sports
He Left
Greenberg
Invitational With A
Greenberg Autograph
Here’ s the
baseball
autographed
by Hank
Greenberg
that was
purchased by
Harry Glanz.
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
C
ould there be a more appropri-
ate sports memorabilia pur-
chase than buying a baseball
autographed by former Detroit Tigers
great Hank Greenberg at a live auction
during the Hank Greenberg Memorial
Golf Invitational?
Harry Glanz did just that at the 27th
annual invitational held last month
at Franklin Hills Country Club in
Franklin.
The West Bloomfield resident paid
$850 for the baseball, which was
donated for the auction.
“I’m not sure how old the baseball
is. I’m guessing 1935 to 1938,” Glanz
said. “It’s signed by a few other Tigers
of that era. Goose Goslin. Pete Fox.
Rudy York.
“I’ve been told the ball is worth
$1,500. I don’t care. It’s not going any-
where. It’s staying in my sports memo-
rabilia collection, which will eventu-
ally go to my kids.”
Glanz’s collection includes
autographed baseballs from stars
like Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio,
Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Ted
Williams.
The Greenberg autographed base-
ball isn’t in pristine condition, Glanz
said. Like many autographed base-
balls of that time, it’s covered with
shellac to preserve it.
According to Professional Sports
Authenticator (PSA), a third-party
authentication service for autographs
and memorabilia based in Newport
Beach, Calif., “when it came to meet-
ing the demands of fans and collec-
tors, Greenberg was one of the most
personable and kind players in base-
ball history.”
For most of his life, according to
PSA, Greenberg signed “Hank” instead
of his full first name “Henry” when
he wrote his autograph. That’s what
Glanz’s baseball says.
Days after buying it, Glanz was still
thrilled with the purchase.
“Hank Greenberg meant so much
to so many in the Jewish community
when he was playing for the Tigers,”
Glanz said.
Greenberg’s admirers included
Glanz’s late father, Edwin Glanz, and
late father-in-law, Dr. Conrad Pearl.
There’s a photo of Greenberg
and Pearl in Glanz’s basement. It
was taken June 12, 1983, the day
Greenberg’s No. 5 and Charlie
Gehringer’s No. 2 were retired by the
Tigers at Tiger Stadium.
Greenberg died in 1986. Gehringer
died in 1993.
Glanz, president and co-founder
of Capital Mortgage Funding in
Southfield, said he’s been attending
the Hank Greenberg Memorial Golf
Invitational for about 20 years.
He’s been on the board of the
sponsoring Michigan Jewish Sports
Foundation for 10 years, so he knows
the invitational raises funds for cancer
research and children’s charities.
This year’s recipients are the
Karmanos Cancer Institute at the
Lawrence & Idell Weisberg Cancer
Treatment Center in Farmington Hills
and Kids Kicking Cancer.
That’s another reason, Glanz said,
why he was so happy to buy the
Greenberg autographed baseball.
David Blatt, the MJSF’s executive
director, said the invitational once
again was a sellout with 140 golfers
plus the celebrities who attended.
The weather was perfect, and Blatt
said the honorees at the dinner pro-
gram were pure class.
Among the honorees were Hall
of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins,
who received the Hank Greenberg
Memorial Lifetime Achievement
Award, and broadcaster Dick Enberg,
who was presented the Dick Schapp
Memorial Award for Media Excellence.
ESPN reporter Jeremy Schapp,
whose father, a sports writer and
broadcaster, is the namesake for the
Dick Schapp Award, was the program
emcee. Steve Greenberg, Hank’s son,
was at the invitational as always.
The Barry Bremen Memorial
Inspiration Award went to Rabbi
Elimelech Goldberg, founder and
national director of Kids Kicking
Cancer, an organization dedicated to
helping children overcome the pain of
cancer through martial arts and spiri-
tual training.
Bremen was known as “The Great
Imposer” for his ability to become a
part of sports and other events. •
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Send tips to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
jn
July 13 • 2017
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