Better Know an Autograph

by bbjones on Jan 2, 2009 1:06 PM EST

Well, I didn't get Fantasy Camp for Christmas, but I did get a ball covered with replica autographs of Your 2008 Cincinnati Reds. Of course, they didn't tell me who exactly is on there. Hey, I thought, this ought to keep the RR gang amused for about 5 of the approximately 61,000 minutes until pitchers and catchers report.

It's very unclear when the signatures were gathered -- quite possibly before the season, so perhaps no Cueto and Volquez. There are 27 signatures, and one is Dusty.

So, here are the pictures. How many can you figure out? One million points to whoever can identify the most autographs, with a bonus one million to whoever gets the 27th one.

Picture #1:

Jeff Keppinger is easy in this one. Looks like Ryan Branyan in the middle, except that Ryan Branyan doesn't exist. Maybe it says Ryan Farney?

Picture #2:

Stanton is easy. The other one is hard.

Picture #3:

Looks like Hit By Pitch, but maybe it's #4 Brandon Phillips?

Picture #4

CoCo and Jr. and.... Dan Valentine? Huh? Could be Alex Gonzalez on there, too.

Picture #5

Looks like Bronson is a better singer than speller.

Picture #6

Dusty and Weathers and a bunch more.

That's 7 I'm reasonably confident in, leaving 20 more. Li'l help?

(Besides, I'd get hurt in fantasy camp anyway. Yeah, that's the ticket.)

(And by the way, it's not for sale. This baby is my retirement. You can't get these reproduction autographs anywhere except at www.autoball.com for $12.)

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Comments

Jeff Keppinger has flat out great penmanship

We’’re in process of trying to a guy with a trade record of working with pitches

by Slyde on Jan 2, 2009 1:10 PM EST reply actions

Ryan Hanigan in photo #1??

and I’m sure Juan Castro stuck his signature in there somewhere.

by jacob brumfield on Jan 2, 2009 1:23 PM EST reply actions

Coco top of #4

by jacob brumfield on Jan 2, 2009 1:26 PM EST reply actions

Junior and Dunner are on #4

Junior on the bottom, Dunn on the right.

"You are not my ass." - Reynard

by BK on Jan 2, 2009 1:34 PM EST reply actions

thats what she said

by jacob brumfield on Jan 2, 2009 2:21 PM EST up reply actions

You'd have to think a guy named Dunn would finish first.

I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. - Bill Veeck

by PeteyHendrix on Jan 2, 2009 5:53 PM EST up reply actions

Don't be too sure

Junior is always one play away from pulling his groin.

by ctnyc on Jan 2, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions

#1

Ryan Hanigan, of course.

And that’s gotta be Edwin Encarnacion. We don’t have another EE on the team, do we?

Bill Bray?
Juan Castro?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 2:45 PM EST reply actions

It looks like

Bronson spells his name “Bronze Age”

by Reynard on Jan 2, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Picture #4 - 2nd from left = Joe Valentine

Comparison

I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. - Bill Veeck

by PeteyHendrix on Jan 2, 2009 5:57 PM EST reply actions

Oops that's wrong

Here is the correct comp, and it’s unconvincing.

I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. - Bill Veeck

by PeteyHendrix on Jan 2, 2009 6:00 PM EST up reply actions

Um

That’s Jose Valentin. Completely different player.

The sig is Javier Valentin – the guy that was actually on the Reds.

We’’re in process of trying to a guy with a trade record of working with pitches

by Slyde on Jan 2, 2009 6:00 PM EST up reply actions

not hard to figure out

i guess the team is so forgettable javy slipped their minds.

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:05 PM EST up reply actions

you'd think for a mass produced ball, they could at least get the players to write legibly

1. Edwin and Hanigan and ?
2. ?
3.?
4. Griffey, Dunn, Javy Valentin, Cordero, and ? on the left – is it Harang?
5. That’s BP’s signature above Bronson’s – I have that one.
6. David Ross is above Weathers, but beyond that, who knows? Is that Freel to the right of Baker?

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:04 PM EST reply actions

is that homer on the right of #3? it looks like H__B_y

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions

I think it's actually

HBl. A small L, rather than a Y.

Or maybe a combination L and Y.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:39 PM EST up reply actions

i think harang is on 3, not 4

and volquez is on top

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:10 PM EST up reply actions

also on number 3 under homer is matt belisle

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:11 PM EST up reply actions

number 6 is definitely freel above baker

see

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:37 PM EST up reply actions

#2

That is a tough one. Maybe David Ross? He’s kind of a scribbler.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:06 PM EST reply actions

no, ross is on #6 - i've seen his sig

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:08 PM EST up reply actions

I think you're right

That is Ross on #6.

This one is tough.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:20 PM EST up reply actions

#3

That is not Brandon Phillips. It’s Homer Bailey.

Matt Belisle is the one by Homer’s.

Aaron Harang is the middle one of the other group.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:23 PM EST reply actions

dude, read what i wrote

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:35 PM EST up reply actions

sorry

I’m trying to guess on my own.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions

I think

the illegible one above Harang’s is Voltron’s.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions

My guess

for the signature on the bottom is Freel.

Freel’s sig varies a lot, and it looks like the middle initial P. and Freel for the last name. First name completely illegible.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:30 PM EST up reply actions

this is supposedly votto's sig

it doesn’t match any on the ball

Blessed be baseball.

by Daedalus on Jan 2, 2009 6:35 PM EST reply actions

it's not too much different than

the one between Dunn and Javy Valentin.

by bbjones on Jan 2, 2009 7:42 PM EST up reply actions

#4

Agree on Griffey and Cordero.

The tight handwriting on the edge is Scott Hatteberg.

Underneath that is Javier Valentin.

The other two…Adam Dunn, and maybe Josh Hamilton?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:51 PM EST reply actions

#5

This is Brandon Phillips, not #3.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 6:52 PM EST reply actions

#6

David Weathers and Dusty Baker are obvious.

Maybe Joey Votto on the right? (His autograph looks different on everything he signs.)

Todd Coffey.

Maybe Cherry Hudson?

David Ross.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:05 PM EST reply actions

I change my mind

Instead of Cherry on the top edge, I think it’s Norris Hopper.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jan 2, 2009 7:21 PM EST up reply actions

Yes, this roster currently has no cherry on top.

I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. - Bill Veeck

by PeteyHendrix on Jan 2, 2009 7:33 PM EST up reply actions

this was our team last year?

no wonder we didn’t make the playoffs

Reds fan for 40 years!

by gejoe on Jan 2, 2009 9:32 PM EST reply actions

what we've got so far

thanks for the help, everybody. Daedalus and BubbaFan seem to be leading the charge here. I bet they are dreaming of what they will do with their points.

Here’s what we’ve got so far:
#1:
EdE, Ryan Hanigan, ?William Paul Bray?, and Flat-Out Keppinger along the right.
Vertically, ? and Juan Castro (on the real ball, it’s more clearly Castro… can’t hit it, but he can sign it.)

#2: Mike Stanton and ?

#3: Volquez, Harang, and ? along the left, and Homer Bailey and Belisle vertically

#4: Hatteburg, Valentin, Votto?, and Dunn vertically across the middle, with Cordero above and Jr. below.

#5: Brandon Phillips and Bronson Arroyo

#6: Dusty, Weathers, and Coffey?, David Ross, and 2 ?

Guys that seem like they were probably on the 25 man before spring training last year:
Bako, Patterson, Hairston, Freel, Majewski, Lincoln, Fogg, Cabrera, Hopper — if my memory serves, which it probably doesn’t. We need 5 more….

by bbjones on Jan 3, 2009 2:59 AM EST reply actions