Jason Varitek, 33 Reasons to like him

Jason Varitek, Red Sox catcher since 1998, just announced his retirement as a player from major league baseball.  He is the winner of 2 world series championships, has caught more games than any other Red Sox catcher.  He caught no hitters 4 times, and if Schilling wasn't so stubborn, would've caught a 5th.  He was well known for his charitable contributions and involvement in the community.

Additionally, Jason's autograph is very valuable.  Authenticated autographs are valued between $99 - $200.  As historians look as his statistics and records, in addition to the fact that he played his entire career with one team, I foresee his autograph price increasing steadily.  This is despite the fact he won't be elected to the baseball hall of fame, at least through the writers association.

As I was thinking of Jason one thing came to mind, he is the 2nd most popular Boston athlete to wear #33.  We all know who the most popular is (Larry Bird). Yet I thought I would list 33 reasons to like Jason Varitek.  So in no particular order, the 33 reasons to like Jason Varitek are:

1.  Played his whole career with the Red Sox.
2.  Won 2 world series with the Red Sox.
3.  Caught Hideo Nomo's no hitter.
4.  Caught Derek Lowe's no hitter.
5.  Caught Jon Lester's no hitter.
6.  Caught Clay Buchholz's no hitter.
7.  Caught more games in Red Sox history, than any other catcher.
8.  Gave out autographed baseballs to children on Halloween.
9.  In his first MLB plate appearance he recorded his first MLB hit.
10.  Sat on the top step of the dugout during his rehab in 2006 and 2010.  Supported his teammates for every inning.
11.  His 2005 season:  All star starting catcher, gold glove award winner, silver slugger award winner.
12.  Caught the last out of the 2007 world series.
13.  Graduated from Georgia Tech.
14.  Only player to play in the little league world series championship game, in the college world series championship game, olympics, MLB world series, MLB all star game and World Baseball Classic.
15.  He is the only player in Georgia Tech history to have his number retired (33).
16.  He was the Red Sox Captain.
17.  Played in the Cape Cod League (League MVP 1993).
18.  He was a switch hitter.
19.  He is responsible for raising over $700,000 for Boston's Children's Hospital.
20.  Hosts an annual fundraiser putt, putt tournament.
21.  Is involved in 14 charitable foundations.
22.  He had to catch Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideo Nomo, and Hideki Okajami.
23.  He played 15 seasons, all as a catcher.
24.  Caught 2 Cy young pitchers, Pedro Martinez and Bartolo Colon.
25.  He is in Georgia Tech's athletic hall of fame.
26.  He was the 26th player/coach to wear #33.  Past #33's were Tim McCarver, Jose Canseco, Darrell Johnson, Dave "Boo" Ferriss.
27.  He wore #47 in his first season (Terry Francona's wore that # as Red Sox manager)
28.  Played for 4 different managers:  Jimy Williams, Joe Kerrigan, Grady Little, Terry Francona.
29.  Played in 14 different playoff series.
30.  Had 33 RBI's in his playoff career.
31.  Was a 3 time all star.
32.  Was involved in one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history.
33.  Fought Alex Rodriguez on July 24, 2004.

Gronkowski is coming to Warwick Rhode Island!!!

One player Patriots fans have grown to love is tight end Rob Gronkowski.  His record setting season has propelled him to one of the most popular Patriots behind Tom Brady.  He is very popular with all the die hard Patriot fans and all females.  Now is your chance to meet him a 2nd time in 6 weeks.   New England Picture and Sure Shot promotions have scheduled a public appearance with Rob Gronkowski in Rhode Island, on Tuesday March 27th.  From personal experience, especially after his New Hampshire appearance, I'm telling everyone to pre-purchase your tickets now.  He will sell out, and as has happened in New Hampshire, fans will be disappointed when they cannot purchase tickets at the door to acquire his autograph.   His pricing is great.  The charge for one autograph is $79 for regular items and $99 for premium items.  Inscriptions/personalization's are $25.    The location is Agaves Mexican Grille 44 Quaker Ln., Warwick RI, 02886. The time is scheduled for 7pm - 8:30pm.  For more information check www.newenglandpicture.com or sureshotpromotions.com.

Tyler Seguin, Boston Bruin Stanley Cup Champion, public appearance

One tip I encourage all collectors, new and old, to take advantage of,  is to meet a young athlete when the opportunity presents itself.  A very large chunk of my 2000 autographs came from players in their first 2-3 seasons with a team when they are cheap and accessible. 
Collectors will be afforded this rare opportunity on Tuesday March 20, when they can meet 20 year old, Boston Bruin, Tyler Seguin.  Tyler is still 5 years from his prime and has already had a significant impact on the Bruins, including winning the Stanley Cup.  His autograph will only become more valuable and more in demand over the next few years.  So take advantage now!!!!

The pricing for a young superstar as Tyler, is fantastic for this event.  Only $59 for regular items and $79 for premium, $25 for inscriptions.  I am telling you this will go up exponentially increase over his career. 

The information on location and time is below. 
Hope to see you there.
www.sureshotpromotions.com
www.newenglandpicture.com

Tim Wakefield, What is he worth???

Since 1995 Tim Wakefield has been a fixture with the Boston Red Sox.  #49 has been worn by the same man, known for throwing the dancing and unpredicatable knuckleball.  Throughout his career he was loyal to his "Team First" approach.  He is a fan favorite and other than never knowing what to expect from one of his appearances, very few people complained about him.  I know in my circle of friends, we were always excited to see him pitch in person, because that almost always meant a quick game would be played.

Tim holds many Red Sox pitching records.  He is first in innings pitched with over 3000, he faced 12971 batters, over 1500 more than Roger Clemens.  He started more games than any other Red Sox Pitcher with 430.  He is second in Red Sox history with 2046 strikeouts, and 186 wins. 

He had a huge impact on various Red Sox playoff runs, and was vital in the 2004 MLB playoffs.  He appeared in 4 games during that playoff run and went 1-0.  He threw out the first pitch of the 2004 world series. 

So what does this all mean in collectible world?  To be honest not much.  A Tim Wakefield autographed photo or baseball is worth $50, authenticated.  Maybe $75 on a 2004 world series ball or other item if it's inscribed with "world series champ", "reverse the curse" or the "date of the 1st pitch".  He will be no more popular than Trot Nixon or Ellis Burks.  Very much a fan favorite, but just above average in the history of major league baseball players.

Tim Wakefield autographed 2004 World Series baseball.

Time to Meet Milan Lucic

New England Picture Company is hosting another opportunity to meet a New England Champion and fan favorite.  On Monday February 27th you will have the opportunity to meet Boston Bruin forward, Stanley Cup champion and tough guy Milan Lucic. 

The last time he made a public appearance of which was in southern New England, there were over 350 people there.  People waited upwards of 2-3 hours to meet him. He is a popular sports figure and rarely makes these autograph appearances.  His pricing is great.  $49 for regular photos and pucks, $69 for everything else, $20 for inscriptions. 

This time he'll be appearing in Portsmouth New Hampshire.  The information is below.

For more information please visit http://www.newenglandpicture.com/

Back by popular demand, come and meet Bruins captain, Zdeno Chara, team president Cam Neely and Milan Lucic

Clearly and justifiably the Patriots are the hot interest sports topic in New England.  The 5th superbowl appearance in 10 years should garner that attention.  However, we cannot forget that Boston's most recent championship came from the Boston Bruins.  Bruin player appearances have occurred often in the past 3-4 months and the demand on some is still incredibly high.  Therefore, to meet that demand New England Picture company and sureshot promotions have teamed up again to offer fans the opportunity to meet and acquire an autograph from Milan Lucic,  Zdeno Chara and Cam Neely. 

Chara is the current team captain and was a key player in last season's championship run.  Lucic is a very popular current Bruin known for his speed and fighting.  Cam Neely is currently the Bruin's team president and played his hall of fame career for the Bruins in the late 80's and early 90's before he stopped due to injury. 





The information for the appearances is below.

No Refund will be given on Tickets - If you do not show during signing times.  ALL SALES FINAL. One Ticket required per Autograph. TICKET PICKUP DAY OF SHOW You will receive an order confirmation in your email. Please print and bring that confirmation to pick up your tickets the day of the show. Thank You! Pricing for Chara starts at $59 for regular items and $79 for premium items.      TICKET PICKUP DAY OF SHOW CAM NEELY PUBLIC AUTOGRAPH SIGNING  WHEN: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2012 TIME:12PM-1:30PM New England Picture Store (2nd level next to Nordstroms) South Shore Plaza, Braintree, MA Neely Pricing starts at $39 for regular items and $49 for premium items.   Lucic pricing starts at $49 for regular items and $69 for premium items. All sales are final.  As always - one ticket is required per autograph ... MILAN LUCIC PUBLIC AUTOGRAPH SIGNING Monday February 27, 2012 6:30PM - 8:30 PM Location TBD For more information please check the following websites: http://www.sureshotpromotions.com/ http://www.newenglandpicture.com/

New Year's Resolution, Time to Organize, Time to Refresh

Most people I know start every January with a New Year's Resolution.  Some friends I know want to exercise more, hope to lose weight, or commit to saving money.  While I wish to also meet those expectations, I thought of a resolution that can be a win-win for myself, my family, and local groups looking to raise money.

In late December I was cleaning my collectible room, which is also our family room and daughter's play room.  As I was cleaning and organizing my autographs, I realized 2 things:
1.  I need a larger room.
2.  I need to refresh the displays with updated items and photos.

I noticed that I had baseballs displayed of players that mean nothing to me, I had photos of players that are no longer in professional sports, I had plenty of current player items that were hidden (ie, Current Bruins and Celtics Items).  So it was time to re-organize, update and purge.

The first thing I accomplished was cleaning of the current items and replacing of outdated items. This was easy because I had frames in which I can easily switch photos, ball cubes for the newest baseballs and labels so I could easily identify the autograph.  The frames I purchased were the Format brand which are usually $5 and under at stores such as Michaels, Walmart and Target.  Format frames have easy to pop glass and only need a small nail to hang.  Ball cubes of all sizes can be found at sporting good stores (Dick's sells them starting at $3.99.)  I highly recommend investing in any type of label maker which can be found at any office supply store. 


Ray Allen autographed photo in 8x10 format frame.



Labeled autographed baseballs in cubes

 The second thing I accomplished was create shelf space by taking down and separating items by what i want to store and what I want get rid of.  By doing this I added about 20 square feet of shelf space, to which I created more room for new bobblehead dolls and of course Bruins Stanley Cup autographed pucks. 


New shelf space for Bruins Autographs

As I was purging items I categorized them into 2 areas.  The keep, but store pile and the give away or sell pile.  While I sell a very small portion of my autographs, I do offer many up as donations to non profit organizations that are hosting fundraisers in the form of silent auctions, etc....  This is always a win-win for all involved.  So take some to time to organize, refresh and prioritize what you want and need, and guaranteed you'll feel accomplished and maybe a little heavier in the wallet.