http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/latest-sports-collecting-news/game-used-bats-spur-memories-for-florida-man.html

Originally Posted by Sports Collectors Daily on April 7th, 2009.

Jimmy Palermo ran a tavern across the street from Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. That was years after he served as a batboy and clubhouse attendant and it all added up to a collection of baseball memorabilia he latched onto along the way.

None of it was worth the kind of cash it would fetch today, but that's why the bar became a magnet for things like Hank Aaron and Stan Musial bats.

Palermo got those in the 1950s. In the 30s, he helped a dying Lou Gehrig put on his shoes and socks, fetched a bat-rubbing bone for the Babe and acquired an autographed baseball from the 1933 American League All-Star team. Just don't ask him what happened to it. He knows--and it's a sad family secret.

Palermo has two collections we all dream about. The physical one--and the memories of hanging out with some of the game's all-time greats.