He signed with the Dodgers in the 2009 off season to a two year deal. At the time it Ned was criticized for giving an aging bench player a two year deal. Now since Jamey has moved on we can look back at it and realize we got a steal. He was supposed to only be a veteran presence on the bench with the occasional start to give someone a rest but in the end he became almost an everyday starter due to another of Rafael Furcal's injuries or something wrong in the outfield. He constantly performed above and beyond we as fans expected him to do. When the contract came to an end I like others wouldn't have minded if he received another contract from the Dodgers to remain an important part of the team. Personally I would have done a one year contract. Don't want to push your luck too much with another two year one. When his career comes to an end he will never have the numbers or championships to warrant hall of fame consideration but he was an important part of the team and performed when needed.
In 2010 Jamey was to do a public appearance at a Staples store in Los Angeles and I wanted to get him on a bat. For some reason I didn't think he warranted a single signed ball. Arrived around 9 in the morning for a 12 scheduled appearance and there was already a line of at least 50. Didn't expect that many for him at that time. Problem was once 12 came around all the people in front of me had more people in their cars. A common annoyance with public signings. So once the signing started I was closer to 90th in line. This was scheduled for just one hour and the line was going slow and didn't know why. Right about 11:50 I got to the front of the line and found out that Jamey engaged every fan and talked to them and took pictures if asked. He even gave pointers on what pen or sharpie to use so people would leave educated for future signings. You don't see that everyday. Got my bat signed ( will be in another post in the future ) and said thank you and left with a little more respect for the man.
Jamey explaining the difference in writing tools.
Well this past few months I have reassessed my collection as stated and have kept my eyes out for certain signed balls that I might have passed on but not wouldn't mind having in my collection. Jamey falls into that category. With him gone from the team me getting an IP would be hard so I just checked eBay for any new inventory and this PSA authenticated ball came up for sale with a starting bid of $15. Signature, authentication process and an official ball for that price is great. Auction lasted 7 days and as it was coming to an end no one had put a bid in so with a minute or so left I put in my bid and won. Granted I could have gotten this for free back in the day at the public appearance but considering I didn't have to pay much more than the cost of a ball I basically got the autograph and authentication process for free and never had to leave my house. Good call all round.
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