DOWNTOWN — With National League MVP Albert Pujols topping the charts with a $175 autograph fee, the St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon the schedule and cost for the annual autograph pell mell that is Winter Warmup in downtown St. Louis. A total of 81 former or current Cardinals are schedule to attend the autograph sessions that are the headline event at the three-day fanfest, January 17-19.
Admission passes for the event are $40 for adults, $10 for children (age 5 to 15) and tots younger than 5 are free to tagalong.
As with the previous Winter Warmup the prices for an individual player’s autograph offers a fun parlor game to judge popularity and prominence. Pujols usually tops the chart, but just as compelling from year to year is the fluctuating prices of fan faves like Bo Hart (more than Edgar Renteria!) and David Eckstein (four hours and two boxes of Band-Aids to sign!) in seasons past, and the recent addition of prospects to the gathering. A battalion of minor leaguers will be in attendance again this season, many of whom will be signing for free. Among the players whose autographs are free with an admissions pass and do not require a ticket are:
- First-round pick Brett Wallace.
- Local product David Freese, Baseball America’s Cardinals player of the year.
- Cardinals’ organization player of the year Daryl Jones …
- … and the pitcher of the year, Jess Todd.
- Newcomers Charlie Manning and Royce Ring.
Newly signed lefty Trever Miller will cost $5 and starting shortstop Khalil Greene’s autograph tickets will go for $20. Greene will be signing Monday morning; Miller on Saturday. With $40, the most popular cost this season, you can score a ticket to get the autograph of any of the following: former manager Whitey Herzog (on Monday), Ryan Ludwick (on Sunday) and Troy Glaus (TBD). For one $30 ticket each, there’s the interesting trio of manager Tony La Russa (on Sunday), Skip Schumaker (on Sunday) and prospect Colby Rasmus (on Sunday).
Pujols will receive the NL MVP on Monday night at the annual BBWAA St. Louis Chapter dinner — tickets still available — and he will sign that afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Some other notables who will be there, grouped by the cost of their autograph ticket (all proceeds go to Cardinals Care, the charitable arm of the Cardinals that funds such programs as Redbirds Rookies):
Rick Ankiel, $60, on Sunday.
Lou Brock, $100, on Sunday.
Chris Carpenter, $60, on Saturday.
Bob Gibson, $125, on Saturday.
Yadier Molina, $100, on TBD.
Chris Perez, $10, on Saturday, just before Jason Motte, $10.
Bruce Sutter, $100, on Sunday.
Adam Wainwright, $60, on Monday.
A limited number of autograph tickets will be available via the “Early-Bird Special” on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fans can score tickets then and know what players they will have access to. The team will also have an online auction for the first time this year, allowing fans the right to guarantee a spot within the first 10 spots in line for Pujols. Those 10 spots will be up for bid on the team’s official Web site, www.stlcardinals.com. The auction begins Saturday, Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. and continues through Jan. 14.
More information, including specific times of the player autograph sessions, will be available in the paper, or online at the Warmup’s official page. Tickets for the Writers’ dinner can be purchased by calling (314) 229-3040.
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