
<< <i>Awesome job. That looks like Nap Reyes' signature on that 1960 contract. Reyes was a Cuban legend who was the Reds AAA manager at Havana / Jersey City in 1960. My friend did a nice piece on Victor Perez that you might enjoy, which includes a full interview with him from 2014.
http://www.greatest21days.com/2013/05/victor-perez-example-3236.html >>
Thank you very much for the Nap Reyes information. I had not cracked that code. I am going to the Victor piece next.
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
Lou Gehrig Master Set
Non-Registry Collection
Game Used Cards Collection
You gotta try Blue Emu! And you won't stink!
Hiya Kevin
What a great experience - I enjoyed your post a lot!
You're a lucky guy to have had this experience.
Having his first contract with Topps. Don't have the words for how cool that is! Did you mention where you got it? Toppsvault?
Thanx for sharing.
Did you mention where you got it? Toppsvault?
It did originate through Topps Vault and through other collectors hands before it found its new home.
Collecting Tony Perez PSA and Rookie Baseball PSA
<< <i>
<< <i>Awesome story. Two questions for you: (1) Does Tony know much about your collection and, if so, what does he think of it? I sometimes ponder whether athletes find memorabilia collectors like you and me strange/stalker-like/etc. (2) What would you do if Tony said about an item in your collection that you really like, "I'd really love to have that item back"? This is another thing I've often wondered about. I have several items teed up for the Padres next year, if they get their display built in time for the All Star Game. >>
Thanks for all the compliments from the board. As it relates to your specific questions. Couple of things. One, the Reds introduced me at the dinner with the Big Red Machine. They had me stand up and acknowledge the contribution that made the exhibit possible. So during the rest of the weekend, former players and people in Perez's group recognized me as the guy with the collection. During the dinner, Tony's wife grabbed me and said thank you for providing all the items. I was told by the Reds Hall of Fame that Perez did not save many items from his career and they really needed the help of collectors to make the exhibit work. Saturday morning the HOF gave Tony and his inner circle a private tour of the exhibit. I spoke to someone on the tour after he took the tour and they told me he really enjoyed seeing all the things and spent a good deal of time looking at what was there. They told me he went over the allotted time looking at the exhibit. After the statue ceremony, I was standing next to Eduardo and he asked me what I was going to do with the things I had. As I was about to answer, he got pulled away for something else. I kind of got the idea that he would be interested in some of the things but never directly asked. I would be open to the discussion if the family was interested and at least one of his friends now has my contact information. >>
That is too cool. Really glad to hear it's been appreciated by his family. On closer to the other end of the spectrum, my favorite player's family has sold off much of his stuff.