Hall of Fame stocks up after Giants' Series win

DETROIT -- Left fielder Gregor Blanco had to think for a minute in the middle of the Giants' rowdy clubhouse celebration in the wee hours Sunday after his club's World Series sweep of Detroit.

They wanted to take his black Rawlings Fastback glove away from him. For good.

The same one that had embodied the brilliant defense flashed by the Giants throughout this Fall Classic. The same one that had saved Matt Cain's perfect game in June.

Ultimately, the decision was an easy one. He agreed to give it to the Hall of Fame.

"I'm just happy to be able to accomplish that, and I'll be able to see my glove in Cooperstown," Blanco said. "It's a great deal for me. That comes from hard work and working with the guys, with Angel [Pagan], with Roberto Kelly. I have to give credit to them. It's a great feeling."

Blanco's well-broken-in glove is among a group of Giants artifacts from the Series headed for Cooperstown. The others include Pablo Sandoval's broken bat used in the first two of his three straight home runs in Game 1; Hunter Pence's "Tiny Tim" bat; Marco Scutaro's spikes; Ryan Vogelsong's No. 32 jersey; and manager Bruce Bochy's warmup jacket; the cap worn by Brandon Crawford during the postseason; and Matt Cain's shoes from the World Series.

"In a short Series, all of these players showed that their talents led this team," said Brad Horn, the Hall of Fame's senior director of communications, who, along with Hall president Jeff Idelson, pursued specific targets throughout the champagne celebration, hoping for gems to procure for a magical museum.

No Tigers artifacts were collected by the Hall from this World Series.

"Fifty years from now, when folks look back at the world championship of 2012," Horn said, "they'll see that it's the Giants, these key contributors who made it happen."

Did Blanco have to mull it over when he was approached?

"Yeah, for sure," he said, laughing. "I was like, I couldn't believe when he told me. I was like, 'OK, you want my glove to go to Cooperstown?' Okaaaay. 'Are you serious about it?'

"They said, 'Yeah, we want it.'

"That's fine. This is about that, this is about the game. We play for one reason, for the fans. They deserve that. So that's a good thing. I'll see it someday."

Horn said the glove "represents the stellar defensive play of the entire team. He was involved in so many pivotal moments that this glove represents that excellent defense that made the Giants world champs. He's used it throughout the season, including in preservation of the perfect game, and he was very happy to donate it to Cooperstown. He had been once before as a Minor Leaguer with the Braves."

Pence watched as his Louisville Slugger -- D200 model, cupped on the end, two-tone, 34-31.5, taped up on the handle, white scuff marks all over the black barrel -- was taken away.

It reads on the knob of the bat: "Tim." He calls it Tiny Tim.

"Yeah, my bat's going to Cooperstown. It's pretty cool," Pence said. "That's my first thing sent there. It was a great bat."