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Rare One of a Kind - Earl "The Pearl", Governor Mario Cuomo & David Gantt Autographed Basketball. This Autographed Basketball is in good or better condition as pictured. It is autographed by Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, NY Governor Mario Cuomo and Assemblyman David Gantt. This ball was signed on July 20th, 1990, at the Jumpin' Jack Shootout 3 on 3 Tournament in Downtown Rochester, NY. Charles Schiano (owner of the Rochester Lancers and Jumpin' Jack Tournament Organizer). This ball was purchased from the Schiano estate in 2023. See pictures for complete condition and description. Guaranteed to pass any autograph authentication. Information on the match from the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper: Mario Cuomo had more than his share of victories in a long political career. But the sweetest win of all might have come on a downtown Rochester basketball court. Cuomo took on Assemblyman David Gantt July 20, 1990, at the Jumpin' Jack Shootout 3-on-3 tournament in downtown Rochester. Former city councilman and tournament organizer Charles Schiano had gotten Dick Vitale and Jim Boeheim to play the year before and thought he'd ask Cuomo, a former Pittsburgh Pirates minor leaguer and known basketball fan. The governor, then 58, agreed immediately; the question then was who he'd play against. Schiano tried to get Vitale again, but instead ended up with Gantt, then 48 years old, who'd starred on the hardcourt in high school and college. The smaller, younger Gantt tried to respond by driving to the hoop, but ultimately couldn't match the governor's long-range accuracy. (Cuomo) had a good two-handed set shot from the outside and David couldn't match that," Schiano recalled. After the game, the triumphant governor stayed around to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Gantt couldn't be reached for comment Friday, but Schiano recalled his reaction. "David was bitching afterward - he said, 'I can't believe he beat me!'" Schiano said. "He took a lot of abuse for that from his friends. ... Don't let him tell you otherwise. Cuomo never returned for a rematch in Rochester, but his playing career continued. He showed up at a 1992 press conference with a black eye and admitted it had been incurred on the court. "He said he was elbowed in the eye during a round of basketball with his staffers, who in games against the Capitol press corps have proven themselves adept at committing vigorous fouls," an aggrieved member of that press corps wrote in the Democrat and Chronicle, noting that Cuomo had been injured on the court two other times in the preceding year. Cuomo also tried to defend his political hoops title later in 1992, in response to criticism from U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle. "If you really want to come and make a fool of yourself, bring your jock and a pair of sneakers and let's play ball," the governor said about Quayle on the television program Good Day, New York. "But if you want to be vice president, let's talk substance." See pictures for complete condition and description.
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