2009 Diamondbacks Fan Fest

[godwulf]

They've announced which players, coaches and alumni will be (pending last minute changes) attending the DBacks Fan Fest on Feb. 7...so now, I'm living in a state of competing emotions: primarily elation and dread. The elation part, I'm sure I don't have to explain to you guys; here's why the dread:

At last year's Fan Fest, I pushed a small cart filled with about a dozen game-used bats all over the ball park, getting signatures, one autograph per player. There were times I had to be physically separated from the cart while I stood in line, and then of course I had to watch it like a hawk to make sure nobody grabbed one of my bats. By the end of the day, I was an exhausted, nervous wreck. Because I had to hurry to get in line to buy the autograph tickets, I couldn't get to the Yard Sale till much later, at which point any good bats they might have had were long gone.

This year, I've got at least one unsigned bat from 13 of the announced attendees. Or I could drop the Bob Melvin and Jay Bell bats, and try to figure a way to lug around my 2001 Opening Day base (which weighs a ton) for them to sign. I could also drop the Kelly Stinnett bat, if I got up the nerve to ask him to sign the "game-used" DBacks shower wrap of his that I've got (long story).

Now I'm aware that there is no law requiring that I do anything but show up - there is a law that I have to do that, right? - with nothing but a bag of baseballs and some photos, nearly as free and mobile as any carefree kid with one ball to get everyone to sign...nobody is putting a radar gun to my head, forcing me to haul all these bats out to the ballpark. I get that.

But when you can get a bat signed at Fan Fest for a couple of bucks (last year it was $2.50 per table, with two guys at each table), instead of maybe getting some guy down the road doing a signing for 20 bucks or more, it's tough to ignore the opportunity, however crazy-making actually doing it turns out to be.

Note to you guys who never get your bats signed, preferring to keep them "as is" when used: (Eric Cartman voice) "I really, really hate you guys."

Can anyone identify, here? Don't you just envy the kid who does show up at Fan Fest with one baseball for all the guys to sign, and can't even imagine spending the day hauling around a cart of bats like an obssessed nut?

[Fnazxc0114]

i say buy one of your buddies that you trust a steak dinner or give him some money to stand in line for you.

[godwulf]

Well, I do have a 17-year-old kid. Unfortunately, he's got the attention span of a...well, a 17-year-old kid. I could probably pay him to "caddy" for me. Heck, with two of us there, I could actually get several of these guys to sign two bats. I feel myself spiralling down into game-used collector/obssessed fan Hell.

[cjosefy]

Do they sell any game used stuff at the fan fest?

Thanks,

Chris

[godwulf]

Last year they had a couple of barrels of bats - that's it. Like I mentioned, there may have been some good ones for sale before I got there, but by the time I did, there was about a half a barrel of Scott Hairston bats (he must have gone through a lot of bats while he was here) and nearly all the rest were pro stock bats. There might have been the odd, very badly broken Chris Snyder, but aside from that, nothing.

They were mostly selling leftover stadium giveaways, stuff (like the dishware and cups, etc, from the fancy eateries on the second level) with the old purple-and-teal colors on it, a few signed photos, and that's about it. The coolest thing I saw was a huge, dry-mounted poster of Orlando Hudson that was only $25, but I had my "bat-mobile" cart with me, and so had no way to carry it.

If they have some game-used stuff this year that's actually worth looking at, I'll be pleasantly amazed.

[godwulf]

Incidentally, just a minor correction to my first post: the cost of signing tickets the past couple of years was actually $5 per table, which worked out to $2.50 per player. Still pretty good, and of course the money all goes to charity.

[mariner_gamers]

The last time I was "that guy" at a baseball event was All-Star week 2001 in Seattle. I really had no idea how many old Mariners would be showing up so I had about 25 bats with me. Luckily I had spent a small fortune with one of the dealers at the card show so he let me stash some of them under his table. I ran around the fan areas and stadium the entire week. We would here rumors so and so was spotted here or there and I would take off with a couple bats and hope to find them.

By the end of the event I had gotten Julio Cruz, Ruppert Jones, Harold Reynolds, Alvin Davis, Dave Henderson and Tom Paciorek. I was not allowed to take bats up to the signing area because folks were afraid someone was going to club a player so I had to track them down when they were out and about. I was exhausted and as I looked around everything winding down I thought man was this really worth it?? Turns out yes and no, I have not done it since but do have fond memories of that week and more than a few momentos to remember it.

When I read your post it struck me because for the first time since 2001 I am thinking of taking a bunch of bats to spring training to see if I can get lucky. I have lived in Phoenix 6 years now and have never taken bats to Mariner spring training because they do not allow them in the park and players sign very little outside the park. Maybe it is time for me to be "that guy" again running around with a packed bat bag hoping my silver paint pen hasn't dried out. Or perhaps, as in years past, I will sip a beer or 8 and just lounge in the sun and outfield grass.........

Hey I might attend D'Back Fan Fest now that you mention it. I think it would be cool just to check things out and see what's going on. Perhaps I can get my Melvin Mariners Fungo signed.

We all need Game Used Universe shirts with our tag names on the front. Then at events we can spot one another and say hi or in some cases run the other way. If I can make it I will definitely look for the dude with lumber issues.........

Davis

[godwulf]

I was not allowed to take bats up to the signing area because folks were afraid someone was going to club a player...

That's just bizarre. That reminds me of the time Thom Brenneman took me up to the radio booth to see Jim Traber and get Trabes to sign one of his old bats for me. They were just finishing the radio broadcast (this was at midnight, after a grueling, extra innings win against Houston) and Thom stuck his head in and whispered to the mountainous engineer/bodyguard Leo Gilmartin that the big, sweaty guy standing out in the hall with a ball bat was waiting for Traber...but that it was cool.

Perhaps I can get my Melvin Mariners Fungo signed.

I have one of Melvin's DBacks fungo bats, on which is written, under his name, "Wonder Boy". I had him sign it at the Fan Fest last year, and before I showed it to him, I asked him, "Do you remember having a fungo bat with 'Wonder Boy' written on it?", and Melvin said, "All my fungos have 'Wonder Boy' written on them." If I take a bat for him to sign this year, it will be my Yankees bat - the only Melvin Yankees bat I've ever seen.

I read that they're going to be doing a lot of stuff down on the field this year - maybe the signings, too. The set-up they had last year, with people having to go down and sit in certain seats, and then forming a line to come back up to the concourse level to see the players, was insane. I may try to contact somebody with the team who's in the know and has his or her act halfway together, and ask them how it's going to go this year, with the signing - and that will determine whether I'm going to be doing the cart full o' bats things again this time.

[OaklandAsFan]

hey Godwulf, what weekend is the fanfest? I may be able to come help you out for awhile.

I have not seen any info on this anywhere, is Brandon Webb gonna be there? I will definately be there to get my Webb bat signed if he is plus I have several Dan Haren bobbleheads that need to get signed as well.

[OaklandAsFan]

The last time I was "that guy" at a baseball event was All-Star week 2001 in Seattle. I really had no idea how many old Mariners would be showing up so I had about 25 bats with me. Luckily I had spent a small fortune with one of the dealers at the card show so he let me stash some of them under his table. I ran around the fan areas and stadium the entire week. We would here rumors so and so was spotted here or there and I would take off with a couple bats and hope to find them.

By the end of the event I had gotten Julio Cruz, Ruppert Jones, Harold Reynolds, Alvin Davis, Dave Henderson and Tom Paciorek. I was not allowed to take bats up to the signing area because folks were afraid someone was going to club a player so I had to track them down when they were out and about. I was exhausted and as I looked around everything winding down I thought man was this really worth it?? Turns out yes and no, I have not done it since but do have fond memories of that week and more than a few momentos to remember it.

When I read your post it struck me because for the first time since 2001 I am thinking of taking a bunch of bats to spring training to see if I can get lucky. I have lived in Phoenix 6 years now and have never taken bats to Mariner spring training because they do not allow them in the park and players sign very little outside the park. Maybe it is time for me to be "that guy" again running around with a packed bat bag hoping my silver paint pen hasn't dried out. Or perhaps, as in years past, I will sip a beer or 8 and just lounge in the sun and outfield grass.........

Hey I might attend D'Back Fan Fest now that you mention it. I think it would be cool just to check things out and see what's going on. Perhaps I can get my Melvin Mariners Fungo signed.

We all need Game Used Universe shirts with our tag names on the front. Then at events we can spot one another and say hi or in some cases run the other way. If I can make it I will definitely look for the dude with lumber issues.........

Davis

Since when do they not allow bats in? I could have sworn last year I brought bats into that stadium to get signed. I know Tucson won't let you bring bats in nor will they let you bring in more than 2 baseballs to get autographed (it really sucks to get sigs in Tucson which is why I never go down there and am very excited that by 2010 they will have no teams left.)