PDA

View Full Version : MLB authenticators give seal of approval to genuine articles



Eric
07-16-2008, 12:20 PM
By Mike Dodd, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — As Josh Hamilton (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=3223) and friends were racking up tape-measure homers around Yankee Stadium in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, three men were standing behind a protective screen in short center field doing a different kind of accounting.

They were Major League Baseball authenticators, tagging and documenting every event-used ball thrown into them for a soon-to-be piece of history. "They're coming like machine guns out there," said MLB's Michael Posner, in the stadium groundskeeper's room between rounds.
Nine MLB authenticators and two supervisors were expected to register about 1,800 items ranging from autographs to game-used bases over the three days at the All-Star Fan Fest and Yankee Stadium this week.
They are part of a program that has authenticated more than 2 million items since it was created in 2001, Colin Hagen, vice president of licensing for MLB Properties, said.

MLB now has an authenticator at each of its 2,430 regular-season games to witness and document the validity of game-used items and autographs, sticking a high-tech hologram on each. Its corps of 125 authenticators have law enforcement backgrounds and are vetted through the same process used for event security.


HRs, foul balls 'are great souvenir'
The program has two main purposes: to provide MLB and its teams with high-quality memorabilia for business and community-relations use and to insure the integrity of items in a sports collectibles industry rife with forgeries.

Fans and collectors are still on their own with any home run or foul ball hit into the stands, both in the regular season and at major events such as the All-Star Game. "It's not marked and not authenticated. … It's just a great souvenir for a fan," Hagen said.

For landmark hits like Ken Griffey Jr. (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1533)'s 600th home run, the umpires are given a specially coded ball when the historic hitter comes to bat. Routinely, though, the balls are tagged after they are taken out of play, often by the umpire because of scuffs.

Monday night's Home Run Derby provided a glimpse of the operation. Three authenticators were assigned to Fan Fest to witness autograph signings, while six others and MLB supervisors Posner and Howard Shelton worked the stadium.

In mid-afternoon, several were stationed in an autograph room witnessing the All-Stars sign more than 375 baseballs. During the Derby, they spread out to tag balls on the field (and those hit over the fence in the non-seating areas), home plate and bases as they came off the field.
The bases were replaced and tagged with holograms three times during the Derby; every inning during Tuesday's main event. One of Monday's bases was up for auction on the MLB.com website by Tuesday.
After the Derby, the crew went to the clubhouses to collect the jerseys, standing nearby as each player took off his uniform and handed it to a clubhouse attendant, who turned it over. Shelton got winner Justin Morneau (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=3602) to autograph the home plate used in the contest, and authenticator Wendell West put the hologram on it at the player's locker.
The half-inch long holograms, which come apart once they are removed from an item, are marked with a letter and number code that links to a detailed description of the item that will be posted on the MLB.com website.

Authenticators are told they must witness the event to document it. During games, they sit near the action, frequently in the photographer's well.

"We don't want there to be any question about the program," said authenticator Jim Welby, a police sergeant in St. Louis who works Cardinals games and was brought in for the All-Star Game. "We take great pride in what we do."

Probe resulted in program
Hagen said the program grew out of an FBI investigation of forgeries in the entertainment collectibles industry that concluded 75% of all memorabilia was fake.

"We recognized … we're losing that bond and trust with our fans if they're getting fake merchandise," he said. "We really needed to step up and develop something in this."

Items collected in regular-season games are kept by the teams for their use, while the All-Star and postseason game pieces are used by MLB for corporate/sponsor partnerships, charitable events, licensing partners like Locker Room Memorabilia and online auctions.

Welby said he typically collects between 20 and 30 items at each Cardinals game, including balls, the dugout lineup cards, broken bats and bases.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=3601) noticed that the Minnesota crew makes a practice of tagging a new player's first major-league hit for the rookie. He has no complaints about their daily presence.

"They've been at every game for a few years (since 2003). I didn't even know that until last year," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/allstar/2008-07-15-mlb-authenticators_N.htm

allstarsplus
07-16-2008, 12:34 PM
Eric - Thanks for posting that article which had some great information.

Did anyone notice one of the 3 guys behind the screen in the middle of center field that had a video camera? It seemed that he was trying to record the flight of the balls that weren't Home Runs. After a few batters, I noticed he stopped doing it. Those balls were flying all night.

There were many HR balls hit in the leftfield bullpen area and the black seats in CF that were retrieved so this will probably be the most significant cache of balls of any HR Derby.

godwulf
07-16-2008, 12:37 PM
After the Derby, the crew went to the clubhouses to collect the jerseys, standing nearby as each player took off his uniform and handed it to a clubhouse attendant, who turned it over.

My question is...who then determines whether the jersey (or whatever) is going to be auctioned by MLB, or the player is "allowed" to keep it? As far as I know, MLB doesn't pay for those jerseys - the players' individual teams do. Aside from having a collective God complex the size of the Great Barrier Reef, what gives MLB the right to simply swoop down and carry off anything they think they can sell for cash?

Tedw9
07-16-2008, 01:26 PM
Great article, thanks for posting it Eric. I was at Fanfest and had my Robin Roberts ball authenticated, and I was thrilled they were there doing it. Props to MLB for stepping up and giving the fans that piece of mind for free.

And it was good to read that Locker Room Memorabilia is one of the partners of MLB. I was talking with those guys, after I made a purchase of a game used bat from them, and they told me all the items they sell from now on will be MLB authenticated. I for one see this as a step in the right direction for us collectors.

orioles03
07-16-2008, 01:33 PM
My question is...who then determines whether the jersey (or whatever) is going to be auctioned by MLB, or the player is "allowed" to keep it? As far as I know, MLB doesn't pay for those jerseys - the players' individual teams do. Aside from having a collective God complex the size of the Great Barrier Reef, what gives MLB the right to simply swoop down and carry off anything they think they can sell for cash?
whei was with the o's after every special game like throwbacks the mlb authenticators would come in the locker room tag every thing and watch them sign the jerseys well one guy was new he wanted my jersey he saysmlb wants all the jerseys this was the first throwback game i have ever been involved in and i was not giving my jersey up why would any one want a bat boy jersey so long story short the guy gave up and i have the jersey in my closet who ever the hometeam is the buy jerseys for both teams not mlb

suave1477
07-16-2008, 02:02 PM
I was at the home run derby and when i saw those guys out there i figured thats who they were.
Its funny before I read this article I figured thats who those guys were because they had about 3 guys standing behind the screen with clip boards and they had kids retreiving the balls in the field and a couple of guys behind the wall and on the black retrieving whatever balls went out there and bringing them back to the 3 guys with clip boards behind the screen.

08Cubs
07-17-2008, 07:32 PM
Thanks for posting this.

The authenticators obviously aren't perfect. I won one of the Nationals jerseys in the raffle at the final game at RFK. The player gave it to me personally on the field after the game. It was signed by him, and obviously had his name and number on it.

If you go to the MLB authentication database, it says it's a different player's jersey!

frikativ54
07-18-2008, 01:45 AM
Thanks for posting this.

The authenticators obviously aren't perfect. I won one of the Nationals jerseys in the raffle at the final game at RFK. The player gave it to me personally on the field after the game. It was signed by him, and obviously had his name and number on it.

If you go to the MLB authentication database, it says it's a different player's jersey!

MLB.com Auctions isn't perfect, but I tell you, it's a lot better than several other sources. I would rather put my faith in MLB than in some guy off eBay who says he catches the balls himself. Some of the negativity on this board makes people lose perspective on the benefits of having sources like Major League Baseball Auctions. People do make mistakes. Every dealer and authenticator makes a mistake once in a while. But at least with MLB.com, they've got guys sitting there and recording details of historic games. I would almost guarantee that there aren't authenticators purposely pushing fake stuff.

tigerdale
07-18-2008, 05:46 AM
MLB.com Auctions isn't perfect, but I tell you, it's a lot better than several other sources. I would rather put my faith in MLB than in some guy off eBay who says he catches the balls himself. Some of the negativity on this board makes people lose perspective on the benefits of having sources like Major League Baseball Auctions. People do make mistakes. Every dealer and authenticator makes a mistake once in a while. But at least with MLB.com, they've got guys sitting there and recording details of historic games. I would almost guarantee that there aren't authenticators purposely pushing fake stuff.
Great post, I agree 100%!!