Joel, Jonah and Jill Sklar with Joel's sports

husband Joel's collecting
started innocently. At 6, his
father gave him $4 at each
Detroit Lions home game if he was
good, money he put toward bobbing-
headed dolls. By 8, he had amassed 18
of the mini yes-men dressed in differ-
ent football uniforms, all of which col-
lected dust in his childhood bedroom
for the next three decades.
About a year after we married, Joel
decided to bring "the boys" to our
home, a move, on the surface, that
charmingly recalled his former inno-
cence. So cute were they that I decid-
ed to add to the collection, gifting him
with a Barry Sanders bobber in the
home jersey.
Little did I realize that I had
opened my home for an invasion.
Seemingly while my back was turned,
the bobbers multiplied menacingly.
First it was the twin to the one I gave
him, only in an "away" jersey. Then
the collection began to take in figures
from all sports. Dennis Rodmans (one
with red hair, one with green — both
with complementary feather boas)
nodded next to a constipated-appear-
ing Larry Bird; Gordie Howe leaned
on a stick while Stone Cold Steve
Austin just looked ridiculous. Three
baseball teams could be fielded if that
portion of his collection came to life.
In a feeble attempt to win me over,
Joel even gave me one, a Princess
Diana bobber who looks more like Joe
Montana in a dress.
"My collection is not stupid," he
has reasoned with me. "It is the envy
of 6-year-olds everywhere. -
The bobbers took over first one
bookshelf, then six more, while their
former contents were packed into
boxes. -Who needs books when you
can look at bobbers?" Joel asked.
Apparently, he didn't have enough

V

Baseball bobbers are Joel Sklar's passion.

to look at so he collected baseballs. In
one year, Joel has spent hours at auto-
graph signings, and more scouring
eBay. Joe DiMaggio, lickey Mantle,
Al Kaline, Frank Mazerosky, Ted
Williams, Sandy Koufax, Ron
Bloomberg, Hank Greenberg and 28
others stare out from their tacky plas-
tic cases. Mini helmets were next, and
footballs have recently entered the
picture.
Worst of all, Joel enlisted our son,
Jonah, in the quest, promising him
that "someday all this Nv I 1 be yours."
Personally, I am beginning to think
that I can't wait for that day.

BY JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN SOBCZAK

I 0 • APRIL 2 no2 • STYLE AT Tin: JN

