Red Sox are tough IP, but did get a couple...

[Go Sox]

So my wife and I went to San Francisco for a few days for vacation and to catch the 3 game Red Sox vs. Oakland series this week. We stayed across the street from the teams hotel and tried a little for some autos but they are really tough to get IP. Last year they didn't leave for the games until about 3 hours from game time. This year I was too late to try and get graphs outside the hotel as the team left about 4-5 hours before game time. The last day I did get down to the team bus outside the hotel in time to see most of the team leave. I was the only one waiting at the team bus as 6-7 other graph seekers were on the other side of the building where many players usually catch taxis to the game. I was lucky in that all of the starters took the bus that day, but unlucky in the fact that I only got one auto. The only player who signed for me was our ttm friend Justin Masterson who I got on a ball. Even though I was the only one there I still got denied by Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Matsuzaka, Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury, Tim Wakefield, Dustin Pedroia, and Jason Bay. After the first bus left some players got in cabs or caught the second bus but the results were the same. Brad Penny, Manny Delcarmen, Jason Varitek, J.D. Drew and Okajima denied me and the few others who were now waiting with me for a chance at an auto.

I must say it was pretty disheartening to see how little my favorite team signs, even for one solo graph-seeker. They had a really rough 12 inning loss the night before but you would think that more than Masterson (who pitched great the night before) would sign. Apparently some players did sign a little on previous days as a couple people told me they had gotten Lowell, Pedroia, Penny and Drew, as well as Francona and Smoltz, both of whom I never saw.

After Monday night's loss to the A's many of position players went out to bars and they weren't hard to find because kids who were too young to get in were waiting outside. I ran into Penny, Bay, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Beckett, and Lowell inside one bar, but they seemed pretty annoyed to see anyone with a Sox hat walk into the room and they pretty much left right after. Only guy I asked there was Beckett as they were waiting for cabs outside. He denied me but was at least kind of polite about it. I did shake Youk's hand and tell him good game.

And now for the cooler part of the story... At a different bar David Ortiz was having a few drinks with friends and he was being totally cool to anyone and everyone who talked to him. He signed a ball and card for me and was just a great guy. I showed him the Sox tattoo on my calf and he smiled and told me I was a real fan. I had a couple beers there and one of Ortiz's friends talked to me a bit. All in all I had a great time there. I only wish the rest of the team had been as cool as Ortiz and Masterson. I will be back next year and hopefully I can get some more sigs.

As for the 3 games themselves, I saw Pedroia sign one auto for a kid in the most expensive and closest seat in the stadium, and Masterson signed a bunch in the two games he didn't pitch. Isn't this really nuts?? This team is so hard to get.

Anyway... Here are pics of the Ortiz sigs. Very happy about them.

[jsox]

Nice Ortiz autos!
i have a couple IP sox autos myself

Wakefield, Ortiz, and Tek

also went to the Rookie Signing this year, which had autos of Lars Anderson, Daniel Bard, etc. all the sick new guys

the Sox are always good guys, but sometimes you gotta catch em at the right time, lol.

[wmhc28413]

WOW great pick up... congrats..

[gladdyontherise]

Atleast you got Big Papi!

[neverfinished94]

awesome successes! sucks about get denied by most of the team

[Edwards2Evans]

Awesome Ortiz success!!! He's one of my favorite Sox's!

I went to the third game Oakland v. Boston being a Cali person and a big Sox fan. I can't believe how far Wakefield took that no-hitter. And also my friend caught a foul ball so that was cool.

As for auto's I got Justin Masterson and a Red Sox ball right under the Sox logo and also got 3 A's pitchers on an A's mini-bat w/ a logo. All 3 auto's and right next to each other and by the logo so it looks nice.

[dicekmvp]

Great Papi success! That sucks that Dice-K didnt sign. I am going to try to get him at a restaurant after the game when the sox are in texas.

[tboculosis]

Cool pick up on Big Papi and Masterson's autographs!

[Go Sox]

Yes there were definitely more A's players signing than Red Sox. Wakefield sure did pitch awesome that game. It kind of cracked me up that the speed for some of his pitches didn't show up on the scoreboards. It showed pitches down to 60 MPH so I am guessing the ones that didn't register were in the 50's. It was the first time I've seen a knuckleballer pitch in person so that was cool too.

Justin Masterson is just an all-around class act. He signed a ton at the games. He even posed for a few pictures and tossed extra baseballs to kids.

I forgot to mention that I never saw one of the players that I wanted to get the most. Jonathan Papelbon. No one I talked to saw the guy around the hotel in three days. The dude must teleport to the games or something, hah.

[84c4vette]

Yes there were definitely more A's players signing than Red Sox. Wakefield sure did pitch awesome that game. It kind of cracked me up that the speed for some of his pitches didn't show up on the scoreboards. It showed pitches down to 60 MPH so I am guessing the ones that didn't register were in the 50's. It was the first time I've seen a knuckleballer pitch in person so that was cool too.

Justin Masterson is just an all-around class act. He signed a ton at the games. He even posed for a few pictures and tossed extra baseballs to kids.

I forgot to mention that I never saw one of the players that I wanted to get the most. Jonathan Papelbon. No one I talked to saw the guy around the hotel in three days. The dude must teleport to the games or something, hah.

papelbon told me no when it was me by myself and he was in the minors before he ever even made it to the bigs... doubt hes any different now that hes big timing it