Story of a fan, Facebook, Battle Creek legend Carl Angelo and a 1961 signed baseball

To Mike Anderson, the signed baseball was something special. Something from his youth.

But he also knew the memory he has had under glass for decades might mean something more to someone else.

So he went about to find someone that would cherish his baseball even more than he has for more than 60 years.

And that journey led him to Kelli Angelo-Palmer – who received a box in the mail over the weekend with something she had never held in her hands before. A piece of memorabilia that will now become one of her most cherished, a baseball signed by her father – Battle Creek baseball legend Carl Angelo – in 1961, the year she was born.

"I am so glad we were able to get this done. She is the person who will treasure it like I have," Anderson said.

MORE: 'He was a legend', Battle Creek baseball great Carl Angelo dies at 88

Anderson, who now lives in Florida, is a 1966 graduate of Lakeview High School. As an 11-year-old baseball fan, living in Battle Creek, he often found himself at Bailey Park watching city league baseball games. On an occasion of a cookout at his neighbor Robert Thompson's house, one of the local teams – the Battle Creek Civics – were in attendance and were all happy to oblige a young fan as each signed a ball for him. One member of that team was Angelo, who is considered the winningest pitcher in the history of amateur baseball and a member of 10 halls of fame. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.

Anderson kept the baseball, put it in a glass case, and has had it ever since.

Fast forward several decades and Anderson is going through some of the "dusty stuff" at his home and had an idea.

"I have downsized several times and have had to get rid of a lot of stuff, but never did get rid of that baseball," Anderson said. "But I started thinking, what is going to happen to this ball? Do my kids really care about the dusty stuff I have, like my old 45s and things like this old baseball? They are probably going to just pitch it when it comes time.

"So I started to look for someone who might want it. I saw the name Carl Angelo and searched the Internet for him. Found out he passed away. ... Eventually, I posted the baseball on the 'You Know You Are From Battle Creek' Facebook page and that's when things started to happen."

Which is where the next member of this journey picks up the story – Larry Younglove.

Younglove contacted Anderson and said he knew exactly who might want the ball.

"Carl Angelo, the man, the myth, the legend. And more importantly, a friend. I saw the ball on Facebook and wanted to help get the ball to the Angelo family," Younglove said. "I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to figure this out. I'm not an Angelo, but I know the family and wanted to kind of go to bat for them and help make this happen.

"I first saw Carl Angelo play in the '60s when my dad took me to games and I went to school with his daughter, Kelli. Considering the ball is as old as Kelli, I just thought she would be the one that would want it."

So with the help of Younglove as an intermediary, Anderson mailed the signed baseball to Kelli Angelo-Palmer.

"When I first heard about it, I didn't know he was going to just give it away," Angelo-Palmer said. "Actually, I would have paid for it. I have a couple of things signed by my dad, but not a baseball. I was super eager to try and make all of this happen.

"I know other people may have wanted the ball also, because there are a lot of names on it that people probably recognized and they have all passed away so it would be a nice to have something signed by their dad or grandpa. Probably some members of my own family wanted the ball also, so they are probably going to be mad when they find out I got it."

Angelo-Palmer was with her 90-year-old mother, Betty Angelo, when the ball came in the mail. She had her mom open the box and look at the ball with her late husband's name on it and enjoyed sharing that experience with her. She also hoped her mom would want to be part of this story and have her photo taken with her, but she declined.

She then asked for some advice.

"I asked my mom what I should do. She said, I was born in 1961, the year the ball was signed, so it makes sense for me to get it," Angelo-Palmer said. "She said, 'You are the one that went after it, so you go get your picture taken with that ball. It's your ball.' So I did what my mom said to do, she is the boss."

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Tale of a fan, Battle Creek legend Carl Angelo and a '61 signed ball