Dugout Treasures, Memorabilia and Memories – Jonathan Popovich

Back in December I received a rogue package in the mail with a personal note accompanying a book. This note, so eloquently and passionately written, moved me. It was from Jonathan informing me that he had spent the last two years writing a book and asked if I would give it a read.

A new baseball book? I’m in! I have every one ever written on the subject of baseball gloves. I was excited to start reading it. I thought if this book is anything like his note, then I’m gonna love it. He appeared to be quite a writer so I eagerly opened it up and then saw the first picture. Simply stunning. Screw the writing I thought. These pieces and pictures are fantastic. I quickly flipped the page and saw another, and another. The brilliant photography and presentation made it impossible for me to put down. Here’s a hint of what I mean (click on the photos to enlarge):

I did this through half the book before I decided to stop looking and start reading.  I’m glad I did. Jonathan is a storyteller. He writes about collecting, but more importantly, about the joy of collecting. He tells us stories about his time on the hunt with his father, John, and his brother, Michael. These stories weave the theme of the joy of the hunt, the passion of collecting and more importantly, doing it with those closest to you. The bond he shares with his family is quite evident and the collection they put together is even more special because they did it as a family.  His sincerity and passion were exciting.

After reading the stories about how their pieces were acquired it became evident why it was so difficult to wrangle some of them out of their collection. There is a story behind every piece (oftentimes an educational one), and Jonathan intimately brings us along for the ride. I couldn’t help but reflect back on how much fun I too have had on the hunt over the years and how I long for the innocence of my early days searching for and collecting gloves. I look forward to re-experiencing the hobby through my son’s youthful eyes and I have Jonathan and his memories to thank, and for that, I’m grateful.

Please go to Dugout Treasures Book to order a copy. Enjoy this great hobby and enjoy the read. I know I did, four times…

JD