Today was Sunday. Twins played at home. You know what that means! Cami and I time at the ballpark and autographs for Cami! Today’s kids autograph guests were Pedro Florimon and Trevor Plouffe. Cami loves Trevor Plouffe so there was no way I was going to get my Plouffe card signed but she did get Florimon on his 2013 Topps card for me. Trevor signed her baseball. It was a fun day at the ballpark with the Twins winning!
Category: IP
A Great Father’s Day!
Today Cami and I headed to the Twins game to spend the afternoon rooting on our favorite team. As we do every Sunday game, we get in line for the kids’ autograph event before the game. While waiting in line, she got TC to sign her baseball. Today’s signers featured Jamey Carroll and Anthony Swarzak. I had a card I wanted signed by Carroll and Cami already had Swarzak on her baseball. I asked her if she would like her baseball signed or my card signed by Jamey Carroll. She said “Since it is Father’s Day, I will get the card signed for you!” So, she got Jamey on a 2013 Topps card for dad. What an awesome girl! Thanks Cami!
A Fien Diamond!
Today Cami and I went to the Twins game. She likes to go on Sunday games because they have a kids only autograph session before the game and she has a baseball she gets everyone’s autograph on. We got to the ballpark a little later than normal today because she stayed over at a friend’s house and when we got to the line, it was REALLY long. I asked Cami what she wanted to do and she said to skip it. I told her we could walk down to the right field foul area and see if anyone shows up there and she was all for it. I gave her a pen and her baseball and told her where to stand and watched from about ten rows back. Casey Fien was going down the line signing so she was really excited about that. He signed her baseball and she came running up to me all excited. That was cool. I noticed another Twin signing who was working his way down so I told Cami to go down there. I could not see who it was but a young girl came running up near me with an autograph and I asked her if that was Scott Diamond and it was. Cami already had Diamond on her baseball so I told her to come to me. She asked why and I told her it was Scott Diamond and he was already on her baseball. She said she wanted to thank him for signing her postcard that she mailed to him and he was kind enough to return signed a week or so ago. I told her that would be awesome and to go down and wait. When he got to Cami she thanked him for it and he said he was happy she got it. I thought that was pretty cool and classy of Scott. I realized I had a 2013 Topps Heritage card of him but no marker (Caden used my backpack for a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend and I took all my stuff out so he could use it). I waited a little bit for him to get to me and a young kid standing next to me was kind enough to let me use his Sharpie. I told Scott that this one was for dad and that Cami smiled from ear to ear the night she got the postcard. He smiled.
We headed up to our seats and the first Twin batter, Brian Dozier, hit a foul ball right to me. It went off my bare hand with a loud slap noise and rolled behind us. I reached back and got it! This was my very first foul ball I “earned”! It only took me about 450 or so games!
Cami and I had a GREAT time at the ballpark enjoying great weather (for once) and a great Twins win! Oh, and thanks to the kid who borrowed me his Sharpie!
2 + 1 Hall of Famers!
Today was a day I have been anticipating for a while. Sports News Shows was bringing in one of my most favorite retired players of all time Cal Ripken Jr. Along with Cal they had a couple others who I was interested in getting. Frank Robinson and Pete Rose. Pete was here a couple years ago but I have added a couple more Sports Illustrated magazines to my collection since then and thought I would like to get them signed.
I headed up the venue where the show was knowing I was going to meet Don H who had four more of the Twins Peters Meats full cards I needed and get the autographs. I got to the show and headed to Don to give him the money for the cards before I could spend the money that was earmarked for him on something else I “needed”. As always, we were happy to see each other and I got the cards. I then headed over to purchase my autograph tickets. Last night I tried to remove an address label from a Sports Illustrated magazine that had both Frank and Brooks Robinson on it and ruined it. I was bummed because that was one I wanted to get signed by Frank today. As luck would have it, I found the same issue signed by BOTH Robinson’s for $75 so I bought it. Since Frank’s autograph was going to cost $79 anyway, I was happy to get it!
While waiting for my numbers to be called, I decided to walk around. While walking around I noticed a Herman Hill signed card and started talking to the guy about it. Turns out he is on SCN and collects autographed cards. While chatting with him, Joel Bradley showed up. We all talked for a little bit and then I walked over to get in line for Frank Robinson when my number was called. I was really debating what pen and location to use on the magazine and Joel recommended silver in a particular location so I decided to go for it. Frank was as nice as could be. I met him once before in Cooperstown, NY during Hall of Fame weekend in 2001 and he was nice then but this time he stuck his hand out to shake mine twice! I asked to sign a fairly large autograph in a particular location and after he was done, he asked “How does that look?” That was pretty cool.
Joel had to leave and he had some items for me in his car so I headed out with him and got it as he left. I went back in and got in line for Cal right away. Let me say that Cal Ripken Jr is all class. He was talking with everyone and shaking hands and all that stuff. When I got up to him I set my Sportsman of the Year Canada issue down and he looked at it and said “Wow!”. He then asked me where I would like it signed. I told him he signed a lot more than I have seen so I would use his judgement and he said it looks best in a spot and proceeded to sign it there. He then stopped and spent about twenty seconds blowing on it so the silver paint pen would dry nice. I have NEVER seen a player sign an autograph and care enough to do that. I told him I was at the game when he got his 3,000th career hit. He smiled and said the Metrodome had been very good to him. I then asked him who pushed him out of the dugout when he broke the consecutive games streak for the lap around the warning track and he said it was Rafael Palmiero and Bobby Bonilla. He thanked me and I went over to Pete Rose’s line.
Pete is pretty cool at events like this. He is a heck of a businessman and always draws a crowd. I was going to get three Sports Illustrated issues signed but once I saw that Frank and Brooks Robinson SI and bought it, I thought I would just get one Rose ticket. I decided on the Sports Illustrated issue that has him on it with “SUSPENDED!”. Pete was suspended 30 games back in 1988 for shoving an umpire. I requested he inscribe it with “Pallone had it coming!” and Pete said “Naaaaaah” and I asked how about “He poked me” and he said “He did!” and wrote that after confirming how to spell poked. He then pointed under his left eye and said “He poked me right here.” He remembered that event from twenty-five years ago!
I then headed home with a smile on my face!