As Denny Heindl and Stephen Wong walked around Legacy Hall on Monday night, they couldn’t help but get lost in the “visual feast” that exists for Pirates fans — incredible baseball artifacts everywhere.
But more so than Willie Stargell’s bat, Roberto Clemente’s jacket or Chuck Tanner’s hand-written notes, Heindl and Wong took special delight in seeing the smiles on fans’ faces, those folks learning more about the history of the game they love.
After all, a passion for baseball and its history has driven Heindl and Wong to amass incredible collections of antiquities, two of the finest in North America.
But more than the items themselves, Heindl and Wong simply love seeing fans interact with those items live.
“What you’re seeing on display gives a much more profound meaning of not only the team and franchise but the whole experience at a stadium,” Wong said. “It gives context to the players on the field, the lineage going all the way back to Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner to the Waner brothers … to Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Dave Parker … to Paul Skenes and Andrew McCutchen.
“It’s important to give people that sense of tangible-ness to history. Not reading it, but seeing it.”
The Pirates hosted Heindl and Wong — who’ve generously shared countless pieces from their personal collections to make Legacy Hall a truly unique space — for a special event Monday night.
It featured a question-and-answer session alongside team historian Jim Trdinich. It was moderated by Greg Brown and prefaced by comments from Pirates president Travis Williams.
It was also an opportunity for Heindl — a Ridgway resident and limited partner of the Pirates since 1997 — and Wong to see their good deeds at work, to interact with season-ticket holders who were blown away by the items they’ve shared, to bring the organization’s incredible history to life.
All of it within the space that opened on June 24 at the base of the left-field rotunda, an absolute gem that can host meetings, events, cocktail receptions and so much more.
“I think it’s awesome to see fans come here like this, to tell the history of the Pirates,” Heindl said. “They have some awesome things here. If you have a favorite player, you’ll see them here. There are a lot of stories behind every piece.
“I always wondered how I could share my collection with the fans. This is my way of doing it. I enjoy it.”
The Q&A session featured a wonderful collection of anecdotes. Heindl discussed having a baseball signed by Pope John Paul II, as well as spending time with Stargell during his final days, Pops signing a bat and apparently telling Heindl, “That’s the last one.”
Heindl also befriended Tanner and described the beloved skipper laying out collectibles he’d amassed on a pool table, as well as a scorecard that Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting’s father, Ogden, bought at an auction to commemorate the first game he attended with his father.
It’s not just the physical objects, Heindl would explain. It’s the memories contained in them.
“Whatever you can pick up,” Heindl advised those attending, “put it away and enjoy it.”
Wong described a different era of collecting, like the letter featured in Legacy Hall from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Honus Wagner on the latter’s 80th birthday in February 1954.
They bemoaned how autographs used to look, players taking the time to write their names in perfect cursive.
“Mickey Mantle wanted you to know that it was from him,” Heindl said. “Every autograph was perfect.”
That isn’t a knock on players today, they added. It’s just the way the world has changed, the same for having to guard against counterfeit signatures and items that aren’t truly authentic.
Heindl and Wong gave tips for properly storing autographs and getting things authenticated. They also discussed game-used items and the lengths to which they’re tested to ensure they’re real.
“Things like blood stains on the shoulder of a Jackie Robinson jersey,” Wong said. “I don’t mean to get too weird with you on this, but game-used collectors, this is the type of thing you look into that gives it special meaning.”
For Heindl and Wong, this has been a lifelong pursuit. Heindl actually grew up a Yankees fan but developed a soft spot in his heart for the Pirates after getting to know his father-in-law, who was blind and listened to Rosey Rowswell on the radio.
Wong, who lives in Hong Kong, also helped curate a similar exhibit at Dodger Stadium and has authored three books on baseball collectibles.
They love bringing history alive for the next generation, allowing them to appreciate how the game has evolved.
In their minds, that’s much easier accomplished by seeing the types of uniforms past players wore or equipment they used than a lecture.
It’s the reason why Legacy Hall exists. With their comments — and donations — they reminded why the space has quickly become a must-visit for those attending games or looking to plan an event at PNC Park.
“I’ve always felt that trying to forge a connection between the events, the players that you’ve been reading about, to see physical objects commemorating that is powerful,” Wong said. “It’s a much more robust way for people to learn the history of the game.
“For fans to come here, it’s a real honor and privilege for us to share our passion and love of baseball and the artifacts that commemorate this beautiful game. There’s nothing more meaningful to a collector than to do that.”