It's funny the things you find up in the attic 25 years after you move out of the house. Knowing Mother, she wouldn't have thought about unloading these. I wore out those baseball bats and especially that basketball rim playing outdoors and at the baseball fields when I was young. Those colorful aluminum bats were top-of-the-line (and I'm sure expensive) in their day, and I got satisfaction just arriving at the ballpark and showing them off. And the basketball rim was also a step up from the old rims that were just fastened to wooden backboards. They would eventually bend if you pulled on them enough. This one had a spring, enabling you to dunk and hold on to the rim without a worry. It was perfect for a growing youngster who would try and try to touch the rim and, if lucky, grab onto it for a bit. That's about all I could do! Just recently, after asking Kade to take these images, I donated these items to Goodwill. Hopefully they can bring some joy to someone else.
The black baseball bat with a white ring might have belonged to my dad. Could have been a softball bat. It was heavy. I never actually played with it other than hitting some tennis balls in the backyard, but I remember picking it up, walking around with it, and simply admiring it. In my young mind, it made me think of Reggie Jackson, who was my favorite baseball player of that era. He often would use a black bat. When I'd pick up that bat, I'd picture "Mr. October" stepping up to the plate.
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