Brian's Red Sox Autographs Blog!

Update

2010-05-09T15:19:00.000-04:00

Updated pages for 25 players including players who are new to the site including Joe Cronin, Reggie Jefferson, and Milt Gaston. I also updated my player list with a new one from Baseball-Reference.com that should include everybody now and also updated the graph o nthe right hand side for my statistics. Be sure to check it out!

60+ Autos Coming My Way

2010-05-03T07:50:00.000-04:00

Just completed a huge trade that is sending me 66 Red Sox autographs. A couple are of players I already have but most are new additions to my list. Special thanks to sandman153 for helping me out. I'll try to post the new autos ASAP, including great names such as Andre Dawson, Bill Lee, Fred Lynn, Boo Ferriss and Dick Drago just to name a few! Check back soon for more updates!

Joe Cronin!

2010-04-22T06:53:00.001-04:00

Added a big name to the collection today! I won a Joe Cronin Autographed 3x5 card on eBay. It's slabbed by PSA/DNA, so I'm feeling really confident it's legit. Just got really excited to add one of the greatest Red Sox players of all time to my collection for under $50! I'll post a pic of it as soon as I get it in the mail.

2000-2009

2009-10-07T11:08:00.000-04:00

Recently I decided to tackle the easiest decade for me, the 2000's. They technically just ended Oct 4th as far as the baseball regular season is considered, and currently I stand with just under 80% of the job complete. Of the 236 players to start thier Sox careers in that decade, I have 188 of thier autographs (players such as Varitek and Wakefield count in the 90's). With only 48 signatures to go, I think I can close out this decade pretty soon. Check back for updates!

Change-Up

2009-10-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

So I have decided to change up how I am going to use this blog. In the past few months I have undertaken the taks of trying to get one autograph of every player to ever play for the Boston Red Sox (According to the RedSox.com official list of players). I'll be using this blog to update on the autographs I get and update on where I am as far as completing this enormous task (1000+ players). I realized that I do not do enough In-Person autographing to regularly update this blog in it's current form, so this way I have something to update, even if it's just one autograph. Feel free to comment along the way! Thanks for stopping by!

Futures at Fenway!

2009-08-11T13:49:00.001-04:00

Went to the Futures at Fenway Doubleheader on Saturday, and it was definitely a worthwhile experience. The games themselves were great on their own, and with the reduced ticket prices, it gives families a chance to go to Fenway and catch 2 games for the price of one. Also due to the slightly smaller crowd (the park was pretty full, but not filled), myself and the 2 people i was with moved all the way down to about 5 rows behind the home dugout, giving us a great view for the games. As far as autographs, you shouldn't get your hopes up too high. The players did sign a lot, however the walls were lined with small kids getting cheap baseballs signed, which will be a great memory for them, but not a great place for an autograph hound. I don't care how good a player is, I will never step in front of a kid to get an autograph. If I'm at the fence before him and his parents are pushing lifting them over my back (this has happened to me), then we might have a problem. Plus I brought mostly cards and didn't feel like throwing those over the dugout to players on the top step, and I didn't really want to get individual OMLB's signed by most of the minor leaguers. The ones who were definitely worth an OMLB I already had. During each game hover, a long table was set up with the team not playing (so the Seadogs were there during the Pawsox game and vice versa). I showed up too late to the Pawsox signing and the line was at least 100-150 people deep and they only signed for 45 mins, so I went back to the game. For the Seadogs, I showed up about an hour, hour and a half early, and was still about 50 people back. Once you go to the front of the line you had to chose between going left or right, and seeing as Lars Anderson was on the left, that was the way I went. On a side note, most people were doing the same (going to the left for Lars), and the guys on the right, including Jason Place who hit a homerun that day, and Ryan Kalish) were commenting how no one was coming down their side of the table. Kalish even mentioned to Lars Anderson's father (who I recognized from Spring Training) how no one was coming down their side of the table. I ended up with 5 signed cards (3 Matt Sheely's and 2 Jon Still's) and 4 signed 8x10's that I tore out of the Pawsox 2009 Program (Dustin Richardson, Anderson, Ryan Khoury, and Jorge Jimenez). So for a trip to Fenway, 9 autographs isn't that bad, and I could've had more if I handed more cards to other players or really fought to get some more, but I was happy getting the Anderson signed. So my advice if you want to go next year, get there early for the signings, and bring a friend to go down both sides of the table. Thanks for stopping by!

My Newest J-Bay Autograph

2009-08-06T10:52:00.003-04:00

So from scowering eBay I came across a great item. 2 Autographed Game Used Batting Gloves of Jason Bay. Well I bid, won, and bought a shadowbox and 8x10 to display the gloves. Let me konw what you think!

Food for Autographs!

2009-08-05T11:50:00.000-04:00

(From a backlog of updates I didn't post). The other weekend (July 24th-25th) was the Red Sox Player's Wives Food Drive. This is by far the best way to get certified autographs of the current Major league Red Sox, as you trade 10 food items, or $10 for an autographed 4x6 picture of a Red Sox player (up to 4 pictures per person, so $40 or 40 items). There are a few different tables set up so depending on which one you go to, you'll find a varying experience. The first day, Friday, I went at 5:00 pm, which was when it started. I went to the first table I saw, and all the pictures were turned down, but the people were telling everyone who each pile was, which apparently they weren't supposed to do. I ended up with Matsuzaka, Beckett, Wakefield, and Pedroia. I decided to press my luck and try a second time because everyone seemed pretty relaxed at the table and gave another $20 and got Ortiz and Ellsbury without a problem. So I decided to go back the next day with another a relative to double my chances, and brought food this time as well. I went to the same table again and this time the photos were all turned up so you could see the players, and ended up with Papelbon, Youkilis, Varitek, and Saito. Then went to the other table to see if they had any Jason Bay's, and it turned out this table had all the photos mixed up and face down and whoever you picked you kept (though you didn't have to take doubles). This time I ended up with Bard, Masterson, Baldelli, and Ellsbury and my relative picked Youkilis, Smoltz, Beckett, and Okajima. So overall I ended up with 18 autographed photos, though 3 were doubles that I can trade or sell. I intend to frame some of the 4x6's with some nice 8x10's to display, and buy 4x6 acrylic frames or the rest. I already put the Youkilis in a display with an autographed jersey I have of him. If you have any questions about the event email, thanks!

My Masterpiece

2009-08-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

So because I'm not busy enough (LIES! LIES!), I've decided to finally start a project I've had on the back burner for a while. Originally it started as making my main site (Brian's Red Sox Autographs) include every signature of every Red Sox Player ever, or as close to it as humanly possible. Knowing I don't have the financial resources or the time, I decided to out source, and join other Red Sox Collectors to create a comprehensive database of Red Sox Autographs. This became RedSoxAttic.com. This is a new website that is currently in development that will have a lot of general information, history, etc on the Red Sox, as well as a page for every player to ever throw a pitch, or have an at bat with the Red Sox, with an example of their autograph. The point of the player pages is to compare your autographs to In Person or Certified autographs of players that myself and the other collectors have. The second focus of the site is to help Red Sox fans get autographs of their favorite players. There will be a forum as well as specific pages devoted to helping you get autographs, including a store which will have discounted prices compared to major dealers online, and possibly some auctions or trade auctions etc. If you have any ideas, comments, or would like to join the team of Attic Addicts (that's what I'm calling us anyways) or just help in any way, please email me at BriansRedSoxAutos@hotmail.com. Thanks for stopping by!

Miss Me?

2009-08-04T09:22:00.001-04:00

Some of you may be wondering where I've been these last few months. Well the short answer is that I moved. I had some issues at my last apartment that I would rather not get into, but I moved to a new place, and also gained a roommate in my long time girl friend who moved from Boston out to Western Massachusetts with me. In bigger news (to you anyways) I finally started my year-long plan to launch a comprehensive Red Sox Autograph site, and I've been working on that quite a bit, but though more news on that later. Granted those are not excuses to not post ANYTHING, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. As for the Contest Results, a winner was chosen and an email was sent out for him/her to reply to with mailing information. They have 3 days so if they don't reply I'll pick another winner and the cycle will continue. I'll post the final results here when I get them. I'm also trying to figure out who to give away for the August Contest. I'll post some choices today or tomorrow and you can decide. I'll also post some other updates/Q&A/In Person Autograph that have been back logged since June. Thanks for stopping by!

Dustin Pedroia Book Signings

2009-06-24T09:04:00.002-04:00

Dustin wrote a book called "Born to Play:My Life in the Game" and will be signing copies at a Barnes and Noble on Boyleston Street July 23rd at 5 pm. Just giving everyone a heads up to get a free autograph (you have to buy the book though, and he only signs the book, no outside items). Thanks for stopping by!

May Contest Winner

2009-06-02T07:58:00.001-04:00

Well the Correct Answer to the May Contest was 1908, which was the first year the Red Sox actually wore red socks. Congratulations to MATT, who won the drawing and thanks to all those who sent in answers. June's contest is for an autographed Jason Bay Postcard. The question: Who holds the record for most consecutive seasons managing the Red Sox? Send all responses, along with your first name to briansredsoxautos@hotmail.com. Correct answers will be placed in a drawing for the above prize. Contest ends Tuesday June 30th at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be notified via e-mail shortly after.

Contest Update (Bay in June!)

2009-05-27T10:43:00.003-04:00

Only 5 more days to try to win the Charlie Zink Autographed Card. Big news for the June Contest. Since my birthday is in June I've decided to give away a special prize. An Autographed Jason Bay 4x6 Card (unfortunately he's on the Pirates but still it's J-Bay).

Graphin' in Portland

2009-05-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

Was up in Portland on Memorial Day to catch a Seadogs game. Happened to be a day where you get to play catch on the field before the game. My father and I of course, were the only 2 adults playing catch, every other group had at least on kid under 12. Whatever, we're both just big kids anyways. Autographs are hard to come by at Hadlock Field before the game. We happened to be in the picnic tent with a bunch of people my father works with, so we were down the right field line. You can get a few of the pitchers during their pre-game warm up down in deep right field, but when the position players come out to warm up, the do it just past the infield so no fans are really near them. On the plus side, after the game all the players walk down the right field line to get to their clubhouse which is under the right field bleachers. Of course, the players stay at least 20 feet away from the foul line so they don't get too close to the fans and have to sign autographs. One or two players will stop and sign a few, but for the most part they jog or wave and disappear into the right field wall. One big plus though, is that after the game, you can stand up at the top of a small hill where all the players have to walk by to get to their cars. Not only that, but for the most part the players were coming out one by one, so there wasn't a mad scramble to try to get 4-5 guys at one time. You have to stand around for a few hours, but it's worth it. I got Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, Adam Mills, Bubba Bell (who told me he is getting around to the interview questions I sent him), Dustin Richardson and a few others. Final count, 16 signed cards and 1 signed baseball (Anderson). I wish I lived closer to Portland Maine because I would be out there after every game trying to get some autographs. Don't know when I'll be able to hit up another stadium, but I hope it's not too long. Thanks for stopping by!

Manny being...Barry?

2009-05-07T13:50:00.000-04:00

I'm sure this isn't the first place your reading about Manny Ramirez being banned for 50 games due to testing positive for a performance enhancing substance, but I just have to comment on this. First off, there goes my damn fantasy team. Second, here's how I see the saga unfolding: Manny plays ignorant and says he "didn't know what he was taking", blames doctors, agents, coaches, trainers, and his alive/dead grandmother for the mistake. Spends the 50 games away from baseball living it up rather than training/practicing and being ready for coming back around July 3rd. Comes back July 3rd and has a similar second half as 2008 when he took the struggling Dodgers to the playoffs. Say what you will about Manny Being Manny and all that, but there is one thing Manny does, and it's play baseball. He has the perfect mentality for the game (ironically I was thinking about this topic before the Manny Suspension news hit and was going to write a Manny blog on how his terrible personality is perfect for sports). His immature ability to treat an at bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth the same as no one in in the top of the first, is what allows him to stay consistently good. He could never teach his methods (thank god, imagine it, "Introducing, your new hitting instructor Manny Ra.....hey where is he?"), but his natural ability to make contact along with his natural ability to forget about his last at bat (and forget about practices, games, non-existing injuries, where the ball is) makes him the perfect hitter. His carefree attitude strikes a lot of people negatively and rightfully so, we like to see professional athletes acting professional, not like an over-stimulated 4 year old, but that attitude makes him different from every other hitter. Manny rarely slumps, one specific instance was when he was closing in on 500 home runs and was pressing to finally hit the home-run and stop all the press coverage for it, and when he does slump it almost seems on purpose. He'll slump when demanding a trade or complaining about playing time etc, but then return as the savior of the lineup when he finally gets his way. All in all, he's that common-superstar combination of the perfect player, and an imperfect person. You'd love to have him in your lineup, but hate to have him on your team. And you dread having him in left field (except for when he disappears into the large wall there for a bathroom break). Thanks for stopping by!

In Today's Mail...

2009-05-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

Received my Red Sox Fan Pack in the mail saturday. It was a pretty good return for a free request. The Sox sent me a pocket schedule, a large magnetic schedule, a 4x6 pic of Wally, a 4x6 pic of Varitek, a letter from a Fenway Ambasador, and a small bag of dirt from the field at Fenway (a novelty item they have been giving away for years). You may be wondering how do you get a major league team to send you free stuff through the mail? Well it's actually really easy. Simply follow this link: https://secure.mlb.com/help/email.jsp?c_id=bos&primarySubject=Other&secondarySubject=None&dest=fanfeedback@redsox.mlb.com and fill in the required fields, and in the "Message" box, put your name, mailing address, and ask them to "please send a fan pack to my address, I am a huge Sox fan etc...etc". Again, there is no gaurantee they will send you anything (this is my second year sending a request and the first time I received a fan pack), but with any luck you should receive a similar fan pack in the mail in a few days. I also sent a similar request to the Pawsox and Seadogs, not sure if I'll hear from them but I'll let you all know, thanks for stopping by!

A little Q&A

2009-05-01T10:22:00.003-04:00

This questions comes from Jay who wants to know: I'm heading to Fenway Park and I was wondering are there any tricks to getting autographs on game day. I also read something about Autograph Alley on the Red Sox homepage. What is that?
Brian: One trick I learned, is that a lot of the time, Eckersley will do the pre-game show right outside of Fenway, and will USUALLY sign a few autographs after he's done. I got him on a baseball and a card last year. However, waiting for him means missing the beginning of the game (not something most ppl would do for a Yankees game). It also ruins your chances of getting any sigs inside the stadium but from personal experience, Fenway is a crapshoot, rarely players sign on either team. Also Autograph alley is on the outskirts of the stadium on Yawkey Way (near Gate A). where the Sox will have some former player come sign. Last year the few times I went it was Billy Harper and Pesky on another day. You never know who might be there, Longborg, Tiant, and Malzone have been spotted, but usually there's a long line no matter who it is and if you just ask around someone will know. Also Remy will sometimes be at his sausage stand Rem-Dawgs, and the same can be said for Luis Tiant at El-Tiante's. Other than that, good luck, sometimes players sign in the stadium, sometimes they don’t it all depends on their moods. Outside the stadium is usually more of a sure thing, but not as big names, so the choice is yours.

Contest Winner

2009-05-01T10:08:00.002-04:00

Well the Correct Answer to the April Contest was Earl Webb, who hit 67 doubles in 1931. Congratulations to DREW, who won the drawing and thanks to all those who sent in answers. May's contest is for an autographed Charlie Zink card.
The question: In what year did the Red Sox actually wear red socks for the first time?
Send all responses, along with your first name to briansredsoxautos@hotmail.com. Correct answers will be placed in a drawing for the above prize. Contest ends Sunday May 31st at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be notified via e-mail shortly after.

TTM Beginner Tips

2009-04-28T15:03:00.001-04:00

So I'm finally going to get back into sending out some more Through the Mail Requests, which I have been slacking in in the past year. I'm probably going to be sending out a lot of Minor League cards and retired players (since I missed out on my big Minor League boom in autos with not going to Spring Training). This all brought up a few arguments I hear a lot with TTM requests:
-Handwritten vs Typed Letter
Let's be honest, most players don't read the letters you send them. I say most because I know players such as Pat Neshek and lower minor leaguers do enjoy fan mail. But through my (and others) experience, handwritten does not boost the chance of getting a TTM request. For the most part it is luck of the draw, your package just happened to be put in the signed pile rather than the RTS pile. A person in a forum put it best: "It is what you say, not the type of ink you use." So instead of Dear "Insert player" you are my favorite "insert position" on the "insert team name", try to make personal letters. If they do happen to read your letter, that will resonate more no matter what form it's printed.
-Include your own sharpie/pen?
Only if you want the item signed in that particular ink (and that's not a guarantee either). Most players have lot's of sharpies and pens available so you do not HAVE to send your own. However sometimes you will get signatures with poor inks because of the pen the player is using. Case in point I got 2 horribly signed cards from Eric Hinske who used a fading thick black marker. I appreciated the sigs and can't really complain considering his signing habits aren't the best, but I can't help but wonder "what if I sent my own sharpie"
-Spring Training vs. Regular Season
Lot's of players who don't like to sign will sign more (remember 1 auto is MORE than none) during spring training. Big names like Ortiz, Manny or Schilling in the past would sign a few TTM requests, but definitely not all. Also, most players will not take their mail with them, so if they don't sign it in Fort Myers, chances are it won't come back to Boston. So like any TTM request, it is a gamble, just don't send anything you aren't willing to lose.
-Where do you get Home Addresses?
Home addresses can be a great way to get some signatures in the off season. I have gotten Pedroia, Bowden, and Timlin among others through their home addresses. The best lists are Harvey Meiselman and Jack Smalling. If you google those names you'll be able to find what I'm talking about.
That's a few tips to help you with your TTM requests, tomorrow will be question from a fan day, so stop by then too! Thanks for stopping by!

How Sweep it is!

2009-04-27T08:49:00.001-04:00

What a weekend for the Sox. Sweeping the Yankees is a cause for celebration in Boston whether it's in April or October, and that's what I love about the Sox/Yankees Rivalry. While the players don't get wrapped into it too much anymore (free agency killed most player rivalries), the owners love to push the whole Evil Empire vs. Rebels. What I find ironic, is that for the most part the Red Sox haven't been far behind the Yankees in payroll for years. Granted they may spend 60-80 million more, the Sox are always up in the top 3 or 4 in payroll, so we aren't exactly the Florida Marlins payroll wise. But it's still great to have a playoff atmosphere in Fenway in April, and clearly the rivalry is here to stay. I'm interested to see how Andy Petitte pitches to Ellsbury next time around. Stealing home isn't exactly a compliment to a pitcher. Well, seeing as how the Yankees were in town featuring such former Sox as Johnny Damon and Mike Myers in recent years, I thought I would provide a list of a few recent former Sox who are good TTM signers c/o their respective teams or home addresses:
-Doug Mientkiewicz
-Johnny Damon (his signing habits are like his hitting....streaky)
-Mike Myers
-Bill Mueller (Dodgers front office)
-John Olerud (Sometimes takes a while)
-Jamie Moyer (he played for the Sox for half a season in 1996, is almost automatic TTM)
-Dustin Hermanson
-Eric Hinske (he's streaky like Damon)
-Mike Timlin (will only sign one item)
That's a few to start with.....thanks for stopping by!

My non-Sox thought of the week....

2009-04-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

I am SO excited for the new Ghostbusters game that is coming out June 16th. I was reading some previews and I cannot wait to get this game. Of course I do not have PS3 or an XBOX360 , but my laptop is pretty kick-ass so I'll get it for the PC when it comes out (which is usually cheaper too which is nice). If you haven't heard, the game is apparently the closest thing Ghostbuster fans will get to a third movie. All of the characters are voiced by the original actors, and you play as the 5th newest recruit on the team testing out some new weapons Ray and Egon have designed. The game takes place a few years after the 2nd movie, and visits a lot of familiar settings and has enemies from the first 2 movies. The graphics look ridiculously good and the player models are really close to the actors. Needless to say, excitement doesn't exactly cover the gambit of emotions I have for this game, but enough nerd-boy writing. I'll probably try to post at least one non-Sox post a week just to keep things interesting. Thanks for stopping by!

No Hobby For Young Men

2009-04-21T11:40:00.001-04:00

So it occurs to me that Red Sox fans are the victims of their own love of the home town team. As a person in the Autograph and Memorabilia hobby, the goal is to get close to the players. However, due the recent success and huge following of the Red Sox, this has become close to impossible. In small markets such as Pittsburgh and San Diego, players travel in the off-season in "Caravans" stopping at local places and signing autographs and meeting fans. And some of these are big name players like Jake Peavy, Trevor Hoffman, etc. Now the reasons the team do this is to drum up support so people will buy more tickets and spend money at the stadium and buy Padres products etc, etc. But because the Red Sox are so popular, the team has no need to sell the Red Sox to the masses, because we're all already buying. There are times when I wish the team was in a re-building phase just so players would be available and willing to meet fans rather than worry that they will be mobbed if they step outside. Of course, having a perennial playoff team is nothing to complain about. But it is well known that the Sox are some of the worst in person autograph signers in the league, and very few of them sign TTM. I was told by Sox minor leaguers that coaches push signing autographs on them because the Major League Players don't sign at all. Part of that is the massive amount of mail I'm sure the major leaguers get as apposed to the small amount minor leaguers get, but the fact remains, that too many people jumped on the Sox bandwagon after 2004, and now the brand is so popular, it's crushing the relationships between the players and fans. That being said, I have been asked numerous times who some of the best TTM signers are on the Sox, and here is the most reliable list I could come up with for current 25-Man Roster Red Sox who sign TTM:
-Manny Delcarmen
-Hideki Okajima
-Nick Green
-Chris Carter
-Javier Lopez
-Justin Masterson
-Takashi Saito (Occasionally)
-Terry Francona
None of these are a guarantee of course, but these guys are usually pretty reliable. Thanks for stopping by!

Hello!

2009-04-21T09:46:00.001-04:00

Being my first blog entry I feel I might need to explain myself. My name is Brian, and I recently moved out to western Massachusetts (waaaaay west, like in the Berkshires), so I find myself 3 hours away form my hometown team. While those of you in the larger states like Texas, and California, etc don't see it as THAT long of a drive, for us Northeaterners, 2 hours in almost any direction usually means out of state. SO....to fill the void of a lack of Red Sox in my life (THANK GOD I still get NESN as my cable provider is in Albany New York), I thought I would attach a blog to my Brian's Red Sox Autograph Website. Hopefully I can update this much more often than my site as a blog doesn't need as many scans of autographs and multiple page updates, and I apologize to any of those who check every so often or regularly for updates, now you will have updates to read more often. On my blog I'll post my thought's and musings and post questions from people who are asking me about the Sox or Sox Autographs. I'll also post projects I'm working on, TTM tips and helpful hints. Also the few times I get a chance to actually get an IN Person Sox Autograph, the story will be posted here. Also once a year will be my big Spring Training Update where I'll blog about my week in Fort Myers with the Sox and all the autographs and occasional stories that occur there. I'll also post my contest through here as well to give away a Sox Autograph every month. So, with that, thank you for visiting Brian's Red Sox Autograph's Blog! Thanks for stopping by!