ROBERT SIEGEL, Host:
Winter is a season of hibernation for bears and baseball fans. Unlike the former, the latter must make some pretense of wakefulness and engagement in the work-a-day world. But their inner torpor is measured by a countdown. Pitchers and catchers report for spring training in 34 days. For some diehard fans, the weight is killing. And from Farmington Hills, Michigan comes news of a product to cope with all sorts of fatalities among baseball fans.
Clint Mytych is CEO of the Farmington Hills-based company, Eternal Images. And Mr. Mytych, I want you to tell us about your new product.
CLINT MYTYCH: We're a company that offers various brand-name funeral products, caskets and urns. And one of our lines happens to be with Major League Baseball. And we are licensed to design and manufacture caskets and urns for all 30 Major League Baseball teams.
SIEGEL: So if someone who has been a Chicago Cubs fan all his life and is the dearest thing to them, wants to be buried into (unintelligible), he can be buried in a casket that has what on it exactly?
MYTYCH: Well, it would have the MLB batter's logo. It will have the team logo, in this case, the Cubs. The interior fabric, the stitching, the trim, everything would be reflective of the colors for that team. The casket themselves use wood on the lids of the caskets, the same wood that they use to make the wooden baseball bats. So they're very beautiful products.
SIEGEL: I happen to speak of the Cubs because it's a team with a following that I can imagine doing this. But are all the teams available at the same time?
MYTYCH: We have 12 teams available now. The remaining teams will be available by the middle of next year.
SIEGEL: I'm a Washington Nationals fan. Are we available yet with our...
MYTYCH: Not yet.
SIEGEL: No, no.
MYTYCH: Not yet.
SIEGEL: That's a team makes you accustomed to waiting in more ways than one in that case. You're counting here on people approaching what typically regard as the most solemn and grievous moment in our - in a family's life with a rather light-hearted concern about how folks should be remembered.
MYTYCH: Yeah. You know, our slogan here in the office always is, we want to celebrate the life of an individual, not focus on the death. And we do feel that our products, by taking an everyday brand-name that somebody could relate to in their life and integrating it into a funeral product, we feel that a very respectful and honorable way to recognize the life of somebody that they've lost.
SIEGEL: Well, business is good?
MYTYCH: Business is very good. We've been well-received from all our arenas. And we do get e-mails and phone calls from people that used a product and a service. And it's overwhelming with thankfulness. And they're very appreciative of being able to use one of our products in their service.
SIEGEL: Well, of course, the main customer here is not going to contact you to complain?
MYTYCH: No.
SIEGEL: No. They're...
MYTYCH: Yeah, that would've - because they're dead.
SIEGEL: Well, Mr. Mytych, thank you very much for talking with us.
MYTYCH: Appreciate it. Thank you.
SIEGEL: That's Clint Mytych who's CEO of Eternal Image in Farmington Hills, Michigan, which manufactures caskets and funeral urns with Major League Baseball logos on them.
MICHEL NORRIS, Host:
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.