Juego al futbol

If you recognize the name on the photo of the football above, you are going to have a head start on the following story. It also follows on the heels of my recent posts on autographed items, though up to this point they have been signed comic books, and this is, in fact, a football.

It is not the kind of football that is currently enthralling the world as Togo and Switzerland kick a little white ball around to the joy of fans world wide - no, it is a standard, good ol' American Lucy-pull-it-out-from-under-Charlie Brown football. Those of you out there who know the Mole know that sports is not his forte; a baseball game, if anything, and few of those since the Moleson gave up sports for Emo. The only part of the Super Bowl I pay attention to is the halftime show; I am not a football fan and do not hope to be one.

As longtime listeners may remember, the Mole works an actual job, raising money for a hospital system, and in the state of Delaware. In Delaware there is a terrific organization called the Delaware Community Foundation, and a few weeks back I was one of several hundred people who attended a celebration of the DCF's 20th year of doing wonderful works in the First State.

I sat in the back with coworkers; we ate a nice lunch and heard nice speeches. The keynote that day was former Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, who I thought I had maybe heard of before but couldnt have picked him out of a police lineup. He apparently led another team to win the Super Bowl a few years back, and had taken the Eagles to the Super Bowl and lost many years ago, but is apparently, as I learned, something of a big name and a revered individual in the area. (I knew none of this beforehand).

He spoke; he was better than most highly-paid inspirational speakers and I enjoyed it. At the end of the gig, as we were getting up to go back to work, they announced that Mr. Vermeil had signed five footballs and they were going to draw names out of a hat to give out the balls. And who(m) do you think had their name drawn first - why, none but your friend the Mole, who then had to walk, embarassed (especially when I thought Dick was going to throw the ball to me from across the room and I waved him off) all the way to the front to get my prize. And so now, I have a signed Dick Vermeil football.

At least two people offered me money for it on the way out. I will keep it because, well, its kind of cool. I may even buy one of those plastic boxes to keep it in. Right now it sits up on the shelf next to my signed Cal Ripken ball, which are so common as to be used in bartering in the streets of Baltimore.

And now my autograph journey is done, for now. Where oh where might it take me next? The adventure continues.........