Here's one glove story I am pleased to be a part of. Chris
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news ... p&sid=t435
(Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, BC) - I don't get sentimental very often, but every once in a while, I hear of a story that makes me human (guys way of saying he gets that 'lump in his throat').
I didn't well up with tears when Rose let Jack's hand go in Titanic, nor did I shed a tear when Mohammad Ali lit the Olympic Torch in Atlanta back in '96 (although, that moment was pretty cool).
But let me tell you the story about a man and his glove.
For years, those came out to historic Nat Bailey Stadium seemed to feel right at home when a slender man approached them ready to tell a small tale about the ballpark they may not have known of. Bud Kerr was the best at telling you that one piece of information you never knew about - unless you remembered the last time he told you.
Whether it was how the sod here at 'The Nat' was transplanted from the old field at Athletic Park or how Babe Ruth and his barnstorming bunch stopped through Vancouver for a few innings against our city's best, when Bud was recollecting a story from Vancouver's baseball yester years, there was no one better.
Bud went from local fan to self proclaimed 'historian' to well, actual historian. The one person that you knew had the answer to your local baseball question.
The media eventually picked up on Bud and he would oblige with his stories that at times were a bit drawn out, but you enjoyed them none the less because of the sparkle in his eye as he told the memory to you.
Several years ago, a local newspaper asked Bud to head out to the ballpark for a story and a photo shoot. Bud hardly slept the night before as he couldn't wait to fill the reporter's ear full of amazing moments and spectacular spectacle's from his days here at 'the Nat'.
He gathered his trusty hat that morning, followed by the glove he had carried with him for almost his entire life. A glove that was designed for a first baseman even though Bud hadn't played the position since he was a mere child.
The day the reporter came to the ballpark, Bud was in his element. He would reflect on the names, the moments and his journey through it all - and never once let go of that glove.
Days after his dealings with the local scribe, a photo would come out in the paper with Bud peering steadily into the lens of the camera, glove in hand, accompanied by one of the most flattering articles about his life in baseball.
We all got a copy as Bud was the best at finding the office photocopier and making enough copies for you to enjoy and maybe even wallpaper your living room. I only say that because once I said that to him and he gave my ribbing a good chuckle.
Bud would remain the 'protector' of 'The Nat' before succumbing to a handful of health problems in 2009. To be honest, that hit everyone here at the ballpark pretty hard.
We still look at the spot he called home here at Nat Bailey Stadium over in Section 7, Row 3, Seat 2 and reflect.
Canadians ownership was kind enough to paint his seat white shortly after his passing and accent it with a humble plaque designating it as "Bud's seat". A kind gesture to a man that seemed more than deserving.
I still have a handful of Bud's items from those days when he would come, archived memorabilia in hand. I still have a hat from the Pacific Coast League days and more newspaper clippings than I can shake a stick at, but one man trumped me in a big way recently when it comes to Bud's "belongings", and yet had the kindness to put together the ending to a most wonderful story.
Chris Wood is a local sports fan who just happens to fancy baseball and collecting the odd piece of baseball memorabilia. His wife always rolls her eyes at him when he joyfully brings home yet another sports artifact, all except one.
Perusing the aisles of a local second hand shop a few weeks back, Chris came across an old baseball glove. At first glance it didn't look like anything exciting other than the fact that it was a worn in first baseman's glove.
With a price tag of just ten dollars, Chris didn't have to talk himself into the purchase especially when he read the fine print. The glove, had a local phone number etched into the raw leather along with an address and a name.
Bud Kerr.
How fortunate that of all the people that fingered their way through the glove bin over time, that a diehard Vancouver Canadians fan would be the one drawn to the glove that held a thousand childhood memories.
Chris held onto the glove for just a few days before contacting the Vancouver Canadians and saying that he had something that he believed belonged here at Nat Bailey Stadium. The C's agreed promising to put the glove in the stadium museum named after the late Bud Kerr.
When the glove arrived, not one staff member would dare put their hand into the worn leather mitt. It was Bud's glove, and for the first time in a long time, it was home. Back in the place where it was held along with a thousand memories and joys that one man experienced because of the game of baseball.
Personally, I don't want to know how the glove got into the bin, or who would have put it there - all that matters it that as Bud lives on through all of us here at the ballpark, for the first time in a long time, he can walk the park once again with his trusty glove and smile as the C's gear up for another season in the sunshine.
Now, I don't get sentimental very often, but every once in a while, I hear of a story that makes me human.
WANTED -1977 Toronto Blue Jays game used items and Vancouver baseball items -Capilanos, Mounties, Canadians