Kansas Stars to have pens ready at NBC World Series

The Kansas Stars won’t be making a profit from the National Baseball Congress World Series, but some fans could – theoretically – make a profit from the Stars.

The team’s 25 former major-league players will sign autographs after their 7 p.m. Monday game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The NBC will sell up to 100 tickets for each player at a sliding pay scale that charges more for the more prominent players.

The Stars are donating all money earned to the 15 other teams in the second week of the tournament, helping to offset travel costs and other expenses. The team is also donating any prize money earned to local charities.

“The game has been good to us and we can give back,” said Nate Robertson, a Wichitan and former Detroit Tigers pitcher who helped organize the team with ex-MLB first baseman Adam LaRoche.

“The platform we’re giving back is the town we’re playing in and the tournament we’re competing it. That’s why I think it was good to give back. Hopefully people see that and take it as an inspiration to do good things down the road.”

The Stars play the Sterling (Colo.) XPress in their pool-play opener at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

The NBC hasn’t set the paying scale or announced when autograph tickets go on sale, but Robertson set an estimate for Roger Clemens’ autograph at $75.

Depending on how much a fan personally values Clemens’ signature, money could be made by flipping it. According to Joe Ruocco, the owner of memorabilia and card shop Rock’s Dugout, Clemens’ autographs on major-league baseballs have recently sold for about $150 or more online.

“Those are the highest ones sold on the internet,” Ruocco said. “There are ones that have sold for a cheaper price. It would be (worth the investment). A major-league baseball costs $16.50.”

Pairing a Clemens autograph with another notable player would probably depreciate the value unless the players had a connection beyond being teammates for the Stars, Ruocco said.

There are probably no former major-league teammates on the Stars who could fetch, with a tandem autograph, as much money as Clemens’ solo signature could bring.

Josh Beckett is probably the next most valuable player, as he won a World Series in 2003 for the Marlins with fellow Star Brad Penny, but the only combination of players worth more money is all the Stars.

Just don’t take the ball across state borders and expect to reap the same reward.

“Now you’re talking about probably a $200 or $300 baseball,” Ruocco said. “If I had one, I would sell it in that realm. Only in Kansas (and for) people who collect that type of memorabilia.”

The value on the Stars’ minds is that which they can provide the other teams in the tournament and to local charities. Robertson, who has a daughter with Down syndrome, said he would likely donate his share of prize money to the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita.

“We’ll see what guys want to do with that and it’ll go right back into Wichita,” Robertson said.

Robertson said he hoped fans would be at ease with paying money for autographs because they are essentially making a charitable donation.

“If we win some games, there’ll be some gratification,” Robertson said. “If we don’t win the tournament, it’s not like we’ll be going back home deflated. It’s a matter of getting to do something fun and to do it together and to do it for a good cause. If you can hit on all those things, it’s a win-win.”

Toby Keith joins Stars – In addition to the All-Star appearances by many of the Stars players, now the team has a bunch of No. 1 hits.

Country music star Toby Keith, who has topped the country charts with 20 songs, was added to the Stars roster on Thursday. The 55-year-old Keith becomes the oldest Stars “player,” topping Clemens, who turned 54 on Thursday.

Some of Keith’s biggest hits are “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” and “I Wanna Talk About Me.” Also added to the Stars’ roster were pitchers Jamie Walker, Brian Gordon and David Purcey. Infielder Adam Everett was removed for personal reasons.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Kansas Stars to have pens ready at NBC World Series."