Daniel Carroll is on the lookout for a host of sports memorabilia that was swiped from his storage locker at the Mercer Island condos where he resides.
Some of the items are unique and of sentimental value, said Carroll, who discovered that someone pried the latch off the basement locker when he went to get a bottle of sparkling cider on the morning of Oct. 6.
Among the stolen possessions are more than a dozen baseball jerseys — including a Seattle Mariners-related shirt featuring his mom’s cross-stitching — promotional Seattle Storm T-shirts, golf clubs, a wheeled Bluetooth speaker and more.
“I guess I was in such disbelief. I didn’t realize for the first few minutes what I was even looking at. I was preoccupied with the lock,” said Carroll, 39, who initially noticed a bunch of empty 15-quart storage boxes on the floor that once contained T-shirts. “I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t have a bunch of empty boxes. What’s going on?’ And then I sort of looked around more and realized that the clothes rack that I had down there was just emptied of jerseys.”
The lifelong Mariners fan and former Seattle Storm employee contacted building management and police, posted some pictures online and then King 5 and KIRO 7 reached out to him and ran stories on the theft. The Mercer Island Police Department said it has an open investigation involving Carroll, who is claiming with his insurance company that the items have an estimated value between $2,500 and $3,000.
Carroll has informed some fellow M’s fans/friends about the situation and asked them to keep an eye peeled for the items. He’s been checking eBay, Craigslist, the Mercer Island Thrift Shop and asking around at sports collectors shops in Bellevue and Mill Creek.
“I’m really just in the searching mode,” said Carroll, whose bowling bag and ball were also missing from the locker, but he learned a few days later that they were found in another storage unit in his building. A guy in his Wednesday night bowling league said that he’d speak with some sports gear dealers as well.
The support he’s been receiving is meaningful.
“I will say it’s been very nice to have people come up and say, like, ‘Hey, I saw the story, and I want to express condolences.’ Or, you know, ‘I’m keeping my eye out,’” said the Island resident, who has used zip ties to secure his storage locker after the break-in.
Carroll noted that one special stolen shirt that his mom, Mitzi, cross-stitched was in honor of former Canadian-born M’s pitcher James Paxton, who autographed the item before a game. The Mercer Islander helped create “The Maple Grove,” a fan cheering section for Paxton, and the blue shirt features a maple leaf, his nickname “Big Maple” and his number 65.
Another stolen item was a commissioned yellow M’s jersey in the style of the “King’s Court” for former Seattle pitcher Félix Hernandez.
“The unique things really hurt because they are so personal. And there’s so much personal work and ties behind them,” said Carroll, who also lost 2001 American League and National League All-Star Game jerseys. “I am a little bit upset about the Seattle Storm merch. I worked for the Seattle Storm for 14 seasons doing music at their games.”
If he ever buys another jersey, Carroll hopes it will be one that sports a Mariners World Series patch. He attends M’s games with Mitzi, who has been a season ticket holder since 1997.
The Mariners’ epic 3-2, 15-inning win over Detroit in game five of the American League Division Series left Carroll stunned.
“I was sitting on the curb at the Hatback Bar across the street and I had a cider in hand and I’m just like staring a thousand yard stare,” he said. “I could feel my eyeballs after that game. It was nuts.”
