My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Day 4 (Mon Mar 22nd)...

I am now up to today - and I will put up pics and all shortly... right now though I have to head to Sky Harbor as my Wife and Kid touch down in just under an hour... I'll finish getting caught up when we get back.

Til then!

- Chris

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Addendum to Day 3...

I can't believe that I forgot these!!!

After the game, I went to a couple of shops and picked up the following:

Sandy Koufax single signed ball:


Vintage Reach (Joe Cronin) Ball Box (no lid):


Vintage 1984 Giants Fantasy Camp signed ball : Mays (light on sweet spot), Maglie, Bobby Bonds, Marichall, Irvin, etc...





Pujols (Mounted Memories) GU Dirt:


And the Buchelle ball:


Chad Tracy ball:


- Chris

[jobathenut]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

I have heard that from friends of mine in the autograph buisness.I have some that travel the country during the season and they have told me who is the best and worst at signing at away stadiums (as everyone is great at thier own) and he is always on all thier lists they send to me.Just what i have been told as i have not tried to get anything signed by him myself.So i am sorry if i stated that as fact as i didnt intend to sound like that.Glad you are back writing the blog.It's the only reason i have logged on here the last couple days is to read your adventures.

Butch -

Not much media at all... Ron even signed! I don't know who told you (or where you got the idea) that Ham-Bone (Hamilton) isn't fan friendly... he has to be one of the nicest guys in MLB. More on that shortly when I return...

- Chris

[jobathenut]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

xpress-Man i really have enjoyed reading you dream trip blog here.I do have to say i am so happy you were able to get giambi to sign that jersey.I am not too crazy about the autograph on the pants though.So were you able to get those batting gloves.I know i would love to get a pair of his yankees ones to go with my bat.Have you been able to get those nolan ryan jerseys signed yet.I am assumming you have not as i am sure you would have mentioned meeting "the legend".And i love that autograph on the hamilton jersey.I love a nice and big autograph on a item.Which is funny as one of my favorites giambi has one of the smallest and ugliest autographs there is.Love the pictures,this has been a great read for sure.

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Day 4 (Mon Mar 22nd):

Today was a good day simply because my wife and kid were coming in to join me in Phoenix (even though they won't do any auto chasing/baseball games with me... )

Got up this morning and went back to Surprise... NO ONE on the practice fields so I went to check out Camelback Ranch (my wife says it sounds like a whore house name) and the Dodgers camp. Met up with friends Tommy, Marty and Phil from Idaho. Got blown off by Torre 3 times (but he did smile and wave) and just missed Donnie Baseball.

Not a total loss though... I did get Tommy Lasorda (FINALLY!) on a ball for the collection.

After that I headed out to get the hotel room. We had reserved a King SUITE w/ Sleeper Sofa (for the 16 year old)... when I got there, they checked me in, never asked anything... go to the room - not a suite, and it's a single queen. Back to desk - they don't have any King SUITES and someone in THEIR side CHANGED the reservation 3 days after I made it to make it a Queen single bed. They had to send me to a different hotel in their chain and put us in a dual queen room - not a SUITE - and we saved $130. I will be writing and asking for ore when it's all said and done...room is tiny...

Anyway, got a room - the family is here and I'm off to bed...

But 1st, pictures:

ManRam in the cage (where he belongs!):


Donnie Baseball:




Lasorda:



But the COOLEST thing I've seen this trip... not even baseball related... was this:




Was once the 2nd Largest Polar Bear - now #1 because the former #1 wasn't taxidermied right and fell apart...

Enjoy!

- Chris

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Day 5 (Tues Mar 23rd)

Today is a 'shopping day' with the wife and kid and then dinner with my oldest brother and his GF, so no news for today... unless I buy anything at any of the antique malls, flea markets or sports card shops we hit today...

- Chris

P.S. - Tomorrow is MLB Network (30 Clubs in 30 Days) at the Rangers in Surprise. Hoping to finish up my Hamilton stuff, maybe Ryan and looking for Peter Gammons. Then we will be heading to Tucson and the Rangers on Thursday (MLB Network is there on Thursday).

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

(Catching up on the blog... had more internet issues...)

Day 6 (Wed Mar 24th)

Today was Cubs @ Rangers in Surprise. Went out early for Autos at practice fields and because MLB Network '30 Clubs in 30 Days' was there...

BAD Auto day at the practice fields... couldn't buy a sig from the big guys (Hamilton, Young, Andrus, etc...) and Peter Gammons walked by, said he'd come back and sign - and then he Big Leagued us and skipped out...

Did recover some with Derrick Holland, Rich Harden, Tom Grieve and Netfali Perez on the 'Stitches' jersey... then I went inside and got the 2009 Hamilton Jersey signed!

So it ended up alright... also got Hurdle on my friend's bat for him...

Stitches jersey as it looks now:


Hamilton 2009 ASG Jersey:


Gammons on the Practice Fields:


30 Clubs in 30 Days @ Surprise:


A VERY Cool Piece... this girl painted this herself - the brown actually has dirt from the mounds of Surprise and the Ballpark in Arlington in it!!! And then she has been getting the baseballs signed on the 'sweet spots'!:


And there was a nice surprise as he game was about to start... 2 1st pitches... by Fergie Jenkins and Bob Feller!!!:




Next up day 7!!!

- Chris

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Day 7 (Thurs Mar 25th)

We drove to Tucson Wed night and had dinner with my Mom and my Brothers... Thurs morning I got up and went over to Hi Corbett (the wife and my mom were coming over later for the game - my kid can't stand baseball!)

Looked around for Gammons again (MLB 30 in 30 @ Hi Corbett), but no sign...

Finally went in early and got my FREE hat which ended up signed by:

Melvin Mora
Chris Iannetta
EY Jr
Aaron Cook
Dexter Fowler
Omar Quintanilla
Tim Redding
Jorge De La Rosa
Jonathan Herrera
Jeff Francis
Vinny Castilla
and my fav sig - Justin Speier (inscribed 'Semper Fi' 'USMC Cpl')... DID YOU KNOW?: Speier is the ONLY MLB player in the past 15 years to have served his country!!! Even if it was in a Reserve Role, he was still out there ready to go...

I also got my Rox Mini Mitt signed by Tulo (one of my ST Goals) and got the Denver Mag my wife picked up signed by Spilly and Fowler (got CarGo @ Surprise earlier).

Not a bad day at all...

Hat:



Tulo Mini Mitt:


And MLB 30 in 30 @ Hi Corbett:


Tomorrow (Friday) is a day for the family... we will do whatever they want today! Saturday is family day too... and dinner with my brother and his gal pal in Surprise at their house...

Sunday morning is Rangers autos again, then family time, then wife and kid to the airport and then staying at brother's again.

Monday is Rox @ Rangers and then on he road to Denver... so unless I pick up (read: BUY) something for the collection in the next day or two, then the next Blog post will be Sunday evening after the wife and kid have headed home...

til then -

Chris

[rays54]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Chris
Enjoyed the time talking and chasing autographs. Best to your family and hope to see you next year in the Valley of the Sun.

Rays54 aka BATman

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Rays -

We took the past two days off from games and autos to spend time with family and to show my wife and kid around Phoenix... we are seriously thinking of moving to the Glendale area near Camelback Ranch (Dodgers/White Sox complex)...

Tomorrow (Sunday) we are going to White Sox vs Rangers @ Surprise - trying to finish up my Josh Hamilton pieces and then a few more places for the wife to see before she and the kid fly out tomorrow night. I'll be staying at the brother's house in Sun City and then back to Surprise on Monday morning for Rockies @ Rangers!!! Then I'm driving to either Durango or Albuquerque to stay the night and back into Denver on Tuesday...

You should come up early tomorrow for Surprise... Rangers are great signers!!!

Anyway, it was AWESOME catching up with you again - come to Denver and visit some time!

And don't forget - YOU are a good man!!!

All the best -

Chris

[rays54]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

No, YOU ARE a good man.

[geoff]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Enjoyed Reading about this.This makes me want to go to ST even more Next Year.

Thanks
Geoff

[tigerdale]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Great reading.........thank you for posting all of that!!

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Quick update... got home at 4:30am today... and now getting ready to go into work!

I drove straight through yesterday from Surprise (Phoenix) AZ to Thornton (Denver) CO. Roughly 14.5 hours... about 730 miles or so...

Anyway, I will update the last few days of my ST adventure later today/tonight (if I don't pass out when I get home!) or tomorrow... it finished up quite nicely!

All the best -

Chris

[xpress34]

Re: My 2010 Spring Training 'Blog'...

Sorry I haven't gotten pics and update done yet... long work day today...

I promise, the conclusion stories are coming!!!

On a side note, my wife and I unpacked some stuff from the trip this evening and I counted and came in somewhere around 90 autos over the 6 days I actually spent chasing autos while there... about 15 sigs a day!!! That number does include purchases and items that were 'gifted' to me... but I still collected about 70 to 80 sigs IN PERSON...

All the best -

Chris