Hi All,
Well my three weeks in Phoenix getting IP autos was overall a bit of a disappointment. One of my three weeks ended up getting cancelled due to poor weather and that certainly cut into my overall success.
Then, local travel was a lot more troublesome than I ever expected. I ended up arriving at venues just as games were starting with 10 minutes being all I needed to make a trip a bit more of a success.
The other challenge was the fact that these were all new venues and there was a bit of a learning curve. In one park, the players for both teams exited through the stands and walked out the gates with the "crowd" to the parking lot. The next venue one team disappeared into the tunnel (never to be seen again) and the other team headed for the centerfield fence exit. When you are standing behind the dugout waiting, it was impossible to catch them in time. For every game, within 10 minutes of the last out, there was no proof that a game had taken place (except for a guy or two making minor repairs to the field). The game ended, players grabbed their gear and walked to the bus.
By the time I figured it out, my time was up in AZ. Oh, well. Games were free and it certainly was better than sitting in a hotel room watching ****** TV, right?
One interesting note from this experience was that I was the only person I ever saw get an autograph from a player. The crowds were very small but you'd expect someone else (like me) would have been there with a few cards and a sharpie. Nope.
I left each game with two game balls mainly because it felt odd to go after any more than that. I could have easily had six to a dozen balls per game had I tried.
I often sat behind home plate where players out of uniform were charting pitches and running the radar guns. It was inevitable to get into conversations and these guys were really humble and down to earth.
Some of the hits below are destined for collectors that sent me 50/50s. Advise if there is something you like and I'll let you know if it's available.
Addison Russell was a 2012 first round pick.
Jorge Orta is a childhood favorite. While he was signing, a few of the players hung around curious to see the cards. Considering these guys were born 20+ years AFTER Orta made his MLB debut, it was pretty entertaining to see their reaction to a Jorge Orta RC. I'm guessing these guys have never seen a 1973 Topps card before!
19 years separated the autograph I received from Rick Adair (1993) and Jim Gabella (last week) on their shared card.
The best story. Dillon Howard cracked me up. I handed him the small stack of cards and the pen and he had this confused look on his face. I couldn't imagine what was wrong and it was getting awkward when he finally says, "I hate to ask this but do you mind turning around so I can use your back to sign the autographs? Otherwise, you won't get a neat signature.". Then, he apologized afterwards for needing to do so. Can you picture Barry Bonds being this humble?
Well my three weeks in Phoenix getting IP autos was overall a bit of a disappointment. One of my three weeks ended up getting cancelled due to poor weather and that certainly cut into my overall success.
Then, local travel was a lot more troublesome than I ever expected. I ended up arriving at venues just as games were starting with 10 minutes being all I needed to make a trip a bit more of a success.
The other challenge was the fact that these were all new venues and there was a bit of a learning curve. In one park, the players for both teams exited through the stands and walked out the gates with the "crowd" to the parking lot. The next venue one team disappeared into the tunnel (never to be seen again) and the other team headed for the centerfield fence exit. When you are standing behind the dugout waiting, it was impossible to catch them in time. For every game, within 10 minutes of the last out, there was no proof that a game had taken place (except for a guy or two making minor repairs to the field). The game ended, players grabbed their gear and walked to the bus.
By the time I figured it out, my time was up in AZ. Oh, well. Games were free and it certainly was better than sitting in a hotel room watching ****** TV, right?
One interesting note from this experience was that I was the only person I ever saw get an autograph from a player. The crowds were very small but you'd expect someone else (like me) would have been there with a few cards and a sharpie. Nope.
I left each game with two game balls mainly because it felt odd to go after any more than that. I could have easily had six to a dozen balls per game had I tried.
I often sat behind home plate where players out of uniform were charting pitches and running the radar guns. It was inevitable to get into conversations and these guys were really humble and down to earth.
Some of the hits below are destined for collectors that sent me 50/50s. Advise if there is something you like and I'll let you know if it's available.
Addison Russell was a 2012 first round pick.
Jorge Orta is a childhood favorite. While he was signing, a few of the players hung around curious to see the cards. Considering these guys were born 20+ years AFTER Orta made his MLB debut, it was pretty entertaining to see their reaction to a Jorge Orta RC. I'm guessing these guys have never seen a 1973 Topps card before!
19 years separated the autograph I received from Rick Adair (1993) and Jim Gabella (last week) on their shared card.
The best story. Dillon Howard cracked me up. I handed him the small stack of cards and the pen and he had this confused look on his face. I couldn't imagine what was wrong and it was getting awkward when he finally says, "I hate to ask this but do you mind turning around so I can use your back to sign the autographs? Otherwise, you won't get a neat signature.". Then, he apologized afterwards for needing to do so. Can you picture Barry Bonds being this humble?
