So here is the long awaited recap of my week long stay in Boston. After watching the Red Sox celebration last Sunday night I began to expect the inevitable (which was me heading up to Boston Monday) I was 100% right and late Monday afternoon I drove up to Beantown for, what I thought would be, a two day marathon of signings. Little did I know that I would not be back home until late Saturday night. Upon checking into the hotel I found out that the meeting space we had reserved was actually way too small for our needs. With that in mind we instead took a large conference room at the hotel across the street. Unfortunately we were unable to intercept all the boxes and pallets of product that was being shipped to the hotel. Everything was delivered to my hotel and that is where the fun began. Over the next two days I did everything from wheel a cart across the street (through traffic no less ) to take 10 plus trips in my car moving boxes (I neglected to mention that the hotels are on a one way street so when driving you actually have to travel seven blocks...yes, I counted.., to arrive at your destination). Anyway,despite the setback we eventually got everything over to the correct location. Tuesday, after the parade, players started coming in to sign. We began an incredible team signed project. Each of the athletes signed the team pieces as well as a handful of individual baseballs. I always enjoy doing team signings, I love the challenge of spacing the names out and signature placement on the multi signed pieces. This was a very different kind of team signing as it was the first I have done with a team that we have a game-use partnership with. Due to our awesome relationship with the Sox I was able to get game-used balls, champagne bottles, bases, pitching rubbers and home plates signed (the home plates are especially strong) By end 1:00AM Tuesday we had one panel of the balls filled. That leads us to Wednesday. That was really the day that everything started to come together. Manny Ramirez came into sign at 9:00AM. At the parade Manny, with microphone in hand, joked with the crowd by inviting them over for a party that night. Manny told us that 40 plus people showed up at his place. Anyway, with Manny on board the product was starting to become something special. By late, late Wednesday we were approaching the half-way point. It was on Thursday, though, when things began to get really interesting. The first guy to sign on Thursday was Dustin Pedroia- our newest exclusive. Aside from signing the team project Pedroia autographed some impressive individual pieces including World Series baseballs and an assortment of tough photos. It was also on Thursday that MVP Mike Lowell signed. Lowell was awesome. He told me about meeting my man Reggie Jackson at his first spring training. Mike is definitely as down to earth as any athlete I have worked with. Later that evening we were informed that we had to switch rooms...that is where things go a little crazy. At 1:30 AM we moved the whole signing on little hotel carts around two corners, into an elevator, up one floor, down a hall into a new room. It took forever. We did get it done though and were ready to roll Friday morning when Jonathan Papelbon entered the room. By the time Kevin Youkilis signed later Friday night we already had eighteen names on the baseballs. Saturday was a full day of packing up and loading up. I finally hit the road (straight into a full fledged noreaster storm) at 6:30 that night. It took me about four hours to get home and , almost 120 hours after it began, part one of the Red Sox team signing was over. I am sure more anecdotes about the week will come to mind over the next few days and , as they do, I will be sure to include them in upcoming posts. Next week I will be doing some more Sox signings with the intention of finishing the project over that time. Between now and then I will be doing quite a few signings including ones with Derek Jeter, Frank Robinson and Joe Montana (not a bad bunch of names). Check back daily for updates.