A Dodgers fan kept a Fernando Valenzuela-signed cereal box for 40 years. He brought it to the parade
Standing among thousands in the World Series parade, Vincent Rodriguez proudly held up a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box signed by Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela.
He has held onto it for more than 40 years.
"It was right after the first World Series he was in," Rodriguez, 62, said of the 1981 cereal box.
That year marked the end to a remarkable rookie season for Valenzuela, who became the first and only major league player to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award, honoring the best regular season pitchers in the American League and National League, in the same year. The left-handed pitcher's first MLB season was capped off with a World Series title against the Yankees.
The same year, the Sonora, Mexico native was invited to the White House, where he met and signed a baseball for President Ronald Reagan. "In 1981, President Reagan welcomed Fernando Valenzuela to the White House as "Fernandomania" swept the nation..." the Reagan Foundation said after Valenzuela's death on Oct. 22. "Fernando Valenzuela's impact on Los Angeles, America, and our nation's favorite pastime will be felt for generations to come."
Given Valenzuela's place in baseball history, Rodriguez's autographed, limited-edition Corn Flakes box could be a notable collector's item. Vintage cereal boxes have become prized, sometimes pricey, pieces of sports memorabilia. The trend of placing athletes on the packaging was started by Wheaties, according to Smithsonian Magazine, and getting the cover has become a rite of passage reserved for the most elite of U.S. athletes, from Olympic gold medalists to NBA All-Stars.
The Smithsonian Institution has a highly specialized process for the preservation of collectible cereal boxes, which are displayed in museums and can sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars.
An unopened Michael Jordan Wheaties box is currently listed on Ebay for $10,000.
There are several 1980s Fernando Valenzuela Corn Flakes boxes currently listed on Ebay. But none have the player's autograph.
It's not clear whether Rodriguez would ever consider selling his. But his decision to hold onto it for more than 40 years seems more born out of his love for the athlete himself.
"After this, we're gonna go to Boyle Heights where they're painting that mural of him," he said from Friday's parade, which fell on Valenzuela's birthday.
"Today's All Saints Day, too, right?" Rodriguez said of the holiday honoring the dead. "So he's watching."
