| The Most Prized Item in my Collection! |
Autographed 1991 Upper Deck Card #474
I have two other autographed cards which I'd sent through the mail but there is no guarantee that they weren't auto-stamped, "signed" by a secretary, or by someone else. I had two chances to get his autograph during his last days as an Expos in 1991 but both times I arrived too late to get a signature.
I was able to get this 1991 Upper Deck Card signed in July of 1993 when the Rockies were in town to play the Expos.
It seems that all the various sports teams who visit Montreal (both hockey & baseball) all stay at the same Hotel.. or at least they used to. I haven't gone there in search of an autograph in over three years but I'm willing to bet that they still stay there.
I remember going there with my friend Ron one warm summer evening back in 1993 in hopes of getting his autograph on his way back to the Hotel. (They played a night game.) We waited & waited for almost half an hour.. but no Andres. We got tired of waiting so we left after waiting about forty minutes. I went back to my car & Ron went in another direction. As luck would have it.. The Big Cat was walking down the block as Ron was walking up. Ron had me shaking my head the next day when he showed me the autograph that he got less than three minutes after I left. ARGH!
Later that day, we went back to the hotel to see if we could catch him on his way to the Olympic Stadium for that day's game. When we got there, I looked inside & who was standing there? YES!
There I was, walking up to the Big Cat saying, "Mr. Galarraga? Could I have your autograph?" I guess that he thought I might go & sell it after cause he said, "I only sign one." That's okay, I didn't care. An autograph was an autograph and this was an autograph from HIM! The Big Cat.. Le Gros Chat.. El Gran Gato.. in person! WOW! You couldn't offer me enough money to sell it.
At 6'3" & 235ish lbs., he was a little intimidating to approach at first. However, after talking to him for a bit.. nicest guy you'll ever meet.
| Photo with the Big Cat |
I tried to catch him for a photo at the hotel back in June '98 before attending the Braves-Expos game but I had missed him by 15 minutes.. according to others who were at the hotel hoping to get a Chipper Jones autograph. I did see Chipper Jones but my interest was in the Big Cat. The next time the Braves were in town, it was in the middle of the week. They leave the hotels around 4:30pm for night games. Since I didn't finish work until 5:00pm, there was little chance that I'd get there in time.
I'll try again this 2000 season to get a photo with him. However, with the Expos looking like they'll most likely leave Montreal after this season, it will probably be the last chance for me to do so.
Tis' a sad day in Montreal.
|
|
LOOKING FOR: Please let me know if you have any of the following..
- 138 DIFFERENT Baseball Cards from 1986-1999. (with many extras.)
- Various Newspaper Clippings 1990-2000.
- Andres Galarraga - The Big Cat A 48-page book by Mark Stewart.
- 1997 April Beckett Baseball Card Monthly (Galarraga i/o back cover)
- 1996 Photos of Andres Galarraga from Coors Field (Gift from Shirley Todd of Aurora, Colorado)
- 1994 Photos from Opening Day '94 when he received the NL Batting Title, Silver Bat & Diamond Ring (Gift from Shirley Todd of Aurora, Colorado)
- Inside Sports - April 1994 - "Colorado Rockies" Season Preview
- Signed 1993 Kelly Russell Studios Lithograph Print of Galarraga. (Gift from Danny Bray of DJ Enterprises)
- 1998 All-Star Ballot: First Ballot as an Atlanta Braves
- 1993 All-Star Ballot: First Ballot as a Colorado Rockies
- 1992 All-Star Ballot: Only Ballot as a St. Louis Cardinal
- 1991 All-Star Ballot: Last Ballot as a Montreal Expos
- 1989 Expos All-Stars Poster with Andres Galarraga in the middle.
- Official 1991 Expos Calendar - Month of June
- Official 1991 Expos Andres Galarraga Water Bottle
- Expos Magazine - Volume 5 Number 4 : July 1991 (Expos All-Stars)
- Expos Magazine - Volume 4 Number 4 : July 1990 (Galarraga Cover/Feature Article)
- 1990 Photo of Family Day at Olympic Stadium. (Galarraga w/daughter Andrea)
- 1990 Collectible Baseball Cards Magazine - Page 23
- 1988 October Beckett Baseball Card Monthly (Galarraga/T.Raines back cover)
- 1987 SportFlics (#20M) (Thanks Michael!)
- 1985 Donruss THE ROOKIES card. (#7) (Thanks Jason!)
- 1993 October Beckett Baseball Card Monthly (Back cover/article)
- 1985 Indianapolis Minor League card (#3)
- I hope to get a Poster one of these days.
- January 1998 issue of Chop Talk
I still regret not buying that Andres Galarraga bat from the Expos Boutique at the Olympic Stadium back in 1991 for $40."I am confident that my collection is the largest Andres Galarraga collection in Canada. There are, perhaps, a few collectors in Colorado who have similar collections rivaling or even surpassing my own due to their easier access to his cards and other memorabilia. It's taken almost eight years of searching.. almost seven years since he was traded away from Montreal. There aren't too many card stores left in Montreal and those that still exist stock mainly hockey cards. Despite this, my collection continues to grow.. ever so slowly." - Jodeman, 1998
© 1998 Jodeman
All trademarks, logos, product names & pictures mentioned or displayed herein are the property of their respective holders.
