The late Fernando Valenzuela may have made one of his very last public appearances at a sports memorabilia store in Van Nuys. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024.
The late Fernando Valenzuela may have made one of his very last public appearances at a sports memorabilia store in Van Nuys, leaving fans and store managers with lifelong memories of his star power and humble nature.
The Dodgers all-star pitcher, who died last weekend, spent more than two hours at Cardboard Legends, chatting with fans, signing autographs and appearing in photos.
The store’s Instagram account features video clips and still photos of the event, which was held in August, 2024.
“We’d been trying to get him for five years,” said owner Mike Sablow. “He didn’t do a lot of public signings.”
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Looking somewhat thinner than Sablow remembered and appeared tired, Valenzuela patiently signed jerseys, official 1981 World Series baseballs and photographs – even posing for pictures with members of Sablow’s family and his staff.
“They got to hang out, take photos and meet and greet. It was great," Sablow said.
No one could have known that the Dodgers superstar, idolized by millions, would be gone within three months.
Store manager Adrian Flores spent the most time with the famously soft-spoken Valenzuela, chatting with him in his native Spanish.
Flores said that, in all of his dealings with the Cy Young winner, he would rarely discuss his own career and accomplishments, or even the Dodgers themselves.
Instead, he preferred to speak about his fans, whom he cherished.
“He would always say, ‘Hay mucha linea?” – meaning, “Was there a long line?’” said Flores.
He added that Valenzuela was a “ray of light” for Latinos of his generation, showing them with his Fernando-mania in the 1980s and ‘90s that “dang, we could do that, too. It was awesome.”
Sablow said fans who bought signed collectibles that day have seen huge returns on their investments after Valenzuela’s untimely death. Baseballs, which sold for $200 each with a signature, are now retailing for “$500 to $1,000.”
But he believes that a true fan would choose not to sell, now that Valenzuela is gone.
And the memories they gathered while interacting with him that morning? Priceless.
