RBI (142) Some Country Breakfast...

Or I guess I should say a country feast was recently had by Kansas City Royals star Billy Butler when he was playing in Anaheim.

Billy Butler was drafted by the Royals with the 14th pick of the 1st round in the 2004 MLB draft. He debuted in 2007 against the Angels and has proven to be a capable slugger for the Royals. He's crossed the 100 Home Run mark while cruising to more than 200 doubles so far in his career with a batting average hovering around the .300 mark.

Butler was in a pretty good mood after going 5-5 while playing against the Angels in Anaheim. He saw my 8x10 photo and asked when I took the shot. I told him I had taken it on the Opening Day the Royals spent in Anaheim and he said he thought it was last year and signed it for me. After he signed it I asked if he'd inscribe All Star for me since he was named to the team that year and he said yes. He signed for a few other people then took the photo again to inscribe "2012 All Star" under his autograph.

He was still signing after I put the photo away so I asked if he'd sign a ball also. He said no problem so I was able to get this Billy Butler autographed baseball.

He also knocked out this 2012 Topps Heritage card for me a on separate occasion during the series.

I was able to get these autographed during the 2013 Royals at Angels series at Angel Stadium, and I'm pretty happy with how they all came out and very appreciative Billy signed all three items for me.

RBI (141) Jon Lester...

I thought about coming up with a snazzy title that would be tied into the 1-hitter Lester just tossed, but I figured it wouldn't do Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester justice if I did that.

Lester was taken by the Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 2002 MLB draft, being given a million dollar signing bonus, the highest for any second rounder signed that year. He proved to be worth every penny, flying through the minors and debuting for the Sox in June of 2006. He is tough as nails both on and off the mound being able to mount a comeback against non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He returned to the Sox and was able to show his return to form when he threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals in 2008. His recent 1-hitter was only his 3rd complete game so when Lester decides to go the distance he does it in style.

He's tossed a no-hitter, been named a 2-time All-Star, and was a key part of the rotation that swept the Rockies for the 2007 World Series Champion Red Sox. The lefty has already crossed the 1,100 strikeout threshold and is approaching 100 career Wins with a career era below 4.00. He's got a chance to be something special longterm for the Red Sox so I'll be interested to see the back end of his career play out.

This is one of the few autographs I've actually gone and purchased of a baseball player. I had the opportunity to pick it up off a fellow grapher from Angel Stadium as he received it was part of a lot purchase and knew I was a big Red Sox fan so he offered it to me. I gladly picked it up for a reasonable price and it's now a project for me to obtain a ball of Josh Beckett and Dice-K to go along with my Lester, and Curt Schilling balls so I have a ball from each member of the 2007 World Series rotation.

RBI (140) More Shay Maria...

I wasn't able to resist purchasing another one of Shay Maria's autographed prints. Like I said before in my previous post Shay's a street wear model known for her modeling of The Hundreds, Benny Gold, Primitive and CBNC. For those unfamiliar with those brands a more mainstream name you may know is the look book she shot for CBNC's last line was featured on British GQ's website.

I added this small print of her to my collection because I like the overall look. Yeah Shay Maria's hot but I think the entire aesthetic of the shot is nice. It all comes together really well and looks pretty nice framed next to my other print of her. I may look for another piece of hers from another photographer, maybe a Shay Maria Danny Steezy photo or one of the Shay Maria Kaloopy photos and prints that are available.

RBI (139) Ivan Rodriguez...

My post about Torii Hunter had me thinking about another defensive great that I had been able to secure the autograph of catcher Ivan Rodriguez. I'm not sure if he's going to be in the Hall of Fame, but he's definitely in the hall of great.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez was signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent in 1988. He debuted at the tender age of 19 in 1991 for more than a cup of coffee appearing in 88 games. It was history from then on with him becoming a mainstay behind the plate until he retired after the 2011 season.

He was a 14 time All-Star, was awarded an astounding 13 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers, named the 1999 AL MVP and  won the 2003 World Series Championship. He collected 2,844 hits, 1,332 RBI's and 311 Home Runs throughout his career as one of the top offensive catchers to play the game. He brought a serious blend offensive power with his key defensive play that made him a popular player throughout the 90's. When he retired he made headlines again for throwing the ceremonial pitch in an unique way, actually moving behind the plate to catch a strike from Michael Young after he signed a one day contract to retire with the Rangers.

I was able to get this Ivan Rodriguez autographed baseball during interleague play at Angel Stadium while he was on the Washington Nationals in 2011.

Cal League appearance...

With the Angels out of town I went to see the Angels' Inland Empire 66'ers play against the Dodgers' Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The 66'ers caught a pretty serious beat down from the Quakes' hitters but it was nice to go catch some local ball and enjoy the game for the game.

Darnell Sweeney hit for the cycle for the Quakes and 66'ers outfielder Zach Borenstein finished a triple short of his own cycle. It was a fun night and I got thrown my first minor league baseball a Rawlings Cal League ball from Zach after the game.

The ball's pretty beaten up but I think it's some nice character for it. I didn't have Borenstein autograph the ball but I'm thinking the next time I go to catch an Angels' big leaguer out rehabbing at Inland Empire I'll bring the ball along for him to sign. Great night with a nice pick up, I wish Angel games were like this too.

RBI (138) Clayton Kershaw...

Another player who needs no witty tagline or introduction, is Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is a man who needs no real introduction because his stuff on the mound has spoken for him since he broke into the Majors.

Kershaw was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 7th pick of the 2006 MLB Draft. It's a choice regretted 5 of the 6 teams with only Evan Longoria taken by the Rays panning out to a reasonably comparable level of success. And even then the Rays would be pushing it to say they wouldn't trade places with the Dodgers. Since his debut in 2008 Kershaw has been the elite of the elite with his only real peer being Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander. He's an All-Star, Gold Glover, Cy Young winner and already topped the 1,000 strikeout plateau. Without a doubt he's going to be a pitcher to remembered from his generation and it's always special when he takes the mound.

I got this Clayton Kershaw autographed glove before an exhibition game between the Dodgers and Angels at Angel Stadium. I had originally tossed him a baseball hoping he would switch from the sharpie for a pen but he ran with the black sharpie and autographed a side panel. I wasn't going to complain too much seeing as it's still my first Kershaw autograph so I can check him off my list. As I was putting my ball away I realized Kershaw was still knocking out autographs for fans so I asked if he'd sign my glove too. He nodded and signed the leather for me. It's awesome and I'm debating retiring this glove since I already have a new one except for pulling it out once in a while since I don't want the auto to fade very quickly. Hopefully Kershaw is a Dodger for life and continues at his level of success to be an all-time great.

RBI (137) Torii Hunter...

Yeah no frilly title for this one out of respect for the hard nosed no frills but all enjoyment playing style outfielder Torii Hunter brings to the game.

Torii Hunter was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 20th pick of the 1993 MLB draft. He was selected one pick ahead of catcher Jason Varitek also taken by the Twins, making it one of the defensively greatest rounds maybe in the history of a single franchise. Hunter has crafted a career off his glove and bat, but his glove work is clearly his trademark. Though still knocking out career stats he has a very impressive line to look at with 1,100 RBI's and over 2,025 hits. He has taken away countless home runs from opposing hitters notoriously climbing the wall to earn 9 Gold Gloves to go with his Silver Slugger and 4 All-Star nods. His leadership is also a strong asset that the Twins and especially the Angels enjoyed when he was mentoring a rookie Mike Trout before he left to search for a World Series ring with the Detroit Tigers.

Torii Hunter autographed this 8x10 photograph for me at Angel Stadium and I'm glad to say he was impressed with the camera work telling me it was a nice shot before he signed it. I'm especially proud of how it came out and of the great looking signature so I made sure to have it matted and framed up.