The Autograph Connection: Random Thoughts August 2002

Random Thoughts & Autograph Experiences
August 2002

I wrote the following "diatribe" shortly after I read the article on ESPN about the players setting a strike date. Needless to say, I was a bit ticked:

I know of very few individuals who love baseball as much as I do. I know only a handful of individuals who spend each Saturday in March and February watching random MLB teams in Spring Training. I experience baseball withdrawal in November, December and January. The greatest phrase besides "I love you" from my wife is the phrase "Pitchers and catchers report."

I know of very few Orlando residents who make the trek to St. Petersberg (a two hour trip) to watch the Devil Rays more than once a year. I buy Baseball Weekly religiously. My morning ritual is to visit the Seattle Times web site to see how my Mariners did. I actually watched many a game in the Kingdome growing up outside of Seattle. Do you remember the names Dave Fleming, Greg Briley, Darnell Coles, and Jack Perconte? I do.

I watch Braves telecasts and I don't even like the Braves. I watch baseball broadcasts in Spanish just so I can watch baseball and I don't even speak Spanish (OK, muy pequeno). I have visited, in no particular order, the web sites for Kansas City, Houston, Bakersfield, Richmond, Greenville, Indianapolis, Everett, Sonoma, and Brooklyn this season. I love Baseball America, both in web site and in print version. I scout the independent league transaction wires because I want to know where some of my favorite minor league players have wound up. I play fantasy baseball (though I'm currently eighth in a pool of ten teams). I got mad when Mark Prior's first MLB start wasn't on television and I'm not even a Cubs fan.

I get excited during the baseball draft. I know who Jonny Gomes is. I know who Chad Tracy is. I knew that Eric Gagne would emerge into a quality reliever (though I did fail at my prediction that Matt Herges would blossom in Montreal). I knew who Ben Diggins was when he got traded to Milwaukee for Tyler Houston. I could dissect the Jeff Weaver to the Yankees trade and tell you that the A's made out like bandits in the trade (though Franklyn German could very well be a quality major league pitcher). I buy baseball cards, though my finances prevent me from spending like I did when I was in high school or college.

Since I moved to Florida over a year ago, I always scratched my bald head wondering why everyone and their dog were excited about football season. I'm now open to conversion. If any die-hard football fan living in Florida wants to help me study up on the upcoming football season, I'm all ears. Teach me about the Bowdens. Convince me that Ron Zook will lead Spurrier's recruits to another Top 10 finish. Larry Coker? Tell me all about him. Fill me in on why the Bucs would sacrifice first round draft picks to have Chucky coach them. Point me to a web site that explains all about Jay Fielder and Ricky Williams. I'll read it. I knew it was coming. I tried to remain optimistic. I said to myself, in a state of denial, "They won't strike. Don't they know how it will damage their sport forever!" Then, today, I read the news that the players have set August 30th as their strike date. And to make matters even more insulting, here's how MLB.com have their list of "headlines:"

• Memorable moment: Larsen's perfect game
• Giants can't stop rain, Braves
• Players set Aug. 30 strike date

Way to cover up the blatant truth. Major League Baseball would rather talk about the Braves…Don Larsen…and then, oh, by the way, the players are going on strike at the end of the month.

If they follow through with their promise, I'm going on strike. No more baseball cards. No more publications. No more wasting my time memorizing useless information that not even my closest friends find useful. No more trips to Tampa.

Do the players and owners both realize how good they've got it? In this state of economy, I'm just thankful I have a good job let alone a job that pays at a minimum $200,000 to play a sport. How could the common fan emphasize with either side? That's right. I forgot that the common fan was brushed to the side many years ago when the luxury box became a necessary evil.

Sorry Jason Tyner. Sorry Dewon Brazelton and Seth McClung. There will not be a September call-up. You'll just have to wait for next Spring Training. And I won't be there to bug you for your autograph.

The WNBA and a short walk

I work across the street from the team hotel for the WNBA. I can only assume that the same hotel will be the team hotel for the NBA. That will give me something to do with my lunch (usually read the paper and articles I just don't care too much about…only to waste time). I kick myself to know that during the NBA season, I could have walked across the street to snag a few autographs. No biggie.

As I was leaving to go home on the 8th, I decided to head over to the hotel to get some autographs of the Monarchs. I kicked myself again because I still have WNBA photos of Yolanda and Ticha at home. Instead, I got their autographs on business cards. I got one autograph of each of the following: Yolanda Griffith, Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton, Kedra Holland-Corn, Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, Coach Maura McHugh, and La'Keisha Frett. There were a few other gals who had not exited the hotel yet but after getting Ticha's autograph, I left. I'm not a big fan of the WNBA but I do highly recommend watching her play. She is a better point guard than a majority of the point guards running the show in the NBA.

Bucs/Topps

I was planning on going to Tampa Bay Bucs training camp at Disney. However, my only days available to attend are Saturdays. Due to some of the preseason games, the Bucs only Saturday practice was to be held on August 10 (I couldn't attend August 3rd). Slight problem: August 10th was a joint practice with the Dolphins and Disney was going to charge $10 per person to watch practice. It wasn't even a scrimmage game! I couldn't justify paying the cost to watch practice of two teams that I care very little about. So, when I went to the Bucs web site, they mentioned that the Tampa Tribune was carrying coupons for free admission to the Saturday practice. Another slight problem: no one carries the Tampa Tribune in the Orlando market. I called around to literally every major bookstore and vendor in the area and no one could accommodate me. Instead, I took my wife and children to a church picnic which proved to be a better use of my precious time.

Bought a pack of Upper Deck's 40 man set. I still like Topps Total better. I did pull a few nice cards out of the UD pack, but the price is $2 more a pack than the Topps pack.

This month's mailbox

Brian Snyder: Relief pitcher who spent a brief time in Seatlle. Signed two of the same card from his address in Smallings in a little over a month.

Dave Cochrane: RTS from Smallings.

Mack Brown: Football coach of the University of Texas Longhorns. Sent request via email.

Been a rather disappointing month for autographs through the mail but I also have scaled back the number of requests I've sent in the mail. With the postage increase, I find it even more difficult to justify sending requests to players or celebs that I only marginally like. So, that has been limiting the requests.

I already have autographs from a ton of people that I really wanted. The others: well, let's just say I'm still waiting for them to send back my autograph requests. For instance, if anyone knows the signing habits of the following former Mariners, please let me know because I'm still waiting (some I've been waiting on for almost a year):

Tom Paciorek
Floyd Bannister
Pat Putnam
Mickey Brantley
Bob Wolcott
Alex Diaz
Joe Simpson (yes, the Braves broadcaster)
Frank Wills
John Christensen
Rick Sweet

Russ Johnson & Double A Baseball

Aug 20: I put aside my bitterness for baseball (see my last post about the strike) and decided to follow the advice of a friend and go back to the roots of baseball in Double A. I went to the O-Rays game where Russ Johnson is making a "rehab" stint. I've never seen Russ so happy. We chatted for a few minutes before the game and he's really glad to be back and I told him that it was good to see him smiling. He told me that he realizes that he has plenty of things to smile about and how the Lord really helped him through his depression.

On a playing note, Russ barely missed the left field wall for a home run in the first and he and Pete LaForest completed a double steal off of one of the Southern League's better catchers. Unfortunately, that would be Russ's only hit of the night and the O-Rays went on to win 5-1.

Autographs couldn't have been any easier. I started out the night getting Seth McClung's signature as he was leaving the field after working out by himself. Pete LaForest, Scott Neuberger, Jace Brewer all signed one card each and Andrew Beinbrink Jorge Cantu stopped to sign as well, getting five cards from each. Mark Malaska, on a pitching day, stopped to sign the article that was in Baseball Weekly about him and Rust (who was hiding out in the dugout). On the Carolina side, I only had cards for Choo Freeman and I got him to sign two 2000 Bowman for me. Another autograph hound asked him to sign about 10 cards and I noticed that the other fan didn't have the 2000 Bowman in his stack. So, we swapped cards and I got the better end of the deal as he traded me two minor league cards (already signed) for one of my 2000 Bowman.

When the game began, I was able to get Robert Averette and Dewon Brazelton in the stands. I had heard all sorts of stories about how weird Dewon was about signing but I followed some advice I heard and called Dewon "Mr. Brazelton" and he was courteous about signing one card (sorry folks, that is his limit).