Spring Training- Angels

Baseball is officially underway, and I could not be more excited. All week I had been thinking about going out to a practice, but I never got a chance. So I figured that I would wake up extra early and find somewhere to go. My girlfriend has a family function (I really did not want to go), so I decided to go to Angels camp. I got to the field around 8:30, but that turned out to be way too early as I was the only person there. The Angels picked up Tommy Hanson and Josh Hamilton in the off-season, and I like both so I figured I would give it a shot. The players walked out around 10 AM, but were not receptive to even the "Good Morning" that I said to a few of them. After warm-ups they all trickled out, and most of them were the same way leaving. I was by myself so I figured chances were I would not have any luck, so I stood next to this family with tons of kids. Tim Salmon and Omar Vizquel were signing, but I had absolutely nothing for them to sign. Then came former D-Back Barry Enright who I also had nothing to sign because I totally forgot he was on the Angels. Thankfully, I was able to be one of the few people that Tommy Hanson signed for. I was a fan of his when he played for Atlanta so that was pretty awesome. CJ Wilson did walkout, and while he was incredibly rude to just about everyone, he did sign two cards for me. He refused to sign jerseys unless they were true authentic stitched jerseys. Two people asked him to sign, he looked at the back numbers, and said that he only signs authentic jerseys and walked away.

When he got to me he took my pen and signed the first card, but the pen was not working. I was bummed and then he said "You must be a rookie, let me give you two pro-tips. 1: Never leave your cap off in Arizona. 2: Players will only typically sign for people on the right side of a fence. Take notes". So the first card does not look too good, but the second one is a bit better. I tried to have him sign one more with a better pen, but he would not. I do give him credit because he did sign for everyone, but he just was not very friendly.

Gates opened at 11:30 AM, but I had a bad headache so I figured that I would just head home. I was bummed because Pujols and Hamilton were no where to be found. All the big names that were not pitchers did not even appear to be there. Oh well, it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Good times.

This one is much better.

Hardly can see the sig, but it's a good looking card.

Fan Fest!!!

Fan Fest was a success! This years rendition was just awesome! Not only did they do the pre-order autographs, but we also were able to walk up and get autograph vouchers also. I wanted to get this posted, so let me quickly go over them:

Ball 1: 

Wil Nieves

Cody Ross

Matt Reynolds

Jason Kubel

AJ Pollack

Paul Goldschmidt

Tyler Skaggs

Martin Prado

David Hernandez

Pat Corbin

Adam Eaton

Josh Collmenter

Ball 2: 

Miguel Montero

Card:

Martin Prado 2012 A&G

Brad Z 2013 Topps (Not Pictured)

Epic Friday

Today shaped up to be an awesome day. I got to meet up with Dan from It's Like Having My Own Card Shop, and also Larry from My 2008 Topps Set Blog at a Dbacks signing inside of the Wild Horse Pass Casino. Scheduled to attend were Miguel Montero, Adam Eaton, Josh Collmenter, and David Hernandez. In the end, Montero did not appear, but Pat Corbin took his place. I was very pleased at it since it was free, and it is better than the autographs that I picked up last year, but I was a bit bummed Montero did not appear. Tomorrow is Fanfest, and I already have my tickets to get autos from Martin Prado, Jason Kubel, and Cody Ross. I figure it will be a good start to the my 2013 Dbacks team ball that I hope to accomplish.

*My 2013 Dbacks Team Ball Project*

Below are just a few of the awesome cards that Dan gave me. Thanks a lot Dan, I really appreciate it!

James Shields Mini

Matt Moore Relic Topps 13* This card is awesome in person!

Awesome Longo Rookie

Fred McGriff. 

Growing up I was a huge Jose Canseco fan, regardless of his past, I think he was awesome to watch play.

Once I arrived home, I noticed that my ebay bubble mailer was here! I had 2 team sets of 2013 Dbacks/Rays with all the inserts, and then my Fernando Rodney auto card! Team sets, auto, and 50 wrappers all ran me around $8 shipped. Gotta love the ebay seller Brentandbecca.

Topps Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I entered a contest on Twitter for a game used line-up card. Well, it finally arrived today! I am not a dan if,either team but this is an awesome addition. Jim Leyland signed the bottom of it. If post more but I'm on my phone updating.

In-Person Auto: Steve Finley

Back in September, I posted about getting Steve Finley's autograph at the Alumni game. It was a goal of mine because my sister loved him during his AZ playing days. While I really wanted his autograph for myself, I knew that it would be a cool gift for my sister. I was just going through my old posts, and I do not think I ever posted a picture of it. I sent the card to my sister a few months back, but I still had this one on my phone (sorry about the flash!). I think it is a 2002 Topps Heritage, but what is so funny to me is the signature on the card. Compare that to the one that Finley actually signed, and it looks false. Maybe it was because he was in a hurry, but that is a terrible autograph.

First Rays Autos

I was going through this box that I had stowed away, and finally found some of my lost Devil Rays cards. Most were in terrible condition, but a few were good. These were the first autos I ever got at Tropicana Field. Bubba Trammell, and Quinton Mccracken. Both were fan favorites, but id never say either were very good. Q racked up a lot of franchise firsts, and is now a scout for the dbacks. Bubba never did much, but he was very popular. He even had his own cheering section that would chant his name whenever he would step up to the plate.

2 New(er) Longos

I went the longest time without a Longo auto card, but now I have 2 more to add to my collection. The bronze/gold one is #29/75 and the emerald green is #08/50. I picked the bronze one up on ebay for $19.00 and my girlfriend bought me the emerald green one. 2012 Triple Threads has been quite disappointing to me anyways, but this card is neat. I am now going after the 2012 5-Star Longo auto or a 2012 Fernando Rodney auto.