Does Asi Ever Return Emails/calls?

[hblakewolf]

Forum readers:

Just a quick question.......

I have received several unsolicited emails in the past from ASI with large offerings of game used items. I had interest in a bat from the last list, and as such, sent them an email seeking additional info. I never heard back. They currently have a few items on Ebay that I have interest in, however, am not comfortable with their description. I have sent 2 emails on one specific item, and followed with 3 phone calls over the last few days. Again, no return call or email or communication of any sort.

I have never purchased anything from ASI, however, am so taken back by their lack of communication that I am hesitant to buy or place any bids.

What's the reputation and history with ASI from fellow Forum readers?

Thanks.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[djusticefan]

I have dealt with ASI several times and the communication has never been good but every item I have purchased from them has been better then I could have expected and I recommend them to anybody. Hope this helps!
-John

[shawn]

I have purchased 2 gamers from ASI and was very pleased with the bat and the service.

[gameused]

About three weeks ago I received an e-mail list of game used items that were offered by ASI. I was interested in a game used bat and asked for some photos, someone at ASI responded saying they would get them out, never received anything.

Bobby

[Eric]

FYI- I had emailed them about the incorrect fonts on the back of some Seahawks jerseys they were selling on ebay, showing them links to examples of what the fonts should look like. Never heard back.
I emailed their ebay user name and their website contact address.
Eric

[suave1477]

Ok maybe i am a little slow who is asi and what is there screen name on ebay

[Eric]

Ebay user name asi-auctions (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=asi-auctions&iid=8785187199&frm=1728)http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif

Here's how they describe how they acquire their items


About Our Items
Authentic Sports Inc. obtains 99% of the items from the athletes firsthand. Each piece we sell/market is accompanied with a COA issued by ASI., with a corresponding hologram on the actual piece. There is a money back guarantee if the item is not as described. Authentic Sports Inc. "Bring the game home"

[suave1477]

Ok I remember them , ESM and them used to be the same company until the scandal.

Got it!!

[Yankwood]

Scandal? What scandal? Was it a regular Sodom and Gmorrah?:eek: :eek: :eek:

[suave1477]

yankwood your a nut lol lol lol:D

[trsent]

Scandal? What scandal? Was it a regular Sodom and Gmorrah?:eek: :eek: :eek:

It was a regular Strawberry and Gooden.

[suave1477]

Trsent how dare you!!!!!!!! lol lol lol:D

That's it Trsent your hitting below the belt!!!!

No christmas gift for you!!!!!:D

[suave1477]

Also if anyone here does not know about the scandal i would rather discuss through personal communication then discuss it out in public.

[skipcareyisfat]

Is this what you're referring to?
__________________________________________________ ___


Wearing thin

Game-used craze is latest way to fleece the fans
By MICHAEL O'KEEFFE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/338-arod_gloves.JPGhttp://www.nydailynews.com/images/editors/header_endzone.gif

In the three days after Rafael Palmeiro hit his 499th career home run on May 8, 2003, at the Ballpark in Arlington, the slugger went through more costume changes than the entire cast of "42nd Street."

Palmeiro knew game-used gear from his arrival in the 500-homer club would be a hot commodity on the memorabilia market, so he ran into the Rangers' locker room as often as possible to change his uniform.

"It was tough, especially since I had to do it for several days after I hit No. 499," says Palmeiro, then with Texas, now with the Baltimore Orioles. "But it was a good way to raise money."

On May 11, against Cleveland's David Elder in the seventh inning, Palmeiro hit No. 500. Fireworks exploded over the stadium. The crowd broke into a loud, extended ovation. The bat from that plate appearance went to Cooperstown. Just about everything else he used that day - several jerseys and pairs of pants, bats, helmets and batting gloves - was put up for sale.

The market for game-used player equipment has skyrocketed in the past decade, prompting athletes and memorabilia dealers to take extraordinary steps to keep up with an insatiable demand for scuffed, sweaty and grass-stained collectibles. In the cutthroat world of sports memorabilia, that unquenchable demand has also increased the temptation for dealers, auction houses, players or their representatives to exaggerate, misrepresent or even lie about the historical importance of the items they are selling.

Some players, like Palmeiro, feed the beast by changing outfits as often as the girls on "Sex in the City."

And they have a fawning audience, eager for a link to baseball history or their favorite player: Washington D.C. collector Ken Mutzabaugh, for example, spent $7,000 for the uniform and equipment Palmeiro used in the second inning of his 500-homer game.

"Game-used equipment gives you a real connection to the player," says Queens collector Ed Schauder. "You want to believe you're getting something sacred and real and authentic. You don't want something that nine other guys also have."

But while memorabilia dealers and auction houses say a letter of authenticity signed by a player is good as gold, experienced collectors are wary. Many players don't keep track of their gear, so they can't tell the difference between a home run bat and a strikeout bat. Some memorabilia dealers can't resist the temptation to pump up their offerings. Game-used items are described as postseason gear; spring training equipment gets sold as regular season memorabilia.

"The reality is that some dealers are trying to get every cent out of every item they can get," says Jeff Johnson, owner of Coast to Coast Sports.com and a pioneer in game-used memorabilia. "Fraud is way too frequent."

San Diego-based FBI agent Tim Fitzsimmons says athletes are no more reliable than anyone else when it comes to memorabilia. "People need to do their own due diligence," says Fitzsimmons, who has been a part of major investigations into memorabilia fraud. "Just because something comes with a letter of authenticity doesn't mean it's authentic."

Mutzabaugh learned that lesson the hard way. Soon after he bought his Palmeiro gear through Clearwater, Fla.-based Authentic Sports Investments, he discovered that the helmet, shoes, bat and batting gloves ASI had certified as real weren't even used in the 500-home run game. The company insisted the Palmeiro stuff was as-advertised even though Mutzabaugh provided photos and a video he says prove it wasn't. After a frustrating 10-month series of phone calls, e-mails and letters, the company exchanged the Palmeiro gear for for Sammy Sosa memorabilia. "You don't know if this stuff is real or not," says Mutzabaugh, a U.S. Navy master chief.

ASI president Scot Monette acknowledges the company had to exchange Mutzabaugh's purchase, and he says it is taking steps to eliminate the problems that mar his scandal-stained industry. The company, for example, is creating a Web site for Alex Rodriguez that will allow collectors to verify items through its online database. "It's a very labor-intensive process but we've made that commitment because Alex is very committed to guaranteeing authenticity for his fans," Monette says.

Collectors, though, are taking a wait-and-see approach. Former Yankee Ruben Rivera was booted from the team in 2002 after he gave Derek Jeter's glove and bat to an associate of ASI, and the company's reputation in memorabilia circles is mixed at best. Mutzabaugh says he won't trust ASI's efforts.

"The fox," Mutzabaugh says, "is watching the chicken coop."



* * *



Before the late '80s, most baseball players got through the season with a handful of jerseys and two or three mitts. They used bats until they cracked or lost their pop. They may have kept or sold equipment that had historic or sentimental value. The rest was donated to charity, given to kids or tossed in the trash.

Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, then teammates on the Oakland A's, were the first to sell and market their game-used gear, Evans says. Other budding superstars - including Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa and A-Rod - soon followed.

Demand quickly outstripped supply. Fans in North America and Japan showed they were willing to spend thousands of dollars for a glove or jersey from their favorite players; card companies buy game-used gear by the truckload, then cut it up and insert it into popular and pricy special edition collections.

"Ken Griffey Jr. got into it to help out his buddies, the guys he went to school with. He gave them the stuff and they sold it. It was a way to allow his friends and family to share his wealth," says Josh Evans, chairman of Lelands.com, an auction house. "The first wave of stuff was great. It was obvious he had that stuff for a long time. But then stuff started coming out that really didn't look game-used."

Rodriguez was another player who let his pals handle his memorabilia. "It was a good way for a young player to do business," A-Rod says. "There was great interest in it."

A group of his friends - known in the industry as "the muchachos" - soon became the primary source for A-Rod game-used jerseys, gloves, bats and other items. But seasoned collectors soon started to question A-Rod offerings - the muchachos, they say, did not seem interested in properly tracking and labeling his gear. Two years ago, for example, ASI offered a white A-Rod autographed Texas jersey from the game in which he hit his third and fourth home runs of the 2002 season. When Ed Schauder checked photos from MLB.com game archives, he saw that the Rangers had worn blue jerseys for that game. "That's why you have to conduct your own due diligence," says Schauder. "That's why I do my own research before I buy anything."

Other collectors are leery of A-Rod gloves. The All-Star infielder has long favored the Rawlings Pro-6HF model, a tan mitt with an H-shaped web, but other models have flooded the market, raising eyebrows.

ASI consigns some of its memorabilia to American Memorabilia.com, and earlier this month, the auction house sold a Rawlings Pro-AR3, autographed and signed "game-used" by Rodriguez, for $7,200. American Memorabilia advertised the mitt as A-Rod's "first game-used glove as a Yankee," but sophisticated collectors suspect Rodriguez may simply have used it for a few innings in spring training, then passed it on to his reps.

"That's just manufacturing memorabilia," says glove expert Dennis Esken. "Game-used means it was used in a Major League game. It doesn't mean A-Rod played catch with it."

American Memorabilia president Victor Moreno said he did not know when Rodriguez used the glove, or how long he used it. "I'm not going to question A-Rod," he says.

Rodriguez declined to talk about problems related to his memorabilia sales when approached by a Daily News reporter before a game in Baltimore earlier this week. Monette says the player has impeccable integrity. Some of the proceeds from A-Rod memorabilia, he adds, are funneled to Rodriguez' favorite charities.

"Alex is the type who always takes the high road," Monette says. "He wants to touch fans and remove the stigma of being the $250 million man."



* * *



Monette says a lot of the gripes about ASI come from rivals and that his company has taken steps to eliminate problems. The muchachos are gone, and the company now deals directly with Rodriguez, meeting with him every month or so to collect game-used gear. Rodriguez has become more diligent in tracking and labeling his equipment, Monette says.

And in May, the company announced it will create a Web site to sell autographed memorabilia directly to customers. Holograms will be placed on game-used equipment and other collectibles. Collectors can type serial numbers from the holograms into a online database, a program that will verify the authenticity of their purchase.

Rodriguez will also use the site to conduct live chats with fans.

The Web site will be similar to a widely respected authentication program created in 2001 by Major League Baseball, but Monette says it will have some significant improvements: It will include photos of the items being used or signed by Rodriguez.

"No one has ever done this in this business before," he says. "Everyone makes mistakes, but we've decided we can't make mistakes from this point on."

Memorabilia insiders, however, are reserving judgement until the Web site takes off later this year. The only way for consumers to protect themselves, they say, is to do their homework, research items that interest them, and make sure they're buying what they've been told they're buying.
"Nobody has clean hands in this process, even collectors," Schauder says. "A lot of people want to believe there's a Santa even when in your heart you know there's no Santa. If you don't do your homework, you're gonna get burned."

Originally published on June 26, 2004

[suave1477]

skipcarey great article but no, that was not what i was referring too but here is the funny thing that article is a direct link to what happend after this was published. The scandal that happend was after this artcle but it's crazy bcuz this article is the foundation of the scandal.

Like I said I will not discuss it here in public.

[kingjammy24]

call me late to the party but if suave won't discuss it in public, i will! especially given some of the recent chatter about the real quality of player provenance. have a fun read!:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NYTIMES:
Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman, became the first player ever to drive in 10 runs in a game at Yankee Stadium in a 12-4 victory over the Angels on Tuesday.
By Thursday, the company, A-Rod Authenticated, was running radio advertisements for signed baseballs commemorating that performance, with a price of $399.
Rodriguez said yesterday that he never signed any baseballs, and that he was never approached about marketing his performance.
He said that his feelings about Tuesday's game are "very special and very sincere" and that he would not try to cash in on it.
"It's just not part of what I'm doing," Rodriguez said, "and it's upsetting to me that someone would take action before even coming to me, or promote something I had nothing to do with."
Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said Rodriguez had terminated his relationship with A-Rod Authenticated and its president, Scot Monette. Boras said that his company, Impact Sports, would handle Rodriguez's memorabilia business.
"This is something that was just unconscionable, in regard to a player that committed to what he does," Boras said. "
There were advertisements out there that he did not know about. He was approached on Tuesday and asked if he wanted to do anything in regard to this, and he said no."
Monette did not return calls seeking comment. The Web site for the company, based in Clearwater, Fla., features little more than an advertisement for Rodriguez's "V.I.P. Meet and Greet" event with Barry Bonds in December. Fans paid $7,500 then to spend time with the players, and Rodriguez donated his money to charity.
Rodriguez said he did most of his organized autograph signings in the off-season or during spring training. He said that although A-Rod Authenticated had "generic signed baseballs" of his, he questioned the legality of the company linking those balls to his three-homer game.
"They can't do that," Rodriguez said. "That wouldn't even be legal. That's impossible."
Before this season, the Yankees formed a partnership with Steiner Sports, a memorabilia company that has two billboards at Yankee Stadium. Under the agreement, Steiner Sports sells bats used in games, jerseys and uniform pants of Yankee players.
There were no Rodriguez items that were used in games available on the company's Web site yesterday, and Rodriguez said he declined the company's request for his bat and jersey from Tuesday's game.
"I'm keeping everything, are you kidding me?" said Rodriguez, who then showed reporters the bat he used and the jersey he wore on Tuesday.
"This is my daughter's jersey at some point, you know?"
Rodriguez said he was still using the bat from Tuesday, and was not even sure he would give it up if the Hall of Fame
were to ask.
"I don't mess with my equipment, especially if I'm playing with it," he said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AROD Authenticated is the brand name for the service, which is managed by Authentic Sports Investments, the Florida-based company that has been working with Rodriguez for memorabilia deals for the past four years.
This is a separate company, operating under our corporate umbrella, to handle Alex’s memorabilia needs,” said Scot Monette, president of ASI.
Monette founded ASI with Brad Wells in 1999.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NYDAILYNEWS:
Alex Rodriguez yesterday abruptly cut ties with a memorabilia company attempting to sell autographed baseballs commemorating his three-homer, 10-RBI game against the Angels on Tuesday, claiming he never had given permission for such a venture.
The company, known as "A-Rod Authenticated," is a division of Elite Sports Marketing and advertised the "once in a lifetime" opportunity on the radio in New York. The asking price was $399 for the balls, which had A-Rod's signature and his stat line from the game. They were not actually used in the game.
"I reached the people and I said, 'If you're trying to do things without me, that's not right,'" A-Rod said. "I'm very upset about it. ... To go out and sell this crap - that's BS."
Scott Monette, president of Elite, declined comment yesterday. But when a caller posing as a potential customer inquired about the balls, she was told that a "presale" was currently being conducted; A-Rod, according to the sales representative, would sign the balls on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
"Obviously that isn't going to happen," Rodriguez said when told of the claims.
Rodriguez has worked with the company in the past, most notably on "The Ultimate Event," which was a $7,500-per-ticket private function held over the winter at which he appeared with Barry Bonds. Elite has had issues with authenticity (it was formerly known as Authentic Sports Investments), but A-Rod did not comment on any previous problems he may have had with the company, saying only that he was pleased to be free of it and was not pursuing a new memorabilia partner.
"I think there's a lesson to be learned and I've learned it," he said. "There's no relationship with anyone right now, and I'll probably stay idle for a while."
He added that he currently isn't planning to pursue any legal action against Elite because "this should be enough of a sting."
Rodriguez was skewered by fans and talk-show hosts yesterday after a mention of the advertisement appeared in the Daily News, and Gary Sheffield alerted him to the criticism early in the afternoon. A-Rod said he discussed the situation with his representatives and that his agent, Scott Boras, dealt with Elite.
"Once we had knowledge of the situation, we took action," Boras said. "There is a time and place for this sort of thing, and it's not during the season."
A-Rod added that he "doesn't enjoy" signing and donates much of the money made from memorabilia sales to charity. He said he didn't know how much money he stood to lose by ending his relationship with Elite.
Rodriguez said he does most of his memorabilia signing during spring training or after the season. In a request unrelated to Elite, Steiner Sports Marketing & Memorabilia - which has a partnership with the Yankees - inquired about authenticating A-Rod's jersey and bat from the game. Rodriguez declined, saying he is still using the bat ("I'm not that superstitious, but come on!" he said) and wasn't interested in parting with his pinstripes. "That night I want to remember forever as a very special night," he said. "It's certainly not something I want to capitalize on. ... It's not who I am."
---------------------------------------------------------------------


rudy.

[suave1477]

Great Article Rudy!!!

[nate]

http://cgi.ebay.com/DEVIL-RAYS-VS-RED-SOX-SIGNED-DAVID-ORTIZ-LINEUP-CARD_W0QQitemZ180024321767QQihZ008QQcategoryZ50117 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A great "game used" lineup card. This wouldn't have been in either dugout.

[suave1477]

Nate why do you say this would not have been in either dugout?

[ironmanfan]

I think the first hint would be that there are no lineups (and reserves) listed for any of the two club....

[bat_master]

http://cgi.ebay.com/DEVIL-RAYS-VS-RED-SOX-SIGNED-DAVID-ORTIZ-LINEUP-CARD_W0QQitemZ180024321767QQihZ008QQcategoryZ50117 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A great "game used" lineup card. This wouldn't have been in either dugout.


Nate why do you say this would not have been in either dugout?

Jason,

My guess is that his statement was based on this card not being filled out at all. I've had a few from the Twins and they were all filled out, however I believe they also had some blanks available that were dated. Theoretically, for any lineup card to be considered game used I would think it would need to be filled out. Right?

Tim

[sportscentury]

I think the first hint would be that there are no lineups (and reserves) listed for any of the two club....

Ummmmmmmm........ yup, that would do it.

Reid

[nate]

There are more than two made for each game in case of pregame lineup changes. Not only are the ones in the dugout filled out but will have markings on them as the game progresses....pinch hitters, who made last out, pitching changes...etc.