Campanella Mitt Is Big Catch of Auction
Sometimes it pays to keep the little things.
After the Brooklyn Dodgers had beaten the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series, Dodger catcher Roy Campanella gave pitcher Clem Labine his mitt.
“I told Roy I was having trouble finding anyone to catch for me during the off-season because I didn’t have a catcher’s mitt,” Labine said from his home in Vero Beach, Fla., Thursday. “So Roy gave me his.”
The mitt is among 52 memorabilia items Labine has submitted for a public auction today and Saturday in Exton, Pa., and also through the website www.huntauctions.com.
Campanella’s mitt is valued at $15,000 to $20,000.
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Trivia time: The Dodgers play spring training games at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach. Where did the Holman name come from?
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Been there: Fred Claire, in an open letter to new Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta that he wrote for mlb.com, said, “I couldn’t help but think of you when I saw the headline on a story in the Contra Costa Times: ‘DePodesta Already Under Fire.’
“On my second day as the general manager of the Dodgers in April 1987, the Los Angeles Times ran a story with the headline: ‘Claire Moves Into Dodger Hot Seat.’ ”
Added Claire, “The heat comes with the territory of having the best job in the world.”
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Job oddities: DePodesta may want to take note of how another former Dodger general manager, Branch Rickey, viewed the job.
“I’m a man of some intelligence,” Rickey said. “I’ve had some education, passed the bar, practiced law. I’ve been a teacher and I deal with men of substance -- statesmen, business leaders, the clergy. So why do I spend my time arguing with Dizzy Dean?”
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There are similarities: CBS’ Craig Kilborn, who played college basketball at Montana State, squared off against TNT’s Steve Kerr in a three-point shooting contest last weekend after Kenny Smith had bowed out because of an injury.
Kerr spotted Kilborn three baskets and still won, making 10 shots in 30 seconds. Kilborn made nine, counting the freebies.
Said Kilborn, “A jump shot is like a woman. If you ignore her, she will leave you.”
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Take note, Keith Jackson: Freelance reporter Alysse Minkoff worked as the “water girl” for the NBA All-Star celebrity game. In a column she wrote for espn.com, she said one of the perks was getting “the chance to use the phrase, ‘Whoa, Nelly!’ to a man actually named Nelly.”
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Trivia answer: The Dodgers first set up training camp in Vero Beach in 1948 at the invitation of local businessman Bud Holman because the city needed a tenant for the World War II naval air station there.
Holman Stadium opened in 1953.
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And finally: Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “George Steinbrenner, sensing another chance to fuel Red Sox paranoia, will henceforth refer to the Yankees’ burgeoning $185-million payroll as the Green Monster.”
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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.