Leiter Still Sees Value in a Pitching Rubber

Al Leiter does not appear at many card shows. But as he signed various items last month at a show in Secaucus, N.J., he was put in an unusual position. For the first time in his life, Leiter wanted to keep a fan’s memorabilia.

When a gray-haired man handed Leiter a pitching rubber that contained 56 signatures from players who had thrown a perfect game or a no-hitter, Leiter was smitten. He spotted Johnny Vander Meer’s signature, Sandy Koufax’s signature and Don Larsen’s signature, and he made his sales pitch.

“I told him I was honored to be on this thing,” said Leiter, who tossed a no-hitter with the Florida Marlins in 1996. “Then I asked him if he would ever consider selling it.”

The man was speechless, but his daughter was not.

“She stepped out from behind him and said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll sell it,’ ” Leiter recalled. “You could tell he didn’t want to do it. He had worked for years and years to get those signatures.”

To determine the pitching rubber’s worth, Leiter asked Andrew Levy, the president of Wish You Were Here Productions, who had signed him to appear at the show. Levy made a phone call and gave an estimate of about $2,000. Leiter was prepared to write a check for $2,500. Still, the man was hesitant.

“I told him to talk to his daughter and hang around until after the show so we could talk,” Leiter, an announcer for the YES network, said.

When the show ended, Leiter searched for the man. But he was gone. Apparently, the man’s departure was his answer.

“If he’s out there and still wants to sell it, I’m interested,” Leiter said. “Call Andrew Levy with Wish You Were Here in New York. I’d love to have it.”Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company