The Butch Huskey Museum is not in his birthplace of Anadarko, Okla. It can not be found in New York City, Seattle, Boston, Minneapolis or Denver, the places where he's played major league baseball, nor can it be found in the registry of the American Association of Museums.

But there is one. The Butch Huskey Museum is on the second floor of my house. In fact, I'm writing from it right now, on the desk of my 11-year-old son John's room. As I look about, I see a signed photo plaque of Butch as a Met, a bat Butch signed for John when he was a Mariner, a ball Butch signed for John when he was with the Red Sox, a photo of Butch with John at the Twins' spring training camp in Fort Myers and an actual Huskey Twins jersey (No. 42) on a hanger on the baseball doorknob of John's closet. Butch's stay with the Rockies last season was brief, so we have nothing to commemorate his Colorado weeks except the Rockies bedsheets that Mom bought for John.

There's a certain sadness to those sheets because -- you may have missed the news last week -- the Rockies have designated Butch Huskey for assignment. That means he's no longer on the 40-man roster, so whether he remains with the Rockies is up to him and them.

John's attachment to Robert Leon Huskey dates back to 1995, when Big Red came up to the Mets from Norfolk, where he was the International League MVP. John was 6 at the time. Why Butch? Was it his storybook name, his Ruthian physique, his versatility to play several different positions?

Actually, the reason dates back to long before John was born. It's part of his genetic map, I'm afraid. When I was a kid, I often latched onto relatively obscure baseball players: Arlo Brunsberg, Dooley Womack, Jarvis Tatum, Wilbur Huckle. I realized I had passed this trait onto my offspring when my oldest, Bo, developed this thing for immortal Red Sox first sacker Carlos Quintana. "How'd Q do??" was the first thing out of his mouth in the morning.

Then there was Hubert Davis. One summer week, Bo went to the John Starks Basketball Camp. No, there was not a course entitled Why You Should Keep Shooting Even When You're Stone Cold. But Starks did bring in a special guest every day to talk and answer questions: Patrick Ewing, Doc Rivers, Charles Oakley. And every day, Bo would raise his hand and ask this question: "What do you think of Hubert Davis?" To this day, Bo holds a grudge against Jeff Hornacek for beating Hubert in the 1998 All-Star Game 3-Point Shootout.

And so it is with John, who also worships Don Beebe, Chris Terreri and Sam Cassell. All-Stars are too good for my sons. They like players they can call their own. Their younger twin sisters have caught on. They are partial to Melvin Mora.

Which brings us back to Butch. The day the Mets were eliminated from the postseason in 1998, John cried -- not because the team had lost, but because Bobby Valentine had pinch-hit for Butch. So when Huskey was traded to the Mariners, John rejoiced.

The next spring, the Mariners came to New York to play the Yankees, and it was arranged that John would meet Butch. "My man!" Butch said when he shook John's hand. Then, as if by magic, Butch produced a game bat and signed it for John. For one brief day that summer, the Huskey name actually appeared among the Top 10 Hitters. He cooled off, though, and was traded to the Red Sox. That deal, too, was good, because John could visit his grandparents and Butch at the same time. They caught up with him after a game at Fenway and got Butch to autograph a ball. He helped win a few games for the Red Sox, but after the season they failed to offer him a contract, and he signed with the Twins.

Last spring, John went down to Sanibel Island, near Fort Myers, which is where the Twins happen to play. John and Butch chatted for a while. After a Twins game at Yankee Stadium, they waved to one another. (By that time, Butch must've thought he was being stalked.) When the Twins traded Huskey -- batting .223 at the time -- to the Rockies, a friend of mine who works for the Twins had Butch's jersey sent to John.

Butch hit .348 with a .565 slugging percentage for the Rockies. But they went out and signed Ron Gant, an inferior player in our humble opinion. If Butch moves on, John is hoping he goes to an NL Central team -- that would mean he has played in all six divisions.

There must be a place for a good guy with pop and versatility.

Actually, there will always be a place for Butch Huskey.

Steve Wulf is executive editor of ESPN The Magazine. E-mail steve.wulf@espnmag.com.