Three Baseball Complexes in One Day

January is a time for fantasy camps. A time for grown men who spend thousands of dollars to play baseball for a week on their favorite team with former Major League players who actually played for those teams.

It's also a great time for autograph collectors like myself to be a spectator and meet players that I grew up watching, as well as players who retired before I was born.

Today, my brother, my nephew, and myself visited George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, to watch the Yankees fantasy campers play 2 inning games against the Yankee legends on the final day of the Yankees fantasy camp. There are so many campers that attend these camps, that they have to group them into teams. In order to give everyone a chance to play, they limit each game to 2 innings.
It's pretty cool to see a guy in his 60s get a base hit off of Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, but then it's also fun to see El Duque get his revenge and line a triple to center.

The Yankee game was not opened to the public, but thanks to my nephew being as charming as he is, he ended up making friends with a few of the campers earlier in the week at the hotel that they were staying at. He was invited to attend the game and was put on the guest list.
Autographs were fairly easy. Players were signing before, during, and after each game.
I ended up getting all 5 cards signed that I brought with me.

After we finished with the Yankees, we decided to drive to Clearwater to see if the Phillies camp was still going on. To our surprise, it was. All 4 fields at Paul Owens Training Facility at Carpenter Complex were being utilized. It was campers vs. campers, while the Phillies alumni coached their respective campers.
 Since the Phillies complex is closest to my home, I visit it the most, and therefore have gotten most of the Phillies legends autographs in previous years.
Of all the legends invited to this year's camp, only 2 were players that I had never met.

Thankfully, I was able to knock one name off that list today. I spotted Chris Coste coaching on one of the fields as soon as I arrived.

That leaves me with Matt Stairs as the only on that list that I don't have an autograph of. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find him today.

After a long day, we headed back to my home. My brother then suggested that we go to Bradenton to see if we could get some Pittsburgh Pirates. I didn't have any of my Pirates cards on me, so while I took my dog out for a much needed walk, my brother went and pulled cards of mine of Pirates he expected to be there.
It was almost 8pm when we arrived in Bradenton. We knew it was the Pirates first day of camp and that there's always a reception party the first night, we just didn't know where. Ultimately, we found it, it just happened to be at Pirate City, the Pirates spring training complex, just a few miles from their spring training stadium. Like the Yankees, this also was not opened to the public. However, from the sidewalk we were standing on, we could see the entire party. We arrived as the Pirates alumni were being introduced to their campers. It was indoors, but even though we couldn't hear anything, we were still able to identify several of the players.
What we didn't know about Pirate City is that they have dorms there, so most of the players ended up staying there. We did get lucky, though. Mike LaValliere came out to his car to get his luggage. I called to him from behind the gate and he was nice enough to come over and sign for us.

It was a fun, long day. Definitely the most complexes I've visited in one day. I'm just happy that there were no wasted trips, since I was able to get at least one autograph at each visit.

My Ray Burris Dilemma

I like collecting autographs. I'm not a greedy collector. I would never hand a stack of cards to a player or open a sketch book with multiple cards expecting them to all be signed. I ask for one single autograph and that's it. Once I get a player to sign for me, I never ask that player again, no matter how many times we may bump into each other.
The term "racking" has never and will never be a part of my lexicon.

I have around 1,700 different autographs in my collection. Of those, two I paid for. In 1987, six years before autographs became an obsession for me, I paid $5.00 to meet the 1986 American League Rookie of the Year, Jose Canseco.

That same year, a local baseball card store had Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, Dave Stieb signing autographs for a $2 fee.

Since then I found that I could easily acquire autographs in person at games. Living in Florida has it advantages during the spring, I soon discovered.

Anyway, let me get to the reason for this post.

Last year during spring training, I found out that Ray Burris was a Minor League pitching coach for the Phillies. I had a 1984 Topps card of him, so I looked forward to getting it signed.

I had numerous encounters with him that spring, but he turned me down each and every time. However, he was always polite about it. Spring came and went and my card remained unsigned.

Later in the year, after the baseball season had ended, Ray was back at the Phillies complex, this time coaching in the Florida Instructional League. I attended a game where I was the lone fan. I figured there's no way I'm going to miss him this time. When the game ended, I stood in a spot where Ray would be walking right towards me. As he got closer, I called out to him, "Mr. Burris, can I please get an autograph?" Without stopping, he continues walking and says "nope, I don't sign autographs anymore." I then quickly asked for him to personalize it, before he disappeared into the locker room. Again, he proclaims, "no, I don't do personalizations either. I'm done with autographs." I thanked him anyway, and not even in a sarcastic manner, I was being sincere.

I contemplated just leaving the card there. If I can't get it signed, it's really no good to me. I ended up keeping it and headed home to put away all of the other autographs that I acquired that day. Thankfully, because of where I was standing, I ended up getting an autograph from Charlie Kerfeld, who I didn't even know was in attendance. I just happened to have a card of him on me as we crossed paths. So, thanks, Ray!

For the 2016 season, Ray Burris has a new job title. He is now the Phillies rehab pitching coach, which means he'll be spending the majority of his time here in Florida, working with any pitchers who are injured during the season.

This week, the Phillies Fantasy Camp is going on. I went down there today to get autographs from former players participating in the camp.

Guess who was there? Yep, Ray Burris. Me, being the hopeful that I am, still carried his card with me. He's not there as part of the camp, he's here working with the few pitchers who have arrived early for spring training.

I had many opportunities to approach him, but part of me feared that he'd remember me and say, "what did I tell you 3 months ago?"

So, I left him alone.

I was busy collecting autographs anyway. I was fortunate enough to show up on a day where the Yankees brought their fantasy campers to battle the Phillies campers. They did the same thing last year when I attended. I wasn't prepared that day and saw many autograph opportunities slip by. This year I came prepared and brought cards of all the Yankee Fantasy Camp instructors that I had. I did pretty well.

When the games ended, Ray visited some of the Yankees coaches. I waited for him to finish talking and then I saw someone approach him and successfully get an autographed card from him. I wasn't going to be turned down now, but yet, I still kind of was. As I'm holding my card and marker, I asked Mr. Burris for an autograph. He says to me, "I have to charge you $5.00." I had cash on me, but I groaned and told him, "oh, I don't have any money on me." He said, "it's okay, I'll be around."

I then walked over to the guy that had just gotten his autograph and I said to him, "Burris charges?" He said, "yeah, I had to give him five bucks."

After the autographs that I had gotten earlier, I just couldn't justify slapping a five in someone's hand for an autograph.
I could understand if he was doing a signing like the ones I went to to get Canseco and Stieb, but even those I wasn't handing money directly to the players before they signed my cards. They were being paid for their appearance by a promoter.

I know I'm going to be bumping into Ray Burris many times this spring and summer. That same 1984 Topps card will most likely be with me each time. I just don't know if it will ever be signed.

My Own Birthday Present

In case you couldn't tell by the title of this post, today is my birthday. In all my years of collecting autographs, I have never gotten an autograph on my birthday. It doesn't really come at a good time as far as the baseball season goes, but thanks to the Tampa Bay Rays having their annual Winter Development Program this week, I headed down to Tropicana Field to see if I could get some cards signed.

Each January, the Rays invite their top prospects to work out at the home stadium so that coaches can evaluate them before spring training starts.
Unfortunately, these workouts are not opened to the public.
I hung out outside of the players parking lot, hoping that I would be able to recognize the guys that I had cards of.
It was tough, but out of the 20+ players that all rolled out together, I was able to spot 2 that I knew for sure.
The first was Brent Honeywell. As of this posting, he is considered the Rays' number 3 prospect.

The other player I got was Ryne Stanek, who was a Florida State League Top Prospect this past season.

Ryne asked me how I was doing, to which I replied, "it's my birthday, so I can't complain." He then wished me a happy birthday before signing my card.

It was a good day. First time getting autographs on my birthday and the first time a player acknowledged it.

First Autographs of 2016

I got my first autographs of the new year today, thanks to the Minnesota Twins hosting their fantasy camp in Fort Myers, Florida.

My brother and I, along with his 4-year-old son drove 2 hours to hopefully meet some former Twins players. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain when we got there and discovered that the day's activities had been postponed. Luckily, I knew the hotel the campers and staff were staying at, so we went there hoping to meet them.

The rain had cleared up around noon and that's about the time that players were arriving at the hotel.

I ended up getting 9 autographs, including Hall of Famer, Bert Blyleven.

Everyone was super nice and happy to sign for us.

I'm very happy with how my collection has started in 2016. Looking forward to seeing who else I will be getting this year.

My Favorite Autographs of 2015

I don't really like choosing favorites when it comes to my autograph collection. I'm just as happy getting a Hall of Famer, just as I would be getting a guy who barely got a cup of coffee in the bigs.

However, for the sake of this blog and attracting readers, I have combed through my collection to find my 10 favorite autographs of 2015.

Mike Schmidt

This is an autograph I never thought I would get. My brother worked with him over 10 years ago when Schmidt was managing the Philadelphia Phillies Advanced-A Ball team in Clearwater. He told me that he never saw Schmidt sign autographs for fans and that he would enter and exit the field using the tunnel under the stands, just to avoid fans.
A decade later, Schmidt is helping coach during spring training. It's lightly raining and I'm standing in a dry area. All of a sudden I see a golf cart with Mike Schmidt in the passenger seat. It drops him off at his car and Mike quickly gets in and starts to drive away. I'm several feet away walking towards him in the rain, hoping he'll see me in his rearview. Miraculously, he does, and then actually pulls over, waits for me to approach and rolls down his window as I hand him my card.
A raindrop hit the card as he handed it back to me, causing the slight smear. No big deal to me, just adds to the story.

Jackie Bradley, Jr.

My first conscience decision to forego my black Sharpie. This isn't my first autograph signed in blue. I have many, but the majority of my collection were signed in black, because I had a few in blue that came out awful. For decades, I equated blue as being bad, while the majority of the hobbyists raved about blue and insisted anything else was inferior. In 2015 I joined their mission.

What a great card to start with.

Chase Utley

I didn't stick with blue after getting that Jackie Bradley, Jr. card signed. No, I foolishly stuck with black for 12 more autographs. Chase being the 12th. Chase signed for a group of about 10-15 people. I was last. My pen died. Poor Chase, you could see he was trying to get some life in it. It looks like he signed his first name 3 times. It was dead, and with that, my use of a black Sharpie came to an end.

Even though the autograph is terrible, it has a great story, worthy of a mention on here.

Sandy Alomar

Sandy Alomar was another autograph I never thought I would get. I had met his sons, Roberto and Sandy, Jr. during their playing days in the 1990s, but never thought I would get the patriarch of the family.
Sandy is employed by the Toronto Blue Jays and just happened to be at a Minor League game in Dunedin, Florida, watching Toronto's Class-A affiliate play. Luckily, I happened to be carrying this card with me.

Wei-Chung Wang

Wang spent the 2016 season with Milwaukee's Class-A team, the Brevard County Manatees. I didn't understand why, but I wasn't going to miss out on getting his autograph.
I remember the night before seeing his team play, I Googled how to say "thank you" in his native language. I thought it would be cool to show him my appreciation by at least learning a phrase that he would understand. I practiced saying it all night and the following day, "gam-sia.'
When the chance finally arrived and Wei-Chung handed me back my beautifully signed card, I looked at him and said...wait for it..."thank you," completely forgetting what I had been practicing for hours beforehand.

Michael Conforto

The name might not be familiar to you, but...oh, who am I kidding? I was looking forward to seeing Michael play from the day he was drafted. I ended up seeing him play in person for 2 different teams in 2015. He started the season with the St. Lucie Mets. I got this autograph just days before he was promoted to AA.
I saw him play again when he returned to Florida, this time as a Major Leaguer with the New York Mets, when they came down here to play the Tampa Bay Rays. It was an exciting year for Michael and the Mets. I only hope good things continue for him.

Buddy Borden

I never ask for multiple autographs. All I want is one and then I never ask again. I made an exception with Buddy. I was in attendance on May 13th, when Buddy, now a member of the Tampa Bay Rays Class A affiliate, Charlotte Stone Crabs, pitched a no-hitter against the Clearwater Threshers. That night I ordered a card of him, hoping to get it signed the next time his team were in town. I also saved my ticket stub. About a month later the Stone Crabs were playing in Dunedin. After the game I approached Buddy and asked him to sign my card. When he finished, I explained that I never ask for more than one autograph, but told him I was going to make an exception. He didn't mind and offered to sign anything that I had. I then pulled out the ticket stub and asked if he knew the significance of it. He smiled and said "that's my no-no." I told him that I was at that game and then asked if he would sign it and add an inscription, which he kindly did.

Miguel Cairo

Sometimes you show up to a game and you see a person there you totally weren't expecting. That's what happened when the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, Daytona Tortugas came to play Clearwater. Miguel Cairo, who works in the front office for the Reds, was dressed as a coach in the Tortugas dugout. I wasn't expecting to see him there, but a fellow autograph collector was, as he had several of Cairo's cards that he was hoping to get signed. Out of the kindness of his heart, he gave me an unsigned card for free, which I promptly got signed that same day.
It's a bit of a confusing card. Miguel is in a Mets jersey, yet the team logo on the card is that of the Yankees.
I'm just very grateful that I was given this card. When I got home, it turned out that I didn't own any of Miguel's cards. This is my first and only.

Yoenis Cespedes

This guy had such an impact for the Mets in his short time with them. I actually met him shortly before the trade deadline, when he was still with the Detroit Tigers.

My brother wanted to go to the team hotel when they came here to play the Rays. I'm not really fond of getting autographs of players at the hotel. I feel they deserve some space away from collectors like myself, but my brother insisted, so I tagged along. Yoenis was very nice and thought he'd be signing multiple items, but it was just the card. He held his hand out waiting for my brother to hand him something, but my brother, like me, adopted the 1 autograph per person policy. My brother had met Yoenis during spring training and got a picture signed.

I think I had a better looking Cespedes card, but I really wanted to get a Stadium Club card signed. Plus, at least this card showed him with his current team...at the time.

Ron Darling/Keith Hernandez

I know I said top 10, but 11 would just be odd unless I was somehow mentioning the fictional band, Spinal Tap.

Anyway, I got these 2 cards signed back-to-back at the team hotel when the Mets visited. I know I mentioned hating going to the hotel, but the Mets only visit this area once every 3 years. I really wanted to meet these 2, as I enjoyed them as players and appreciate them even more as broadcasters. Thankfully, I succeeded.

Well, there you have my top 10 11 autographs of 2015. I acquired nearly 300 autographs in 2015, so this was not easy for me.

I hope you enjoyed. Also, if you follow my Daily Autograph site, this post is basically a sneak preview, as most of these cards aren't scheduled to be posted until late 2017/early 2018.

The things I do for my readers.

Happy 2016, everyone!

If Only I Still Had a VCR

Today, while rummaging through my closet, looking for a certain VHS tape that I'm hoping to get signed this weekend, I found 13 Florida State League games from 1994-96 on VHS tapes.

Time Warner Cable in Clearwater, Florida, used to broadcast several Clearwater Phillies games throughout the season. I would record the games for myself, mainly because I thought it would be cool to go back and watch these years later. What I didn't factor in was that the VHS format would not last forever.

A lot of these games were announced by Ryan Burr, who would later work for FOX Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports.

Photo courtesy of http://www.twitter.com/RyanBurr

I was amazed that he went on to have a successful broadcasting career. I don't think this guy could pronounce any player's name correctly. Sure, these are just Minor League games with a tiny viewing audience, and no one probably thought or cared to bother creating a pronunciation sheet, but to my brother and I, we'd get a kick out of the butchering of even the simplest of names.

Anyway, back to the tapes. When the cameras were at the stadium, I'd hear players talking about how they wished they could get a copy of the game. I'd approach them letting them know my VCR at home was recording it and that I'd bring a copy to the next home game. It was usually the starting pitchers that would ask for copies, but then everyday players wanted them, too, not only for themselves, but also for their families. I didn't mind doing it. I spent a lot on VHS tapes and never got compensated. The worst part was bringing a tape to the game only to find out that a player who wanted a tape was promoted. Now I had to pay postage to ship tapes to the AA stadium. I used to include a note letting them know that if they needed more copies, just to let me know, and then I'd end it with my name and my e-mail address, which I still remember, sf1aiyqs@frog.thpl.lib.fl.us. That address must've looked so foreign to people. E-mail and the Internet were still quite new back then. Sadly, no player ever e-mailed me back.

Most of these tapes are labelled with the starting pitchers for each game.

This particular game from June 30, 1995 between the Charlotte Rangers and Clearwater Phillies featured Pete Hartmann against Rich Hunter, making his FSL debut.
Unfortunately, I can't find any box scores for these games, but I did find a brief synopsis from the Tampa Bay Times web site.

The Phillies squandered a seven-run lead, but staved off a late rally by the Charlotte Rangers to win 9-7 Friday night at Jack Russell Stadium. Charlotte scored five runs in the last two innings, but reliever Bronson Heflin struck out Edwin Diaz with two on in the ninth to end the game. Santy Gallone hit his third home run and Robert Estalella his ninth in support of Rich Hunter (1-0), who scattered seven hits in five innings to win his FSL debut.

Sounds like it was an exciting game to watch. Four out of the five players mentioned in the article went on to play in the Majors.

There's a shop near my home that digitizes video tapes. They charge $25 for 2 hours of video. Assuming these games are 2 hours or under, it would still cost me over $250 for digital copies of these games. I'd love to do it, but that's just too much.
I'm not quite ready to throw these tapes away, but I know they'll end up degrading sooner or later.
For now, they'll be moved back to the storage bin and stuffed in a closet, forgotten again.

My 9

The Junior Junkie is asking card collectors to post their 9 favorite cards.

When I started this hobby in 1984, my policy was always quantity over quality. While my friends wanted higher dollar cards found in Current Card Prices magazine (yes, I collected before Beckett became the standard), I was focused on amassing as many New York Mets cards as possible.

In later years of collecting, I became obsessed with getting baseball cards signed. I'm just as excited getting a Hall of Famer's signature on a card as I am about getting a Minor League manager whose playing career topped out at AA. They're all equally special to me.
Having said that, you may find my 9 kind of boring, yet, also unique. I decided to do something different with my nine cards. I based mine on defensive positions.

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

One favorite card for each of the nine positions on a baseball diamond.

And now, an explanation for why I chose each of these cards.

P - Dwight Gooden (1986 Fleer) - In the 80's Gooden was one of the most dominant pitchers of that decade. It was a really cool concept for Fleer to show Gooden's pitching motion on one card. Plus, as a 12-year-old, this card became an instant favorite.

C - Steve Lake (1984 Topps) - This set was my first exposure to baseball cards. When I was 10-years-old and able to venture out with my friends to the nearby 7-11 convenience store, I discovered packs of baseball cards mixed in between the various candy bars for sale. I spent that summer making multiple trips to that store buying several packs. This particular card especially stood out to me. I loved that pose. I remember hanging the card on a bulletin board in my bedroom, I liked it that much. About 10 years later, I was lucky enough to meet Steve Lake while he was employed by the Philadelphia Phillies. It was truly a thrill to meet him and get this card signed.

1B - Pete Rose (1985 Donruss) - He wasn't yet the Hit King when this card came out, but he would become it that same year. A mere pit stop in Montreal for the 1984 season was long enough for Donruss to capture this card of Rose as an Expos player. Maybe it was because I was so used to seeing him in Red, as both a player for the Reds and Phillies, but this card just fascinated me, and still does.

2B - Jose Lind (1993 Upper Deck) - Upper Deck made collecting so much fun with their great photography. Getting this card signed was pretty cool. A nice faux-action shot set against a clear blue sky.

3B - Josh Donaldson (2014 Topps) - I'll be completely honest with you, last year at this time, I had no idea who Josh Donaldson was. I'm a Mets fan, I only watch Mets games. I don't watch baseball highlight shows or pay attention to other teams. After years away from the hobby, I started buying cards again in 2014. When I pulled this card from a pack, I was confused as to why the border wasn't white like all of the other cards in the packs I was opening. Anyway, last December, less than 2 weeks after he was traded to the Blue Jays, Josh participated in a whiffle ball tournament near my home. When I saw the list of participants, I thought I was going to be seeing the Pirates infielder, Josh Harrison. It wasn't until I was getting my cards ready that I had the 2 players confused. I thought to myself, "great, I get to get this ugly blue card signed by someone I never heard of."

Well, let's just say that I'm very familiar with Josh Donaldson now. You see, when I get an autograph of a player, I like to follow their career and see how they're doing. Josh ended up being the American League MVP. I also figured out why the border was different. I've learned a lot since then.

SS - Derek Jeter (1995 Upper Deck Minor League) - Since 1992, Derek had been on my radar. I was a subscriber to Baseball America and remember seeing his name pop up in various articles. I was so happy when he was finally sent to the Florida State League to play for the Tampa Yankees. Although his stay was brief that season, I was able to see him play live and get an autograph that same day.

LF - Michael Conforto (2014 Bowman Draft) - Much like Derek Jeter's stay in the FSL, Conforto's was equally as short when he played in the league this year for the St. Lucie Mets. I was paying close attention to his stats and just looking at the schedule, knowing that St. Lucie wouldn't be traveling to my proximity until the middle of May. I was sure that he'd be promoted by then. I remember reading a scout's opinion of him a month into the season, "why is he still in this league?" Lucky for me, he was still with St. Lucie when they visited the Dunedin Blue Jays. A few days later he was promoted to AA. Whew! What a year for this guy. He ends up bypassing AAA and earning himself his own position in left field for the Major League team.

CF - Richie Ashburn (1993 Ted Williams) - I really liked this set. The design was classy and it showcased some great players that I never had cards of. This was the first card that I ever got signed from this set. At the time, Richie had yet to inducted into the Hall of Fame. So, it was nice that he eventually was enshrined in Cooperstown, and it's not a bad first card to get signed. I've added 11 since then.

RF - Darryl Strawberry (1984 Donruss) - Probably my all-time favorite baseball card set. Of course, my favorite player is going to land a spot in my 9. This card was so expensive to me when I was a kid. I don't remember how I ever obtained it, but I'm sure I forked over many cards in trade to get it.

Well, there you have it, my favorite starting 9 baseball cards.

Luis Torrens: A Tribute to Zippy Zappy

Being a baseball card blogger, is it possible to rip open a pack of cards, pull a Luis Torrens card and not think of Zippy Zappy at Torren' Up Cards?

I had an even bigger experience today. At the final Florida Instructional League game, the Yankees visited Clearwater to play the Phillies. Before the game started, I noticed Luis Torrens just wandering around the concourse of Bright House Field. Here I am, foolishly waiting in the hot sun by the dugout awaiting the players/coaches, when I could've been in the shade awaiting them. I headed up the stairs and approached him. I was almost tempted to tell him that I read his biggest fan's blog, but I didn't know if he knew him as Zippy Zappy or not, so I just asked for an autograph and wished him luck, and kept the possibly awkward conversation to myself.

I've never been Zippy Zapped and I don't think he follows me or is even aware of this blog, so hopefully he'll discover this someday and know that a reader was thinking of him while getting a card signed.

Opening a Few Packs

I visited my local card shop today. I had e-mailed them last night with a list of singles that I was looking for. I promptly received an e-mail this morning letting me know that the cards would be ready for me. While I was there I decided to buy 2 packs of 2015 Topps Heritage Minor League cards, as well a pack of 2015 Panini Stars & Stripes. I had never bought any of these before, so these were all new to me.

The first pack I opened was the Stars & Stripes. I wasn't familiar with the first 4 cards in the pack, but that 4th card was autographed and numbered 76/299.

The remainder of the pack had some much more familiar names to me, including the potential National League Rookie of the Year, Kris Bryant.

Next up were the Heritage packs. They weren't all that eventful, so I'll just share the highlights. The first being the first card in the pack, Michael Conforto.

The only insert in the 2 packs was this blue parallel of Touki Toussaint.

I'm happy with what I got, and glad to be able to help keep a card shop in business.