This listing is for the following RARE ONE OF KIND hand autographed Randy Bass signed Hanshin Tigers STATE BASEBALL that is JSA COA Authenticated signed on an Official MLB Baseball. Mr. Bass inscribed all of his Hanshin Tigers career highlights on the RARE INCRIPTION STAT BASEBALL. The baseball is signed with all of the following inscriptions:

Sweet Spot:

Randy Bass

2 Times Triple Crown

Then each of the side panels have the following hand signed inscriptions:

1985 MVP

54 HR 1985

Sawamura HR

Hanshin Tigers

.389 AVG 1986

This Randy Bass signed baseball has been authenticated by the most prestigious and respected authentication company in the hobby JSA #PP44343. Autographed items that have been authenticated by JSA adds and additional value to all signed items that bare the JSA authentication process. Please note the photograph of Mr. Bass from the signing is not included in the auction.

PLEASE NOTE RANDY BASS IS HANDS DOWN ON OF THE TOUGHEST MLB AUTOGRAPHS IN THE HOBBY TO OBTAIN. HE RARELY SIGNS AUTOGRAPHS AND DOES NOT RESPOND TO FAN MAIL. THE HANDFUL OF RANDY BASS AUTOGRAPHS IN THE HOBBY WERE LIKELY SIGNED IN THE 1980's SOMETIME DURING THE TIME HE PLAYED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES. RANDY BASS WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST STARS TO EVER PLAY IN JAPAN IN THE LATE 1980's HE WON THE TRIPLE CROWN TWICE.

BIO: Randy Bass played in the MLB for 1977-1982 with the following teams Minnesota Twins (1977), Kansas City Royals (1978), Montreal Expos (1979), San Diego Padres 1980–1982) and the Texas Rangers (1982). Randy Bass is more well-known for his remarkable playing career in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers (1983–1988). During his time playing in Japan he won the Triple Crown twice in consecutive years 1985 and 1986. He still holds the record for the single season highest batting average from 1985 when he batted a .389 average. In 1985 Randy Bass hit 54 home runs and likely would have broken Sadaharu Oh’s single season record of 55 home runs. However the Japanese would not allow an American to break Sadaharu Oh’s record and once Randy Bass obtained 54 home runs the pitchers he faced would only throw balls to Mr. Bass insuring he would not make contact with the baseball thus insuring he would not break Oh’s home run record. Randy Bass received the 1985 league MVP and the 1985 World Series MVP.

Curse of the Colonel:

Bass is also famous in Japan for the "Curse of the Colonel". Following the 1985 Series victory, revelers celebrated by calling off the names of team members one by one. At each name, a fan who looked like that player would jump into the filthy Dotonbori canal. For Bass, someone threw a life-sized model of Colonel Sanders, the mascot of Kentucky Fried Chicken and the only close-at-hand likeness of a bearded American, into the river. The statue disappeared and is said to have caused the team's subsequent decade-long dismal performance in the Central League. In an attempt to remove the curse, fans made repeated attempts to find the model, making offerings to the statues of the Colonel for forgiveness. In 2003, when the Tigers returned to the Japan Series after an 18-year absence, many KFC outlets in Kōbe and Ōsaka moved their Colonel Sanders statues inside until the series was over to protect them from rabid Tigers fans. The newly replaced Colonel Sanders statue in the Dotonbori KFC branch was bolted down to prevent a repeat of the incident. On March 10, 2009, the top half of the statue (minus hands) originally thrown into the Dotonbori River was recovered during construction of a walkway. A diver said that he thought he had found a large barrel, but was surprised when it turned out to be the upper body of the Colonel. The statue's legs and right hand were recovered the following day. The statue is still missing its glasses and left hand. The statue is currently in a KFC franchise across the street from Koshien Stadium.

THIS IS AN AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED JSA COA OMLB BASEBALL. I ONLY SELL AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA. I do not sell reprints or facsimile autographs. When you bid on my items you will receive the real deal authentic hand autographed items. You will receive the same signed baseball that is pictured in the scan. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. I combine S&H when multiple items are purchased. I ship items internationally the price for international S&H varies by country.