Sases for Sox: Ron Blomberg

Ron “Boomer” Blomberg is most well known as the first designated hitter in Major League history. His historic first at-bat as a DH came in a Yankees uniform on April 6, 1973. That first at-bat came against legendary Red Sox hurler Luis Tiant. Tiant walked Blomberg on five pitches, with the bases loaded no less.

Blomberg played the final year of his career for the good guys in 1978. His final career home run was a go-ahead grand slam in the 8th inning of a game against the A’s on September 19th. Current Sox announcer Steve Stone got the W in that game, thanks to Blomberg’s clutch blast.

Blomberg was kind enough to sign his 1972 Topps rookie card for a very reasonable $10 fee. Thanks Mr. Blomberg!

Send Date: 3/7/22
Receive Date: 3/15/22
Total Days: 8
Items Sent: 1 Card
Items Received: 1 Card
Fee: $10
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends will be for all of the new stuff I acquire that doesn’t get it’s own post.

2021 Topps Heritage Real Ones Autographs – Jose Abreu and Yermin Mercedes – I got these for a very good price, especially the Abreu. Real Ones autos are usually pretty pricey, so I was happy to get a pretty good deal.

   

Speaking of Mercedes, I also picked up a 2021 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Refractor, also for a very good price. For all I know, Yermin may never play in the majors again. But I’ll always love him for the joy he brought Sox fans in early 2021.

I wasn’t a big Nick Madrigal fan, but I was still very upset when he (and Codi Heuer) were traded for Craig Kimbrel. I thought that was too high a price even if we got good Kimbrel. Instead we got bad Kimbrel, which made the trade that much worse. I still pick up cool Madrigal autographs when I get the chance. And this 2021 Stadium Club Chrome Autograph is definitely cool.

You probably remember that I got a bunch of items signed by Luis Aparicio at a recent signing in Venezuela. Well, there was a round 2 of that signing. I was still broke from the first one, but I couldn’t resist getting this 2015 Stadium Club card done. I really love Stadium Club cards from the last 10 years or so.

I was able to pick up a few semi-tough autographs from some 70s Latin players. Acosta and Romo were from PastPros, and Torrealba was from a signing with Five Tool Signings.

       

I also picked up two Allen & Ginters I needed. I am still trying to get all White Sox A&G cards signed, though that is now an impossible project to complete. Both of these came from PastPros.

   

And finally, in addition to the cards of his that I got signed through a recent private signing, I also picked up this 2014 Topps Tier One Acclaimed Autographs Albert Belle card.

Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez Private Signing

Last month, MLSE had a private signing with Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. Hernandez is mostly known for his exploits as a member of the Yankees. He did have one very memorably moment during his Sox career. Who can forget when he shut the door on a potential Red Sox rally in game 3 of the 2005 ALDS?

This signing was pretty pricey. I debated sitting it out, as I don’t usually spend this much on cards unless it’s a legit star. But I didn’t know when another signing would come around, and if one did, how much it would cost. So I bit the bullet and sent in 3 cards. Two that I needed for sets, and a rookie.

The cards turned out really nice. Hernandez has such a beautiful autograph. My wallet has a big hole in it now, but it was worth it!

   

Albert Belle Private Signing

Over on SCN, Neal Tucker recently held a private signing with Albert Belle. Belle is one of those guys that, every time a signing comes along, I try to get at least a couple of things done. This time, I decided to start a couple of multi-player cards, and get a sweet refractor done.

The cards turned out pretty well, though I wish he had signed the Bonds card diagonally so his whole signature would have fit.

Getting Thomas to complete the Pacific card should be easy, but who knows if I’ll ever get Bonds to complete the Finest card. One can dream!

   

SASES for Sox: Carlton Fisk

What can I say about Carlton Fisk that hasn’t already been said? The man is one of the best catchers of all time, and much of that was in a ChiSox uniform.

He has pretty consistently signed through the mail for a long time now. He isn’t cheap, but he charges a very fair price. Even better, the entirety of the fee goes to a very good cause, the Cancer Support Center.

I only got these two cards signed by Steve Carlton and Rich Gedman because I knew Fisk was so reliable. I love adding multi-signed cards to the collection, especially when both players are HOFers.

Send Date: 1/29/22
Receive Date: 2/4/22
Total Days: 6
Items Sent: 2 Cards
Items Received: 2 Cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie
Fee: $50 per card

   

Jose Abreu Private Signing

BM Authentics recently held a private signing with Jose Abreu. This was Abreu’s first signing in quite some time. It was a pretty expensive signing, but I was still excited to send in a few items. I sent in 5 cards and a jersey.

Some of the items turned out great. Unfortunately, some of the items turned out less than great. As you can see in the pictures (click the images to see the full size image), two of the Allen & Ginter cards bubbled fairly badly. The third A&G also bubbled slightly, but it isn’t very noticeable.

I contacted the promoter, but unfortunately they were not willing to do anything. The owner of BM Authentics proved to be very difficult to deal with, so I doubt I’ll be doing further business with them, and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone else either.

Luckily, the jersey turned out well. The two rookie refractors turned out nicely, though the Topps is too dark for the signature to stand out.

I’m pretty happy to add most of these to the collection. Other than the two $100 (each!) busts, of course.

   

   

Paul Konerko Private Signing

Big T Authentics, AKA Jackson Traylor, recently had another private signing with Paul Konerko. Paulie isn’t an especially cheap signing, so I typically only get 1-2 things signed when he does one. That was the case here.

As you can see, I completed what is now one of my favorite multi-player cards. I also got a 2002 All-Star baseball with inscription. I’m thrilled to add these to the collection!

   

Sases for Sox: Lance Broadway

Lance pitched in parts of three seasons with the Sox from 2007-09. He didn’t have much success overall, but did pitch well in the only two starts of his career. He combined for 11.1 innings with 9 strikeouts and only 2 runs allowed.

After his playing career ended, he gave acting a try. He had small roles in several shows and movies from 2011-17, including Olympus Has Fallen and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lance has a beautiful autograph, so I’m very happy to knock off his 2008 UD card for my project. I only sent one card, because he is known for keeping or switching out cards. I really wanted the UD card signed, so I didn’t want to take any chances. Thanks Mr. Broadway!

Send Date: 9/21/21
Receive Date: 10/16/21
Total Days: 25
Items Sent: 1 Card
Items Received: 1 Card
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

Sases for Sox: Britt Burns

Britt Burns was a mainstay of the White Sox rotation from 1980-1985. He took a hard luck loss in the final game of the 1983 ALCS against the Orioles. He pitched 9 shutout innings, but gave up the game winning home run in the 10th inning. His career ended after a very good 1985 season, due to a chronic hip injury. He won 18 games in his final season, one of only 3 pitchers ever to do so. The others are just a couple of guys named Sandy Koufax and Mike Mussina.

After his playing days ended, Burns had a long career as a minor league pitching coach. He coached in the Marlins, Tigers, Astros, and White Sox minor league systems. He always seemed a bit cranky during his coaching days, so I was very happy when I saw that he was signing his mail for a very reasonable $5 per item. I might have to pick up a 1981 All-Star baseball for him to sign. Thanks for the autographs Mr. Burns!

Send Date: 10/1/21
Receive Date: 10/16/21
Total Days: 15
Items Sent: 4 Cards
Items Received: 4 Cards
Fee: $5 per card
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie