10 Most Fascinating Pieces of Baseball Memorabilia

Some people just love collecting baseball memorabilia. While it's nobody's place to judge how people spend their money, it certainly seems more practical to put your money to good use. Or at least purchase pieces of memorabilia that you could use for your own use.

Baseball has had some memorable characters over the course of its long and storied history. There are a number of items I would love to have for my collection.

The next several slides will show you how to collect valuable commodities without having your house look like Barry Halper's...

10. Eddie Gaedal Jersey

As part of an attempt to create more buzz among the St. Louis Browns' fans, owner Bill Veeck hired 3'7" Eddie Gaedal to play for his team. Veeck had several other gimmicks such as this debacle and this disaster...

Gaedal appeared in one game, walked on four pitches, before being replaced by a pinch runner and never made another appearance in a Major League game. Gaedal wore 1/8 as his uniform number.

I would personally be interested in buying this jersey very much so. How many people can say they have spotted someone wearing this? Put your hand down, because you're lying.

Also, this could be the perfect birthday present for a small child. Better than having your kid walk around like this...

9. The Facial Hair of Al Hrabosky

There hasn't been too many players more competitive in history than Al Hrabosky. The relief pitcher, known as "The Mad Hungarian" was certainly eccentric.

Hrabosky was noted for sprinting in from the bullpen, and taking a tremendously deep breathe before violently whipping his head towards home to receive the sign from the catcher.

Most impressively, Hrabosky sported perhaps the most manly facial hair of all time. If that facial hair became available via eBay or some other means, I would definitely place a bid. If for no other reason, it could keep you warm in the cold winter months.

Nowadays, you can find Hrabosky in the radio booth as the color commentator for the St. Louis Cardinals. And no, he does not have any facial hair anymore.

8. The Diary of Jimmy Piersall

Jimmy Piersall was a terrifically talented baseball player during his 17-year career as an outfielder for several teams. He was even named an All-Star twice.

His real claim to fame, however, was his battle with bipolar disorder. The movie Fear Strikes Out was a biography about his life. Some stories involving Piersall are so outrageous they're hard to believe. Among those:

-In a three-week span, he was ejected from a game four times.

-He once spanked the four-year-old child of teammate Vern Stephens in the clubhouse.

-He led the crowd in cheers during an at bat...for himself.

-After hitting a homerun he ran around the bases...backwards.

-He once appeared at the plate wearing a wig and using his bat as an air guitar.

Just imagine what kinds of entertainment you can get from reading the journal entries this guy had...

7. The Goggles of Francisco Rodriguez

Francisco Rodriguez burst onto the scene during the 2002 pennant run with the Anaheim Angels as a 20-year-old. He electrified the Angels fans by winning five postseason games before having won a regular season game.

K-Rod, as he is commonly referred to, sports extremely flamboyant glasses that are just as important to him as his violent delivery and incredible change-up.

Now, while you might not want him as your son-in-law, Rodriguez has put together a terrific career, having already accumulated 291 saves before the age of 30. At this rate he is way ahead of all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera's pace.

If I were to buy these goggles, I could use them for many purposes—primarily to find out if they serve as night vision.

6. Ty Cobb Cleats

If you were stuck in a room with Tyrus Raymond Cobb, it would not be a pleasant situation. The man who owns the record for highest career batting average, .367 over the of 11,429 at bats, also was perhaps the most hated player of all time.

The movie Cobb portrays his life as a racist, narcissistic loner who died with no friends in his life. Cobb was known for sharpening his cleats before every game, and would purposely slide feet first into third with the hopes of injuring the third basemen. Some could argue he was the first MMA fighter.

Besides the fact that it would be really, really cool to own these pieces of history, they could also serve as a tool or even a butcher knife if the time calls for it.

5. Yogi Berra's World Series Rings

Although he was not the smartest guy to ever walk the Earth, man, Yogi Berra could play baseball. He was a part of 10 World Championship teams, when it seemed half the roster was first-ballot Hall of Famers.

The diminutive catcher was voted by Bill James as the greatest catcher of all time according to win shares. He won three MVPs, was voted to 18 All-Star games, and has more quotes synonymous with him than most comedians.

Those rings could fetch a whole lot of money on the Internet, or you could show them off everyday to your friends and have more jewelry than T-Pain.

4. Wrigley Field Scoreboard

It's really mind-boggling how the Cubs have managed to go more than a century without a World Series ring. Maybe they shouldn't have told that guy with the goat to leave.

Regardless, nobody can complain that their stadium is not beautiful. Nicknamed the "friendly confines," Wrigley has served as home for the Cubbies since 1914.

Most notably known for the ivy on the outfield fences and the wild wind, Wrigley is one of the two remaining stadiums, along with Fenway, to feature manual scoreboards.

Imagine having this monstrosity in your back yard? I don't know if the neighbors would love it, but I would never forgot what time it is.

3. Yankee Monuments

Even if you absolutely hate the Yankees, you cannot deny the aura and legacy of Yankee Stadium. Monument Park displays their incredible history, and features plaques of 27 players and coaches that have impacted the franchise. It is a huge point of interest for thousands of tourists every year.

Now, it may cost a lot of money, but there is no doubt adding this to a backyard would increase your popularity—as well as your property value.

Maybe it couldn't compete with this, but I'll settle.

2. Steve Dalkowski's Arm

The only thing scarier than facing a pitcher who throws really hard, is a pitcher who throws really hard, and has no clue where it's going. Now, while Aroldis Chapman may seem like the definition of this, he has shown satisfactory command during his career.

Dalkowski, on the other hand, "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn,'' according to former big league manager Earl Weaver. There are several legends about Dalkowski, here are the better ones:

-Experts estimated his fastball topped at 125 miles per hour.

-During a game in 1957 he once struck out 24 batters, and lost 8-4. He walked 18 batters, hit four more, and threw six wild pitches.

-In 1960, he struck out 262 batters, and walked 262.

-He once struck an umpire with a fastball directly in the helmet which sent the umpire flying 18 feet back and gave him a concussion.

Did I mention he was a violent alcoholic?

What would I do with his arm? Well, if my home was ever in the midst of a nuclear crisis, I would probably attempt to use it as a canon. It might not end up where it was intended, though.

1. Derek Jeter's Contact List

Yankees captain Derek Jeter has managed to sidestep any sort of negative publicity during his 17-year career. He has accumulated five World Series rings, and is essentially the face of Major League Baseball.

Equally as impressive as what he has done on the field, is what he has done off the field.

The man knows good-looking females, and if someone could ever get their hands on his iPhone, they could probably ask for any amount of money and it would be understandable.

It pays off to avoid controversy and do the right thing, basically the opposite of this guy.