Category: IP

Wow! What an Opener!

Today was the Twins Season Opener and it was Cami’s turn to go to the game.  I had asked her earlier in the week if she wanted to skip the entire day of school or get picked up at noon.  She said she wanted to go to school but wanted to be picked up at 11:30.  As she walked towards me at school, she was smiling from ear to ear and was so excited she could hardly contain herself.  We got to the ballpark at about 12:15 so we had about a 45 minute wait for the gates to open.  Once we got in we walked to the Twins side of the outfield.  Cami decided that she was going to go after the Royals for autographs.  She said the Royals are her second most favorite team.  She has been a fan of them for the last few years so I knew it was not just the team in front of her at the moment.  She asked for a baseball and went over to the Royals side hoping for an autograph.  Meanwhile, my buddy Tony and his group entered the ballpark and Cami called me to say “I just got the Royals manager’s autograph!”.  I was thinking ‘Ned Yost… not bad for her collection!’  I got over to her just after Tony and his crew found her and talked with her.  I then toss her a new baseball and she tossed me the one she got signed.  I looked at it and could not figure out who it was.  I knew it was not Ned Yost.  Some Royals fans around us said it was Doug Henry, the bullpen coach.  I just laughed.  She was happy though so I guess that is all that matters.  She now has a sweetspot Doug Henry baseball in her collection.

We had a blast for the rest of the afternoon watching the Twins beat the Royals 7-1.  The day was one that will become a special memory for Cami years from now!

2017 Spring Training- Nationals Day

Today was our fourth and final baseball game of the trip.  We got to the new ballpark of the Nationals and Astros to watch the Twins play against the Nats.  We did not know what to expect but we knew that we would have to get there early to see the ballpark and try for autographs.  When we got to the complex, the Nationals pitchers were working out on the first field we say.  When they were done, they walked right by all of us as they went to the mounds to throw their bullpens.  I was after Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer but neither stopped.  Caden had a couple wants but those guys did not stop either.  I showed Cami that he spring training passport had a section at the end for autographs so she took that and got about 20 autographs on it.  She was going up to any player who would stop to get them to sign her book.  She was so excited and had so much fun.  She does not know who any of them are (we will have to research) but her page is full of autographs.  For the second game in a row we got to see the Budweiser Clydesdales gallop around the warning track too.  That was neat.  Oh, and the Twins ended up winning 4-2 so it was an all around great day!

2017 Spring Training- Cardinals Day

Today was our first game in West Palm Beach.  We went to Roger Dean Stadium to see the Cardinals play the Washington Nationals.  I bought the early admission in hopes we would see the Nationals in batting practice and try to get Bryce Harper’s autograph.  As it turned out, he did not even make the trip across town.  I decided to sit in the shade while Caden and Cami sat along the first base line for the Cardinal players to stop and sign autographs.  A number of players stopped but they did not have cards for all of them.  Cami got a photo with former Twin Jordan Schafer.  Cami ended up without an autograph but Caden was able to get Matt Adams on a Gypsy Queen card.  Caden loves the Gypsy Queen design and was really excited getting Matt to sign his card.  One of the players tossed Cami a baseball that had the FL Spring Training 2017 logo on it.  The Cardinals ended up tying the Nationals 1-1 but we had a real nice time at the ballpark.

2017 Spring Training- Twins Day

Our Spring Training vacation started with me being sick.  I ended up at Urgent Care and found out I had the flu and a 102 degree temp.  After one Tamiflu pill, I was feeling much better.  We were able to get to the Twins game today showing up for the practice field action by 10am.  It was so relaxing to watch something so mundane as Pitchers Fielding Practice in the warm Florida sun.  Cami, Caden, and I picked a spot near the fence where the players walk by and hoped some players would stop to sign.

We were rewarded pretty quick when Jose Berrios stopped by and signed a card for each of the three of us.  I got a 2017 Topps card signed.  About the same time we got Berrios, we saw Ryan O’Rourke signing at the other end of the fence so Cami and I went there and got our 2016 Topps Heritage cards signed.  We waited around a little longer and most players were inside the locker room or the main stadium getting ready for the game.  Before running in, someone asked Byron Buxton if he would sign and he said he would later.  Typically players say that but don’t follow up.  Caden was ready to go inside and try for some Pittsburgh Pirate players and I asked Cami if she wanted to go inside or wait.  She said that Buxton said he would sign so we are going to wait.  About ten minutes later, Buxton came through the batting cage area and told someone to hand him the bat over the fence in the batting cage area.  The fence is about eight feet all on top of a couple fee of cement.  Byron and the other person stood up on the concrete and the bat was passed to Byron and he signed it and gave it back to the person.  He then jumped up, as did I with my book of two cards, but I could not get it over the fence because my foot kept slipping off the thin concrete part.  Just then I heard “Young man.  What are you doing?”  It was Torii Hunter telling Byron that he never wants to see him do that again because he could strain an oblique muscle and be out for a while.  I told Byron that I appreciated his efforts but did not want to get him in trouble with Torii.  He said “Nah.  It’s all good.  Let’s go down a few feet and there is an opening and you can pass it to me there.” So we went to where there was an opening in the fence and I slid my book through.  He signed both cards for me and then he took Cami’s book and signed all three cards for her.  We thanked him and watched him get busy in the cage with Torii.  I thought about how Kirby worked with Torii when Torii was a rookie and thought that Puck’s legacy continued through Torii.  It was really cool that Buxton went out of his way to sign for Cami and I.  We watched the Twins game and had a blast.  They ended up losing to the Pirates but we could not complain.  The weather was fantastic and it was great seeing Twins baseball in person again.