Welcome Back, Daubach
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Red Sox Team Store’s Fan Appreciation Day
During the week I received an email from the souvenir store across the street from Fenway (I’ve always called it by its original name, Twins, but in recent years it’s changed to the Yawkey Way Store and most recently the Red Sox Team Store) about their Fan Appreciation Day event on Saturday. They were offering 20-30% discounts in the store, the ’04 and ’07 World Series trophies would be on display, and various Red Sox alumni would be available for autographs throughout the day.
Once I saw the guest list, I knew I wanted to head in. In the afternoon, Bill Lee and Lou Merloni would be there, and while it’s always cool to see them, I’ve gotten both their autographs in different places in the past. It was the morning that seemed coolest to me, when Jim Lonborg, Brian Daubach, and Sam Horn would be in attendance. I have a photo of Fenway that I’m saving for Red Sox legends to sign (Jim Rice, Johnny Pesky, and Jerry Remy are on there already) and it would be nice to get 1967 Cy Young winner Lonborg on that. And then there’s my favorite piece of 2004 memorabilia. It’s a photo of me with the World Series trophy, which I printed off and brought to Spring Training for a few years, getting autographs of as many members of the ’04 team as I could. Daubach was on the team that year; he had rejoined the team after a year with the White Sox and got into 30 games. Dauber was one of my favorites during his first stint with the Red Sox, a scrappy “dirt dog” whose clutch hitting could carry the team for a week at a time, so I was excited about getting the chance to add his autograph to my trophy picture.
Brian Daubach returns to Fenway to sign autographs at the souvenir store.
I got to Fenway early and was happy to find a free parking spot on Lansdowne Street. The area was surprisingly busy, considering the team was on the road for the weekend. At one gate people were setting up for the Great Urban Race, and on the other side of the park they were getting ready to host Northeastern University’s Family Day. Meanwhile, ballpark tours were departing from the souvenir store all day long.
The souvenir store had a roped-off area in the back, but no one was there yet. I took advantage of the discounted prices to pick up a new Red Sox hat, since I had to retire my previous one after getting Jonathan Papelbon’s autograph on it at last Sunday’s game. When I got in the line I heard from a staff member that Lonborg had cancelled and Horn was running late, but right at 11:00 Daubach showed up. I got him to sign my picture, and then had another photo taken with the World Series trophies.
I always love seeing the trophies that Brian Daubach and his teammates helped win for me.
