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The historic baseball autographed by Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees that Grosse Pointe resident Cyndy Lambert found in her basement is dated July 22, 1967, just one day before the history of Detroit would profoundly change.
Photo by Jonathan Szczepaniak
GROSSE POINTE WOODS — On a typical Sunday, one might spend time in the basement searching for something, cleaning or putting things away.
Grosse Pointe Woods resident Cyndy Lambert found herself in a similar situation recently, but the outcome was much different than finding a photo album or holiday decorations.
As Lambert was in a corner of her basement where she typically stores comforters and plastic containers, she discovered a Disneyland bag that hadn’t been touched since she moved into her home 23 years ago. Under spiderwebs and dust were 11 signed baseballs from her childhood that she collected at various memorabilia shows and Detroit Tigers games.
“I started looking at them and I thought, ‘Wow, this is kind of interesting,’ and I saw some of the names on there,” Lambert said. “I knew about Fat Katz (Sports Cards & Collectibles in St. Clair Shores), so I took them there, and Jimmy there, he said, ‘If you want, I can look at them and let you know what I think.’ He started calling me going, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe what you got; I can’t believe this was in your basement in a plastic Disneyland bag from the ’70s or whatever.’”
One ball held multiple autographs from the 1972 Oakland Athletics, which included Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Rollie Fingers; another showcased 1970s Baltimore Orioles and featured Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson; and others were multiple Detroit Tigers baseballs from the 1960s and 1970s.
While it’s tough to match up against a baseball filled with legends in the case of the 1972 Athletics, a Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees dual-signed baseball dated July 22, 1967 — an 11-4 Tigers win — carries extra historical significance.
On July 23, 1967, Detroit police raided an unlicensed after-hours bar, an act that sparked six days of violence in the city that claimed 43 lives and saw approximately 2,500 buildings destroyed and 7,000 people arrested.
“The one riot ball, it shocks you once you find out the date and the special things the ball holds, you know,” Fat Katz owner Jimmy Merlo said.
On top of the baseball’s place in history, Lambert’s father was a Detroit police officer at that time.
“I just remember him calling our house and my mom saying, ‘What’s that noise?’ and he said, ‘It’s just the sound of tracer bullets being shot into the police station,’” Lambert said. “My mom said, ‘Where are you?’ and he was under a desk making a phone call. It was a scary time for everyone.”
With the ball holding such history and meaning, Lambert said it was only right that she give it to the Tigers. She had no recollection of the ball and how she came to have it.
Lambert, a former Detroit News writer who covered the Detroit Red Wings from 1986 to 1998, reached out to a former colleague to figure out the next steps for the historic ball.
“I actually reached out to my former colleague John Niyo at the (Detroit) News, and I said, ‘Hey, do you know someone at the Tigers I could go to for this?’ and he gave me Jordan Field,” Lambert said. “He’s with the Tigers, and he’s an authenticator, and he had to check with the archive person, Sarah, who got back to me and said, ‘Absolutely.’”
The ball will now be heading to the Tigers archive department to be displayed for fans.
For Lambert, the ball is going exactly where her father, who was a Tigers fan, would want it to go.
“I think my dad would be happy that it’s going to the Tigers,” Lambert said. “It belongs there, as long as they take care of it; that’s what matters.’”
Lambert is now holding on to 10 historic baseballs from her childhood.
She said she’s found some other baseball memorabilia, including a Steve Kemp-signed bat, after getting the motivation to search her basement, but more importantly, she has been able to relive some memories in the process.
“It’s gotten me into it again, let me tell you,” Lambert said. “More than anything, it’s taken me back down memory lane and remembering how much time I spent studying baseball and the players. I used to know their earned run average, their batting average and how many home runs they hit. I knew them every day because that’s just how I grew up.”
