After a virtual hiatus, the “Get Some Balls!” sale is actual. Buy now

After a virtual hiatus, the “Get Some Balls!” sale is actual. Buy now

[5/16/21 David Kramer 155 Avalon Drive in the Meadowbrook neighborhood in Brighton. Site of the 6th Get Some Balls! yard sale. Photo: Tom Upson] As seen in In Brighton, the Meadowbrook neighborhood’s Get Some Balls! sale goes virtual. It’s not for the birds., due to pandemic, the sale last year was virtual.

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Sponsored by The Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association, the yard sales next weekend will be in person: Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23, 9 AM to 3 PM, Rain or Shine. Masks will be required and social distancing practices should be observed. Visit the 6th Get Some Balls! sale at 155 Avalon Drive. The sale features a new element. Big ticket items can be purchased in advance. 241 tennis balls in near new to very good to good condition, mostly found at the Cobb’s Hill courts, can be all yours for $50 (20 ¾ ¢ per ball).

241 tennis balls in near new to very good to good condition. Lot: $50 (20 ¾ ¢ per ball) [Photo: David Kramer 5/17/21] BUY NOW or BID See Diehards and the Cobb’s Hill Tennis Courts

To BUY NOW, email David Kramer at [email protected] Or, place a bid in COMMENT SECTION BELOW AT END. Bids began at $35. At the actual sale, tennis balls are 3/$1.

Vintage Canada Dry crate for $45. American flags not for sale. [Photo: David Kramer 5/17/21]

Also for early sale, a vintage Canada Dry crate including 30 baseballs in very good to good condition for $55. Crate alone in $45. Baseballs alone at $20. To BUY NOW, email David Kramer at [email protected] At the actual sale, a baseball is $1

(left) Bats and Gloves: negotiable. Glove signed by HOF’s Frank Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr. at the 1988 Red Wings-Orioles exhibition game at Frontier Field and vintage Vince DiMaggio glove on display only; not for sale (right) Softballs in very good to good condition $1 each. American flags not for sale. [Photos: David Kramer 5/17/21] See Frank Robinson (1935 – 2019) and a glove signed at the 1988 Orioles-Red Wings exhibition game

(left) Footballs: negotiable. Ball signed by the Buffalo Jills on display only; not for sale (right) Misc: lacrosse balls ($1 each), wiffle balls of various types and sizes and golf ball: negotiable. American flags not for sale. [Photos: David Kramer 5/17/21] See Vivid memories of the four year Super Bowl run

Thousands of baseball and football cards from 70s, 80s and some 90s also for sale (25¢ for non-HOF stars; others negotiable)

(left) Just some of the baseball and football cards from 70s, 80s and 90s. 25¢ for non-stars; others negotiable [Photo: David Kramer 5/19/21]; (right) Some of the  cards were building blocks in The Great Pyramid of Cards circa 1976. David Kramer working on the massive house of cards. Photo: Leslie Kramer from Filmic evidence shows I “froze” at the 1976 Brighton Little League All Star game and other Brighton memories

The Get Some Balls! sale is at 155 Avalon Drive. Avalon runs from S. Winton Rd. to Westfall Rd. [Photos: David Kramer 5/20/21]

Change for the Get Some Balls! sale, inc. United States 1902 Indian Head penny, 1969 JFK silver half dollar, 1979 Susan B. Anthony $2 coin.  Crypto (esp. BallCoin) and foreign currency accepted: pre-Euro, Roman coin, front Constantius II (AD 337 – 61, back soldier spearing fallen horseman), United Kingdom Pence, New Pence, 20 Pence, 10 Pence, 5 Pence, Pence, New Penny, Penny, Deutsche Mark, Republique Francaise 10 Franc, Magyarország 5 Forint, Espana 25 Peseta, Česká republika Oster, Ελληνική δημοκρατία 10 Apaxme∈ [Photo: David Kramer 5/21/21] See My grandparent’s old gold coins and Anya’s lucky found money purse

On Friday morning, neighbor Fran Reed alerted me that a  bowling ball was left on a curb on New Avalon for any takers. For you, I took the Columbia 300, conveniently already marked with a $1 sticker. [Photo: David Kramer 5/21/21]

5/26/21 (left) For several days after the sale, neighbor Ken passed the untouched Columbia 300 during his evening walk. An amateur welder, Ken eyed the ball for a welding vise project he’s been contemplating; however, Ken thought it a bit of a sacrilege to use a ball that might still be fit for bowling.  Given that trash pickup day is Thursday, Ken expected the lonely ball would end up somewhere in a landfill, so he offered to recycle it for the project. I am happy the 300 is going to a good home. (right) Ken provided an image from pinterest capturing his vise vision.

In Brighton, the Meadowbrook neighborhood’s Get Some Balls! sale goes virtual. It’s not for the birds. (2020)

5/2/20 The Get Some Balls! sale reminds me of high school and collegiate days when I lettered in three sports: baseball, football and badminton. 46 tennis balls, one golf ball, one wiffle ball and two lacrosse balls [Photo: Howard the Duck]

Every early May, the Meadowbrook neighborhood holds a giant yard sale. For seven or eight years now, we’ve peddled any number and kinds of sports equipment, mostly balls, at the Get Some Balls! stand (the only missing orbs are hockey pucks, curling stones and disc golf discs). This year the sales have been cancelled. [SEE FULL SERIES AT END] So we are going virtual. Items below are listed by amount and price. Email David Kramer at [email protected] Purchases can safely be picked up at 155 Avalon Drive.  If this virtual sale succeeds, other neighbors may post images of their gold and dross. If you choose not to make a purchase, SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE DONATE BUTTON ON EVERY PAGE. If we actually had a budget and weren’t doing this for you for free, we could invest in technical and marketing applications to extend audience reach and improve reader experience. Just saying. (see “The love ($) you get is equal to the love ($) you give” — adapted from John Lennon) UPDATE: On Sunday, I received this message: Hello David Kramer, You were sent $100.00 USD from A Talker Fan Actually, by now, the Get Some Balls! is a tired and tiresome genre. This year I barely scavenged for balls.

Fans flocked to Howard at his pre-sale drop-in rally at Schoen Place in Pittsford 5/17/16 from Howard the Duck is not for the birds! Buy complete set (1977) at the massive Meadowbrook Garage Sale in Brighton. Live streaming!

Nevertheless, the Get Some Balls! sale has bequeathed a rich legacy. The first documented sale in 2016 included the media sensation of Howard The Duck whose full story has not yet been revealed. In Howard the Duck is not for the birds! Buy complete set (1977) at the massive Meadowbrook Garage Sale in Brighton. Live streaming!  I wrote, teasingly:

Right now, Eugene’s hope is that Howard lands in a pond with a good family who appreciate his graphic genius. For a pre-sale public pep rally, Howard visited Schoen Place in Pittsford for a “book dropping” appearance, greeted by fans from as far away as Canada.

Eugene Kramer, 1977, at Robert H. Treman State Park with Howard the Duck [Photo: Mrs. Duck] from Howard the Duck is back by popular demand. Buy balls at the Meadowbrook garage sales

In Howard the Duck is back by popular demand. Buy balls at the Meadowbrook garage sales, the tease continued:

Last year marked the debut of Howard the Duck. In 1976 and 1977, Eugene Kramer collected every single issue, including the United Kingdom #1.  Eugene agreed to sell Howard to an appropriate home.  First, Howard took a promotional tour on the canal at Schoen Place where his feathered fans followed.

The back story is that, for the right price, my father decided to sell his complete collection of that cult comic classic, Howard the Duck. I needed some click bait visuals for a splashy pre-sale pitch. I also needed ducks. I could scout out the geese, ducks and swans who hissed, squawked, honked and pooped in and around the pond near Lac De Ville in Brighton. Instead, I chose as figurative guinea pigs the more civilized ducks at Schoen Place in Pittsford. Bringing much crumbled bread, I laid out several copies of Howard near the ducks onto to which I sprinkled the bread, enticing the ducks to either read or eat. It wasn’t easy. I had to stand far enough away when they gathered on Howard’s face and torso, and then slowly inch forward, closely enough to take photos. Not only did the ducks rudely quack at me, my shoes and feet got wet and muddy when they scurried into a bog-like area where I chased them down. But, like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, I persevered.

Baseballs

105 baseballs and vintage Canada Dry wooden box

This year I accumulated a cache of 105 baseballs, some new, some less so, some found in the deep brush near this now not-so-secret, now-deserted, site.

$35 for lot. $50 including vintage vintage Canada Dry wooden box that fits all but six of the balls. Update, 5/18: After the baseballs did not sell, I traded them to Play It Again Sports in South Town Plaza for a new Rawlings® The Mark of a Pro ™ Player Preferred P130HFL 13 INCH All Leather Shell softball glove. Unfortunately, the Sears Roebuck and Co, Master-Mixed, Boiled Linseed Oil saved to break in just such gloves is not the right kind of oil. While the container says, “Polishes and protects gun stocks, skis, toboggans and other sports equipment, according to baseballmonkey.com, “When using oils and conditioners to break in your glove, the first thing you should know is that products like Vaseline, petroleum jelly, olive oil, mink oil, and linseed oil should never be used.”

(left) Rawlings® The Mark of a Pro ™ Player Preferred P130HFL 13 INCH All Leather Shell softball glove; (right) Sears Roebuck and Co, Master-Mixed, Boiled Linseed Oil, One Quart, Laboratory Tested for Quality, Keep Out Of Reach Of Children.

“Breaking In” instructions included with Rawlings® The Mark of a Pro ™ Player Preferred P130HFL 13 INCH All Leather Shell softball glove. Left to right: English, French and Spanish

(left) May 31st, 2020. David “Say Hey Kid” Kramer [Photo: Mauler]; (right) September 29th, 1954. Willie “Say Hey Kid” Mays. With the game tied 2–2 in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the World Series, the Cleveland Indians had runners on first and second against the New York Giants. Cleveland’s Vic Wertz hit a 425-foot shot to center field, and Willie Mays sprinted towards the wall to track it down. Mays caught it over his shoulder, turned and gunned it back towards the infield, saving the runs. (Sports Illustrated) From The Brighton Farmer’s Market is back. At the Game at the Corners, the boys and girls of summer hoping to play ball.

Tennis balls (see featured pic)

Normally, I forage for tennis balls at the Cobb’s Hill tennis courts. I thought the removing of the nets due to the pandemic would kill business. But people continue to play without the net.

(left) This afternoon, undeterred, they played without a net. 4/1/20 from Cobb’s Hill is closed for business (only a little); (right) Hitting the mother load. Photo: Dean Tucker from Talker staff demands royalties! Buy orbs at Sotheby’s in Brighton: the Meadowbrook Garage Sale. And meet the staff

5/2/20. NOT a staged or photo shopped image. The ball just happened to be there. Free form tennis (no net) at Cobb’s Hill. “The American poet Robert Frost once said that writing ‘free verse’ — poetry without a formal structure, like a rhyme scheme was like ‘playing tennis without a net.'” (Playing tennis without a net)

46 tennis balls including this one: $12

Umpiring equipment: BEST OFFER 

oldish umpiring equipment

Hopefully there will be a baseball season this summer.

The Brighton Baseball little league fields at Buckland Park, 2017 from The inscribed brick pavers at Buckland Park in Brighton

Softballs

3 softballs

Unfortunately, I only have three left, needed for the Game at the Corners when play resumes.

The Game at the Corners (left) Brighton Town Council Member and 25th State Congressional District candidate Robin Wilt [Photo: Nicholas Wilt]; (right) Robin hurling a strike to Neil Rogachevsky with Michael Raff manning second base, 5/6/18 Photo: David Kramer from Brighton Town Council Member Robin Wilt pitches in at the Game at the Corners

Vintage DiMaggio glove 

Vintage DiMaggio glove

Wow, you say, a vintage glove printed with the name of the Yankee Clipper! Actually, another DiMaggio brother. Wow, Dom was a huge star with the Red Sox! Not exactly. It’s Vince DiMaggio. A journeyman, from 1937 – 46, Vince played for the Braves, Reds, Pirates and Giants, hitting 125 home runs. Vince’s best season was 1941 with the Pirates: 21 HR and 100 RBI. Good enough to get your name on a glove, but overshadowed by your brother’s season that included a 56 game hitting streak.

(left) David Kramer intercepting Dean Tucker’s successful “field goal fungo!” Using my father’s old DiMaggio glove. In this case, not Joe’s or Dom’s, but printed with the name of the third major league brother, Vince. [Photo: Dean Tucker who amazingly both hit the ball and took the picture] Easter, 2016 Reifsteck Field, Brighton from “An early-spring renewal of the spirit” over 10,000 fungos later; (right) Eugene Kramer with a copy of the 1945 Babe Ruth autograph from Babe Ruth and Eugene Kramer’s 5 to 10 minutes of fame.

NOT FOR SALE. The glove is a baseball family heirloom, first purchased for Eugene Kramer by his parents Anya and Louis. After Eugene sold the autograph signed by Babe Ruth in 1945, Vince is all we have left.

Croquet mallet and Rawlings® ADIRONDACK Made in USA Big Stick 302F 33IN Performance Model baseball bat.

Bird house, croquet mallet and Rawlings® ADIRONDACK Made in USA Big Stick 302F 33IN Performance Model baseball bat. See 42 years and counting for the Kick Ass Kro-Kay Club of Cobb’s Hill

NOT FOR SALE sentimental value

(left) @2012 David Kramer and (right) Audrey Boyce [Photo: Leslie Kramer] from Ethical journalism is part of the cure for COVID-19 by Audrey Boyce; (right) David Kramer playing Wall Ball with the Big Stick, 10/12/18 from The Big Stick is back. And a mystery

Frisbees, footballs, a soccer ball and a game towel used by Michael Jordan in game six of the 1998 NBA Finals as seen in the recently released Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance”

(left) Frisbees, footballs, and a soccer ball; (right) a game towel used by Michael Jordan in game six of the 1998 NBA Finals as seen in the recently released ESPN Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance.”

According to CBS sports, last month, a signed, game-used Michael Jordan ‘Dream Team’ jersey sold in auction for $216,000. The jersey was sold on the same day that “The Last Dance” documentary series began.

Game used towel: $3000 Frisbees, footballs and soccer ball: FREE I was hoping to bring my old Brown Reunion Frisbee with my old name tag to our 35th reunion, but covid ruined the fun.

2019 Last hurrah for the Get Some Balls! sale?

The peak of the sale, 2016

2018 Last hurrah for the Get Some Balls! sale

Last of the balls. 5/4/18

2017 A fond farewell to the Get Some Balls! sale in Brighton

Neighborhood kids

2017 A fond farewell to the Get Some Balls! sale in Brighton

Mother and daughter Harand from Lyon, France.

2017 Howard the Duck is back by popular demand. Buy balls at the Meadowbrook garage sales

This year

2016 The Old Guard and New Blood at the Meadowbrook Garage Sale

Mennonite girl. Angela from Stanley, NY 5/21/16

2016 The Old Guard and New Blood at the Meadowbrook Garage Sale

Another good year for the Get Some Balls stand. 5/21/16 [Photo: Dean Tucker]

2016 Talker staff demands royalties! Buy orbs at Sotheby’s in Brighton: the Meadowbrook Garage Sale. And meet the staff

Just a small sampling of the Orbs in the garage awaiting their locust like annual return to the Get Some Balls stand at the Meadowbrook neighborhood garage sales this weekend. 155 Avalon Drive

2016 Howard the Duck is not for the birds! Buy complete set (1977) at the massive Meadowbrook Garage Sale in Brighton. Live streaming!

Eugene Kramer, 1977, at Robert H. Treman State Park with Howard the Duck [Photo: Mrs. Duck]

Howard the Duck is back by popular demand. Buy balls at the Meadowbrook garage sales

Fans flocked to Howard at his pre-sale drop-in rally at Schoen Place in Pittsford 5/17/16

LEAVE BIDS IN COMMENT SECTION AT END

About The Author

dkramer3@naz.edu

Welcome to Talker of the Town! My name is David Kramer. I have a Ph.D in English and teach at Keuka College. I am a former and still active Fellow at the Nazareth College Center for Public History and a Storyteller in Residence at the SmallMatters Institute. Over the years, I have taught at Monroe Community College, the Rochester Institute of Technology and St. John Fisher College. I have published numerous Guest Essays, Letters, Book Reviews and Opinion pieces in The New York Times, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the Buffalo News, the Rochester Patriot, the Providence Journal, the Providence Business News, the Brown Alumni Magazine, the New London Day, the Boston Herald, the Messenger Post Newspapers, the Wedge, the Empty Closet, the CITY, Lake Affect Magazine and Brighton Connections. My poetry appears in The Criterion: An International Journal in English and Rundenalia and my academic writing in War, Literature and the Arts and Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Starting in February 2013, I wrote for three Democratic and Chronicle  blogs, "Make City Schools Better," "Unite Rochester," and the "Editorial Board." When my tenure at the D & C  ended, I wanted to continue conversations first begun there. And start new ones.  So we created this new space, Talker of the Town, where all are invited to join. I don’t like to say these posts are “mine.” Very few of them are the sole product of my sometimes overheated imagination. Instead, I call them partnerships and collaborations. Or as they say in education, “peer group work.” Talker of the Town might better be Talkers of the Town. The blog won’t thrive without your leads, text, pictures, ideas, facebook shares, tweets, comments and criticisms.

1 Comment

  1. Jason T Elston

    HI there…I’d like to buy the Baseball cards. Please let me know how to move forward

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