Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

Well, my grandfather started in, out of college, 1902, he got picked up by the Baltimore Orioles.

APPRAISER

Mm-hmm.

GUEST

He played there for one year. Then he moved out to Minneapolis and played for the Millers for seven or eight years. Right.

APPRAISER

And in 1903, he hit this ball to be the shortest home run in history to date. My grandfather is small. His batting stance, he was hunched up, he was hard to pitch to. And apparently, it was a wild pitch, and it hit the back of his bat and shot straight down into the mud. It had just rained. This was the last out of the game. It shot straight down in the mud, about two feet in front of home plate. Right.

GUEST

Nobody saw it, I think everybody must have looked up. He ran around the bases, touched home plate, and pulled the ball out of the mud. And, and it was, it's nicknamed the Mud Ball. And then he took the ball, and he, he addressed it. You can see, there's just a little bit...

APPRAISER

Right here?

GUEST

That's... That's the postage stamp.

APPRAISER

Mm-hmm.

GUEST

He addressed it, put a postage stamp on it, and mailed it back to my grandmother. And then he followed it with a letter explaining what it was.

APPRAISER

You have a letter?

GUEST

We have a letter. I don't have it on me, but there is a letter. And it's been rolling around in a desk drawer for 100 years, I guess. (laughing)

APPRAISER

So, first of all, you can see that this is very muddy.

GUEST

It is.

APPRAISER

He must have... I'm hoping he let it dry out a little bit before he sent it to your grandmother.

GUEST

I would hope so, I would hope so. But it's still pretty cruddy.

APPRAISER

Do you know what, who had the longest home run ever in baseball history?

GUEST

No, I do not.

APPRAISER

Babe Ruth, 1921.

GUEST

Is that right? How about that?

APPRAISER

Babe Ruth. So, your grandfather can be in the same sentence as Babe Ruth.

GUEST

There you go.

APPRAISER

The longest home run. The shortest home run.

GUEST

The shortest home run. Correct.

APPRAISER

I love this ball, and I love this story, 'cause I had never heard it before until you brought this ball. I'm not aware of any home run that probably comes close to this.

GUEST

Nor am I, yup.

APPRAISER

At 24 inches. And I noticed it's been documented in, in a couple of different books.

GUEST

It has.

APPRAISER

There are a couple of historians that may be a little bit skeptical, but my feeling is they might change their mind, knowing now that this ball exists, and a letter.

GUEST

I hope so, yeah.

APPRAISER

So, look, now we get to the valuation part of it.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

And there have been items that have been associated with crazy or iconic or odd moments, incredulous moments in baseball history. I'm looking at the photo as-- and the cap that he wore with the Millers and the baseball-- and I got to tell you, I know it was a minor-league team, but because this is such a crazy situation, I'd put $3,000 to $5,000 on the ball.

GUEST

Wow, that's great.

APPRAISER

I mean, are you ever going to have a, a shorter home run?

GUEST

That's right.

APPRAISER

(laughing)

GUEST

Probably never, probably never. That's great.

APPRAISER

So, you know, I got to tell you, in this case, I think there will be joy in Mudville.

GUEST

Yes, absolutely.

APPRAISER

(laughs)