Something special for a Reds fan

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Feb 2, 2011 4:31 PM EST

Reporters,

I received an email through the SBNation switchboard from a woman whose husband has cancer. He's a huge Reds fan, but is no longer able to attend games. She's looking for something special for her husband, possibly something personalized that would, in some sense, bring the team to him. I've given her some contact information for the team and offered a few suggestions, but I wanted to throw this out to the group too.

Any ideas? Do you have a line on some special memorabilia or anything Reds-related above and beyond a baseball cap? Anything involving team members or autographs will probably involve an appeal directly to the Reds, but I thought you folks might have a few ideas as I'm neither terribly well-connected nor much of a dealer in Reds merchandise.

Thanks for any insights and suggestions. Beyond the geography, members of Reds Country are a kind bunch.. I suppose we have the Midwest and Southern hospitality traditions to thank for that.

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Wire to Wire of course

A couple of years ago I received all 7 games of the Reds-Sox World Series for Christmas, that isn’t terribly special though.

She probably knows what is special to him. I would honestly suggest that she mine Ebay. I just did a quick search of “Cincinnati Reds” at Ebay and they have all sorts of different things, and she might find something special on Ebay for him.

"I can’t imagine playing anywhere else. I enjoy myself. I can’t imagine being with a better team."

-Joey Votto

by justin007000 on Feb 2, 2011 8:39 PM EST reply actions

Appeal to the PR guy for a team visit?

by jsl413 on Feb 2, 2011 10:59 PM EST reply actions

Perhaps

a poster or print?

I kind of like this one. You can request any active players’ jerseys in the photo. Extra cool if she can get it autographed for him.

Or a print of GABP, from the inside, so it’s like you’re there.

If he’s an older gentleman, perhaps he’d prefer a print of the previous ballpark.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Feb 2, 2011 11:16 PM EST reply actions

Does he have favorite players?

That would narrow the search.

Nothing's complicated if you understand it.

by ctnyc on Feb 3, 2011 12:37 AM EST reply actions

Email me please

"He’s like if Ron Gant and Eric Davis had a white baby." -- GlennBraggsSwingAndMissBrokenBat on Drew Stubbs

by jch24 on Feb 3, 2011 4:37 AM EST reply actions

slyde is a member of the green diamond

He recently hung out with eric davis. He also introduced us to will carroll at a reds game.

I think he’s the most influential person who posts at red reporter.

"the only place they lost was the scoreboard"

by Ewok on Feb 3, 2011 11:15 AM EST via mobile reply actions

I should say:

I haven’t heard anything further on this yet. It’s good to be cautious with messages like this, so all I’m soliciting is suggestions. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt – and there’s no reason, on its face, to question the sincerity of the message. But if it were to progress past mere suggestions about gifts, who to contact etc., due diligence would be in order.

Thanks for your ideas.

Need the number of that store where they make ceramics in an oven made out of damaged circus supplies. It's called Rumpled Stilts Kiln. - Jon Wurster

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Feb 3, 2011 12:02 PM EST reply actions

This reminds me

of Todd Drew. He wrote a beautiful piece about how baseball was a comfort in facing cancer. (Yes, he was a Yankees fan, but I think his experience is universal.)

He passed away about a month after writing that short essay. It was not expected; before the surgery, he talked about how he might have to have it done again in a few years. But the way the essay ended…I wonder if he knew.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Feb 3, 2011 5:45 PM EST reply actions