Your experiences with players who validated (or didn't validate) your game used items

[bigtruck260]

I think this thread fits here.

I went to a Ray Lankford signing today and saw a few of you guys there...Jeff Scott and I caught a glimpse of one another and held up our bats. Anyway, when Ray saw my bat, he smiled BIG and took a couple of practice cuts with it. He asked how much I paid, where it came from...and who else I had in my collection. I've heard some horror stories regarding some players, but "Ray Ray" treated me like he was appreciative that I would treasure something that he used. Here are some photos:

[OaklandAsFan]

Just a few days ago in Phoenix. I have a Marcus McBeth bat from his days when he was first drafted as an OFer for the Athletics. He has converted into a pitcher and is trying out for the A's this season. I got him to sign it (finally after like 6 years) and he was amazed that I had it and seemed to relish taking some practice swings with it. Asked how long I have had it and such. Was pretty cool.

[Jags Fan Dan]

That really is cool that they enjoyed seeing the gamers and appreciated that you had them in your collection. That is the reaction I would expect. I realize, however, that this may be the exception rather than the norm. But cool stories, guys!

[godwulf]

About ten years ago, Steve Finley was doing a signing, while here with the DBacks, and I brought one of his old Coopers, from his rookie days with Baltimore, for him to sign. He stood up, took a couple of cuts with it, and was talking about how much better the Cooper bats were back then; he seemed really jazzed to see it. Steve's a very relaxed and personable guy at signings, anyway - he always seems to be having at least as much fun as the fans...like a big kid.

One of my other favorite reactions came from Micah Owings, when I had him sign the bat he broke in Pittsburgh in '07 - the game in which he shut out the Pirates on the mound, and went 4 for 5 with three doubles at the plate. He sat there staring down at it, shaking his head, saying, "I wondered what happened to that bat!" and he put a cool "game broken" inscription and date on it for me. I have a nice photo of the event, showing a smiling Robby Hammock looking on.

On the other hand, I think I've told the Randy Johnson story enough times, already...:rolleyes:

[jdr3]

I was wearing a Ronnie Belliard gamer when Andrew Lang helped me and my duaghter get on the field for her birthday. He came up to us and said, "That's a nich shirt." We talked and took pictures for a few minutes. About 10 years ago I had Boyd Dowler sign a Redskin gamer. He smiled and said, "I'll give you $20 for that shirt!" I asked if he kept anything from his career and he said no, he had never thought to. But the further from his playing days he got the more he wished he had.

[worldchamps]

At the T Mobile Rookie Challenge game during All Star weekend, i took my Brent Barry jersey from when the Spurs player over in Europe. The jersey has red white and blue strips on the side, they are pretty cool looking. When he saw me pull the jersey out of the bag, he was so excited. He said he had one as well and loved the jersey. It was pretty cool getting to talk to him about it, you can see Chris Webber in the background. Didnt have anything for him, so didnt bother him.

[flota89]

At Winter Warm Up this year I got my Colby Rasmus bat signed. When I brought the bat up to him he looked at it for a while then started turning it over. He smirked a little, then looked up at me and goes "Quad City?" That was pretty happy for Colby.

[DonTheLegend]

awesome Dave.

didnt know Ray was going to be out, otherwise i would have made the trip.

ive been so far out of the loop the last year and a half with collecting that i dont know whos coming or going.

however, this year is looking great so far (career wise).

not sure how Ray would react with me bringing in an arm full of stuff. havent been able to see him in several years.

did he have anything else to add?? did you ask him where al of his damn All Star and home run durby s#!t is?? =)

[bigtruck260]

awesome Dave.

didnt know Ray was going to be out, otherwise i would have made the trip.

ive been so far out of the loop the last year and a half with collecting that i dont know whos coming or going.

however, this year is looking great so far (career wise).

not sure how Ray would react with me bringing in an arm full of stuff. havent been able to see him in several years.

did he have anything else to add?? did you ask him where al of his damn All Star and home run durby s#!t is?? =)

Hey Donnie!

I was surpised to not see you there...

Ray Ray was only signing one item per person, but that didn't stop at least one dealer I know from handing him 2 baseballs and bringing other people with him to score more stuff.

Funny you ask about the AS stuff! I forgot to ask him...darn. There was a pretty good line of people behind me, and the only real thing I could tell him was that I wished the Cards had retired his number before Chris Duncan abused it.

He was waaaaay cooler than I could have imagined. He was a Johnny Mac's on Watson Saturday for the big sports expo. I bet he could still play.

[bigtruck260]

I just realized that you can actually see the line behind me in the first pic...:D

[legaleagle92481]

I am going to get Pudge Rodriguez to sign one of his bats when he comes to my area next month. It is the first signing he has ever done in New York and I have always wanted to meet him. I normally do not get gamers signed but this one I got cheap off Ebay and I have no interest in nongame used signed items anymore so I will get it signed and see if I can talk him into adding a g/u inscription for free. I will let you all know how it goes and post pics on here if I can figure out how.

[gridman80]

I am going to get Pudge Rodriguez to sign one of his bats when he comes to my area next month. It is the first signing he has ever done in New York and I have always wanted to meet him. I normally do not get gamers signed but this one I got cheap off Ebay and I have no interest in nongame used signed items anymore so I will get it signed and see if I can talk him into adding a g/u inscription for free. I will let you all know how it goes and post pics on here if I can figure out how.


Hi Justin,
this is Jim. Saw your posting and figured this might be a good way to contact you. I am ready to go on the Revis and simply would ask you to reply to me email with your preferred method of payment. Thanks buddy.

[dirtyla2000]

During the annual expos softball game to fight A.L.S a couple of years ago, I had Warren Cromartie sign his game used bat.He tuned to Steve Rogers and told him how the bat was his smiled and took a couple of swings! I had Bill Gullickson sign his expo rookie jersey and he told Cromartie that he couldnt believe he used to fit in it! Its ridiculous but I was as giddy as a 5 yr old!

[34swtns]

I had a slightly unnerving reaction to a gamer once:

Last year I brought a Warrick Dunn 2000 season gamer to a local signing here in Tampa. Upon seeing it, Warrick realized it was one of his game jerseys and said, "This is real?". I replied, "Yes, it was one of yours". To which he replied, "Did you steal this from my house"? I scrambled for the printed copy of the auction listing and my receipt from the sale, (which I had with me in a notebook), and showed them to him. He inspected both papers, looked up at me and said, "I was just kidding, man", smiled and signed the jersey.
He had me a little freaked for a second.

[34swtns]

Forgot to include the pics:

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i56/34swtns/100_1635.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i56/34swtns/100_1636.jpg

[34swtns]

I forgot to mention that he was disappointed that I only paid $400 for his jersey.

"Is that all this was worth"? :D

[joelsabi]

I forgot to mention that he was disappointed that I only paid $400 for his jersey.

"Is that all this was worth"? :D

that photo of Dunn checking out the COA is priceless. great story.

[jobathenut]

Yeah,for a guy who said he was "just kidding".He sure is looking over that coa.
that photo of Dunn checking out the COA is priceless. great story.

[ivo610]

Love the Dunn story. And you got a great deal on that jersey, congrats.

[OaklandAsFan]

Today at Phoenix Muni Athletics vs the Brewers. I had a Jonathan LuCroy bat that I got during Arizona Fall League last season and I took it out for him to sign it and he grabbed it and said "oh man thats my baby right there" showed a coach the bat also who remarked how great a shattered bat was. He then told me that he like like 3 or 4 home runs with that bat and signed it for me (he had given the bat to me after an Arizona Fall League game)

[BergerKing22784]

I forgot to mention that he was disappointed that I only paid $400 for his jersey.

"Is that all this was worth"? :D



I think sometimes players get this idea stuck in their heads that anything they touch or sign turns instantly into gold. When for the vast majority of the players in the league it really isnt. I in no way am a big money spender in the way of game used and have only spent over $400 on a jersey once the rest I got for roughly the same price it would cost you to get just an authentic jersey from a retail store.

[godwulf]

Today at Phoenix Muni Athletics vs the Brewers. I had a Jonathan LuCroy bat that I got during Arizona Fall League last season and I took it out for him to sign it and he grabbed it and said "oh man thats my baby right there" showed a coach the bat also who remarked how great a shattered bat was. He then told me that he like like 3 or 4 home runs with that bat and signed it for me (he had given the bat to me after an Arizona Fall League game)

I'm thinking of coming out to Phoenix Muni during ST to try to get Jack Cust to sign a couple of his old bats for me. Has he been in evidence this year, and what do you think my chances would be of getting close enough to get him to do that?

Jeff
godwulf1@cox.net

[OaklandAsFan]

hey Jeff,

go up there on a day that they have an away game at like 930 AM (unless they are playing in Tucson because then they would be taking BP down in Tucson). He will most likely sign them all for you after bp. He is pretty good about signing. If you go on a game day just get there before 11 (gates open at 11) and head over to the A's side (first base) but go to the bleacher seats outside the tunnel to their clubhouse. The nets along there scare many people away but they are cut or ripped in many places down at the bottom so you can pass things to players to sign with no problem.

[godwulf]

I wasn't aware that they took BP at their home stadium before going on the road. Do they charge you to get in on those days, since there's no game being played?

[OaklandAsFan]

I wasn't aware that they took BP at their home stadium before going on the road. Do they charge you to get in on those days, since there's no game being played?


nope, with the exception of the games in Tucson, all teams take their BP at their home parks and them come to the stadium for infield practice and the game. If all you are interested in doing is getting some autographs and not into catching a game I would suggest just going to the stadium of the away team early in the morning. Best part is that many times you will be one of less than 10 people in the stands so graphs are easy pickins. Plus you will see the guys who won't travel to the game that day.

[godwulf]

Well, maybe I'll give that a try next weekend. I see the A's are playing the Giants at Scottsdale next Saturday - maybe I'll show up at Phx Muni about 9:30 with the Cust bats and see what happens.

I've looked over the rosters of the 14 teams playing ball in the Valley right now (including the non-roster invitees and the coaches) and there are no fewer than 40 former Diamondbacks here - eight with the Brewers alone - and I've probably got unsigned bats for at least three-fourths of them, including some players I thought I'd never see again, like original DBacks Jeff Suppan and Hensley Meulens.

Thanks for the tip!

[OaklandAsFan]

Jeff,

The A's are playing split squad games on Saturday one away (in Scottsdale) and the other at home so going to watch bp the way we discussed won't happen that day.

[Danny899]

I had Rickey Henderson sign a Yankees jersey years back and asked if it were bloodstains on the front of the jersey from headfirst slides. He then proceeded to identify the stains as iced tea that he had spilled on it! I've had him sign some pretty rare items over the years and he always appeared to be pleased at seeing some of these pieces. Contrary to what many have heard, Rickey was always an absolute pleasure to interact with and gave you a top notch auto on your piece.

[godwulf]

I actually tried it this morning; I just got back about thirty minutes ago. Things did not go according to plan, and I have no one to blame but myself, but I'm still really pissed off. I wasn't going to post here about it, but maybe "venting" will make me feel better.

I decided to play hookey from work for a bit, and took off for Phoenix Muni a little after 9 - my work is only about twenty minutes away -and got there about 9:25. There were a few other autograph-seekers near the dugout, so I asked a couple of them if they had seen Jack Cust today; one of them pointed him out, just about the time all the players went out onto the field to do calisthenics (or the MLB equivalent). When they came back in, Cust was fairly close, so I called out to him, and he said "After" - in other words after BP. Okay, so I was stuck watching BP for the next ninety minutes.

After BP, I figured that he'd have to come back onto the field to pick up his bag, glove, etc, but instead, he heads down into the tunnel. People are poking stuff through the holes in the netting, so I head over there with my 2001 Sam bat and a gold paint pen, thinking, well, at least I can get one of my two bats signed - I couldn't see trying to get him to sign both of them under those conditions. After he'd signed for several people, there was a girl who also had a couple of his bats, and he was signing for her, even taking a minute to look over one of her bats and take a practice swing, so I thought, "Hey, I'll grab the Carolina Clubs bat, too." It probably took me no more than ten seconds to walk over, grab it and come back, by which time Cust was walking away. I called out, "Hey, Jack", and he said, "That's all, man" and walked away.

I got greedy and screwed myself, I guess. Really put a damper on my day, so far. Venting didn't really help very much, either.

[suave1477]

I am going to get Pudge Rodriguez to sign one of his bats when he comes to my area next month. It is the first signing he has ever done in New York and I have always wanted to meet him. I normally do not get gamers signed but this one I got cheap off Ebay and I have no interest in nongame used signed items anymore so I will get it signed and see if I can talk him into adding a g/u inscription for free. I will let you all know how it goes and post pics on here if I can figure out how.


Legal Where in New York is he signing? I know he has done a few recently in New Jersey.

[Danny899]

Legal Where in New York is he signing? I know he has done a few recently in New Jersey.

He is doing a signing through Steiner on April 10th in NY. They didn't list the at show prices but I'm sure you could call them for more info.
Dan

[JETEFAN]

Don Mattingly could not have been nicer when I shared part of my "Donnie" gamer collection with him. We talked for over 1/2 hour as he shared stories on each bat and uniform. He was truly humbled that I chose him as the focus for my collection. Great person, great time!!!

[sportscentury]

I had Rickey Henderson sign a Yankees jersey years back and asked if it were bloodstains on the front of the jersey from headfirst slides. He then proceeded to identify the stains as iced tea that he had spilled on it! I've had him sign some pretty rare items over the years and he always appeared to be pleased at seeing some of these pieces. Contrary to what many have heard, Rickey was always an absolute pleasure to interact with and gave you a top notch auto on your piece.

I couldn't agree more. Rickey was always an absolute gem with me, too. I can't say the same about the person who used to market his stuff and run his signings, but Rickey himself was always terrific and happy to see and talk about his game used items. He is quite misunderstood by a lot of fans and collectors.

[karamaxjoe]

I couldn't agree more. Rickey was always an absolute gem with me, too. I can't say the same about the person who used to market his stuff and run his signings, but Rickey himself was always terrific and happy to see and talk about his game used items. He is quite misunderstood by a lot of fans and collectors.

When Rickey was with the Red Sox he tossed a BP ball to my daughter and some adult ahole cut in front of her and grabbed the ball. Rickey proceeded to rip into the guy about how bad of person he was for doing that. The guy eventually gave my daughter the ball back and I became a fan of 'the greatest of all time.'

[godwulf]

Hey, I was hoping to be able to contribute another story to this thread, but my week continues to suck. :rolleyes:

Drove over to Scottsdale Stadium this morning, to try to get their new hitting coach (and former Diamondback) Hensley Meulens to sign a couple of bats for me - a '92 Yankees Rawlings, and a '98 LS - and...well, I struck out again.

Sitting there in the front row of the bleachers, just a few yards from Tim Lincecum, Travis Ishikawa, Aaron Rowand, etc - it would have been a great situation for a Giants fan looking for autographs...but when I asked one of the players, as he jogged by (he was wearing an unmarked shirt over his jersey, so I have no idea who he was) if their hitting coach was around, he said, "No, he's (something unintelligible)" and pointed up. (Died and went to heaven? Gee, I hope not.)

Unfortunately, all of the other Cactus League ballparks are some distance from where I live and work...Phoenix Muni and Scottsdale are the only ones that I don't have to invest half a day to go visit.

Oh, well. To get back at Hensley for not being where he was supposed to be this morning, and to liven up an otherwise dreary (and somewhat whiney) post, here's a picture of him, playing in the Netherlands in 2000.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/11/03/sp-4798577_422084172.jpg

Well, I mean, pot is legal there, right? :rolleyes:

[flota89]

Don Mattingly could not have been nicer when I shared part of my "Donnie" gamer collection with him. We talked for over 1/2 hour as he shared stories on each bat and uniform. He was truly humbled that I chose him as the focus for my collection. Great person, great time!!!
That's awesome. Did he actually remember some of the bats?

[JETEFAN]

Great story. Doesn't that make all your time and effort all the more worthwhile. And you probably cant beat the stories he told about your items. Did you get any new information about any of your items or was he pretty much verifying what you already knew you had. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty much verifying or confirming what I knew, I have been collecting his stuff for over 20 years so I've done my homework.... confirmation does make you feel good though!

[JETEFAN]

That's awesome. Did he actually remember some of the bats?

He did actually remember 2 of my bats, the first his rookie bat with "46" on the knob. For some reason he recognized it as his and used by him and noted "Rookie Gamer" on the bat. And also an M1728 bat which he claims very few exist due to them cracking very easily, it was a model designed by him and given the model number for his kids birth dates. Don said he loved the feel of the bat but it was a bat design as they cracked very easily. I thought the bat was not cracked and he bet me he would find the crack, he went right to the crack!!, said they all cracked at the same spot. He also notated "gamer" on the bat....:D :p (Bat has also been photo matched since then.)

George


George

[tigerdale]

awesome stories.....amazing what some players remember....very cool.

[MUSEOVEN]

Yesterday I Went To A Baseball Card Show Here In Caracas And The Ballplayers Who Are Siging Was Oscar Azocar (yankee And Padres) And Julio Machado (mets And Brewers).. Was Great See Oscas Azocar Face When He Seen My 2 Tiburones De La Guaira Jerseys, The San Diego Jersey And The Bats.. Both Ballplayers Was Great :) .. Thanks

[pungent]

Hi JETEFAN, I really like the photo you posted with you and Mattingly - can you please tell me more about this photo, how did you get Mattingly to come visit you, was this your home, how long did the meeting last and do you have other photos from this moment? thanks!

[ironmanfan]

Yesterday I Went To A Baseball Card Show Here In Caracas And The Ballplayers Who Are Siging Was Oscar Azocar (yankee And Padres) And Julio Machado (mets And Brewers).. Was Great See Oscas Azocar Face When He Seen My 2 Tiburones De La Guaira Jerseys, The San Diego Jersey And The Bats.. Both Ballplayers Was Great :) .. Thanks

Wasn't Machado in jail for some time?

[sportscentury]

At the T Mobile Rookie Challenge game during All Star weekend, i took my Brent Barry jersey from when the Spurs player over in Europe. The jersey has red white and blue strips on the side, they are pretty cool looking. When he saw me pull the jersey out of the bag, he was so excited. He said he had one as well and loved the jersey. It was pretty cool getting to talk to him about it, you can see Chris Webber in the background. Didnt have anything for him, so didnt bother him.

Really nice. Loved Barry as a player (and slam dunk champ!) and like him every bit as much as an analyst on NBATV (and once in a while on TNT's Inside the NBA). Great shirt and great photo. Congrats.

[MUSEOVEN]

Wasn't Machado in jail for some time?
yes he was in jail for killing a woman in barquisimeto, venezuela.-

[LastingsMilledge85]

yes he was in jail for killing a woman in barquisimeto, venezuela.-

Wow, nice guy.

[skyking26]

Wow, nice guy.
My hero.

[LastingsMilledge85]

My hero.

Yikes!

[JETEFAN]

[quote=pungent;192917]Hi JETEFAN, I really like the photo you posted with you and Mattingly - can you please tell me more about this photo, how did you get Mattingly to come visit you, was this your home, how long did the meeting last and do you have other photos from this moment? thanks![/quote

I went to a show in Evansville last year and was invited to Mattingly's house the day before the show. We spoke about my collection and he asked me to take my stuff to the show the following week and set up in one of the back rooms where he would meet me 1 hour before so he could see my collection. What an experiance!!!!

George

[psychovb]

Would love to hear the stories of players who confirmed or denied that an item was game used. The ones that have been denied would probably make a more interesting read and we could all learn a thing or two from them.

Here's mine. I attended a recent Will Clark signing and brought him a '92 bat and '86 jersey to sign...both supposedly game used. With the '92 bat which was hammered with use, he took a look at it and told me right away, "this bat was never used in a game." My heart skipped a beat when Will uttered those words. I wasn't so worried about my bat, but sweating bullets that he would say the same of my '86 rookie jersey! He did go on to inform me that he did use the bat (batting practice)...but just not in a game. And he told me what to look for in one of his game used bats...tons of pine tar.

So on to the jersey. I pull out the jersey for him to sign and asked him if he could inscribe it as "1986 Gamer". He then flips the jersey to find the tagging. As you can see in the picture, Will studied it pretty intently. After a tense moment, he proceeded to sign it with the inscription. What a relief!

This was my 2nd time I've met Will at a signing. Each time, he's been a class act. He shook hands, smiled graciously, cracked jokes, got up to take pictures...what more can you ask for?

Always looking for Will Clark game used items in his Giants playing days. Contact: psychovb@yahoo.com

[sox83cubs84]

Back when my finances were better, I bought a 1999 Browns home gamer of John Jurkovic, a former NFLer who at the time was a co-host on the local ESPN station's "Mac, Jurko, and Harry Show" (now called "The Afternoon Saloon" as Mac left the mix a couple of years ago). The notion was to doante it to the autistic kids charity golf tournament that the departed Mac used to host every summer as an offshoot of the show. I went to a remote broadcast the threesome was doing, and, at a commercial break, got Jurko's attention with it. Not only did Jurko verify it was his jersey...he even remembered it as the one he was wearing when he was injured in a game that season. Jurko is a fun guy, and the jersey got multiple mentions in the weeks leading up to the golf tournament, both by the MJH trio and by a football beat reporter who declared his intent to bid on and win the jersey.

Dave Miedema

[mbenga28]

why is there a lady sitting next to him while examining the jersey but not the bat?

[vballGuy]

Very cool story. Since you asked for people's experiences with players validating game-used items, here is a recent thread which discusses when I met Jesse Barfield and asked him to validate a game-used cap:

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=36834

[CampWest]

why is there a lady sitting next to him while examining the jersey but not the bat?

Are you asking why she is there in the jersey picture? or are you asking why is she not there in the bat picture? I'm not sure of her relevance in validating the bat's BP usage or the jersey's authenticity, but I'd guess she got up to do something else.

[legaleagle92481]

Players are not the best at validating stuff. Sometimes guys validate stuff they did not actually use (we have all seen the GU iscription on bad stuff), other times they say they did not use stuff when they did as some guys are very hostile to and resentful of the hobby and other times guys just plain don't know if they used it or not.

[ROCKET]

Would love to hear the stories of players who confirmed or denied that an item was game used. The ones that have been denied would probably make a more interesting read and we could all learn a thing or two from them.

Here's mine. I attended a recent Will Clark signing and brought him a '92 bat and '86 jersey to sign...both supposedly game used. With the '92 bat which was hammered with use, he took a look at it and told me right away, "this bat was never used in a game." My heart skipped a beat when Will uttered those words. I wasn't so worried about my bat, but sweating bullets that he would say the same of my '86 rookie jersey! He did go on to inform me that he did use the bat (batting practice)...but just not in a game. And he told me what to look for in one of his game used bats...tons of pine tar.

So on to the jersey. I pull out the jersey for him to sign and asked him if he could inscribe it as "1986 Gamer". He then flips the jersey to find the tagging. As you can see in the picture, Will studied it pretty intently. After a tense moment, he proceeded to sign it with the inscription. What a relief!

This was my 2nd time I've met Will at a signing. Each time, he's been a class act. He shook hands, smiled graciously, cracked jokes, got up to take pictures...what more can you ask for?

Always looking for Will Clark game used items in his Giants playing days. Contact: psychovb@yahoo.com (psychovb@yahoo.com)


Nice stuff dude, is that jersey displayed inside a glass case? Could you show any more pics of your jersey display?

Love the jersey!!!