Waiting for a Sign: Highlights and Inside Stories from a Lifetime of Collecting Baseball Autographs

by Kevin Keating

If you were a baseball fan in the 60’s and 70’s—or a lover of baseball history—then Waiting for a Sign will be a page-turner you can’t put down. Kevin Keating spent his youth collecting autographs from some of the biggest stars baseball has ever produced. And along the way, he befriended many of the most familiar names in the history of sports. Because of his own affable personality and passion for the game that made his heroes legends, Keating collected not just autographs, but behind the scenes stories that are must-reads for any baseball fan. In this first volume, you’ll read stories about Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Rod Carew, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Roger Maris, Johnny Mize, Joe McCarthy and many others.

Genres: Sports, Baseball

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2022

Reviews

[Richard Canale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4 star for any baseball fan or anyone whoever asked someone for their autograph. While Keating's stories are enjoyable, the book reminds the reader that an autograph is more than ink on paper. An autograph captures a moment in time. Keating reminds us that giving someone a moment of your time is one of the kindest things you can do for a person.

[Rick Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting for a Sign is delightful and serves as antidote-elixir for all the bad news in the press these days. The author, and one of my oldest and dearest friends, tells the stories that he has collected over the years regarding his quest to collect the signatures of some of the best baseball players that have ever played the game.

You see, Kevin is a true baseball fan and has been most of his life. Through the years, he has parlayed his love of the game into his full time occupation; the very model of making your work your passion. He has become an expert at authenticating sports-figure's signatures, not just for Major League Baseball (MBL) but for the Negro Leagues too. His 1998 book, "The Negro Leagues Autograph Guide,” is also fascinating and fills a hole for the die-hard baseball fan.

But you don’t have to be a baseball fan, which I am not, to consume the pure joy that Kevin exudes in Waiting for a Sign. His delight at telling these stories is the same delight that all fans experience regardless if their passion is sports, knitting, Dungeons & Dragons, gardening, or a thousand other worthwhile hobbies. Kevin’s enthusiasm wraps you in a warm blanket of joy, awe, love, and admiration for the game and for these players: Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle (just to name a few.) Kevin tells the charming stories about he collected the autographs of these players and how he got to know some of them very well.

If you are a baseball fan, this is a must read. And even if your not, this book will take the edges off a bad day in a heartbeat. Do yourself a favor. Treat yourself to a little joy expressed by a true baseball fan. You will not regret it.

References

"Waiting for a Sign,” by Kevin Keating, James T. Keating (Editor), Greg Johnson (Illustrator), Published by Wordserve Press, 21 May 2018, Last Visited 22 July 2018,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

"The Negro Leagues Autograph Guide,” by Kevin Keating, Published by Antique Trader Books, 1 December 1998, Last Visited 22 July 2018,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball by the book podcast: "Over the last 50 years, Kevin Keating has collected tens of thousands of baseball autographs -- and forged countless relationships with baseball greats. He discusses his remarkable pursuit of signatures and how it has affected his life."