This year featured 12 up and coming rookies in the Sox farm system. Clay Buchholz was once again a headliner, however he was joined by Jusin Masterson, Jed Lowrie, and Devern Hansack. The donation went up this year to $20.00, but it was more efficiently planned so that was a plus.

The biggest downfall to this event was all the restrictions. Most were due to autograph hunters who turn around and sell the autographs (which makes sense). But the rule that got me was this one:

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? To the untrained eye you might say, “What’s wrong with it? It’s a baseball right?” But even the most amateur autographs knows that if you get 12 rookie autographs and you don’t get an a signature on the sweet spot, something is wrong there.

When i approached the first rookie signer, infield sensation Jed Lowrie, i asked him to sign the sweet spot. He responded with a “No can do, sorry.” At first i thought he was joking and i laughed. Upon receiving the ball back i quickly realized he was serious. For whatever reason, the people at the Red Sox Foundation, who do wonderful things for charities in the area, instructed the players not to sign on the sweet spot. Now i understand it if they are trying to curb autograph selling for profit, but as an avid collector i was slightly peeved by this. I still have the ball from last year’s program, and yes that means i have Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz on the same ball. However i have no intentions of selling that ball unless an absurd amount of money is presented to me. What happens when a little kid comes up and asks for an autograph? what then? They say sorry kid, your gonna sell it? Give me a break.

Well now that i am done with my rant, i will say it was a great experience. As i was saying, Lowrie signed the ball on the MLB Logo panel along with fellow infielders Chris Carter, Aaron Bates, and outfielder Bubba Bell.

The next signatures were from Dusty Brown, Justin Masterson, and Dustin Richardson. These three rookies signed on the the left blank panel.

The coolest autograph in my opinion was Justin Masterson who not only has a sweet sig, but was also just really cool. As the line became backed up, I found myself waiting in front of Masterson. I was taking pictures with my phone when this dialogue began:

Justin Masterson: “I have that same phone.”
Me: “Oh really, you like it?”
JM: “Yea, it is a pretty cool phone. But the real question is do YOU like it?”
Me: “Well i do have the same phone as Justin Masterson, so that works for me.”
JM: “Haha true.”
Me: “By the way, don’t worry about Johan [Santana], we don’t need him.” (for those of you Sox fans living under a rock, Masterson and Lowrie have been rumored to be heading to the Twins for prized lefty Johan Santana.)
JM: “Well here is what i need you to do. Write a letter to Theo, and tell him that…what is your name?”
Me: Greg
JM: “Tell him that Greg doesn’t think we need Johan and we will be all set.”
Me: (Laughing) “Totally, I will do that tonight.”
JM: “Thanks, i really appreciate it.”

So after that exchange i moved on to the next signer, Clay Buchholz. Looking as “pimped out” as usual, the 9-1-07 No No pitcher was all smiles through the entire event. Thinking that it might have just been Lowrie’s preference to not sign the Sweet Spot, i asked him to plant is signature there and he declined as well. After i asked him why, he responded extremely candidly “Dude, I know man. I don’t know why either.” So hey, if Buchholz has no problem with it, who’s to say that the Red Sox Foundation should prohibit the players from signing on the sweet spot.

Regardless, i had Buchholz sign on a seperate ball expecting to get a really cool signature that wasn’t cramped like his last one, and i was happy with the results:

Up next for signatures was Devern Hansack (whose signature was made fun of by Bubba Bell) and Michael Bowden who signed on the right blank panel.

Rounding out this autograph session was Jonathan Van Every, and Hunter Jones on the Rawlings top panel:

That’s it for this update, Keep on Collecting!

Sorry about the lapse in posts, but college gets fairly hectic sometimes. Speaking of college, i just finished my first semester of senior year and i only have one more semester to go (scary).

However, this semester allowed me to meet and greet with a few athletes and bands (look for a post in the near future). So what happened this semester? Well i think the Red Sox are Champions again, but ho hum, we have seen that before (feels good to say that huh?) I look forward to some day getting all of the 2007 World Series Red Sox on a jersey as well, but i have to get the 2004 Sox first.

Well, the end of the year awards came out and look who won the AL Rookie of the Year award. The mighty munchkin himself, Dustin Pedroia (seen below in an Upper Deck Team USA jersey card i got on eBay for $4).

It is the most amazing feeling in the world when you scout out a player in the minors and he someday excels in the Bigs. For me, i met Pedroia at a Pawtucket Red Sox game in 2006. He was the headliner at the year end meet and greet with the fans before the game.

For this event, i got many autographs including David Murphy, Jazy Lopez (2007 World Champion), Adam Stern, Jeff Bailey, and Craig Breslow. Pedroia was the headlining the signing so he got the first seat, and on my ball, he got the Sweet Spot.

This lovely gem would fetch a pretty penny nowadays since Pedroia had a decent little season for himself. But more surprising is the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury who took Red Sox Nation by storm and was arguably more popular in the half season he played for us then Pedroia’s full season. Ellsbury, who i met in early January 2007, is now charging $125.00 for an autographed baseball. WOW! And i paid $10 for a bunch of up and coming Red Sox rookies!

So this just shows you how important it is to get the players autographs when they are young, because once they go pro and hit it big, it will cost you!

Keep On Collecting!

I’m finally updating a success i had a few weeks ago. I sent two autograph requests right after Spring Training, one to Trot Nixon c/o the Cleveland Indians (sigh) and Gabe Kapler c/o the Greenville Red Sox. I sent pictures of my trip to Spring Training in 2006 with Ashley. To Trot, i sent a picture of him autographing my ball and the amazing picture i took of him during the National Anthem.

Trot returned these pictures, both signed, in under a month and surprisingly returned them before Kapler did. Well needless to say, these pictures are easily my favorite autographed Nixon items.

Continuing with Trot, i also bought a card from eBay for under $5.00, and it is pretty cool because it is one of the first cards of him on the Indians. But it still pictures him in the Sox uni and the jersey is from the Sox as well. So i of course HAD to buy it.

Back to the autograph success, the Kapler photo i sent was originally an idea that i had for my girlfriend who loves Kapler and took a photo with him at Spring Training in 2006. So i sent in two photos and had Kapler sign one to me and one to her. Well i got the photos back both signed and personalized. My inscription was actually fairly funny because it reads “TO GREG, BE NICE TO ASHLEY!! GABE KAPLER” I find this ironic because Gabe and his wife started the Gabe Kapler Foundation which educates people about domestic abuse and helps women escape abusive relationships. So it’s hard for me to look at that autograph and not think that Mr. 5% body fat, muscle magazine coverboy is not threatening me. Which totally rocks by the way.

I am very excited now though because i know have Gabe Kapler’s full autograph and his shorthand one when he is in a hurry. So that is fairly snazzy.

So there are my updates. Thanks for reading and…

Keep On Collecting!

So nothing too knew to update, except that i recieved my fifth…FIFTH…Stan Musial autographed stat card.

I sent in my puzzle piece to Stan the Man Inc., and again for the fifth time, they sent back an autographed stat card. I know that this is an official autograph too because the back is basically a COA (certificate of authenticity). So that is fairly awesome.

I am sending out two more requests tomorrow, one back to Musial, and the other for another puzzle piece but for HOFer Duke Snider. So wish me luck and….

Keep On Collecting!!

Well, I am home for the summer and as of now I don’t have a summer job. So that means you might be seeing a lot of these posts. Plus I am currently writing this on Microsoft Word because I don’t actually have the internet at my house so I will post this as soon as I do. Yup that is how dedicated I am to this blog. (Please feel free to forget the fact that I haven’t updated since January before these posts…thanks.)

So I was sitting home bored one night so I decided to take a peek into the Greg Walsh Memorabilia Archive! That’s right, so sit back and take a break and enjoy this slice of heaven as I deliver to you the Top 10 Game Used Memorabilia Cards in my collection!

Number 10 – Nomar Garciaparra Game Used Baseball

Starting off this list is one of the first game used items that came into my collection and the only non-card on the list. This beauty was purchased from MLB.com on sale for $9.99. Yea, I’m not really sure why, but it was on sale so I totally swept in and purchased it. It measures out to roughly 8×10 and it features a certificate of authenticity, a 4×6 picture of Nomar, and a ball used in an official Red Sox game. So it wasn’t necessarily handled by Nomar, but if could have been any number of Sox players. So it is an amazing piece of memorabilia, and I plan to someday get Nomar to sign the picture to make it that much more amazing.

Number 9 – Fred Lynn and Rico Petrocelli Game Used Jersey/Bat Combo

Next on the list is a bargain card I obtained from eBay. (I get most of my cards from eBay for cheap!) This card features two great players from Sox history, but not necessarily Hall of Famers. Lynn was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP the same year. He was the only player to do so before Ichiro Suzuki did just that in 2001. The GU (game used) memorabilia for Lynn is a piece of a bat he used in an official Sox game. Rico Petrocelli was more of a role player for the Sox, much like a Varitek or a Trot Nixon. A fan favorite who got the job done, but won’t get into the Hall of Fame.Petrocelli’s piece of jersey worn in an official Sox game completes this card that is serially numbered 15/25. Meaning there are only 25 of these cards, and I have number 15 in the set. Not too shabby for the $5.00 I spent on it, including shipping and handling.

Number 8 – Carlton Fisk Game Used Jersey with Autograph

I love this card because not only does it have a game used jersey, but it also has an autograph. While searching, i stumbled across this card and i thought….BONUS! So i bought it from eBay for under 10. What a steal! My only dislike for this card is the fact that it shows Fisk in a Sox uni, but the jersey is from his days with the White Sox. Boo to that.

Number 7 – Jim Rice Game Used Jersey with Autograph

Amazing card. I found this card along with Fisk’s and later Yaz’s while searching for Sox legends last summer. This card has a very small area of jersey, but the autograph makes up for it. Rice (typically a tough signer) jotted down his sig on an actually piece of leather. It looks so cool its not even funny. I got a great deal on this card too paying $8.00 plus SH for this off eBay.

Number 6 – Carl Yastrzemski Game Used Jersey

I love this card. It has a simple look to it, but it makes it amazing. It is just a great jersey, decent size away jersey used in an official Red Sox game. This bargain card was purchased through eBay (what a surprise) for an unheard of $5.00 SH included. Amazing card for a Hall Of Famer and arguably the second greatest Sox player in history.

Number 5 – Rod Carew Game Used Jersey with Autograph

The halfway point on this list features yet another card purchased from eBay. This gem was bought on a whim. I went through a phase of looking up newer Hall of Famers who were still alive and not in demand. This hunt lead me to Rod Carew. (Yes the guy who “converted” in Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song.) I picked up this card that features a piece of his jersey worn in an official California Angels game. The best part of this card is that it also features a great looking autograph that will probably be worth over $100 someday. I paid $7.50 for it. Boo YA!!

Number 4 – Lou Brock Game Used Jersey with Autograph

Coming in at number 4 is a card very similar to the previous one featuring Rod Carew. This card however features Hall of Famer Lou Brock. The autograph is slightly smudged, but the rest of the card is in great condition.

Number 3 – Stan Musial Game Used Bat/Jersey

Ok so I am kinda cheating here, but I am putting these two cards together. I tried to get a card that featured his bat or jersey and his autograph, but they were very expensive. Then I came across an eBay auction that had both of these cards for less then $10! So I swept in with 20 minutes to go and stole the cards. So although they are two different cards, I got them together in the same transaction, so I count them together. These two cards will be worth some big time dollars eventually and I know that it was a great investment. (As are the great Stan Musial autographs I have acquired.)

Number 2 – Jimmie Foxx Game Used Bat

The only reason this card isn’t number one is because I didn’t pull it out of a pack myself. Instead I literally stole this card from someone on eBay. I obtained this gem from someone on eBay for $5.00!! Seriously, that is theft. Jimmie Foxx was an amazing ball player from the early days of baseball, like we are talking before Teddy Ballgame! He was a slugger who faced off against Babe Ruth quite often.

Number 1 – Mickey Mantle Game Used Bat from Homerun #104

The single greatest day in my collecting history. Read about it here.

Keep On Collecting!

Today’s update is being pulled from the vault, although it wasn’t hard to find (or remember). The update i am speaking of is of course my amazing trip with my girlfriend Ashley to Red Sox Spring Training in 2006.

The first day was great. I had dreamed of going to ST for years, and when i started dating Ash, it all became possible. Her grandparents have a summer house in Fort Myers, so we didn’t need a hotel, which was clutch. We bought tickets to three games while we were there, and we were off during spring break.

We arrived at the City of Palms park and the entrance took my breath away. It was everything i dreamed about and more and i couldn’t believe i was actually there. When we got into the park, we claimed our spot and waited for the autographs to roll in. Our first taste of sweet signatures was the voice of Boston Red Sox baseball, Don Orsillo. Sillo was extremely nice and was very friendly to all the fans and signed until everyone who wanted his autograph got his sig.

The next autograph was the amazingly nice Gabe Kapler. I called to Gabe when we was coming off the field and he actually came over right to us. Ashley is a HUGE Kapler fan (i wonder why?) so she was speechless when he came over. He signed both of our baseballs and a few more and then took off.

I was excited with this autograph, because Kapler has such an interesting yet simple autograph. It’s only a “G” that looks like an “M” and a “K”, but i still think it is kind of cool.

Next up was brand new centerfielder Coco Crisp. Although Crisp wasn’t that personable to the fans, he was extremely nice and signed down the entire leftfield baseline. So it’s hard to complain about that. Crisp signed a beautiful signature on the left panel of my baseball.

Next at bat is my favorite baseball player, Trot Nixon. I got him the next day because our first day we were able to witness Trot and Mike Lowell sign directly across from 3rd base. So of course i went right to that spot before the next game. Like a book, Trot came right to the spot i was standing at right before the National Anthem and i was able to get his autograph quickly before the game started. He signed the right panel of the same ball as Crisp. Needless to say i was way too excited!

Next up was Mr. Red Sox himself, Johnny Pesky. The oldtimer still gets out there everyday and signs for 45 minutes to an hour, and signs as many items as he can during that time. I was able to get him to sign the Sweet Spot on a seperate baseball, and although it is fading slightly, it looked great at the time.

During the day, Peter Gammons walked by and i asked him to sign quickly and he immediately came over to me. While he was signing, i asked him what he thought of the Sox this year and he responded “Well…they have a lot of question marks….” at this point my brain shut off because i realized that Peter F’n Gammons was analyzing the Red Sox…to me! I couldn’t tell you anything else he said, i literally could not listen, it was impossible. Regardless, he signed the same ball Pesky did and completed 2 of 3 signatures on this ball that i call the HOFer ball.

The final autograph i obtained at Fort Myers was one that i bought. The PA announcer informed us that Fergie Jenkins was signing during the game, so i went out and found his tent. No one was standing in line because it cost $25.00. Well i didn’t mind because i hadn’t spent any money up to this point so i figured i could spare it. I got him to sign the ball i had with Gammons and Pesky on it, and i completed the HOFer ball for this trip. The signature is nice but like Pesky’s and Trot’s, it is fading slightly.

Well folks there is my post for my amazing trip to Fort Myers, Fl and the Boston Red Sox Spring Training. It was a blast and any time i can, i will go back for years to come.

Keep On Collecting!

I can’t decide if i want it in white or grey. The white Home jersey would obviously look better for autographs however, the home jerseys for the Sox never have names on the back and the Sox also won the World Series in St. Louis, hence they were wearing an away jersey. So that has yet to be decided and i am leaning toward the white Home jersey. Tell you what, to all my faithful readers, leave a comment and say which jersey you think i should get.

* = I already have their autograph but not on the jersey.

Another goal is to get a game used bat by Trot Nixon. This has become a goal of mine recently ever since Geoff and I went to a Paw Sox game and we almost got a game used bat from Kevin Kouzmanoff. Ever since then i have longed to have a game used bat on my “mantle” someday. And of course, i would love to have one of Trot’s. This leads me to my next goalish topic. I don’t think i will ever be satisfied with a Trot Nixon autograph, because i already have so many, yet everytime i see a piece of Trot Nixon’s memorabilia, i just invision how it would look with Trot’s sig on it. So that could be a problem since i technically just said that i will never be satisfied with my Trot Nixon collection, but i think that a collection is never truly complete, because there is always something else you could get.

So like i said, this is a running list, i will update more later because i do have other goals, i just don’t feel like writing them now.

Keep On Collecting!!

So last semester, i went to a card show and met Carl Yastrezemski. I got him to sign a Donruss puzzle piece, and it was a great piece of memorabilia to get autographed. So this has inspired me to send a puzzle piece to Hall of Famer Stan Musial. Now for those loyal readers, you will remember that i bought Stan Musial’s autograph over the summer, so i got the idea in my head that if i send him a letter tell him that i have already bought an autograph from him, he might say…”meh, sure I’ll sign this for him.”

So i sent him a letter and the puzzle piece, and i was amazed to have a response from him in under 2 weeks. But for the first time in my life, i was so disappointed to get a free autograph of a Hall of Famer. Musial sent me a signed Stat Card compliments of Stan the Man Inc.

So it was an amazing success, but i wanted the puzzle signed. So i sent it right back to him. I figured, worst comes to worst, i get the puzzle back not signed. Right? Well i got another response from him in under 2 weeks again! This time…was it different??

Nope….

So i got another Stat Card…signed….ho hum. hehe. So i tried him a third time. What was the result you ask?

You guessed it, another signed stat card. So i am getting annoyed (only because i really want this puzzle signed, believe me, i am wicked stoked aobut these .82 cent stat cards i am buying that will be worth $100.00 easily someday.) So i figured i would try him one last time.

Whoa look at that!! Another stat card! So i am excited again, because it is a signed stat card, but i’m also not excited cuz i really want this puzzle signed. So here is my plan. I am going to send this puzzle piece to him until i get his autograph on it, or i get enough money to send it in and just pay for it. So that is my plan, i and i will certainly keep you posted on how many of these cards i get.

My next post will be on my Top Ten Game Used Memorabilia Cards i have.

Keep on collecting!!

That sad day that has been looming over my head for months now has finally arrived. Today, my idol, and Red Sox hero, Trot Nixon signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. This day was set in motion a long time ago with many various and obvious stages along the way. There was the way Trot was talking, the non-existent negotiations between the Sox and Trot, the ceremonial removal of Trot from right field last year and of course, the “signing” of J.D. Drew.

This day is a sad day indeed for all Nixon fans, friends of Nixon fans, and all of Red Sox Nation, because they are well aware that the Sox have lost the original Dirt Dog and that some other team will benefit greatly from his loyalty and his leadership. The Cleveland Indians have lacked the leadership to get their young and talented team to the playoffs, and today, they have filled that void and Trot just might lead them to the promised land.

It is a true shame that the Red Sox failed to do the right thing and bring Trot back as a part time player/coach, because anyone who has watched Trot play, knows that someday he will make a great coach. He has the drive, the leadership, the knowledge, and of course, he knows how to get his point across in an argument. The saddest part in this whole ordeal is that Trot Nixon was the kind of player that deserved to be on the same time for his whole career. Too many times have we seen players who left their heart and soul in Boston, only to be neglected when their contracts were up. Trot joins the unfortunate list of greats that departed when they should have been locked up, the list obviously includes Orr, Lynn, Fisk, Clemens, Bourque (to some extent), Nomar, Vinatieri, McGinest….need i go on?

Hopefully someday the Red Sox fix this mess and do the right thing and get Trot to coach with Kapler and Varitek. Until that day, here is one fan who has three teams to root for now; The Red Sox, whoever beats the Yankees, and the Cleveland Indians.

In honor of Trot Nixon, i have decided to post a special entry just for the Original Dirt Dog, and my favorite athlete…ever.

It all started in 2001, i was very new to the idea that you could send cards to players through the mail, and receive autographs in return. I couldn’t believe that it was that easy! So i started up a batch of letters and in my first mailing, i sent three letters. One to Tony Gwynn, one to Pedro Martinez, and one to my favorite player: Trot Nixon. I mailed the letters on March 18 and on April Fools Day, i got one back. My first success!! I could wait to open it up to see who it was. Much to my surprise and excitement, my first Sig by SASE (signature by self addressed stamped envelope) was none other then Trot Nixon. He autographed the card that i sent him and to this day, it is one of my favorites simply because it was my first success and my favorite player.

This first success left me wanting more, and i eventually sent out about 122 requests, getting about 50+ back with mixed results.

Besides sending autographs through the mail, i also never miss a chance to get out to the park and try and get a few sigs in person. My friend Geoff was a great partner in crime and one summer, we went into Fenway numerous times and got many autographs. We would head in to Boston at 8:30 in the morning on Sundays and hopefully catch the players in the parking lot before their 1:05 game that day. The problem was, you had to lay on the side walk and reach your little hands under the fence in hopes that any player would come over. Well, one infamous time, we got to meet Trot and Varitek. While Trot was signing my ball, he said to us, “Shouldn’t you kids be in church?” Well this was to be expected from Trot who is highly religious. And i bit my tongue in order not to say “We are in church….cuz you are GOD!!” Instead i told him that we went the previous night so that we could make it here this morning. well the ball is still in my possession and will stay there for as long as i live.

As you can see, the signature is slightly faded, but that is due to the type of ball i used, type of sharpie, and exposure to sunlight. I have become more knowledgeable in autograph seeking over the years, and i am still trying to figure out all the perfect conditions to receive and maintain a great autograph.

Next, i have obtained many different Trot Nixon game used memorabilia cards over the years and although they are neat, they don’t really tell a story, so here they are with no story about them whatsoever!!

On top of collecting game used cards, i have also acquired a Official Trot Nixon Autographed card too. Once again no real story, i bought it on eBay.

Two years ago, i received a great Christmas present from my brother and Chrissy. They bought me an autographed 8×10 framed picture of Trot and it is truly one of the best condition Trot Nixon autographs i have. It is nearly flawless and looks amazing.

Finally, the last Trot Nixon piece i have (for now) is the ball that i had autographed at Spring Training this past year. Its a great ball and once again the condition isn’t as great as it should be, but the next time i meet him, i am sure that i will have a great ball and a great pen to capture his autograph with.

Well that does it for this post. In honor of Trot, i will leave you all with the greatest photo ever taken of Trot, taken by me…….

Keep On Collecting….

No new autographs since the Red Sox Rookie Program, so instead, I will debut the special part of Greg’s Autograph Zone. For the first time ever, I introduce to you, Greg’s Autograph Flashback!

In honor of this man’s birthday, i believe that it is fitting to introduce an amazing sports hero and one man who dominated his sport for his entire career and still has an influence today. The man I speak of is none other then Muhammad Ali.

Although i have never met Muhammad Ali, the story about this autograph is interesting. As you can see by the photo, it says “To Zach, Muhammad Ali”. Well like i said, i didn’t get this autograph personally. My mom came home one day and hands me a pamphlet for an Islamic meeting. It says “You Should Know This Man” and it’s all about the Islamic faith. On the top of the pamphlet is the beautifully inscribed autograph. I guess my mom talked to a co-worker and she and her son go to an Islamic convention or something and Ali is there all the time. So they have received his autograph so many times and knowing that i collect autographs, they gave my mom one of the pamphlets to give to me.

There are many reasons why this autograph is valuable. One is that Ali is much a sports icon who is still talked about today as the greatest competitor in sports. Second, it is on a unique item that not many people would be able to get it signed on. Third, seeing as Ali is now 65 and is terribly stricken with Parkinson’s Disease, thus he rarely signs autographs, so this signature is not only in good condition but also rare.

So thank you very much, and Happy 65th Birthday Ali!!

Keep on collecting!