Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Rod Carew

I was able to add another Hall of Famer by taking advantage of an Ebay auction that my buddy Andrew sent me in an instant message the other day.  This Rod Carew baseball was ending in about 45 minutes and he sent it to me thinking it was low enough that I might bid on it.  He was right.  I ended up getting this ball for $46 including shipping.  Carew baseballs run for approximately $75-$100 on Ebay and $100 on Carew's own website.  So, I got a nice deal.

The ball is a JSA authenticated Selig ball and it comes with the "HOF 91" inscription.  He is my 68th total Hall of Famer and my 66th player/manager/executive.

Rodney Cline Carew (b. 1945) was born on a train in the Panama Canal Zone.  His mother went into labor on the train.  A physician who was on the train delivered the baby.  Carew's mother appreciated it so much that she named her baby Rodney Cline Carew, after the doctor whose name was Rodney Cline.

Carew played from 1967 to 1985 for the Twins and Angels.  He was the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year, which is kind of funny, because I got the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year yesterday (Tom Seaver).  Carew also was the 1977 AL MVP and a 7-time batting champ (1969, 72-75, 77 and 78).  He retired with 3,053 hits, 92 home runs and a .328 batting average.  Carew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991 (his first year of eligibility) when he was named on 90.5% of the ballot.

Wow, I just noticed this was post #900.  What a way to celebrate, huh?