Billy Staples and The Baseball Encyclopedia (and Johnny Callison)
In the summer of 1964, and at least until early fall, to be a Phillies baseball fan was to be in heaven. From the beginning of the season, the Phillies had been in first place only to stumbled and lose ten games in a row in one of the most drastic collapses in the history of sports. But for a young boy who was baseball-obsessed, that year there were many magic moments. There was the exciting play by newcomer Ritchie (Dick) Allen, a future all-star at third base, and on Father's day, Jim Bunning pitched the first perfect game in Phillies history. For a 12-year-old boy, it didn't get much better than that. Unless, of course, you were a natural right-hand batter and your favorite Phillie was the left-handed slugger Johnny Callison.
In the public housing project that summer, where I grew up, we played baseball every day at the end of Bamberry Terrace, against the brick wall that opened up to a wide field across Ritner Street. We played fast ball, a game that required a broom handle and a white pimple ball, though, in a pinch, even the hated small pink rubber ball would do. I wanted to be Johnny Callison so badly, I taught myself to bat left-handed. Through May and June, and part of July, I struck out most of the time, but somehow during the heat of August, it suddenly came together and I became a power-hitting left-hander.
Bill Staples writes about baseball, and anytime he interviewed a famous player he would have them sign his 1993 Baseball Encyclopedia, which he was still hauling around with him in 2015, when he bought the book into my shop for some much-needed triage. It's true that most of Billy's signatures have come some years past the playing years of each player, but still, it's an amazing book. He would get players to sign the individual stat page, and if the team played in the postseason, he got them to sign there also. Stan Musial, Derek Jeter, Nolan Ryan, Wille Mays, and Richie Allen, were all there.
The repair work was going to be straightforward, make a new binding, and make a clamshell case to haul the book in so it didn't get damaged again. There was only one problem, Billy needed it in three weeks to take with him to spring training, and our backlog was running 12-14 weeks. I hemmed and hauled because I don't like to jump jobs in our work queue. There has to be a really good reason and if I agree to jump a job, I do so with the plan that the work will be done on weekends so as to not delay the other customer's orders.
Billy understood the problem when I explained it to him. After a pause, he said, "Who is your favorite Phillies baseball player?” I opened the book, searched, and pointed down, Johnny Callison.
Billy said, “If you can get this back to me in three weeks, I'll bring you something I got from Johnny Callison's wife, something right from Johnny Callison's home." That day I found out the price of my integrity. I worked the next two weekends.
Billy Staples kept his word, in fact, he went way beyond what was needed. When he picked his Encylopedia, with the signatures of all the great players now restored and protected, he gave me five things. A photograph of Billy and Johnny Callison taken in Johnny's home. A Topps Baseball card page insert of Johnny Callison, in his rookie year in his Phillies uniform and signed. A signed copy of the August 10, 1964 Sports Illustrated cover of Johnny at the end of the full power swing that won the All-Star game for the National League that year, and two baseball cards, both signed, one from the end of his career when he played one year with the Chicago Cubs, and a card from 1961 his second year with the Phillies.
