Player Name: John Olerud
Player’s Current Team: Retired (Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets / Yankees and Boston Red Sox)
Player’s Current Address: 1310 180 Th Ave NE, Bellevuue, WA, 98008
Date Sent out: 9/16/08
Date Returned: 12/11/08 (85 days)
Why go after this autograph: When I first got back into doing autographs through the mail, there were two players I wanted autographs of. One was Jay Buhner (still waiting), the other was John Olerud. His career numbers fall along the same lines as Mattingly and Will Clark. He may never be known as well as those two but it was his strong yet silent demeanor which drew me to him. He was just one of those classy guys in baseball. No flamboyancy, not a me first guy, just a guy you know was going out there and taking care of business, to compare him to someone more popular it would be Paul O’Neill. He still remains one of the most popular players in both Mariners and Blue Jays history. Not remotely close to the Hall of Fame but a great player to watch play the game like it was meant to be played.
Any Current Certified Autographs Available: There aren’t too many of his certified autographs. Below are a few I found they can run you anywhere from $5 – $100 depending on the manufacturer and the print run. While searching for cards, someone bought a 2004 1/1 logo / auto card of him for $400, so there is a definite demand. I guess I’m not the only one looking for his auto.
85 days……good to know. I have one out on him as well (from December). If I remember correctly, people were saying he was one of baseballs slowest guys ever to play (very few stolen bases). I put in my letter to him that I would bet he could beat Cecil Fielder in a race.
That’s great! I got mine back from him in mid-Dec. He even wrote on the back of my SASE “Thanks for the great letter!”
He’s always been a class act. Gotta love that.
I have a Ft. Lauderdale Yankees ball from what must have been the 80′s signed by Jay Buhner, Roberto Kelly, and Ozzie Canseco. I’m sure it’s not worth anything, but it was my first big autograph pot of gold.