Delmarva man's massive autograph collection spans decades of baseball history

Barry Neeb always makes time to attend a Delmarva Shorebirds game during the season.

The former Ocean City police officer will often make the trip to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium with friends, family and co-workers, laughing and enjoying the Baltimore Orioles’ minor-league affiliate as it takes on opposing squads week after week.

Once the game concludes, rather than dash for the car to avoid the buildup of traffic, Neeb waits out by the team’s tunnels, hoping for the chance to grab an autograph.

But it’s not just the players' signatures Neeb is hoping to get; the Berlin native is also looking for coaches and managers to add to his massive sports autograph collection.

For years, Neeb has collected thousands of autographs, focusing primarily on baseball signatures. He estimates his collection currently holds more than 5,000 autographs.

“I have always collected autographs since I was a kid — always thought it was interesting, but the passion was always baseball,” Neeb said. “Going to Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia with my dad and seeing the Phillies of the 60s, I was just in awe of it all. I was always a baseball fan, but never thought about collecting.”

Neeb got the idea of starting a collection when he stumbled upon the book known as the “Baseball Address List.”

The book has the physical addresses of nearly 92 percent of all former players from 1940 to 2016. Curious about the athletes, Neeb began writing letters to the former ballplayers, asking questions, telling stories and ultimately asking for a signature.

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“I thought, ‘Gosh, would any of them even write to me?’ I wrote them all letters, and some sent long, detailed letters, some sent photos — just reading the letters took you back in time,” Neeb said. “I was hooked. Some of the letters I get back are incredible, some are eye opening, some are very disparaging of the current state of the game, but it was the truth of how they felt.”  

Unlike the stereotypical sports fan who simply asks for an autograph, Neeb was anxious to learn more about the players who served as pioneers for the sport.

He would ask about an athlete’s favorite play, who their best friend was on the team and what they thought of how the game has evolved over time.

One ballplayer he wrote to was William “Dutch” Fehring, a catcher for the Chicago White Sox and a former baseball coach at Stanford University.

Fehring only played in one game, but in his letter to Neeb, the Chicago catcher recalled crouching behind home plate as his idol Lou Gehrig came up to bat.

Gehrig attempted to score on an inside-the-park home run, but with a strong throw to the plate, Fehring tagged out his idol, bringing a mix of excitement and nervousness.

“He said ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Mr. Gehrig,’ — it’s just hysterical,” Neeb said. “You try to send them something that’s personal so it doesn’t look like a form letter."

But it’s not just Major League ballplayers that make up Neeb’s enormous collection.

Many of the athletes listed in the book were members of the Negro League and the All-American Women’s League. Neeb would write to these players, asking about the struggles of trying to make it at the sport’s top level, and some of the adversity they would face come game day.

While he gathered as many signatures as he could, Neeb made sure to add Snow Hill native and Negro League legend William “Judy” Johnson to his collection.

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“I wrote to all of them and got some really cool responses. (They) seemed to be grateful that people even remembered them and cared to ask their opinion on stuff. It was humbling to read,” Neeb said. “You sometimes get more than you bargain for. They really played because they enjoyed it and then went on to be whatever they chose to be.”

Many of the letters Neeb receives are positive and grateful, with players thankful that someone is still interested in their story, despite the athlete’s playing days being well behind them.

However, from time to time, Neeb will come upon a story that has a stronger effect than others, as he reads about the hardships some former players are currently facing.

He once wrote to player, but later received a letter back from his wife, announcing that her husband had died years ago. Neeb also recalled a letter that came back to him that was written by a nurse because the former ballplayer was now blind and unable to write.

“You get some sad ones, but some are so neat from the nurses, like ‘You brighten his day with this letter, asking about this. He was so excited to talk about this.’ She would write down his responses and send them, so that was kind of fun,” Neeb said. “It was really a lump in the throat kind of stuff for some of these things.”  

However, most of the letters serve as pieces of history for Neeb, giving him a firsthand experience of what life was like for ballplayers in the mid-1900s.

Neeb loves his collection and says he can spend hours at a time going through signatures and items that have been sent to him from some of the most well-known athletes to ever play the game.

While it’s hard for Neeb to pick a favorite signature, he favors the multiple autographs he possesses from his favorite athlete Bobby Richardson. The former Yankees’ second baseman did something no other players have done during their time in the Majors.

“He is the only player in Major League Baseball history to be the World Series MVP and be on the losing team. When they lost to the Pirates, he was the MVP,” Neeb said.

Sending out nearly 10 letters a week, Neeb continues to add to his massive collection, making his home in Berlin a holder for sports history.

He communicates with other collectors with the email address 21standlehigh@gmail.com, encouraging others to reach out so they can exchange notes and discuss their love for collecting.

From players in the 1930s who played for the love of the game, to current stars like Baltimore’s Dylan Bundy who makes millions, Neeb often finds himself in that same awe he felt when attending ballgames with his father.

As he goes through binders, holds mini-helmets and baseballs and gazes at his vast collection, Neeb remembers the history of one of the country’s greatest sports, and is thankful to say he possesses just a small piece of it.  

“It’s a neat hobby. I love doing detective work and finding out who these guys are and what they did,” Neeb said. “That’s the fun part, and I just love doing this. It’s just amazing to go back in time and discover all these great players.”