2001 ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE AUTHENTIC CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER/AUTOGRAPHED MIKE HESSMAN For Sale

2001 Arizona Fall League Championship banner signed by MIKE HESSMAN. After the 3rd out of every AFL Championship game the Commissioner goes on the field. He congratulates the title winning team, then presents them with a Championship banner. The players go back into the clubhouse with the banner and celebrate some more. I have been going to AFL games since 1992. I have never seen the Championship banner hung from the flag pole the following season, like they do in the major leagues. I did research on what happens to the banners following the title winning game. If a player wants to take possession of the banner it is his. If no one wants it one of two things happen. A clubhouse person takes possession of it or incredibly, gets thrown away. I acquired this one of kind piece of unique memorabilia by one of those ways. The The 2001 title game was special for many reasons. First, because it took place about 2 months after 9/11 and a month after the memorable 7 game series between the Diamondbacks and Yankees. Also, it was the first year the Championship game was a one game event. Previously it was a best 2 out of 3. The game ended in the most dramatic way; a GRAND SLAM homerun. It was hit by MIKE HESSMAN, who had a fine career with the Mets and Tigers. This 2017 AFL season I met Mr. Hessman who is a coach for the Mesa Solar Sox. I asked to please sign the banner and add Phoenix Desert Dogs, his team that year. He was kind enough to do so. We chatted briefly about that game. The flag is a stronger than the user nylon material. It has 2 metal gromlets. The width is 11\' x 11\" (143 inches). The height is 7\' x 7\" (91 inches). This Championship banner would make a GREAT addition to your man cave or to give that special baseball fan in your life. Some of the game\'s stars who played in the 26 year old league are: MIKE TROUT, BRYCE HARPER, ALBERT PUJOLS, MIKE PIAZZA, and DEREK JETER. This is a museum worthy item. The last photo is a picture from the 2017 media guide. Pictured are the Mesa team holding the banner after they won the championship last November. Feel free to e-mail me any questions you may have.

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