Our HoneyBall Story

By Nic Romano

It Started With An Old Photograph

In late 2024, I was digging through a box of old collectibles when I came across a faded newspaper clipping from August 1962.

The photo showed a group of boys from Decatur, Illinois.

The team was called the Lions Park Yankees.

There we were — the City Champions!

No team uniforms.

No equipment managers.

No private bus coaches.

Just blue jeans, white T-shirts, a favorite glove, and a dream.

A few lucky kids owned real baseball cleats.

My father coached the team, and every Saturday morning we played ball either at Lions Park or baseball diamonds throughout Decatur. Like millions of American kids growing up in that era, baseball wasn't just something we watched.

It was something we lived.

Looking at that photograph instantly transported me back to the summer we won the city championship.

But it also triggered another question:

Whatever ever happened to Roe Skidmore?

The Boy Who Was Supposed To Be The Next Mickey Mantle

Growing up in Decatur, Roe Skidmore was baseball royalty.

People spoke his name with the same excitement today's fans reserve for the game's biggest stars. He was often described as "the next Mickey Mantle."

When I searched for his story, I discovered something fascinating.

Skidmore spent nine seasons in minor league baseball chasing the major leagues.

In his fourth year, he was called up with the Chicago Cubs for one game!

His entire Major League career consisted of a single at-bat.

He got one hit. A line drive single. Then it was over.

Back to the minors. Back to a dream.

The story haunted me.

How does someone spend a lifetime chasing a dream and come so close?

That question eventually became a screenplay.

From "Mantle" To "Diamond Dreams"

I began writing a script called Mantle. Two months into the project, I hired a script doctor in Los Angeles. Two years later, after more than forty revisions, Kathleen Laccinole coached me to a final script. Mickey Mantle, my childhood idol, was now the driving theme taking place on an historic road I had first discovered as a 7 year-old — Route 66.

The story evolved into a road trip drama about a former baseball prospect trying to find redemption in a vintage ’59 Chevrolet Impala with two old teammates, and the mother of his daughter who he once deserted.

The screenplay eventually became Diamond Dreams, a story about Nolan Thompson, a once-promising ballplayer who sacrificed family while chasing baseball greatness and later embarks on a life-changing journey from California to St. Louis along Route 66.

When the script finished, my business partner, Dave Meyer, and I faced a question.

Should we contact the Mantle family?

Not because we needed permission.

But because it felt like the right thing to do.

A Phone Call That Changed Everything

Dave tracked down the Mantle family's representative who eventually connected us with Mickey Mantle's youngest son, Danny.

Danny read the screenplay.

He loved it. But he had one request.

Please don't use the Mantle name as the title.

The family was preserving the Mantle name for a future documentary project.

We understood completely.

But then something unexpected happened.

During our two hour phone conversation, Danny mentioned something else he loved.

The mango honey from our other business that we had sent him.

He couldn't stop talking about it.

Then he asked a question that neither Dave nor I expected.

"What would you think about licensing Mickey Mantle on your honey products?"

We didn't need much time to answer.

Absolutely.

Within days, we signed a licensing agreement with the Mantle family.

The screenplay became Diamond Dreams.

And HoneyBall® was born.

One Hall Of Famer Became Three

What happened next felt almost impossible.

Being a life-long Padre fan, Dave contacted the representatives for the Tony Gwynn family.

They said yes.

Then the Hank Aaron estate.

They said yes too.

Suddenly HoneyBall® wasn't just an idea.

Three baseball legends had joined the project.

Then another familiar name entered the picture.

Dave Roberts.

The World Series champion manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and one of Dave Meyer's longtime friends.

Now we had Hall of Fame legends, baseball royalty, and one of the most respected managers in the game supporting the vision.

But the biggest surprise was still ahead.

The Two-Minute Decision

After discussing artwork and licensing questions, Dave contacted Major League Baseball's licensing office in New York.

He had one simple question.

Could we use the San Diego Padre logo on Tony Gwynn’s product label?

Being known as “Mr. Padre,” we wanted the team name on his uniform.

The licensing executive listened for a few moments and then asked:

"Why don't you just license all thirty MLB clubs?"

Dave's answer took about two seconds.

“OK."

As of February 2026, HoneyBall® is now the proud owner of a three-year Major League Baseball licensing agreement covering all 30 MLB clubs.

Then Dave added something nobody expected.

Mustard.

MLB approved it.

As far as we know, no one had ever licensed gourmet mustard across Major League Baseball.

And honestly, it just made sense. Baseball and mustard belong together.

For generations, fans have celebrated summer afternoons with a hot dog covered in mustard, a cold drink, and nine innings of baseball.

More Than Condiments

HoneyBall® is launching on August 1, 2026 a growing collection of premium culinary products inspired by America's favorite pastime:

Mango Flavored Honey
Wildflower Honey
Classic Yellow Mustard
Mango Honey Mustard.
Barbecue Mustard
Classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Infused Olive Oil
Classic Balsamic Vinegar
Orange Infused Balsamic Vinegar

Our goal is simple:

Create products that connect people to great memories made around baseball.

The same way that old newspaper clipping connected me to a summer in Decatur more than sixty years ago.

Back To Where It Started

People often ask where the HoneyBall® story began.

Some assume it started with baseball licensing.

Others think it started with a screenplay.

Some believe it began with a bottle of mango honey.

The truth is simpler than that.

It started with a forgotten photograph.

A group of boys.

A city championship.

A father coaching his son.

A dream.

And a reminder that baseball isn't really about statistics, championships, or contracts.

It's about memories formed by childhood idols and dusty diamonds.

HoneyBall® was built on those memories.

And our mission is to put a little bit of them on every table in America.

HoneyBall® — It Tastes Like Being At The Ballpark.™

Footnote: This year is the Centennial Year for Route 66 — 1926-2026.

In celebration, we created exclusive “Route 66 Gas Pump” bottles for our VRGF gourmet product collection which we feature on vrgreenfarms.com

Our MLB and Legend Players collections can also be found at honeyball.us

For more information, contact us at nic@honeyball.us

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com.