Priceless Pesky

Earlier this week, the Red Sox organization and their fans lost a great man.   Johnny Pesky, passed away at age 92.  He was an active and loyal member of the Sox organization for over 60 years.  He had roles as a player, manager, coach, broadcaster, ambassador and many other titles, for the Red Sox since the early 1940's.  His loyalty, personality and consideration toward all fans was incredible.  There isn't a person I've met in sports that was more accessible and friendly toward their fan base. 



My personal photo of Johnny from spring training (2004).  He autographed this photo of mine and asked for a copy to which I mailed to his home.  He sent me back an autographed black and white photo as a thank you.


I've had the pleasure of meeting Johnny over 20 times in my life.  Some were at spring training, Fenway park, baseball dinners and autograph events.  Every encounter always started the same; he'd shake my hand, ask me my name, and ask how I was doing.  Yet, every interaction was different in it's own way, and I have a different story to share for each of the 20 encounters.  He never had anything bad to say about the Sox or anyone, for that matter.  His autograph was always the same and he would sign anything put in front of him. 



Johnny with me and my daughter in 2005.















If you are lucky to have a Johnny Pesky autograph, keep it and cherish it.  Make sure it stays preserved as there are only a couple of more people in sports that will have been with their organization for that long.  If you had an encounter with Johnny, make sure you remember what that was like and tell the story over and over.  If you don't have a Pesky autograph, purchase one (they are not expensive).  Having an item from the person for whom the Red Sox retired the number 6, will be a priceless keepsake to share with your family and friends forever.


Johnny Pesky autographed ball and card.  Ball is the American League 100th anniversary ball.



Ticket Stubs

As I was cleaning out a closet recently, I came across my ticket stub storage box.  I have stubs in this box dating back to events/movies I attended in the early 80's, through baseball games I attended this week.  Other than meandering down memory lane or recalling specific moments from these events, I started to think about what to do with these.



Sample of my different ticket stubs.





















So I came up with the following:

1.  Place them in an album in plastic pages sorted by year.  It could become a great coffee table type of item and a great conversation piece when you have company over.
2.  Get the stubs autographed by someone who participated in the event.
3.  For significant or history making events, get them framed.
4.  Separate tickets by entertainment events (Ie, sport events, concerts, movies, theatre) and display in an album.
5.  Hang all ticket stubs randomly on a cork board in your work space.



Ticket stub from Jon Lester's no hitter framed with an autographed ball from Jon.
























Ticket stubs from Hideo Nomo's no hitter with accompanying photo of last out.
















I think ticket stubs are worth keeping and if possible autographed.  I also think they're value to having a ticket stub, instead of the current print yourself tickets you can access online.  They can become a great keepsake for younger people in your family to look at and understand what was happening in our lives.

Minor Leagues, Bring Major Opportunity

When friends and family ask me how my quantity of autographs has built up, I always respond by first speaking about my minor league team signed items.  Since 2003, I've been attending minor league baseball games in all the New England states.  We are fortunate to have many major league affiliated teams assigned to play in a concentrated geographic area that includes 3 levels of league play .  If you're a baseball fan and are willing to spend about $6 for a ticket, it's pretty easy to see a minor league game without traveling far. 



Sample of my own minor league team signed balls.  Most have at least 30 signatures on each ball.
















In addition to a great 2+ hours of family entertainment, the minor leagues bring a great opportunity to acquire autographs from future stars in great quantity.  Most minor league parks have very easy access to the players, along baselines and next to the dugouts.  With a baseball and pen in hand, a little patience and a roster of player names and uniform numbers, you can build up a great collection in no time.  Just by being polite and prepared, acquiring at least 10 autographs before first pitch should be fairly easy.  In most cases the players will talk with the fans and engage in short conversations.  After 2-3 visits you should have an item with at least 25 autographs, and a positive interaction with the superstars of the future.



2012 Lowell Spinner players signing autographs for fans.


















View into the lowell Spinner dugout, notice another player signings on the other side for fans.





















So take advantage of this opportunity.  For the price of a ticket and food, it is still cheaper to attend a minor league game than a movie with a family.  And we all know, you won't be getting autographs at the movie theatre.

New England Patriot Public Autograph Signings

Sure Shot Promotions and New England Picture company are still pleasing their customers.  They just hosted a signing with Will Middlebrooks & Jarrod Saltalamacchia last week.  Now they are planning signings with 2 of the most popular New England Patriots, Tom Brady not withstanding, Vince Wilfork and Rob Gronkowski.  Both players are not only popular in New England, but are 2 of the most valuable players to their teams and positions in the entire NFL.  Please see below for the details.

Rob Gronkowski







Pricing from Gronkowski is $69 for regular items and $89 for premium items.  Inscriptions are $25 each.

Vince Wilfork







Pricing for Wilfork is $49 for regular items and $69 for premium items.  Inscriptions are $25 each.

Hope to see you there.

All Star Worthy

 Major League Baseball announced 66 of it's 68 all stars today.  The other 2 players will be picked by fan votes over the next week.  There are certainly deserving receipients of this recognition and as usual there are snubs.  So my question is, does the recognition of being an all star make the player's autograph more valuable?

In short the answer is, NO.  Up until 1999 or 2000, the all star game had less players and 90% of players picked at that time were worthy of the selection and recognition.  Now, every team has to be represented, fans can vote for a player up to 25 times online with one email address for a player.  It seems that half the rosters are of players we just don't know about. However, most importantly the games are mostly boring.  The 2002 game was the last memorable all star game, because the game ended in a tie, and there were some fantastic plays made in that game (Torii Hunter's catch on Barry Bonds). 



2002 autographed all star ball.  Jimmy Rollins and Shea Hillenbrand are noted here.















So if you're going to collect player autographs based on all star appearances, seek out the players from pre-2001.  Pedro Martinez's performance in 1999 is an example of an all star ball worth having signed.  Or, collect autographs from all the all star game MVP's, including today's players. Another idea is to collect autographs on an all star ball from the players of your favorite team. 



Fred Lynn autographed 1983 all star ball.  Fred hit a grand slam in this game to earn him the MVP.
















The reality is that an all star game appearance does not make the autograph more valuable.  An end of season award (MVP, Batting average champ, gold glove) is what makes an autograph more valuable.  I guarantee that by the next morning following the game you won't even remember who won the all star game MVP (JD Drew 2008). 

Autograph Bucket List

Recently, a friend of mine asked me, 'Paul, what is your favorite autograph?" & "Who do I really want that I don't have?"  It was the latter question that got me thinking.  There are certainly autographs from current players/celebrities that I need to complete a project or team signed item, especially with the recent Boston  championship success.   My type A attitude wants to complete these projects, and certainly will stir up excitement for me.  Yet, there are a separate list of people that I would love to meet and acquire an autograph from that would trump all my in-progress projects.
So who are these people on my list?  My rule is that they need to be alive and I need to be able to meet them.  Here it is:

1.  Any living former or current president.  That leaves Jimmy Carter, George Bush, George Bush II, and President Obama.  I have met Bill Clinton.  Presidents are so rare to meet and get an autograph from and the respect I have for these men is enormous.  It is such a treat to be around them.

2.  Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.  I am not a huge hockey fan and if it wasn't for the Bruins Stanley Cup championship, I'd have hardly any hockey autographs.  Yet, in the history of the NHL, these 2 men really transformed how the game was played and were superstars at the their respective positions. 

3.  Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.  I grew up watching these three men play the game of basketball. Being a diehard Celtic fan in the 80's Larry is a no brainer.  Watching him compete in championships against Magic was MUST SEE TV for any fan of sports.  Michael is another who transformed the game in the late 80's/early 90's.  At their peak, all 3 were unstoppable and it's no surprise that together they won a combined 14 NBA championships.  (Bill Russell was on this list until I met him almost 2 years ago).

4.  Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan.  Both men did so much for the game of baseball, especially on the pitching side. They were tough, hard nosed pitchers, who competed harder than anyone.  Most importantly, they weren't on any drugs or PED's that we are aware of. They still have such a positive impact on the game today.  Their autographs are also rare to get in person. (Pedro Martinez, my favorite pitcher of all time, was on this list until I met him 6 months ago.  That was such a treat.)

5.  Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Bill Belichick.  Just like hockey, I'm not a big football fan.  However any collector cannot ignore the impact they have had on the sport of pro football.  Aside from their personal and team accomplishments, they continue to influence how the game is viewed and played today. 


6.  Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer.  I place golf in the same category as football and hockey with regards to my personal interest.  However, Woods and Nicklaus are the top names in golf, even today.  They are the only reason I have any interest in watching golf or playing a round on my Wii gaming system.  Sports fan can argue that aside from Jackie Robinson, these 3 men have had more impact on a sport than any other athletes in history.


7.  Carl Lewis.  The best and truest athletes, even today are olympic athletes.  And no disrespect to Michael Phelps, but Carl Lewis still has a more cache and popularity for his olympic feats than anyone else in olympic history.  People today compete in track and field because of Lewis.  You rarely hear any other current names mentioned, unless drugs are involved.

8.  Harrison Ford and Gene Hackman.  These 2 actors have appeared in some of my favorite all time movies.  I will be so overjoyed if I was to meet both of these men.  To be able to meet or acquiring an autograph from them would add so much sentimental value to my collection.

Anniversary presents, that diamond in the rough.

As I was recently searching for autograph merchandise on different websites, I came across one site in which they were selling a number of different commemorative baseballs for 2012.  The 100 year Fenway ball was number listed first as was the 2012 All star game ball.  Then as I looked down the page I noticed balls that are being used in various other stadiums to commemorate other anniversaries. 

The list of anniversary balls are as follows:
1.  New York Mets - 50th Anniversary of Mets franchise
2.  LA Dodgers - 50th Anniversary of Dodger Stadium
3.  Baltimore Orioles - 20th Anniversary of Camden Yards
4.  Houston Astros - 50th Anniversary of Astros franchise


Dodger Stadium 50th anniversary ball.









Houston Astro 50th Anniversary Ball











These items will provide great opportunities to add some unique collectible items to your collection.  For instance, having a famous Dodger such as Sandy Koufax (He will be the most challenging) or Tommy Lasorda autograph the Dodger Stadium ball will be extremely valuable, especially with a unique inscription such as years active with the team.

Other player ideas include, Nolan Ryan and Craig Biggio for the Houston Astros.  Cal Ripken or Eddie Murray for the Baltimore Orioles, and Tom Seaver or Mookie Wilson for the New York Mets.  Or for the die hard fan, an autograph of your favorite players, that might not be a hall of famer will add so much more to that sentimental collection.

To purchase these balls you can check the individual team websites, or creativesportsent.com.  Prices on the creative sports website will come in at $20 a ball, and the more you order the cheaper they are.  Individual team websites will price these items at $30 and up per ball.  And as I look at it, this is truly a great diamond in the rough to give as an anniversary present.