Okay, so I gotta tell you about this thing with the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig photo. It wasn’t like I went out hunting for it, you know? It kinda just… happened.
I was helping my folks clear out some old boxes from their basement a few weekends back. Place was packed with stuff, decades worth. Mostly junk, old bills, clothes that haven’t fit since the 80s. Anyway, I stumbled upon this one particular box, heavy cardboard, taped up real good. Marked “Dad’s Memorabilia” in faded marker.
Digging In
So, naturally, I got curious. Cut the tape open. Inside, it was mostly old newspapers, some medals from his army days, stuff like that. But way down at the bottom, under a pile of yellowed newspaper clippings about the Yankees, there was this manila envelope.
Pulled it out. It felt kinda thick. Inside were a bunch of photos, black and white, some sepia-toned. Mostly family pictures, picnics, old cars. Standard stuff. I was just casually flipping through them, not expecting much.
The Find
Then I saw it. It wasn’t huge, maybe a 5×7 print, a bit worn around the edges. But there they were. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Standing side-by-side, in uniform, bats maybe resting on their shoulders, I think. They weren’t smiling huge, more like serious game faces, but you could tell who they were instantly. The quality wasn’t amazing like today’s photos, obviously, but it was clear.
Man, I just stopped. Held it for a minute. It’s one thing to see pictures like that online or in books. It’s totally different holding an actual old print in your hand. Felt like history, you know?
- Seeing the actual paper
- Thinking about who took it
- Imagining the moment it happened
I asked my Dad about it later. He barely remembered it. Said it came from his uncle, who was a huge baseball fan back in the day, maybe got it at a game or something. No crazy story, just something passed down.
What Now?
So, what did I do? First thing, I took a picture of it with my phone, just to show some buddies. Then, I got one of those acid-free sleeves to put the original photo in. Didn’t want it getting any worse. It’s not like it’s some super valuable signed thing, I don’t think, but it’s cool. Really cool.
Right now, the original is tucked away safely back in that envelope, inside the box. I’m thinking maybe I’ll get a nice digital scan made, then perhaps frame that scan. Feels safer than putting the original out in the light. Just having it, knowing it’s there, is pretty neat. A little piece of baseball history found in a dusty basement box. Wild.
