Autographs at the 2013 Red Sox Wives Cash & Can Drive
The annual Red Sox Wives Cash & Cash Drive benefiting the Greater Boston Food Bank is a collector-friendly event I look forward to each season. For each $10 or ten canned goods you donate you can choose an autographed photo from a Red Sox player. My hometown team consistently employs a roster of tough signers so it’s a great opportunity to add a few difficult signatures to your collection—all while supporting a great cause.
I last attended the drive in 2011 (I skipped last year’s following the birth of my son) with lukewarm results so I was intent on learning from my mistakes and improving my results. Since they’ve abandoned the “go fish” format of putting photos face down—which I encountered in 2010—it was just a matter of arriving early and finding a table with stacks of stars. I spotted a setup by the Ted Williams statue in a low-traffic area and staked it out. The wives who were slated to man the booth were running late and I grew anxious as I had a train to catch. I spotted a fellow collector who gave me a tip that the table at Gate E was up and running and well-stocked. Taking my chances I headed for Lansdowne Street. Check out the video and let me know how you think I did.
The selection at the table was vastly improved over years past:
- Jon Lester
- Andrew Miller
- Andrew Bailey
- Craig Breslow
- Mike Napoli
- Daniel Nava
- Mike Carp
- Stephen Drew
- Dustin Pedroia
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
- Felix Doubront
- Jonny Gomes
- Junichi Tazawa
- Koji Uehara
- Ryan Lavarnway
- Shane Victorino
I donated the maximum of $40, giving me four choices. As you can see in the video I decided upon Pedroia, Lester (first of my collection), Victorino (also a first) and Doubront.
If you’re in the Boston area the Cash & Can Drive continues on Thursday, July 25 outside Fenway Park.
Which autographed photos would you have selected?
You got who I would have pulled. Victorino is my only maybe but that’s because I’m getting tired of him pulling a hammy every time he blinks. I woul have debated Nava since my returns TTM from Providence the last couple years have turned a whopping 0% return. I would say pulling Gomes, Tazawa and Uehara would have been a waste to grab because all three are GREAT TTM. Uehara is probably my fastest return out of the three. I recently got back an 8×12 of Gomes’ Boston Strong cover in about two weeks. He’s been a great signer since his days with the Reds.