The Search For Coot Veal

Autographed Baseballs exhibit yields a surprising find

By Ken DeLaat

The Grand Rapids Public Museum has a current exhibit  called ‘Play Ball’ that contains the world’s largest collection of Tiger autographed baseballs.  The exhibit includes some 1200 balls signed by those who spent time playing in Tiger Stadium (nee Briggs) and CoAmerica Park. That is a lot of baseballs and a lot of players.

Being a Tiger adherent  for the past 6+ decades I have had fandom connections with players who came up in the organization and remained for the majority if not their entire career. A long term  committed relationship. Like Al Kaline

There have also been breakups via trades. Kind of like your first love in Junior High when you are certain to have found the person you’re destined to be with forever and suddenly her parents get jobs in another state and the family moves. I think of Harvey Keunn one of my early favorites who won the batting title in ‘59 and over the winter got traded for Rocky Colavito. Ok,  the Rock provided a lot of fireworks including jumping into the stands in New York to go after a drunk guy getting into it with Colavito’s Dad. But Keunn  leaving broke my youthful heart.

Then of course there have been the nasty partings. When free agency hit all of a sudden the relationship would just end. Sure there was a bit of buildup evident from leaks about negotiations but somehow you felt it would workout when suddenly Bam! Divorce. 
Kirk Gibson certainly comes to mind and it still stung a little to watch him toss out the first ball at the Dodger opener last week wearing an L.A. uni with the Tigers in their dugout watching.

Then there are the rebound relationships. When a player moves from another team and becomes a part of the family almost instantly. Like Pudge Rodriguez. He almost singlehandedly took the Tigers out of the doldrums. His coming to Detroit made others want to join him and the team went from pitiful to pennant winners.

And beyond all those are the obscure, fleeting, short term relationships. Like a date or two that kind of went nowhere. Players who never seemed to find their niche and would soon be all but forgotten. There have been many but when I think of obscurity I am reminded of a platoon shortstop who was the classic good glove, crummy bat  type of player. All the aforementioned names are pretty  familiar and there are a host of other well known players  sure to be in the collection but I had only one name in mind to search for.
Coot Veal. 
I was only 8 or 9 but I recall the light hitting shortstop who hung around for a couple of years wearing the Olde English D. Even had his baseball card. No way they could have a ball signed by Coot (whose given name was Orville).

But I was wrong. And, I might add, totally convinced this is the most all inclusive collection of its type in the entire Galaxy. If you have any favorite Bengal players from the past or others who yourecall as dreadfully lousy, get to this exhibit and I’m betting that no matter how little time he spent in the Tiger limelight (and lineup), you’ll find him. 
​
Well done, Steve and Nancy Nagengast who have amassed the collection and made the exhibit possible.
And kudos to the GRPM for sharing this treasure trove of Tigerdom.
With plans for multiple visits to this dazzling display I’m going to need a membership. 
​Go Tigers!

Lifetime HR's- 1