Haddix items up for auction

"I polished that silverware for 51 years. It's time to stop."

Tuesday, November 09, 2010
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Harvey Haddix stood motionless as Joe Adcock rounded second after breaking up Haddix’s no-hitter in the 13th inning in 1959. (Rogers Photo Archive/Getty Images)

For pitching 12 perfect innings in a 1959 game, Harvey Haddix was given a dozen silver goblets, each etched with the play-by-play of an unprecedented accomplishment, by National League president Warren Giles.

That sterling silver set occupied a place of honor in the Haddix household for years after he died in 1994. But now those goblets and other Haddix memorabilia, including a replica of his 1960 World Series ring, are being sold at auction.

"I polished that silverware for 51 years," Marcia Haddix, his widow, said in a voice tinged with mixed emotions. "It's time to stop."

Marcia Haddix, who kept a trove of her husband's memorabilia in the living room of their home in a tidy neighborhood of Springfield, Ohio, decided earlier this year to part with some of the items. The couple's three children -- two daughters and a son, age 52 to 45 -- got to pick whatever they wanted to keep. In addition to some personal items, Marcia Haddix is hanging on to the scrap books and 14 photo albums.

"It was a very hard decision to make, but I knew the time had come," she said. "Our kids wouldn't know what to do with it all. My baseball room looks like a little old lady's sitting room now."

The items are being sold through Hunt Auctions, which is based in Exton, Pa., and has been selling sports memorabilia for nearly two decades. The Haddix items are up for bid Saturday at the live auction at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, Ky. In addition to live bids Saturday, advanced bids can be placed at http://www.huntauctions.com/.

"It's a beautiful piece of baseball history," said David Hunt, president of the auction company. "We're honored to have the Haddix memorabilia, and we hope it will do very well. It's already generated some lively bidding online."

The silver goblets and a presentational tray, which bears the autographs of the 1959 Pirates, were presented in the days after a May 26, 1959, game in Milwaukee. Haddix made history by not allowing a single runner to reach base through 12 innings. The perfect game and the no-hitter were lost in the 13th inning. After an error, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk, Joe Adcock produced the only Milwaukee hit when he hit a home run. But in the confusion of the moment, his home run was ruled a ground-rule double because he had passed baserunner Hank Aaron. The final score was set at 1-0 by the National League office. The Pirates were unable to score a run against Milwaukee pitcher Lew Burdette, who also threw a complete game that night.

In addition to the play-by-play of the 12 perfect innings, the silver set includes the linescore from the game.

Also being auctioned is a replica World Series ring from 1960. Haddix won two games in the championship series against the New York Yankees, including the seventh game. His original ring was stolen from his hotel room in 1983 when Haddix was a coach with the Pirates.

Another item from the Haddix collection is a very limited edition lithographic print of the 100th anniversary Pirates team. Printed in 1987 from the original painting by artist Jamie Adams, the lithograph is number eight of 12. Haddix was selected to the anniversary team by a fan vote. Others depicted are manager Danny Murtaugh, ElRoy Face, Vernon Law, Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Manny Sanguillen, Paul Waner, Pie Traynor and Bill Mazeroski.

Haddix, who grew up on a farm in Ohio, pitched in the major leagues from 1952-65. In addition to the Pirates, this left-handed pitcher also played with the Cardinals, Phillies, Orioles and Reds. He was 45-38 in five seasons with the Pirates and won three Gold Glove Awards. In his 14 big-league seasons overall, he was 136-113 with a 3.63 ERA. He died Jan. 8, 1994, and is buried in Asbury Cemetery in Catawba, Ohio.

Haddix was quite the collector, according to family friend Steve Stout, sports editor of The Urbana (Ohio) Citizen.

"Everybody here keeps everything. He kept a baseball for each of his career wins," Stout said. "The stuff was sitting around the house. And one of the reasons Marcia decided to sell off some things was she wanted his fans and fans of baseball in general to be able to see it."

The seventh annual Louisville Slugger Auction features about 700 items of baseball history up for sale. One item with a connection to Pittsburgh and the World Series is a bat autographed by Boston pitcher Cy Young. It is believed to have been used in the inaugural World Series in 1903.

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