2008 Red Sox Rookie Program

Hey everyone! A year ago i went into Boston to meet with the members of the 2007 Red Sox Rookie Program. As i said in the last post, it was an amazing pick up as Clay Buchholz pitched a No Hitter on September 1st 2007, and Jacoby Ellsbury replaced Coco Crisp as our starting center fielder in the World Series. So i jumped at the chance that to go back to Boston for the 2008 Red Sox Rookie Program.

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:

Autograph Flashback: Dustin Pedroia

Hey everyone!

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!

Collection Update: Trot Nixon and Gabe Kapler

Hey Everyone!

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!

Recent Success: Stan Musial (5)

Hey everyone!

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!!

Top Ten Game Used Cards

Hello everyone!

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 8x10 and it features a certificate of authenticity, a 4x6 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!

Spring Training 2006

Hey everyone!

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!

Life Collecting Goals

Hey everyone! I'm back to regularly updating this blog, and i couldn't think of a better way then outlining a running list of my life goals for my collection. I plan to update this list often with each great idea that i have and each goal i decide to undertake.

Starting off this list is the greatest idea i feel like i have ever had. I want to get a Red Sox jersey and personalize it like so....

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.

Anyway, on with my idea. So i order this personalized jersey (complete with a 2004 World Series patch on the sleeve)......

So with this patch on the sleeve, i plan to seek out all 25 players from the 2004 World Series roster and get all 25 to sign the back of the jersey all around the letters and numbers. The roster (and my "targets") are as follows:

1. Alan Embree
2. Bill Mueller
3. Bronson Arroyo
4. Curt Schilling
5. Curtis Leskanic
6. David Ortiz
7. David Roberts
8. Derek Lowe*
9. Doug Mientkiewicz
10. Doug Mirabelli*
11. Gabe Kapler*
12. Jason Varitek*
13. Johnny Damon
14. Keith Foulke
15. Kevin Millar
16. Kevin Youkilis*
17. Manny Ramirez*
18. Mark Bellhorn
19. Mike Myers
20. Mike Timlin
21. Orlando Cabrera
22. Pedro Martinez
23. Pokey Reese
24. Tim Wakefield
25. Trot Nixon*

* = 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!!