WILLIAMSTON, Mich — Todd Walter calls himself a "nut" when it comes to collecting Detroit Tigers memorabilia, but his Williamston home tells a different story — one of careful curation and deep passion for baseball history.
- Todd Walter has been collecting Detroit Tigers items for the past 25 years and gives public and private presentations of his collection.
- One item is a baseball with a thumbprint of a former Tigers pitcher who was part of the 1968 World Series championship team.
- Walter says his collection helps him connect with fellow fans and keeps the history of the game alive.
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Walter's collection took 25 years to build, turning his basement into a personal museum, every corner dressed in Tigers lore: from a seat signed by Hall of Fame player Al Kaline to items showcasing slugger Miguel Cabrera.
"Yes this is all materialistic stuff but everything here has a story," Walter said.
One of his most treasured pieces is a baseball with the thumbprint of Daryl Patterson, a former Tigers pitcher who died in August.
Patterson didn't become a household name, but Walter sees value in preserving the memory of players who wore the uniform.
"He didn't go on to stardom. He wasn't a big pitcher that we remembered. But he was part of the team and he was a rookie that year and he has a [1968] World Series ring," Walter said. "Once a Tiger, always a Tiger."
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Walter's collection includes signed baseballs, newspaper clippings, old equipment like mitts, bats and a catchers mask, and a Tigers hat from a player dating back to the mid-1940s.
One of Walter's sections is dedicated to Cabrera, the last MLB player to hit for the triple crown. Walter even met Cabrera's mother, Gregoria, during spring training and has a baseball she signed for him.
"I met Miggy's mother in spring training. There's Gregoria right here she's signing a baseball for me," Walter said, showing me a photo.
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These days, Walter loads his collection into totes for public and private presentations, sharing Tigers history with fellow fans. His dream is to have Dan Dickerson, the radio voice of the Tigers, visit his home museum.
"I would love for him to visit my museum and talk just like you and I are talking. It's gonna happen," Walter said. "I won't even charge you Dan!"
Walter says the collection isn't about the quantity of items but the quality of the connections he makes by sharing baseball memories with others.
"Not only am I the one sharing and bringing, but the stories that you learn from the audience, I can write a whole book about that," Walter said.
To Walter, it's the perfect double play.
"So you're leading people through an entire history and they become alive," Walter said.
"In my opinion the Tigers season goes on 365 days a year."
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