Rest in Peace, Dick Williams

This is somewhat late in coming, but I recently learned of the passing of Hall of Fame player and manager, Dick Williams.  Mr. Williams signed for me at the 2010 All Star Fan Festival in Anaheim.  I remember him as a very professional, if not a bit overwhelmed with the whole autographing experience of the convention.

Williams died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at a hospital near his home in Henderson, NV on July 7, 2011.  This now marks the fifth Hall of Famer in my collection who has passed away in the last year and a half - a really sad stretch of time for baseball's alumni community.

Non-HoF Autographs: Maury Wills

While attending the recent Shrine of the Eternals ceremony for the Baseball Reliquary, I had the privilidge of meeting Dodger great Maury Wills.  Wills was being inducted by the Reliquary for his contribution to redefining the game of baseball - especially in how the stolen base was used on the field of play.

This was really a wonderful event.  Several people mentioned that Wills was the one baseball player who deserved to be in Cooperstown more than anyone else not within those sacred walls. 

You can see from my program that there are several other autographs.  None are former players, but most are connected to the baseball world in some way.  You can click on the image to see a closer shot and to get a sense of who was in attendance.

I posted another review of this event right here.