(#140)
You work half your life coaching baseball and as you get older all the trophies and collectibles eventually end up in boxes in the attic or in a closet or on a garbage truck. So I decided to find a special place for all the mementos representing 41 championships, 26 at Magnolia Academy, 14 at Hinds, and one at Pearl High School, as well as other collectibles.
That special place is The Clarke Baseball Museum and Garage. I didn’t have room for them all even when most of the trophies marking an unprecedented 26 championships at Magnolia Academy vanished to the local garbage dump when the school closed in 1986.
When I left Hinds after the 2005 season, I had copies made of each plaque and trophy to put in my private collection.
Over time, I consolidated the state championships on two plaques (3 at Magnolia and 2 at Hinds), the Region 23 championships (4) and runner-up finishes (5) on another plaque, the District championships (4) on a third plaque, and the World Series appearances (4) on another.
They look great!
It’s a great museum… and garage, where dying trophies, plaques, memories and cars go to live!
Admission is free.
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 