Gotta Love a Day at the Ballpark

I haven't been to many baseball games so far this season. I guess that having a third child somewhat limits opportunities to just pack up and head to the ballpark. Well, my beloved Durham Bulls only play the Yankees' Scranton Railriders for one series at home each season. That series happened to begin last Monday on Memorial Day. I couldn't make it to Monday or Tuesday's game, but Wednesday, hey were scheduled for a day game. The planets aligned just right and I was able to pack up my two youngest and head to the ballpark while my oldest was at school for the day.

It turned out to be a beautiful day to take in a ballgame. As the series approached this year, I had been pulling cards of players from the Scranton roster in hopes that I'd get to do a bit of autograph hunting. When hints didn't work out for me to go to either of the first two games, I assumed that I'd be coming empty in the autograph department, but I packed a few cards along with all of the necessities I needed for my girls. Somewhere along my drive to the game, I decided that if things worked out just right, I'd attempt to grab some sigs before the first pitch. When I got there and went to the box office to grab tickets, I was able to grab a few seats in he section at the outfield end of the visiting dugout, second row. I figured things couldn't line up much better, so I set up shop along the wall at the end of the dugout. At the end of the day, I probably could have left with more autos than I got, but I prioritized tow guys:

First, one of the top prospects in the system. Turns out he was a really great kid. Yes, I said kid... He asked 'how are you doing, sir'? I wished him luck and told him how much I appreciated his time and he seemed truly thankful for the kind words.

The other guy I targeted was a little more elusive and I had to wait a bit longer to walk away with his auto.

Swish! The small group that had gathered near the wall where I was standing had asked Nick to sign as he went out to the field to do pre-game stretches/warm-ups. He didn't stop to sign, but he was very animated and asked how we were all doing. He was quite the character. I had met a fellow member of a local FB card collector's group while waiting at the wall and he told me it would be worth a shot at asking when he was on the way back to the dugout after warm-ups. So, we did. We were all met with the same 'How's it going, guys'? This time he added that he would happily get everyone after the game. So, knowing that I wouldn't be able to hang around post-game, I began to resign myself to the idea of only being lucky enough to walk away with Judge as my only success. Honestly, that would have been fine, but as I was packing up, my fellow group member offered to take some stuff that he was fairly certain he could get signed post-game. I handed him the Pressed Into Service and told him I only wanted one and would appreciate his trying for me. Sure enough, a few hours later, I received a FB message letting me know that one of the other members of the group met up with him after the game and he was able to get the card signed. I sent my address and yesterday a FedEx envelope with the Swisher auto arrived on my doorstep. It never ceases to amaze me how generous the collecting community tends to be.

In my younger days, I would have been disappointed with a 'graphing haul of only two cards. However, as I've gotten older, I care more for the memories associated with the experience of obtaining the autos. When I look at most of my older IP auto cards, not many stand out for more than the subject pictured. Going forward, when I look at these two, I'll always remember having my two youngest daughters with me, how nice Aaron Judge was(despite being one of the organization's top prospects), and how entertaining Nick Swisher was. Ahhh, memories! Thanks for reading.

Recently Acquired Ink From a Few of My Favorite Bulls

Now that I've had the chance to rip my first packs of 2016 product, and with Spring Training approaching, I find myself looking forward to another season of Durham Bulls baseball with my family. I know I've written about some of my favorite players that I've had the opportunity to watch up close at the DBAP before. Until recently, my collection of most of these guys has consisted of base, a few parallels, and Bulls team set cards. Thanks to some Paypal funds, courtesy of the recent sale of a few unwanted cards, I decided that I needed to add some substance to my former Bulls collection. A few eBay steals and a rather large chunk of Listia credits later and I am the proud owner of some great autos.

Snell is the most recent player that I had the fortune to see play in Durham. He had quite an impressive 2015 across three minor league levels and walked away with multiple Minor League Player/Pitcher of the Year awards. This one was found during a trek through the Land of Listia and cost me a nice chunk of credits, but it was definitely worth it. This picture doesn't come close to doing it justice! I'm not sure whether he'll officially be a former Durham Bull to open the season or if I'll have an opportunity to see him start a few more games before making his way to Tampa. Either way, I'm happy to add this certified auto to my in-person signature I snagged at the end of last season.

Next up is this great rookie year, serial numbered auto of Brandon Guyer. A few seasons back, he was my favorite Bull. He plays at 110% all the time and I dig that. This is my second Guyer auto, but my first showing him in a Rays uni. I was overjoyed to win this one for just over three bucks shipped on eBay.

Last, but certainly not least, is probably my current favorite non-Yankee.

I have been keeping my eyes open for one of these Kiermaier RC's almost since it was released. Though he's not a superstar, every copy that I have seen has gone for way more than I wanted to spend on it and most had either a plain white swatch or a piece of bat chip. When I saw this one pop up through my eBay saved searches I knew I had to make a serious run at it. At the end of the auction, when the dust settled(there was a crazy, last second flurry of bidding) I was thrilled to be the highest bidder. 

This concludes my brief distraction from the pending 2016 Topps obsession. Said obsession will likely return tomorrow or Friday at the latest since I will be taking delivery of my jumbo hobby box tomorrow around mid-day. Thanks for reading!

Our Last Bulls Game of the Season

This past Saturday, I took the family to our last Durham Bulls game of the 2015 season. It was a great day to be at the ballpark. I went autograph hunting with my daughter, spent time with my family, and saw some fireworks.

We even got to see one of my favorite 'newer' Rays players, Steven Sousa Jr., on a rehab assignment. It was a great night! I think I'm already ready for next season to begin. Here are the autos I was fortunate enough to procure.

In hindsight, I kinda wish I had gotten Souza to sign a copy of his 2015 Topps Chrome, but I had the IL All Star set card from last year and I figured that was a pretty good choice. I was lucky enough to get one more signature though.

Snell has been one of e best pitchers in the minors this season. Across multiple levels, he posted an ERA of 1.33. He was a lot of fun to watch after getting the promotion to Triple A. This is his Cream of the Crop Bowman Chrome mini refractor from 2013. The scan doesn't really do it justice at all. I'm hoping that this kid is going to be the next in the long line of homegrown Rays pitchers when he makes his debut, likely next season.

The Time I Met Wade Boggs - A Single Card Post

In the late '90's and early 2000's, I spent a LOT of time at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park taking in games and seeking autographs.

There was a small group of guys that were at almost every game that I attended. This one guy(I think his name was Pete) that I saw all the time knew every player by looking at them and would call their name out to the rest of us so we could get our cards or other items ready. It turns out he frequented FDR Sportscards(which I have written about in the past) too. One afternoon, I was at FDR trying to get some cards of the next visiting team. Pete happened to walk in. We started chatting about some of the players and he mentioned that he had heard rumors that Wade Boggs might be in town. Boggs had recently taken a job working with the Rays in some official capacity, so it wasn't a complete shock. He told me he was going to pack some Boggs cards just in case. I hurried home and did my best to find some cards from his time on the Yankees and headed out for the ballpark. When I arrived, I took my usual place near the opponent's dugout. Pete was already camped in his normal spot. Today, he had a walkie talkie(yes, this was in the days before cell phones were in everyone's pocket) with him. I looked over at the Bulls's dugout and saw some of the other guys that were 'regulars'. A few minutes later, the walkie talkie beeped and Pete had a short chat with the guy on the other end. He quickly packed up his stuff and headed over to the home team's side. On his way by, he told me that Boggs was in the stadium. I'm not sure how the other guy knew, but is decided to follow. I didn't have any Bulls cards with me that night, so I was taking the chance that Boggs might be the only auto I walked away with that night. I stood waiting until all of the Bulls had gone by, went out to warm up, and returned to the dugout. It was only about 10 minutes before first pitch and still, no Boggs. I packed all my stuff up. Just as I was about to go find my seat, a few of the guys right at the dugout steps started bustling. At this point, there were only about four of us left waiting there. I turned around to see Wade Boggs, complete in a Durham Bulls uniform, walking up the steps from the clubhouse. Since I had already packed all my stuff up, I decided that I'd be happy with the chance to shake his hand and offer my congrats on an incredible career. He willingly signed for the other guys that were still there and turned to me, expecting to be handed another card. I offered my hand instead and if I remember correctly, tripped a bit over telling him how awesome it was that his 3000th hit was a HR. He thanked me and asked if I had anything for him to sign. I told him I had already packed my stuff up and that I didn't want to ask him to wait while I dug one out. He told me that he'd wait since I was the only other one hanging around. I quickly shuffled through the box I had with me and pulled out the first one that I saw showing him in the pinstripes.

He handed this back to me and I thanked him. He gave me a quick nod, walked over to the bench, and started a conversation with one of the other coaches. I don't think I really saw the card until I eventually wandered to my seat for the evening. I was in awe! Looking back on it, the only thing I really wish is that I had a camera with me. I searched and searched for a picture of him wearing the Bulls uni, but came up empty. I've gotten a bunch of in person autos at the ballpark, but this is the best experience I've ever had while autograph hunting.

Baseball, Fireworks, and an Unexpected MiLB Team Set

This past Saturday I took the family to Durham Bulls Athletic Park for our first family outing at the ballpark this season. The Bulls played the Gwinnett Braves, there was an appearance by a Minion, and there was to be post-game fireworks. It was a fun, relaxing night at the ballpark and the weather was actually just about perfect for taking in a game.

As is usual when I go to a game, I have to check out the ballpark corner store. I was hoping that maybe the 2015 Bulls team set would be available, but i had no luck on that front. I did find an older, unexpected team set that I didn't remember seeing before on clearance though. I wasn't sure who was in the set, but for $4, I was willing to gamble. So, I picked up the advanced rookie level Princeton Rays set.

As designs go, it's not a bad set. The set was short on players that actually made an impact so I chose these six to show off based solely upon the photos. I really dig the old school 'No Hitting Baseball Against Backstop' sign and the Kroger ad in particular. There was one player that made me glad I gambled on this set.

One of my favorite former Bulls players before he played in Durham.

Here is the card back. It's one of the better minor league designs I've seen. I could go for a slightly less prominent Wendy's logo, but the rest is well done. It's particularly nice to see the photo credit included.

Matt recently completed another tour in Durham while on rehab assignment. Now that he's made it back to Tampa, I'm hoping he can stay healthy and be productive for the Rays in the second half.

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Team Mascot

Happy Birthday To You!

Happy Birthday To You!

Happy Birthday dear Wool E.

Happy Birthday to you!!!Here is a look at Wool E. Bull through the years. I hate that I can't be at the DBAP celebrating today, it' always a fun, family friendly day at the ballpark. My girls and I will be there in spirit.

Autograph Hunting - Scranton Railriders Edition

This past Saturday was Star Wars Night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. It marked the first game of the season that I was able to take my girls to. My beloved home team also happened to be hosting the Yankees' Triple A affiliate, the Scranton Railriders. I had high hopes that Ivan Nova would be on rehab assignment, but alas, no luck there. The visitors did have several players that I hoped might sign an autograph or two, especially with the added persuasion of my 5 and 2 year olds. Pre-game was a bust. So we grabbed our seats.

This was also the first game that we didn't have 'regular' seats. Since it was a relatively last minute plan to go to this game, we had to settle for 'standing room only' tickets. My girls loved sitting on top of the outfield wall, just below the giant Bull sign. We wandered about the park visiting Wool E. Bull and R2-D2, getting some ballpark food, and checking out the Ballpark Corner Store. I watched the game as much as I could in between. When the game was over, we stood outside the park waiting for the players to exit the clubhouse. There were a few people I recognized from the many years ago when I was very active in this activity. Fortunately, the guy that was the really knowledgeable one way back then was still hanging around...and he remembered me enough to know I haven't been around much lately. It was always helpful to hang next to this guy because he always recognized the players and let us all know who they were(in the case we didn't know) and he was really good at knowing who would sign, and how many hey would sign at once. I was never the greedy type, so I rarely handed more than one card to any player. I was and am just happy that they would be willing to sign for me and I would always wish them luck(in the game or the rest of the season) or congratulate them on a good game if that was applicable. Having the rust of not doing this for some time, I missed a few of the players that I hoped to see, but I didn't walk away empty handed.

This one is hard to see in the scan, but it looks nice in hand. Here we are less than a week since getting this card signed and shaking his hand and he's been called up to play with the big club thanks to Ellsbury's injury. Good luck Slade, I'm pulling for you!

Next up, Mr. Tyler Austin. Pretty high hopes for this guy. Who knows if he'll make it or not? Still, I was pretty excited to see him in person and to walk away with this auto.

I got a few more that didn't turn out very well, but there is one last 'big one' to share.

I'd heard stories of how this guy wouldn't sign. I was actually pretty worried that they were true when we saw him pre-game. He came up into the dugout and as the group of us asked if he would stop to sign, he walked by...no acknowledgement at all. He got some things from the dugout and walked out the other side. There was a group there and they asked him too. At least he stopped for a second and told them he'd get them after the game. That being said, when I saw him after the game, he was as nice as could be. You could tell that the attention of being a 'top prospect' on the system was not his favorite thing, but I thanked him and wished him the best of luck in the rest of the season and he seemed appreciative.

All in all, it was a great night with my daughters, Star Wars, a little bit of baseball, and some cardboard. By the way, if there is anyone out there reading this that has a copy of Refsnyder's Bowman Chrome auto(or any other certified auto) up for grabs, I'd love the opportunity to trade for one. 

Does anyone out there get autos at the games? Any tips or tricks to share? Thanks for reading!