SoCal Autograph Odysses

A month or so ago I saw a good deal available through Tristar to purchase a limited edition Larry Bird Lithograph by artist Allen Hackney.  It is actually quite long, and unlike most of the items in my collection.  It caught my eye when I saw it though.  It measures 19x39, and I plan on getting it matted in Celtics green and putting a nice frame on it. Once the package is completed, I will post an updated photo. UPDATE* The litho has been matted, framed, and hung up on my wall at home.  Here is the final result;

With the MLB All-Star game and festivities rapidly approaching, earlier this week I had a fresh set of official Rawlings Major League Baseballs delivered to my house.  That fact, combined with the fact that I had not been to a single Padres game this season, lead me to take my son and brother in law to the game and see which Orioles players we could get.  Despite having the fresh new batch of baseballs, I wanted to be extremely choosy with which players I tried to go after, since I fully expect to use up every baseball during the All-Star week.  One of the players that I wanted, of course, was young superstar Manny Machado.  Luckily, he came over and started signing along the third base line for some kids, so both my son and I went down to the wall immediately to see if we could get him.  This is what we came away with; He signed for about ten minutes, but spent most of the time running with a blue sharpie.  Luckily, my son was able to get him with a blue pen before he started

Recently I purchased five baseballs from a fellow blogger who spends more time up in Orange County and LA.  I suggest giving him a read as well, which you can here; Autographs .  I contacted him about adding a couple more MLB Hall of Famers to my collection, because as those of you who follow me know I am trying to get an entire display case full of signed MLB Hall of fame baseballs.  The first picture here is a HOF ball signed by Paul Molitor; The second Hall member I added was Frank Thomas, which he signed on a standard official Rawlings Major League Baseball; On a side note, I fully intend to attend one of the major Tristar sports collectible shows within the next year, and Frank Thomas is a guy who appears at many of them, so purchasing a ball now at a cheaper price made more sense to me then paying more to meet him at a show.  Generally, I like to get autographs in person, but lately with a busier life and an inability to add some of the guys I have been coveting, I decided