Baseball Collector Dennis Schrader

He’s Got Balls

Collector Makes History With Autographed Baseball Collection

BY MARCIA BIGGS

Dennis Schrader is full of stories. Funny stories. Remarkable stories. Stories that take you back to another day and time throughout the history of the American game of baseball. He’s full of trivia, like remembering which team won the world series in 1945 and how a deaf major league player led to the birth of baseball hand signals. He’s got nearly 5,000 tales to tell, each of them centered around a name scribbled on a baseball.

Dennis Schrader, who lives in Tampa Bay, is the collector and owner of the world’s largest autographed baseball collection. The 74-yearold has been collecting autographed baseballs since he was a tyke. “It was 1956 and I was 9 years old,” he says. “I made 25 cents a day as a New York Yankees ball boy. They were doing spring training here at Al Lang Field. I was sitting on a bench and a ball rolled over, I picked it up and a man comes over and says ‘hey kid, you want me to sign that ball’ ... it was Mickey Mantle ...that’s how it started.”

Schrader has spent decades scouring the internet, phoning prospective sellers, attending countless sports memorabilia shows. Some of the names on the balls are faded and barely legible, others are clearly recognizable. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. Wait. Marilyn Monroe? Yep, they both autographed one baseball. It’s one of 4,999 autographed baseballs that make up the Schrader’s Little Cooperstown exhibit at the St. Petersburg Museum of History.

Before it was installed at the museum in 2013, the now internationally recognized collection fi lled Schrader’s house where collector clubs, major athletes and team managers, public offi cials and sometimes celebrities would be invited to stop by for a gander. When the museum agreed to house the collection, he jumped at it (technically the exhibit is on loan, he adds). Now the world can visit his revered collection, something that makes Schrader happy.

Schrader’s collection earned the Guinness Book of World Records title for the largest Collection of Autographed Baseballs in 2011, with 4,220. This year, he was inducted into the inaugural Hobby Hall of Fame by Sports Collectors Digest.

Visitors to the museum can’t miss Schrader’s Little Cooperstown, it’s in two large gallery rooms across from the ticket counter upon entering. Many of his autographed baseballs came from mailing people with a formal letter and kindly asking if they would autograph a baseball. If they agreed, he would send them a ball and self-addressed box to return it. “The letter would say I had this collection and I was trying to get in the Guinness Book of World Records and it would become part of a museum exhibit,” says Schrader. “I was not going to sell it on e-bay.” More often than not, they signed, sealed and delivered.

Schrader designed the museum exhibit to take visitors on a trip through the history of baseball. Here you’ll fi nd photos and artifacts of baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Joe DiMaggio, as well as displays on leagues such as the Women’s Professional Baseball League and the Negro Leagues. One wall is dedicated to more than 100 years of Tampa Bay’s own history as a spring training destination. Another shows baseball in relation to world events over the past century.

But this rare collection displays more than baseball legends’ autographs, it also includes athletes like Mohammed Ali and Pete Rose (his ball said he was sorry for betting), and political leaders such as Fidel Castro. (Trivia alert: Castro was off ered a contract, including a $5,000 signing bonus, by the New York Giants in 1949. He turned down the off er and returned to Cuba where he went on to make history.)

The collection includes Elvis and Priscilla (separate balls but next to one another), Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart (same ball), presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Obama. Some signatures are unfamiliar names, forever associated with world-changing events and disasters. Millvina Dean, last survivor of 1912’s Titanic sinking, signed a ball in 2008 and died in 2009. Rock stars and musical celebrities abound from Liza Minelli and Alice Cooper to the Rolling Stones. Yes, all four signatures. Not a baseball fan? It doesn’t matter. Dennis Schrader’s Little Cooperstown exhibit is almost as entertaining as the museum’s mummy and two-headed calf.

The St. Petersburg Museum of History is located at 335 2nd Avenue NE in St. Petersburg; (727) 894-1052; spmoh.org

Remodel for Family to Live, Work & Play

BY DAVID FISCHER

Our clients wanted a new look and layout for their waterfront home in Shore Acres. This working couple with two children wanted a more livable home for their busy family with a coastal feel. They wanted to repurpose unused space for more pressing functional needs.

The children’s playroom was no longer used as the children grew so the space was transformed into a large home offi ce for the two working adults. The sunroom was transformed into a larger den for family time and an adjoining smaller den was transformed into a living area with a sliding door wall out to the waterfront patio. All of these new plans for the home needed to blend with the existing architecture and fl ow.

Grey tones were used throughout the home to pull together the open living space. The sunroom made way for a new family living space with shiplap accent walls and comfy oversized deep grey corduroy sofas. We chose a wood-look tile fl ooring in this room to withstand the wet feet coming from the nearby pool area. The room is accessorized with personal photos from the past and coastal treasures to complete the look. The hard surfaces are softened with a long grey shag rug and beautiful white drapes.

We transformed a former living area into an adult extension of the nearby kitchen and new family room. This lounge area was made for conversation and entertaining, a place where the adults could relax and enjoy company while being close to the rest of the family. A rustic wine hutch, four soft comfortable arm chairs and a stylish round padded coff ee table/ottoman furnish this room and make it perfect for time with friends.

The new home offi ce needed to be functional for two workfrom-home adults while leaving space for the children to watch TV and play video games. We designed dual built-in desks with lots of storage since the home lacked storage space. A patterned fl oorcloth was chosen to break up the hard tile expansive fl oor while remaining functional for the rolling offi ce chairs. We chose a solid surface countertop to make for a seamless desk surface across both work spaces.

David Fisher is owner and lead designer for ZaZoo’d in downtown St. Pete. He can be reached at david@zazood.com

Judy Holland, Your Luxury Lifestyle REALTOR® and Relocation Specialist

A lifelong resident of Pinellas County, Judy Holland is a broker associate at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, who specializes in luxury residential sales in southern Pinellas County. With nearly $150 million in sales, she was recently named among the REAL Trends America’s Best List, the top 1.5% of real estate professionals in the United States.

Judy is also a relocation specialist for buyers moving to the area who loves to help families not only find their dream homes but also acquaint them with schools, neighborhoods and the extensive cultural and social activities that our community offers.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience with Judy Holland. From start to finish, Judy was great to work with. She knows our community very well and was the ultimate professional. Judy walked us through the entire process and was always available for questions. She even provided moral support for us since we were moving out of our family home of 30 years. I have already recommended Judy to a friend and would recommend her to anyone wishing to buy or sell a home. St. Petersburg is fortunate to have Judy in our community.”

- Glenn and Dav M.

Did you know? • Judy graduated from Florida State University with a degree in chemistry and then launched a successful pharmaceutical sales career. • As a relocation specialist, Judy often spends many hours with prospective physicians and executives during their interview process, showcasing St. Petersburg and using her extensive network to help meet each family’s personalized needs. • Judy is actively involved in supporting a number of local organizations, including the Museum of Fine

Arts, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and many others. • Judy’s passion is selling real estate; she is also an avid gardener and loves to travel with her husband and children.

Judy Holland

CNE, CLHMS, REALTOR®, BROKER ASSOCIATE Global Luxury Real Estate Specialist 727.692.8992 Judy.Holland@PremierSIR.com JudyHolland.PremierSothebysRealty.com PremierSothebysRealty.com