Players & Spectators to auction sports memorabilia Sunday

Wherever you fit along the sports-enthusiasts spectrum, there’s a little something guaranteed to make your pulse race a little faster at Players & Spectators this weekend.

The Spokane Valley bowling alley, restaurant and casino has undergone a remodel, and much of the vast collection of sports memorabilia, a primary component of the old decor, has been collected into a banquet room and arranged for an auction Sunday, with proceeds going to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The items also can be viewed online at www.playersandspectators.com. A silent auction will begin at noon for a range of items of particular interest to fans of Spokane’s high school sports scene. A live auction begins at 4 p.m.

No matter the era you grew up in, there’s something there to represent the giants of your youth, and something from the legends that preceded you.

Here are a few examples:

A framed, autographed Ted Williams Boston Red Sox jersey;

A framed, autographed Mickey Mantle New York Yankees jersey;

An autographed, limited edition bat signed by both Hank Aaron (who hit 755 career home runs) and Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh (who crushed 868 home runs in Japan), and a signed photo of Barry Bonds, the man who this month joined Aaron and Babe Ruth with 700 career home runs;

Willie Mosconi’s pool cue;

Chad Little’s NASCAR driving suit, signed;

A collection of autographed Sports Illustrated magazine covers signed by swimmer Mark Spitz, miler Jim Ryun, pentathlete Jackie Joyner Kersee and distance runner Mary Decker Slaney — Olympians all;

A similar collection signed by skating legends Bonnie Blair, Carol Heiss and Peggy Fleming;

A third set signed by Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert, Julius “Dr. J.” Irving, John McEnroe and Ken Stabler;

A framed copy of the Spokane Chronicle from the day after Babe Ruth bid his farewell to baseball in Yankee Stadium;

A range of memorabilia from the career of former Gonzaga Prep football coach Don Anderson, including his high school letterman’s jacket;

Footballs from each of Anderson’s five trips to the state championship football game: 1977, ‘82, ‘85, ‘86 and ‘87;

A collection of three boxing gloves signed by Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and “Smokin” Joe Frazier.

There’s also a photo of the three DiMaggio brothers, Vince, Joe and Dom — autographed, of course; a signed photo featuring Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and a very young Mickey Mantle; and a photo signed by Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra.

There’s a signed photo of football’s “The Galloping Ghost,” Red Grange, a signed photo of Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack, and a signed copy of Life Magazine featuring college football’s Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, West Point legends Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis.

If you collect autographed photos, there are ones from Chicago Bears hall-of-famer Dick Butkus, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, Mr. October Reggie Jackson, and Nolan Ryan, the author of seven no-hitters.

Looking for something with more of a local tie? There are autographed photos of North Central great Ryne Sandburg, Shadle Park legend Mark Rypien, and Spokane’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Tom Sneva. There’s an autographed photo of former Seattle University and Los Angeles Lakers standout Elgin Baylor.

Whether you bid on the items or not, it’s worth the stroll just to be close to some of these sporting legends and let them nudge your memory back to another time and another age.

And if you’re of a mind to bid, it’s good to know that the money goes toward a good cause.